First COVID-19 meant we cancelled gatherings of 500 or more. Then fifty. Then ten. Now some cities are near lockdown. Normally, the church gathers as an expression of our love for God and for one another. But in this moment we must do the opposite—for the same...
What’s with churches having security teams?
“We left our former church, in part, because they had a security team with guns!” I was told. I respected their decision and them for following their convictions. The only problem was, we had a security team with men and women carrying guns; they’re just not an...
Surviving Sorrow: Help Grieving Parents In Your Church
Helping parents who’ve lost a child must be one of the most difficult things pastors and church leadership teams must face. I am one of those parents. In 2008, when our three-year-old son died from strep throat, I did not know the Lord, nor go to a church. I...
Triangles on Purpose
“Triangles are special because they are exceptionally strong.” “Any structure requiring a strong and rigid construction depends on triangles to achieve that goal.” “Triangles hold large loads without collapsing or having their structure altered.” These are just a...
Unwrapping Gifts
God is our gift giver. And all too often we are like hesitant, nervous children, questioning the gifts under the tree. We leave them lying idle, gathering dust. Our Creator, our heavenly Father, the ultimate parent, has lav¬ished on us a generous wide range of...
The Reason We Persevere
In his book Nothing Like it in the World, Stephen Ambrose writes about the building of the transcontinental railroad in America. It was a monumentally ambitious vision, the linking of the nation’s two coasts by rail. In 1863, at the beginning of the project,...
Why Imaginary Conversations Are Key to Improving Small Group Experiences
We’ve all had moments in life when we needed a little rehearsal time to achieve optimal results. If you’ve ever prepared for a job interview, broken up with someone, shared bad news, or even proposed marriage, you’ve had imaginary conversations with yourself....
The Greatest Threat to the Church Today? Those Who Want to “Save Christianity”
In 1987, we founded The Church of The Apostles in Atlanta with fewer than forty adult members. We never dared imagine we would one day become a congregation of more than three thousand members. We didn’t choose the name of our church. We belonged to a mainline...
4 Ways to Respond to People Attending Church Less Often
As much as you and I may dislike it, we can’t argue with the fact that people are attending church less often than they used to. It’s not uncommon for someone to attend church once or twice a month. That’s becoming the norm, and even your most committed members...
Prayer is Not Just for the Spiritually Elite
For many, a life of prayer and spiritual depth is not for them. It’s not that they do not desire it; it’s that they believe it is out of reach. There’ve been too many false starts in their spiritual life. A lot of well-intentioned declarations of commitment...
Moving from Incarnational to On-Line Worship: Some suggestions
First COVID-19 meant we cancelled gatherings of 500 or more. Then fifty. Then ten. Now some cities are near lockdown. Normally, the church gathers as an expression of our love for God and for one another. But in this moment we must do the opposite—for the same...
What’s with churches having security teams?
“We left our former church, in part, because they had a security team with guns!” I was told. I respected their decision and them for following their convictions. The only problem was, we had a security team with men and women carrying guns; they’re just not an...
Surviving Sorrow: Help Grieving Parents In Your Church
Helping parents who’ve lost a child must be one of the most difficult things pastors and church leadership teams must face. I am one of those parents. In 2008, when our three-year-old son died from strep throat, I did not know the Lord, nor go to a church. I...
Triangles on Purpose
“Triangles are special because they are exceptionally strong.” “Any structure requiring a strong and rigid construction depends on triangles to achieve that goal.” “Triangles hold large loads without collapsing or having their structure altered.” These are just a...
Unwrapping Gifts
God is our gift giver. And all too often we are like hesitant, nervous children, questioning the gifts under the tree. We leave them lying idle, gathering dust. Our Creator, our heavenly Father, the ultimate parent, has lav¬ished on us a generous wide range of...
The Reason We Persevere
In his book Nothing Like it in the World, Stephen Ambrose writes about the building of the transcontinental railroad in America. It was a monumentally ambitious vision, the linking of the nation’s two coasts by rail. In 1863, at the beginning of the project,...
Why Imaginary Conversations Are Key to Improving Small Group Experiences
We’ve all had moments in life when we needed a little rehearsal time to achieve optimal results. If you’ve ever prepared for a job interview, broken up with someone, shared bad news, or even proposed marriage, you’ve had imaginary conversations with yourself....
The Greatest Threat to the Church Today? Those Who Want to “Save Christianity”
In 1987, we founded The Church of The Apostles in Atlanta with fewer than forty adult members. We never dared imagine we would one day become a congregation of more than three thousand members. We didn’t choose the name of our church. We belonged to a mainline...
4 Ways to Respond to People Attending Church Less Often
As much as you and I may dislike it, we can’t argue with the fact that people are attending church less often than they used to. It’s not uncommon for someone to attend church once or twice a month. That’s becoming the norm, and even your most committed members...
Prayer is Not Just for the Spiritually Elite
For many, a life of prayer and spiritual depth is not for them. It’s not that they do not desire it; it’s that they believe it is out of reach. There’ve been too many false starts in their spiritual life. A lot of well-intentioned declarations of commitment...
Helping Your Small Group Thrive
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