Today’s goes post comes to us from Stephanie Martin for ChurchLeaders.com. In America, the fields are ripe for harvest but there aren’t enough churches to meet people’s needs. That’s the key finding of a report titled “The Great Opportunity,” commissioned by the Pinetops Foundation. During the next three decades, it predicts, America’s church planting rate must double to maintain current … Read More
Forming Your Groups: Setting the Bar
The below excerpt is from my book Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups. This revised and expanded edition shows church leaders how to make their small groups work. Your group leaders should be apprentices, not experts. This mindset gives you the freedom to raise up new leaders in the same way that Jesus and Paul both did. When Jesus asked … Read More
Protecting Your Sheep as A Renegade Pastor
The below excerpt is from my book The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life and Ministry. Protecting your flock may be your greatest responsibility as a shepherd. Do you have processes in place to shield them from the wolves prowling in the hills? How about from the wolves among them dressed in sheep’s clothing? You can’t hit the cruise … Read More
Making Your Calendar Work for You
The below excerpt is from my book The Renegade Pastor’s Guide to Time Management. It is easier today than ever before to keep a single calendar that covers every aspect of your life. You don’t even have to be technologically savvy to make this happen. Here are a few tips for making your calendar work for you: Enter everything in your … Read More
Managing Stress Monday: Negative Self-Talk Causes Self-Sabotage
The below excerpt is from my book The Renegade Pastor’s Guide to Managing the Stress of Ministry. It is absolutely true that words alone cannot change reality. But the words we say to ourselves can shape the way we see the world around us. Negative self-talk can harm you in ways that you may not even realize. When you believe that … Read More
Leader’s Train for Godliness
“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” —1 Timothy 4:8 (NLT)
McIntosh on Targeted Outreach
“‘Everyone Welcome’ is often seen on signs in front of churches. However, churches that try to reach everyone often end up reaching no one, or at least very few for Christ. In contrast, churches that are effectively reaching people for Christ have a well-defined target group.” – Gary McIntosh, Professor of Church Growth and Leadership
Why Christians Won’t Work Together
This week’s guest post comes to us from Jeff Christopherson for christianitytoday.com. Does church planting foster healthy relationships between pastors and a collaborative spirit between local churches for a shared kingdom mission? Not often. At one time, the motive for church planting revolved around a desire to impact a new community with the good news of Jesus. A church in … Read More
Remembering Billy Graham – His Secrets to a Scandal-Free Ministry (Free Collectors Guide)
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the passing of Billy Graham. I hope you will join me in remembering his legacy today. Like you, he impacted me and my ministry in profound ways. His book Peace with God was an instrument God used to bring me to Christ. His organization paid for me to attend his Training School for Evangelism. And his life … Read More
Embracing a Bifocal Vision
The below excerpt is from my book The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life and Ministry. There’s a distinct difference in how average pastors and renegade pastors view the expansion of God’s kingdom. Average pastors wrestle with one of two opposing temptations. Either they are tempted to focus solely on their own churches, to the exclusion of any involvement … Read More