Recently, Mrs. Misty Vannett, wife of Rev. Vince Vannett, lead pastor at Saratoga (WY) Alliance Church, sent the following story to the District Office. We wanted to share this with you and received Misty’s permission to do so. I wanted to share with you my story of healing from IGNITE this year. I really feel like…
Read more
“Oh my word, it’s just so beautiful!” were the words that came out of my foster son’s mouth the morning after I had put up our Christmas tree. He woke up to a sparkling tree in our living room and it took his breath away. I found my 8-year-old standing in front of it just…
Read more
Have you ever looked at your church calendar and wondered why your church is still doing a particular event? Sometimes in the life of a church, an event that God has used in the past becomes ineffective. In other cases, someone suggests an idea for an event because other churches are doing it or because…
Read more
Anyone else feel like nobody is listening? You’re making announcements and still nobody knows what is going on? You’re using social media, a texting service, email campaigns, and you feel like it’s all falling on deaf ears? If you feel that way, you’re not alone! It’s extremely common to find yourself frustrated with communication. Over…
Read more
Through the years I’ve been asked why I work with kids and for kids. I have several reasons but more importantly, I have a sense of urgency. God uniquely designed our brains and a child’s brain is fascinating. Did you know that a person learns faster as a child than they will at any other…
Read more
One of the challenges I hear of repeatedly is how can churches keep (or get) young adults involved. Here’s three things that young leaders are looking for in your church. They want to be involved where interested, make a significant impact, and they want to be included in the leadership conversation. Involved. Younger leaders thrive when given the opportunity to serve or…
Read more
“Miss Mel, see the problem is I really want to believe God is real but I’m just not sure he’s real. COVID has been so hard for me, I haven’t been able to go to church and I just am not sure God is actually real anymore. What should I do?” On day 1 of…
Read more
I have had the privilege to speak at both Dickey Lake Bible Camp and Yellowstone Alliance Adventures this summer. With ages ranging from 3rd – 6th grade, we saw them encounter God and grow closer to Him. Summer for me means camps and it is my favorite time of the year! I’ve spoken at over 50 camps…
Read more
Over the last couple of months I’ve been writing about leadership development. My encouragement in April included two steps: Develop your definition of a leader, then identify the 5-7 essential leadership skills or traits that are necessary at all levels of leadership in your church. Step 3, detailed in my May article, entails defining the…
Read more
Let me ask you a question. If your church suddenly disappeared tomorrow, how would it affect, or not affect your community? That’s one of the questions I ask when I do church consulting. I’ve traveled extensively working with church communities to help them become healthier and more effective at reaching their community. Often that question…
Read more
