What has Covid made possible?

Discipleship

One question that has been on my mind a great deal lately is, “What has Covid made possible?” It has in many ways served as a refiner’s fire, exposing pain, anxiety, and brokenness. I am thinking of friends and family who are struggling financially, mentally, and...

The power of sodalic structures

Church Development, New Church Planting

  Vocabulary lesson of the day: Sodalic: reaching out to start new ministries and churches Modalic: strengthening the ministries and churches that already exist Ministry lesson of the day: You need both. When we look at the way the early church functioned, we see...

Don’t make them sit on the board

Leadership, Outreach

  Boards are important– I know that. But consider giftedness when you’re looking at where to plug people into leadership. There are almost certainly some people in your congregation or ministry who would love to get involved in local outreach ministries...

How your church can open its doors to the community

Missional

Recently a man read the letter below aloud at a friend of mine’s church. I thought it speaks clearly to the way churches can have an impact on those outside their own walls, and asked to reprint it anonymously here. “Although neither I nor my family are members...

The 4 most common barriers to an outward focus

Missional, Outreach

An outward focus means looking outside the walls of your own church. It means being more concerned about reaching out and meeting the needs of the community around you than you are about the level of comfort inside the church. For most churches, it’s much easier to...

Inside vs. outside

Missional, Outreach

Reflect on your own ministry and consider what percentage of your time is devoted to inward spiritual development (inside the body) as opposed to how much time and energy is focused outside the body. Brandon Hatmaker has formed the missional communities of his church...