Recently I was visiting with one of our RMD pastors and the conversation drifted to the all too familiar “summertime slump” in Sunday attendance. As we discussed potential reasons why and possible ways to address it, he shared with me something that his church is doing to respond to this trend. It was such a…
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As I wrap up the busy spring ministry schedule and head into a change of pace for summer, I’m looking forward to processing some of the events, reading, and discussions that I’ve experienced over the last few months. High atop the list of things that are on my mind are the following two ideas. #1…
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Most of us desire excellence and would love to be excellent at what we do. Overall, I think this is a good thing and something that God would praise and encourage us toward. However, like almost everything, there is a dark side to excellence, especially when it comes to church. In short, I believe the…
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Of all of the things that I love about my role in the RMD, the thing I love the most is serving with all of you. I genuinely enjoy just being with you as friends, I love working together to accomplish the mission of God, and I greatly value the conversations that we get to…
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If you’re over the age of 40, perhaps the first thing that pops into your head when you see this is “Cowboys”. Where have all the cowboys gone? You wouldn’t be alone. The song by the same name was released in 1997 by Paula Cole and went to number eight on the Billboard Hot 100…
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There are various ways to approach creating ministry strategy. Here is one approach that has been helpful to me over the years: Goals, Content, and Environments. Goals Before embarking on a trip, you need to know the destination, and the same is true when developing strategy. Therefore, the first step is to look ahead to…
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Are you familiar with the human resource concept of hard and soft skills? Hard skills are specific technical skills like the ability to code, weld, design an app, or operate a piece of equipment. They are tangible and generally easy to evaluate or measure. Soft skills, on the other hand, are more akin to character…
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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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Last month my article included some thoughts about stewardship and personal financial management. I believe it is important to understand biblical principles regarding money management and for everyone to have a financial plan, but can one go overboard with money management and become obsessed with planning? I recently came across an article that suggests “excellence” is…
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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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