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6 things you DON'T/DO want said about your church
Churches want, and rightly so, for their extended communities to speak well of them. These days, a lot of time and money goes into promulgation of good PR about the local church—particularly …January 21, 2012
| Churches want, and rightly so, for their extended communities to speak well of them. These days, a lot of time and money goes into promulgation of good PR about the local church—particularly the "humungo" local church. While all that is going … |
 | When I was 8 years old, I won the Saline County Fair talent show in Michigan. My challenger was a bratty girl with a big stuffed animal singing "what's up pussycat". When it was my turn, I walked onto the stage and sang "The Grandmother Song". It … |
| You may think that worship in the Episcopalian church is mostly about ritual, but you'd be wrong—as it turns out! My wife and I have been honored by the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas to give several of its leaders an introductory glimpse at the … |
| If you learn something profound, it ought to change the way you live, right? Sometimes, though, as Paul lamented, we quickly divest ourselves of the knowledge and go right on doing exactly what we were doing before. For me, I hope that's not true … |
| I have an announcement to make: I love announcement time. Really, I do! I wouldn't want to worship without it. But I know so many church leaders who treat announcement time as a waste of time, a necessary evil. They'll call attention to a few blurbs … |
| 8 ½ hours. That's how much time I'll have at home between Christmas Eve services on Saturday and Christmas Morning services on Sunday. How about you? For church leaders and laity alike, that's asking a lot. We come off one of the most … |
| No. Probably not. Mine either. Chances are you're not as funny as Modern Family. Or as topical as The Daily Show. Or as gripping as Mad Men. And why would you be? We're not in the entertainment business, we're in the God business. A sermon serves a … |
| New worship service tomorrow night? Just wanna try something different? Gonna wing it? Good grief,what are you thinkin'!? Is this problem bigger than a breadbox? Last week I spent a wonderful hour with a pastor and new acquaintance—let's call … |
| Often, in worship, I'm at the mercy of my own "Talladega" stream of consciousness as it zooms around a track of pre-occupied hazards—work, family, money, and even lack of self-worth. (With my tongue planted firmly in my cheek...) I try to pay … |
| There's stuff in every life to regret, or about which to at least have faint remorse. This was certainly true of my many years in ministry, and it also seemed to be true for the half dozen or so pastors I asked to help me with this piece. I had to … |
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A New Decade of Megachurches
The latest national survey of megachurches from Leadership Network and Hartford Institute for Religion Research reveals interesting dynamics related to growth, vitality and leadership. This fourth …Type: White PaperSponsored by: Leadership Network -
What Matters In the Light of Eternity: “Life Matters”
Living is a thing we do, now or never, which do you? Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift, that's why we call it the present. Jesus said, "What shall it profit a man to …Type: White PaperSponsored by: Faith Breaks -
Breaking the 50 Percent Barrier: How to Increase Small Group Participation in Your Church
Leadership Network invited several innovative small groups pastors to explain how they have broken the mythical—and for some churches, seemingly impenetrable— 50% participation barrier …Type: White PaperSponsored by: Leadership Network -
Fundamentals of Family: “Conflict Resolution”
Wherever two or more people gather in the close quarters of family, church, work, or community, conflict is bound to happen. The Bible affirms that from cover to cover. Jacob did not get along with …Type: White PaperSponsored by: Faith Breaks -
Leading from the Lions’ Den: Chapters 1-3
Tom Harper extracts the essence of success from sixty-six books, harvests the most indispensable principles and distills them into one book: Leading from the Lions’ Den.Type: BrochureSponsored by: Leading from the Lions Den
