I love living in a part of the world that has four true seasons. When I have visited other places that don’t, I always find it a bit disorienting, and it makes me even more appreciative of the change in weather and scenery. I wonder if part of the reason for this is due to…
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When it comes to ministry, there are many things that the Lord has left for us to navigate using wisdom principles and the Holy Spirit. For example, should you live stream or podcast your services? Or both? Or neither? How much of discipleship should be multi-generational, and how much should be age- and stage-specific? These…
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Missions Partnerships are one of the best vehicles a church can use to engage fully in missions. A healthy partnership will contain five elements, and the final element is Partner Care. Ironically, this is probably one of the most important of the five elements, but by nature, it is usually the last one we engage…
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Given my role to work with churches in regard to church planting, I spend a lot of time talking to church planters and people who work with and coach church planters. I also spend a fair amount of time reading material devoted to this topic. Over the years I have found a few prominent themes…
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Over the last couple of years, we have dedicated significant amounts of time, energy, and finances to come alongside RMD churches in the area of student and kids ministries. This month I want to give an update on one such ministry and announce a new initiative. Update: Youth Leader Weekend Resources Last month youth workers from…
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Missions Partnerships are one of the best vehicles a church can use to engage fully in missions. A healthy partnership will contain five elements, and the fourth element is Going There. After giving (Doing Our Share), this is typically the most common thing that people think of when they think of partnership. Due to the…
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A few years ago at Ignite, Lt. Col. Brian Daum, an RMD chaplain with the National Guard, introduced himself as a cross-cultural worker. As I recall he said something like, “Members of the military are a different culture. They wear different clothes, speak a different language, and eat different food (MREs).” While there’s a bit…
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A couple of months ago Jonathan, Scott, and I were able to attend a culture and legal update led by Gary Friesen, general counsel of the C&MA. Several very helpful speakers were present including Rev. Boyd Hannold, lead pastor of Princeton (NJ) Alliance Church (PAC). Situated in an area that is exceedingly diverse and irreligious,…
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One of my favorite questions to ask people this time of year is if they have any family traditions to celebrate the holidays. One person I talked to said their family hides a green ceramic pickle on the Christmas tree and the first person to find it gets a prize. Another said they always cook…
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A couple of months back I read a fascinating (and sad) article about a Navy sailor who died during BUD/S (Navy SEAL training). There is a lot that can be gleaned and discussed from this story, but one thing in particular caught my attention. Over the years, the BUD/S program has become increasingly difficult, and the graduation…
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