The Bible never commands us to coach. In fact, the word coach is never used. So why coach? Should we even coach? Is coaching biblical? The Bible does command us to do certain things: to make disciples, to encourage one another, to listen to the Holy Spirit, to follow...
The post below is by Randy Lovejoy, pastor of Silverlake Community Church. I had an opportunity to use a different metric for ministry this past week. This Sunday we had an unusual convergence in our worship service. Not only did adults and youth join. Not only did...
In my years of working with many different types of groups, I’ve found that there are two extremes to avoid when it comes to planning. One is simply going into all-out planning mode where we think through our project on the human side, make all the decisions, then...
Often in ministry, we start to feel overwhelmed by the task before us. Engaging in what I call the action-reflection loop can help. Plan some time for reflection and take stock of where you’re at. Dream about where you want to be. You need clarity in terms of where...
At our last ViaCordis campfire gathering, we gathered leaders of the churches who are in the ViaCordis network. We had a time of prayer and listening to the Lord and see what the Spirit might be prompting people to share. My friend and associate Doug Lee shared that...
Over years of working with churches and church leaders in a wide variety of denominations and networks, one thing that continues to amaze me is how many people view planning and spirituality as completely separate and even antithetical practices. On the one hand, some...
I have a dream that God would heal the wounds of the broken, and that he would use us to do it. That the emotional wounds of the fatherless, the neglected, and the abused would be healed—that the effects of generational sin would stop here, cleansed by the power of...
I have a dream where churches are serving the world around us… not with an eye toward ourselves, our own growth, our reputation, our benefit, but with an eye outward: disinterested service that expects nothing in return. I have a dream that the Body of Christ would...
So much in life doesn’t go according to plan. No matter how responsible I am or how well I plan—things still get away from me sometimes, reminding me of the necessity of relying on the Holy Spirit. Regularly I try to step back from my ministry to ask, “Where is God...
