Today’s entry is by guest blogger, Dr. Parnell Lovelace. I drove into the parking lot of the church last Sunday night. The crowds that were present for the morning church services were nowhere to be seen. There were no crossing guards or children’s church workers...
Government workers know their city better than most pastors do. People move into community positions because they want to help their neighborhoods. There are often a lot of difficulties, but there are also opportunities for positive contribution. So if you are a...
One of the people I met in Honduras was an American woman who moved there to start Signs of Love, a deaf ministry. Here in developed countries like the USA, families with a deaf child have a lot of resources to help them teach their children language while they’re...
No matter how incarnational and organic your ministry is, if you have a public worship service of any kind, you do have a front door as well as a side door. And if you have one, you do have to pay some attention to the “attractional” issues. If people are wandering...
Missional has become a popular word used more and more frequently. Once considered an antonym of attractional, missional has begun to be used by churches that are still primarily attractional—geared toward reaching people through inviting them to experience the...
God often tests the quality of our commitment to a vision by asking us to humbly accept a smaller initial role. If you’re not willing to mop the floor, you shouldn’t be the senior pastor. Before God provides great resources, he asks for faithfulness with what he has...
My friend Marilyn volunteers one hour a week to read with students at a low-income school through the national “Everybody Wins!” program. Here’s what she writes about her experience: “This is what I do every Wednesday at noon (Everybody Wins! LA) at nearby Leo Politi...
Transfer of identity: We must be made to see our value in the redeeming work of Christ. Building bridges: Safe relationships where mutual transparency and unconditional love are practiced. Challenge: Stimulating one another to actively confront issues of woundedness...
“The debate gets tiring, especially for those of us who live in the trenches of ministry. On one side are those feverently committed to the task of world evangelism and wanting to see heaven populated with redeemed individuals. On the other side are those whose hearts...
