I recently reconnected with a former supporter and ministry partner from my early days of ministry. I shared with him what I’ve been up to lately with my network of house churches, ViaCordis, and described some of our work in the recovery field. I told them how it...
Lately I’ve been struck by how important it is to have a ministry partner, especially if you’re leading a ministry. It’s not healthy to be by yourself and constantly giving out without receiving. We each need someone to share the load with, someone who is equally as...
Here’s an exercise I use sometimes to resort my priorities. It’s like unpacking grocery sacks. Take everything you’re currently doing out of the bag and examine it. Pray and get clarity on your priorities. Then only reload those items into the bag that apply to...
Even when people have made a commitment to serve on a team, life keeps happening anyway. Sometimes things come up that prevent them from serving for a while: illness, personal issues that need to be dealt with, the care of an elderly parent. How do you provide care...
One theme that seems to come up with many missional leaders is they think in terms of all or nothing. They want to move their whole ministry missional/incarnational, but they can’t get everyone to go there. I’ve talked with a lot of these leaders lately. They feel...
Lead into the Mission *Cast vision *Form a team *Move forward together Some missions are just too big to accomplish alone. If you sense God is calling you to lead a team of people toward the mission he’s given you, the next step is leadership. I have many fond...
Look in the Mirror *Reflect personally with others *Engage in the change process *Clarify your direction Looking in the mirror is an especially significant turning point for many disciples. We all need to look in the mirror periodically to evaluate how things are...
“This is worst I have ever seen it. This traffic is the worst in my life.” These were the words of our very experienced driver as we tried to make our way across Buenos Aires to the international airport. Janet and I were celebrating our anniversary in Argentina...
Where should we set the bar in training people to do ministry? It’s tempting to set the bar too high too fast. An athlete training for the high jump wouldn’t start with the bar seven feet high. He or she would start much lower and then work their way up with...
