Articles
I Don’t Need Another Vision and Values Statement
Don’t get me wrong. Most church vision and mission statements sound great. They usually include clear biblical values and been crafted to be interesting and memorable. But what difference do they actually make to the lifestyles of those who adopt them? In recent...
How to Make your Church Irresistible
Instead of creating another program, let us examine what the church would look like if everyone, regardless of special needs or extraordinary abilities, were embraced as a fully functioning member of Christ’s body. Regardless of cognitive processing, verbal...
Why the missional movement will fail
It’s time we start being brutally honest about the missional movement that has emerged in the last 10-15 years: Chances are better than not it’s going to fail. That may seem cynical, but I’m being realistic. There is a reason so many movements in the Western church...
Nine Misconceptions About Love
February is the month when almost every ministry theme revolves around love. Shades of red are the prevailing colors and hearts are the dominant decor. The people in our ministries are hungry for love. Unfortunately, the world has sold them a poor excuse for the real...
Q&A With Pastor Greg Bell
What is your title in the church? Senior Pastor How big is your church? We have about 230 members, but we run about 120 in Sunday School and Worship. How far in advance to you prepare for services? During November or December of the year, I begin to prayerfully seek...
Happy are Those who Share their Faith
It has been said, “There is one thing that believers and nonbelievers have in common: they are both uptight about evangelism.” Maybe that’s why statistics indicate that 95 percent of all Christians have never led another person to Christ. For many followers of Jesus,...
Is The Past Ever Behind Us?
I’ve been watching the news lately. I’m a bit addicted to it. The political battles that take place in our nation display a reality that illustrates an untenable situation. What is that reality, you ask? It is the reality that no one’s past mistakes are ever truly in...
Is There Value In Prophesy?
“The Antichrist will be Muslim.” “No, Jews would never accept him. He’ll be a Jew.” “Barack Obama is the Antichrist! Why can’t anybody see that?” Of course, President Obama is not the Antichrist. But I’ve actually heard this conversation Who hasn't?). The truth is, we...
Resolution for a Lifetime
For as long as people celebrated the “New Year,” I’m fairly convinced that they have been making resolutions. Each first day of January millions of people resolve to quit this or to start that or to change something else. However, each year those same millions of...
How to Avoid Going Spiritually Tone Deaf
Like the exercise of our physical bodies, if we don't exercise our spiritual bodies, our spiritual antennae will become tone deaf–unable to hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit. Although most pastors have good goals for the New Year when it comes to their physical...
How Women In Ministry Should Behave
I am part of a denomination that allows women to preach. There are some that don’t. And that’s OK, if that’s their interpretation of Scripture. I won’t delve into that here. Each side could argue its “rightness.” The question is, in general, how are women to conduct...
When the Sky is Made of Iron
Step into your prayer closet for just a moment. Do you hear it? It’s that dull, hollow sound which reverberates across the heavens as your prayers are banging against an iron sky. Do you ever feel that way? I know I do. I offer prayers and petitions to heaven, spend...
Five Things to Remember About the Eternal God
I’m never as aware of the swift passage of time as I am on January first each year. The 2015 calendar lies discarded in the trash, a reminder that the old year has irretrievably passed. A pristine 2016 calendar hangs by my desk, inviting me to welcome the full...
Unlikely Sheep
I remember, back when I was 14 or so, one particular night when my father, who was a pastor, got a wee-hours-in-the-morning call that changed lives forever. When the phone rang, I tumbled out of bed, tangled in sheets. (The phone was on my nightstand; the only other...
Divinely Inspired Messages
“Fake it ’til you make it” works in many situations: intramural sports, social interactions at networking meetings, your first job out of college. It does not work in church—or at least not very well. It’s normal to have days where you feel uninspired, far from...
God’s Time Principles
Genesis chapter one is amazing. God accomplished so much, so fast. These were the most productive days in history. And that’s where we can draw out some of God’s time principles. He focused on one type of task each day. He had an orderly plan. He made what was needed...
5 Ways to Invest in Your Marriage This Year
As a pastor’s wife for more than 20 years, I didn’t realize I was neglecting my marriage, until one New Year’s Day when I was doing my annual goal-setting. I’ve always been a goal-setter. Every January I come up with new goals (not resolutions -- goals) to save more...
Being A Happy Healthy PK
“Preachers’ kids are the worst kind . . .” How many times have you heard that, fellow PKs? Well, I contend—as would my sister—that we are not the worst kind. But we are human. I grew up in church. I don’t even know how old I was when my dad started pastoring. I do...
Something for Everyone
I have been a part of different churches with three different music styles: totally traditional, totally contemporary, and blended. Some say blended worship doesn’t work, so they have two different types of worship services—one traditional and one contemporary,...
The Value of Mentorship
As a pastor, you know that calls can come anytime, day or night. Daddy often got middle-of-the-night or wee-hour-of-the-morning calls. He always took them. I bet you do too. So with all the pouring out of oneself that a pastor has to do, how can he get recharged?...
