May 8, 1970 was the day when I knew everything. On that day, I received a master of divinity degree after three years of study at an accredited theological seminary. I had received good grades (well, I did get a…
If all you have is a hammer, what does a congregation look like?
Whether you believe it is an unattributed proverb, a saying of Abraham Maslow or Abraham Kaplan, many of us know the statement, “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” I have long wondered what a…
Baptist leaders eye hopes, fears for church in 2015
By Jeff Brumley Some congregational coaches hope to see a return to Christ-centered values in the American church, while some Baptist scholars are eager for Christians in the United States to hear and feel the pain suffered by persecuted counterparts…
Seven myths about a pastor’s workweek
It is an old joke, one that is still told too often. You go up to your pastor and say, “I wish I had your job; you only have to work one hour each week.” It is likely your pastor…
Five things that might happen if your church never got another member
By Derek Penwell My dad was six-foot-one-a fair sized man. As a child I thought he was pretty much what God intended when creating men. Big. Strong. Smart. Obviously, my dad was a lot of things I wanted to be….
Top 10 unhealthy negative reasons people are NOT leaving Your Church
Who in your church do you wish would leave? Yes, I know, that is not a Christ-like attitude. But it is true. Everyone has someone they wish would leave. The church would be a better church without them. There is…
One sentence that pastors and church staff hate to hear
The moment they hear it, they feel the “cringe factor” throughout their body. Even as the first few words are spoken, the recipient feels his or her emotions plummeting. It is the one sentence that is uniformly dreaded by pastors…
Vision and venture at Advent
By Bill Wilson It was Vaclav Havel who described the dilemma every leader has with the issue of vision: Vision is not enough; it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps; we must…
Top ten healthy, positive reasons people are NOT leaving your church
Surely you have heard the organizational management idea that you want to get the wrong people off of the bus and the right people on the bus. Well, this is an article on why the right people stay on the…