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This past week, two of my granddaughters, Adia and Kalanie, who play basketball for the Lynden, WA High School Lions, went with their team to the state tournament in Yakima, Washington. I listened on my laptop to their first game and cheered them on from a distance even though they lost to a tough team. Go Lions! And for the last few days, I have been thinking about what can be learned from basketball but applied to the church. Let me share with you some of the lessons in this blog. Read on to find out what I observed and learned summarized in seven lessons.
The church planting proposal is a document that serves as the "business plan" for the new church. It generally covers the first two years of new church development. In the proposal, the church planter puts into writing what God is laying on his heart. It spells out the initial vision or dream, the initial ideas of the culture of the new church, and its launch strategy. Keep reading to find out what content is needed in your proposal.
This blog is devoted to something I have observed over many years of ministry to potential and active church planters. I'm sure there are many more but I'll start the conversation by listing five signs you might make a good church planter.
Today my wife and I celebrated our 48th anniversary. It was a quiet celebration. We went out for dinner tonight at Olive Garden. The restaurant even helped us celebrate by giving us a free slice of cheesecake topped with strawberry sauce. It was yummy. During our celebration, we reminisced over a delicious Italian meal and desert about our early life as a married couple. (That's food for another blog post, but don't look for it anytime soon.) As I write this, I am once again reminded about the importance of celebrations in the life of the church. Read on to find out more about celebrations in your church or church plant.
What is happening now in the culture of the world around us and the culture of the church will affect the local church in the next ten to twenty years will not only affect us, they will shake the local church as we know it in the Western world. Our churches are not insulated or isolated from the world in which we live, but they are affected and infected by it. Let's take a look at a few shakeups that are already beginning to happen.
When it comes to ministry, two is much better than one. Even the Bible affirms this truth. Read this blog for some ideas on how to find and work with a partner in ministry.
Pastors and church leaders, how are you fighting back the Covid Quit Factor? You know the feeling. You are trying harder than ever to serve the Lord and your church, but many of the otherwise faithful sheep in your flock are dropping out of the race. How are you responding? Do your thoughts turn more and more to writing that letter of resignation? Are you ready to give up the ministry? The following are some thoughts and ideas for winning this Covid battle.
If you are like me, doing New Year's Resolutions is a love or hate game, but they can be helpful. This blog offers 10 resolutions for churches that can be very helpful if your church leadership follows through on the top choice(s). Read them and consider how its top ones can help your church during 2022.
This week, my wife, Marty, and I had the honor of attending a church planter's retreat sponsored by the Converge Northwest District and held at the beautiful Cannon Beach Christian Conference Center on the rugged Pacific coast in northern Oregon. Read on to discover just a small amount of what was seen and heard at that relaxed gathering. Maybe you and your church can learn from my observations.
It all started when a torrential rainstorm river began to flow into the Pacific Northwest. Several days of rain, not the usual heavy mist known in the Northwest, poured into the rivers, flatlands, and streams all around us. The smaller communities of Sumas, Nooksack, Everson, Ferndale, and to a lesser extent, Lynden where we call our home, were affected and a disaster occurred. Many had to leave their flooded homes at a moment's notice with only the clothes on their backs and a few personal items. Not only homes and apartments, but churches, schools, and businesses were damaged as floodwaters poured into them from rapidly rising rivers and heavy rains that continued over several days. Read on to know how you and your church can respond.