Recently I saw a headline that came from a U.S. Department of Labor report that said the average man in America will hold 12.7 jobs in his lifetime. The average woman will have about 12.1. Diving into the report a bit, you find things like the statistics drawn from later-era baby boomers born from 1957-1964.…
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Student loan forgiveness has been a hot topic in the news over the past couple of years. One day there will be a promising plan announced, and a few weeks later a delay or roadblock is announced. So where do we stand at the moment? I am not an expert on this topic, but I recently came across…
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I love to collect sayings! That’s not a misprint, I literally meant, sayings. This goes back about 35 years, to when I first heard John Maxwell speak at a Stewardship Seminar in Sioux Falls, SD. I was a young 25-year-old newly minted lead pastor of a small 60-person rural Minnesota church in a town of 300.…
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Managing the church insurance policies is probably not at the top of most pastors’ priority lists. Maybe this task is delegated to a board member or an insurance expert within the church, but someone needs to be focusing on ensuring the church has correct insurance coverage to protect its assets and manage risk. Without proper insurance, a…
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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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Settle down folks, this is not a politically based column! Actually, this is a column reminding you about our pastor and wife retreat called IGNITE which is held each fall. (Yes, we even met in 2020 in Cody, WY!). Ignite provides a more relaxed atmosphere in which to learn from some great preachers, teachers, and skilled professionals. Last year we had Ken…
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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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We are called by the Bible to be generous stewards of everything entrusted to us by God. Understanding biblical principles of stewardship and generosity is crucial to our ability to answer that call well. Managing our own money with a personal financial plan is a tool that can help us be good stewards, but it must be…
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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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Monday, May 29th – Friday, June 2nd was the most recent biennial General Council for The Alliance! Held in Spokane, WA, it was great to see so many of our district pastors, wives, and laypeople present! Below is a brief report regarding that gathering that included some good services, the state of The Alliance via…
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