Category: Discipleship

Where Have All The _______ Gone?

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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Goals, Content, and Environments

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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Hard & Soft Goals in Discipleship

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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Faith and Finance — Part Two

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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Intercession, Instruction, Implementation

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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Next Gen Ministry Updates

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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Goals and Culture

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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Callers

Think back to the first time in ministry you were invited to do something that was a little bit out of your reach. The first time you were asked to preach; or lead a ministry team; or go on a missions trip. If we take just five minutes, most of us would have at least…
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Small Steps Become Big Steps

Last month, I wrote about how easy it is to be more dependent on ourselves than on the Lord.  We can get so proficient at “ministry” that we can, over time, find ourselves estranged from the One we serve.  This usually happens through any number of small steps that move us away from God rather…
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LIFE Conference Recap and Resources

Just 28 days ago, many of you sent your high school students off to Orlando, FL, for LIFE Conference 2022. This triennial gathering of C&MA students is crafted to be a time of worship, teaching, and encouragement. For many of our students, this last aspect is vitally important. The Kingdom life has always been, and…
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