By Marc Brown As worship pastors, we spend ourselves working and asking God to build a team (a choir, an orchestra, a band) that will help our congregations hear, know and respond to God. As our ministry grows, usually the…
Dreaming with God
By Bill Wilson I’ve made a transition in recent years in the way I think and talk about God’s will. For many people, the will of God is a mysterious, elusive and frustrating concept. Too often, we have made it…
Life by the clock or life by the compass?
By Bill Wilson 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…
The new apostasy: Staying put
By John Chandler My colleague and friend J.R. Woodward, author of Creating a Missional Culture and leader of the V3 church planting movement, was recently leading a “Community of Practice” — a collection of church pastors and leaders working over…
Here’s to God!
By Brett Younger During the second Skype interview with the church in Chile I’m now serving as interim pastor while on sabbatical, a lovely woman from Holland said, “We don’t know many Baptists, so we need to ask three Baptist…
7 reasons why digital metrics matter to your church
By Natalie Aho Almost every receipt given to you these days has a survey link printed at the bottom. Businesses are so desperate for your feedback, they will waste paper and give away cash in exchange for your opinion. And…
Shallow congregations only take off their shoes and socks
By George Bullard Since they only plan to wade into the shallow end of the pool or a few feet into the river, lake or ocean, the typical congregational participant only needs to remove shoes and socks. And we are…
The worst of times … really?
By Bill Wilson It happens nearly every day for me. It’s the inevitable conversation about the demise of organized religious activities, specifically local church attendance and giving. The vultures are gathering to feast on the carcass of the local church….
Churches facing a rethink in how they engage aging Boomers
By Vicki Brown Many churches rely on retirees as volunteers to keep some programs and activities vital and growing. Some congregations turn to mature adults for the basics — answering phones, stuffing envelopes and other office or maintenance duties —…
Slow to retire: Boomers turn to ‘encore careers’
By Vicki Brown Baby Boomers — Americans born between 1946 and 1964 — are extending their working careers, and many are turning to what has been dubbed “encore careers.” Boomer numbers vary, with estimates from 65 million to 76.4 million…
New wine for the Baptists
By Molly T. Marshall Our attitudes about new things are radically disparate. Some of us love new cars, new shoes, new books, new technology, but get really fearful when we consider new expressions of worship, gathered community, organizational structure and,…
The tears we need to shed
By Bill Wilson As a pastor, I’ve seen my share of tears. They show up in so many places: in hospitals, especially in emergency rooms, at funeral homes, in the office, in the delivery room, at the altar, during worship,…