In some congregations it’s just one person: one controlling Diotrephes (III John 12), one harmful Alexander (II Timothy 4:14), one willful, rude, thoughtless bully, somebody who wants to be a big fish in a small pond. In other churches, it’s one family which thinks that First Church is their own personal piece of property, like […]
Seven Marks Of The Closed-System Church
Let’s get right to it. In the business world, a closed-system at the leadership level means that the senior leaders are listening to themselves and each other, but to no one else. Those in production are shut out of the decision-making process, as are the front-line workers, as are the customers. These companies go from […]
When Majoring On The Majors Becomes A Major Problem
I’m a big believer in majoring on the majors. For a local church, majoring on the majors means loving God and people and faithful obedience to the Bible while we’re pursuing our one God-given mission of making disciples. For a denomination, majoring on the majors probably means helping its churches to be what I just […]
The Heart Of A Great Revitalizer
My post today is a book review, sort of, but please don’t change the channel too quickly. If you are part of a church which needs revitalization, this post will help you. Studying Brian Croft’s, Biblical Church Revitalization (Solutions For Dying And Divided Churches), will likely help you greatly. I’m going to give you some […]
The Pastor’s Joy Challenge – Part One: Why Your Joy Is So Important
The images are unforgettable: Let’s start with Karl Malden, playing the formidable Reverend Ford in the 1960 film, Pollyanna. As our 11-year old, innocent, orphaned, heroine1 cowers in terror in her pew, the Right Reverend begins his sermon by thundering that “DEATH COMES UNEXPECTEDLY!” As the story unfolds, the amazing Pollyanna manages to transform some […]
The Pastor’s Joy Challenge – Part Two: 14 Reasons Why Pastoral Joy Is A Challenge
I realize that folks who haven’t served as vocational pastors of churches might be surprised by the titles (and the contents) of these posts I’m writing. “Pastors having trouble with joy? Really? I thought they were the most joyful people on earth.” And maybe we should be. But – for the most part – we’re […]
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