I recently had the privilege of hearing Fred Craddock preach. For many clergy, Craddock represents the personification of a stream of preaching that emphasizes narrative and intuition over expository and logic. For some it is extremely appealing, not so much…
VITAL SIGNS: A new ministerial role
For centuries the church has taken Ephesians 4 to heart and suggested that there are five primary roles for a minister to fulfill. Modern ministers are expected to embody these roles as needed and with a significant level of expertise…
VITAL SIGNS: A church for those who wander
The book of James closes with a most interesting assertion: “My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will…
VITAL SIGNS: Disagreeing agreeably
After one particularly frustrating performance by his Green Bay Packers, legendary Coach Vince Lombardi called his team together. He was determined to get them refocused on the things that made for winning. As they knelt before the coach, he held…
VITAL SIGNS: Life by the clock or life by the compass?
Which do you live by: Clock or compass? If the clock dictates, your life is consumed with the immediate and pressing issues of the moment. Clock-life is focused on short-term results. If the clock rules, you find yourself racing from…
VITAL SIGNS: Staffing for survival
What is the most important staff position at your church? Of course, as a former pastor, I must declare that we cannot function without a pastor. What would we do without a music/worship leader? We cannot live without leadership for…
VITAL SIGNS: Asleep at church
A couple of years ago, we tried something radical on Wednesday evenings at our church. Over the course of five weeks, we had prayer meeting. This was not simply the hospital list prayer meeting — this was honest prayer. One…
VITAL SIGNS: A year of ‘gracious uncertainty’
On the threshold of a new decade in our new millennium, there is a pervasive mood among God's people: uncertainty. We hear it weekly from clergy and laity alike, usually around a specific concern regarding employment or finances or conflict…
VITAL SIGNS: Giving thanks
Healthy Christians are people of gratitude and generosity. That is a clear biblical truth that has been lived out across the years in church history. If the gospel has not penetrated a person’s heart to the point that they are…