By Ircel Harrison Abraham Lincoln is reported to have said: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” This approach to preparation was popularized by Stephen Covey in his…
Sharpen the axe
Abraham Lincoln is reported to have said: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” This approach to preparation was popularized by Stephen Covey in his book The 7…
What do Millennials want from denominations
By Ircel Harrison What do Christians, and particularly young-adult believers, want from a denomination in the 21st century? In the 20th century, the way to influence policy very often was from the top down. If a group with an agenda…
What do Millennials want from denominations?
Associated Baptist Press writer Jeff Brumley recently posted an article responding to research by the Public Religion Research Institute suggesting that “the rise of religious progressives and a conservative decline presents a challenge to those in the middle, including moderate Baptists.” …
Do we need denominations in the 21st Century?
Those of us who worked in denominational roles in past years often referred to ourselves as “denominational serpents” rather than denominational servants, questioning the motivations of the bureaucracies that employed us. Being part of a denominational organization and seeing its…
Change is Good
When Fellowship Baptists met in Greensboro in June for their General Assembly, they embraced not only change but a clear future for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. As CBF moves along in its third decade of life, the General Assembly expressed…
How do we welcome people to the church?
During my ministry, I have visited a number of churches and not always as the supply preacher or in an “official” role. Often I have just dropped in on a worship service and have experienced how a church welcomes (or…
Young ministers want to be mentored
Starting out in any field is not easy, but ministry has its own challenges. Most congregations expect that their new pastor or staff member will “hit the ground running” and be ready to deal with both the routine and the…
When the church is at its best
Hardly a day goes by that I do not read some criticism of the church—whether in its local, national, or global expressions. I acknowledge that there is much to criticize but there is much to praise as well. As I worshiped last…
The care and feeding of pastors
Our church recently went through a pastoral transition. Thanks to good staff and lay leadership, we weathered that transition well. We added some members and even completed a building program, but the trip was not an easy one. I think…
A new look at church planting
By Ircel Harrison On any given Sunday, there are more people outside the walls of the churches than within, and few of these will be in Christian worship at any other time during the week. Some leaders see starting new…
A new theme song for CBF?
On a recent Sunday, our church choir sang “Find Us Faithful” as the anthem in the traditional worship service. I have always liked this song that was written by Jon Mohr and popularized by Steve Green. In fact, we used…