Like you, my wife and I are parents with elementary and teenage children at our house. Like you, we are learning to parent and navigate in a new reality due to the COVID-19 circumstances our nation and world faces. Like you, our children have questions and our family has had plans interrupted. I want to … Continue reading Parenting in a New Reality

In my first pastorate, I received a phone call one night after revival services. The phone call was letting me know that a church member’s loved one had passed away. It was after 8pm in the evening when I learned the news. I wanted to get in touch with the family, but I was not … Continue reading Go Ahead, Make the Call

Here is a basic premise in life: If the connection is weak or nonexistent, there will not be the productivity desired, expected or needed. Ever had a battery cable in your car not making good connection to the post? Ever had a light switch in the house where the wire had stopped making a good … Continue reading Why Connection Matters

A friend of mine signs all of his emails, “Make Progress Daily.” As the old saying goes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Progress is defined as forward or onward movement toward a destination. There is forward, neutral and reverse. So, if we are not making progress then we are losing … Continue reading Work in Progress

As a nineteen year old college student who was serving as children/youth pastor at a small rural church, I was fortunate to have a pastor who helped me grow in my faith and my calling to ministry. Sam and I would spend hours together each week talking ministry, discussing church needs, visiting hospitals and just … Continue reading Theology Lesson on a Country Road

There are certain words in the English language that cause certain reactions and responses even at the mere thought. Evangelism is one of those words inside of Evangelicalism. Through the years, evangelism has been an activity reserved for the Special Forces of the church, for those who have a special gifting that the rest of … Continue reading Evangelism Through the Local Church

In the previous post, we sought to understand the challenge of being multicultural in the local church by understanding the different generations and some basic distinctions among them. In this post, we will try to understand the challenges for local churches to be healthy, multi-generational churches. For too long, churches have been satisfied with having … Continue reading Generational Silos in the Church

"I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name's sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because … Continue reading All in the Family

Cultural anthropology is the branch of anthropology concerned with the study of human societies and cultures and their development. What does this mean for the local church? Churches must know and understand their ministry context in order to be effective at intersecting the lives of the people with the gospel and love of Jesus. All … Continue reading Students of Our Culture

In Part 1, I posited that missions partnerships are the best avenue for the long term fulfillment of the Great Commission. Here we will consider the criteria for healthy missions partnerships. What criteria should a local church consider for determining which partnerships she should and should not engage? Theological Theology matters. A church's doctrine should be … Continue reading Missions Partnerships: Part 2