Moving at the speed of God

Moving at the speed of God

John Draper of the Baltimore Baptist Association used the phrase “moving at the speed of God.” It means keeping pace with what God is doing. Sometimes he’s moving quickly. Other times he’s moving more slowly. It’s not up to us to determine the speed, but to keep pace...
Agenda harmony

Agenda harmony

As you plant a church, you need to help people understand what it means to follow Jesus based on the DNA you disciple into them. Obviously, this is harder with people who have previous church experience than with those who come to faith through your ministry....
Loving obedience

Loving obedience

Often the term obedience connotes drudgery, lack of freedom, and having to do things we re-ally don’t want to do. That’s not what Jesus has in mind. When you love someone, it’s easy to do what pleases them. My wife loves Christmas lights. Is putting up Christmas...
Don’t cut corners

Don’t cut corners

At a karate studio, the instructor sets up orange cones to create a square for the kids to run laps around. One little boy jumps across the inside of the cone instead of running around the outside of it. The instructor is immediately on it: “No cutting corners!” The...
How is ministry like a Thanksgiving dinner?

How is ministry like a Thanksgiving dinner?

Guest blog entry from Christina Roberts, church planter: I was recently talking with my coach, sifting through all of the elements that need to be put into place for my next ministry initiative. I realized in saying all of this that I feel like I am making a...
What’s the problem?

What’s the problem?

Here’s one of my favorite diagrams to use when you’re having a problem with someone who is in a specific ministry role– whether it’s a staff role or a volunteer role. When something just doesn’t seem to be working, start by asking, “Does this person understand...