Articles
Q&A With Retired Bible Publisher Frank Couch
Frank Couch has spent his entire adult life either teaching the Bible in ministry settings or publishing Bibles and Bible study materials. He graduated from the University of South Florida and Dallas Theological Seminary. After serving with a ministry in Berkeley,...
Google Hangouts As A Ministry Tool
Technology offers us stunning reach out into the community and world. But, it's often overwhelming because tech changes faster than a sprinter runs at the Olympics. But if we want our churches to grow and the newest generations to join us in faith community, we need...
Overcoming Fear of Financial Insecurity
I escaped from prison in mid-October, 2003. Perhaps I’d best explain myself lest rumors fly: My prison wasn’t a cell with bars. It was a state of mind and heart in which the fear of financial insecurity held me captive. My husband left his lucrative career as a civil...
Ministry to the Disabled
So your church is considering a ministry to the disabled. As the baby boomers reach their senior years, more people need specialized ministry than ever before. But how is disability defined? I could be a poster child for the term. I live in a nursing home, use...
Protecting Yourself From the Crazies
It is something we deal with as pastors, something we talk about behind the scenes, but it is rarely addressed out in the open. Yet, in the open or not, we must deal with the crazies. I'm not using that term to disparage the mentally ill. Rather, I'm talking...
Real Relationships in a Virtual World
As I sit, enjoying my mocha latte at a local coffee house, I watch the crowds of people mingle in various associations. They are engaged in numerous conversations as they sit opposite one another and fill the atmosphere with language and laughter, enjoying the respite...
Q&A With Pastor Bob Sanford
What is your job title outside of church? VP and Associate Publisher, Bible Group, HarperCollins Christian Publishers What is your title in the church? Associate Pastor, St. Ignatius Christian Orthodox Church How far in advance to you prepare for services? I begin...
Get Out of Time Debt
The day has come,” time guru said, “To talk of many things” Of days and nights and choices too Of calendars and flings And why our days are taken up With craziness that chaos brings If you feel like a hamster running on a wheel with no break or your calendar is...
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...
