Martin Luther sparked the Protestant Reformation when he posted his 95 Theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517 (now known as Reformation Day). The theses were the differences Luther found between the Roman Catholic Church and the Bible. For his protests, Luther was ultimately excommunicated and labeled an outlaw by the Emperor of the Holy … Read More
Free E-book for Pastors: What Should You Measure Each Week at Your Church?
“What gets measured gets done,” but what do you measure each week at your church? Just as you stay (or should stay) on top of the numbers that gauge your health, eg. blood pressure levels, weight and height — the same is true when gauging the health of your church. The numbers are blinking indicators that let you know if all systems are … Read More
FREE Download: Mental and emotional health strategies for pastors
Ramping up for the busy fall season can be a stressful time. And for us pastors, mental health is still a critically underserved area of our overall health. When time seems short and stressful demands are growing, it may seem easiest to push your health and self-care needs to the bottom of the list — but doing this can eventually … Read More
Free E-book for Preachers: 30 Inspirational Quotes by Vance Havner
“I’ve never known a time when I didn’t want to preach. The desire was always there.” — Vance Havner (1901 – 1986) Inspirational revival preacher Vance Havner passed away this month, 37 years ago. In remembrance of his lasting legacy, I’ve put together a brand new pastor’s collection of Havner’s best quotes plus a report on his achievements. These gems can both encourage you as … Read More
Starts this week: Live Senior Pastor Coaching – your best year awaits!
Church in the post-Covid era is similar to church before Covid (in more ways that you expect)… yet drastically different (in more ways than you know). For pastors, this is a critical time, with weighty decisions to make about attendance, safety, programs, online church, staffing, and much more. The question is: How do you navigate these unprecedented times? What if I … Read More
What I’m reading – Best Books of 2023 So Far
We’re more than halfway through the year (which has sure been another one for the record books) and a happy thought occurred to me — we’ve seen a lot of great books already released in 2023! And I’ve read quite a few of them (Over 150+ at this moment + a lot of reviews and summaries. Yep, I’m a book … Read More
Let’s make the next year, your best year (an invitation)
Let me introduce you to two true but seemingly contradictory statements: • Church now, on the other side of Covid, is far more like Pre-Covid church than you expect. • Church now, on the other side of Covid, is far more different from Pre-Covid than you expect. That’s something of a head-scratcher, right? It’s a complicated and critical time for … Read More
Donald McGavran on the Ground to Be Gained
“Let us analyze causes for growth and non-growth. Let us remember that the task is indeed great and complex and ours is only one part of the whole. Let us ask God to forgive our sins – and push resolutely forward as if we had not sinned. There is much ground to be gained and there are many adversaries to … Read More
Donald McGavran on Christian Mission
“Christian mission is bringing people to repent of their sins, accept Jesus Christ as Savior, belong to His Body the Church, do as He commands, go out and spread the Good News, and multiply churches.” – Donald McGavran, father of the Church Growth Movement, missionary to India and China, one of the premier missiologists of the twentieth century December 15, 1897 … Read More
Donald McGavran on the Key to Church Expansion
“Church growth follows where the lost are not merely found but restored to normal life in the fold — though it may be a life they have never consciously known. Faithfulness in ‘folding and feeding’ – which unfortunately has come to be called by such a dry, superficial term as ‘follow-up’ – is essential to lasting church expansion.” – Donald … Read More