One of my great mentors is Dr. Elmer Towns (co-founder of Liberty University) and I’m excited to share with you a challenge from him today inspired by a recent intensive study he conducted on the Ten Most Influential Churches (see the PS for an exclusive resource based on that study). This study was about finding the 10 most influential churches … Read More
One Week Only: My new book Tongue Pierced – $3.99 Special!
I’ve got some inside info from my publisher for you – today thru Tuesday, August 4th only, you can save 75% on the electronic version of my new book, Tongue Pierced: How the Words You Speak Transform the Life You Live. See the P.S. below for several links where you can pick up the e-book today! With this one-week special, I’m excited to … Read More
Flogging the Devil – A Saturday Quote
“The preaching of Christ is the whip that flogs the devil. The preaching of Christ is the thunderbolt, the sound of which makes all hell shake.” – Charles Spurgeon
LIVE from Systems Boot Camp Orlando – Focus on Stewardship
I’m writing to you from Walt Disney, Orlando – in the middle of our 3-day Church Systems Check-up & Boot Camp. We are blessed to have our largest event attendance ever – just look at this amazing group of pastors! We’re focused these 3 days on the 8 Systems of a Healthy Church, but with a specific focus on Stewardship, which impacts … Read More
Don’t Assume…
Today’s guest blog comes to us from Karl Vaters, pastor of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Fountain Valley, CA. Karl is the author of The Grasshopper Myth: Big Churches, Small Churches and the Small Thinking that Divides Us and is a regular contributor on NewSmallChurch.com. We all make assumptions. I do. You do. And they’re almost always wrong. Especially on complex subjects, … Read More
Why Sunday Should Never Be the First Time You Preach Your Message
It’s Day 1 at the Church Systems Check-up and Boot Camp in Orlando and one of the the things we’re doing live in front of a group of 200+ attendees is a message run-through. We’re literally running through this Sunday’s message – rehearsing it ahead of time to get feedback and make changes well before Sunday. Why do we do this? For the same reason that actors … Read More
My Top Fall Sermons – All Half Off!
Fall will be here before you know it – so today with our HALF OFF Fall Sermons Sale I’m encouraging you to start planning NOW. It’s an interesting thing we do as pastors – preparing a sermon every seven days. I have a lot of motivational speaker friends who only have to develop one or two speeches a year, but we have to … Read More
A Perfect Plan – A Saturday Quote
“A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” – General George S. Patton
The Surprising Persuasivenes of a Sticky Note
This is Kerrick Thomas – and for the last 12 years I’ve served alongside of Nelson Searcy as Executive Pastor of The Journey Church. I’m guest blogging today and would like to talk to you about the simple power of a sticky note. Using a Post-It to add a personal touch can bring about impressive results. A university study1 showed … Read More
Leading a meeting the RIGHT way – what they didn’t teach you in seminary
Tell me honestly – how does it make you feel when you hear those three little words: “Can we meet?” If your first reaction is to make an excuse and run – you are NOT alone. There are three reasons why pastors avoid leading meetings at all costs. Do any of these sound familiar? “I’m too busy and my team … Read More