Church
Growing Churches and the Master’s Joy
I have seen responses to surveys about church growth from several churches over the years, and I am always surprised to see responses like, “we don’t want to grow bigger," or “if we grow to two services, we won’t know everyone.” These common responses go against our mission as Christians to make disciples. So how do we overcome our fear of growing churches? I think the parable of talents … [Read More...]
Fishermen for Leaders?
A Rev. Dean Shepherd story. Shep meets with a church member who is concerned about some of the new people appointed to leadership positions in the church. … [Read More...]
Photographers, Janitors, and Greeters – Oh My!
This post examines three duties that Disney World gives to all of its employees, and how these duties could strengthen hospitality in our churches if all Christians were to accept them as well. When travelling through a forest, Dorothy taught us that we could expect to find lions, tigers, and bears. When travelling through the Walt Disney World Resort, you can expect to find photographers, … [Read More...]
Google Alerts: Web Tool for Pastors
Have you Googled yourself lately? You should. It is important to know what the internet community is saying about you and your church. You definitely want to be a part of that conversation! From time to time, I type my name into Google to see what pops up. I have found articles from my blog republished in some interesting places. It is fun to see how my articles spur discussions across … [Read More...]
More Leadership Posts
And Tea
Prayer and God are Both in Schools
I have seen many people write on their Facebook pages something to the effect of, "We need to put God back in our Schools." This is a reference to our present suffering seemingly as a result of removing prayer from school. While I am excited that so many people value prayer and our relationship with God as a people, I am troubled by the premise of this theological thinking for at least two … [Read More...]
Avoiding eGossip
This post explores the problem of eGossip, or forwarding false information to others with services like Email and Facebook, and suggests a resource for confirming information before pressing "send." … [Read More...]
Veterans Day Worship Planning
I know this is too late to help anyone this year, but it's not too early to gather resources for next year :). First, I thought I would share that the proper grammar for this day is "Veterans Day" without an apostrophe. According to the website of the Department of Veterans Affairs, "Veterans Day does not include an apostrophe but does include an "s" at the end of "veterans" because it is not a … [Read More...]
Understanding Christians Who Vote Democrat
I live in a decidedly Republican area. How Republican? The church I serve is a polling place, so I can tell you: 1063 votes for Romney, 133 votes for Obama. I would break down the elections for other positions, but in all but a couple of cases, republicans ran unopposed. Democrats know better than to even try. With such an overwhelming Republican base, I often hear the question, "How can a … [Read More...]
