Keeping Small Groups Out of the Ministry Junk Yard

It was exciting news. My friend’s eyes lit up as he shared the exciting changes in the church he recently began pastoring. One of the neatest transitions the congregation had made was to begin small group meetings. Small group ministry has been around for decades now. However, it is still a relatively new concept to …

Have You Created a Monster?

Fact: Some congregations chew up pastors and spit them out every 2-3 years. I don’t have a Barna Study or Pew Research Poll to verify that assertion. But I don’t think verification is necessary. We’ve all seen the tragedy of “Monster Churches.” What leads me to believe it is the church’s fault? Before I get …

Stop Raising Mules

I’m not a country boy. There, I admitted it. However, I do live in Arkansas, which means I get a few “country boy points” by default. For instance, I know that horses reproduce horses. I also know that donkeys reproduce donkeys. And, for bonus points, I know that a horse and a donkey together produce …

It has been a Great Escape

Over the past few days I have had the privilege of spending time with student ministers on the Great Escape Student Ministers’ Cruise. The conference/cruise is an event produced by DiscipleGuide, the ministry I have the privilege of leading. This year’s conference speaker has been Ed Stetzer, head of research for Lifeway. Here are a …

Balancing Great Commission Work

The Great Commission has at least three key points of emphasis: 1) A Discipleship emphasis (…make disciples…) 2) A Global emphasis (…of all nations…) 3) A Local Congregation emphasis (…baptizing them…) These three points of emphasis are not a checklist of tasks to be performed in order. It is not as if we are to …

It’s OK to Hide

My son can’t figure out how I can find always find him so quickly when we play hide and seek. One day it will occur to him that talking trash while he’s hiding isn’t such a good idea. Interestingly, the concept of hiding has been around at least as far back as Genesis chapter 3. …

Who Is Responsible For Revival?

Growing up, I remember the announcement every year in church: “Ladies, please sign up to bring food for next week’s revival services.” I loved that announcement. Why? Several reasons: Home-made fried chicken, sour dough bread, mashed potatoes, and CHOCOLATE PIE!!! Revival: The very word has different meanings for different people. For some, it means week-long …