Author: Administrador

Debby Hudson photo – Unsplash By Kristy Etheridge “If a book is well written, I always find it too short.” — Marianne Dashwood, Sense & Sensibility Whether your experience with reading mirrors Marianne’s or you haven’t picked up a classic since wiping the drool off one during high school English class, Karen Swallow Prior believes … Continue reading “5 Reasons Christians Should Read Classic Literature”

Element5 Digital photo – Pexels By Aaron Earls During yesterday’s Super Tuesday election, almost half of churchgoers probably couldn’t guess in which political party primary their pastor voted. Pew Research found 45% of U.S. adults who attend religious services a few times a year or more say they are not sure whether the clergy at … Continue reading “Many Churchgoers Don’t Know Their Pastor’s Politics”

By Dan Hyun One of the hopes we have in our church is to intentionally grow as a multicultural community representative of the diverse peoples around us.  Though some may question that goal, the primary reason for desiring a multicultural expression is like all other things in our church: It’s a matter of discipleship. Here … Continue reading “3 Ways Multicultural Church Stretches and Grows Us”

Sharon McCutcheon photo – Unsplash By Josh King Like many break rooms and kitchens, the one our staff uses at the church has a refrigerator. Next to that refrigerator is a stack of blank cards and some markers. Whenever a staff member is noticed doing something kind or effective we will recognize them by writing … Continue reading “5 Signs You’re Addicted to Ministry Affirmation”

  John Price photo – Unsplash By Mike Harland The children of God have many stories to tell, and each church has its own story that characterizes God’s work among that congregation through the years. I love to hear my pastor tell the story of how years ago a small group of laypeople meeting in … Continue reading “The Power of Story in the Songs We Sing”

By Chase Smith When I was young, I attended a funeral for a man who was my dad’s friend. The man was very sick and died young, which made for a very somber occasion. He left behind a wife and two young kids we were friends with. As I recall, this was my first funeral. … Continue reading “3 Places Pastors Can (and Should) Find Friends”

Skitterphoto – Pexels By Pete Scazzero For years I focused on pure numbers as a measurement of my success. Sometimes this meant expanding the numbers of small groups, increasing the number of people connected with or serving in the church, planting another church, or launching another campus. If you lead in any church context, you’ve … Continue reading “The Critical Goal Most Church Leaders Overlook”

Photo by Kyle Mills on Unsplash By Robin Dance Sometimes when our faith goes sideways, we need God to show up. We need Him to come to us, even if we’re not necessarily looking for Him. Remarkably, He’s more than willing. After all, He did this very thing in the incarnation—when He left heaven, became … Continue reading “Hope for the Wanderers and Doubters in Your Church”

By Ryan Rice From elementary school to high school, I loved track & field. I decided to go for a run one day and, like Forrest Gump, I never stopped.  I can remember the first race I ever lost. I was in 6th grade, and the race was the 100-meter dash. Needless to say, I … Continue reading “Godly Leaders Are Faithful—Not Flawless”

Photo by William Warby on Unsplash By Aaron Earls My 7-year-old likes to create her own games that inevitably—regardless of how well I play—end with her winning. Unfortunately, many church leaders feel as if they are in a similar situation. No matter how well they do, they can never “win.” When they finally achieve success … Continue reading “9 Wrong Ways Churches Measure Success”