This month, I celebrated 43 years in full-time ministry. It’s hard to believe I’ve been at this work that long—maybe because most of the years have been great joys. Here are some things I would do differently, though,
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Last month, my church hosted an event called “Together for the Nations” put on by the International Mission Board (IMB). The purpose of this event was to introduce churches to the work of the IMB and encourage them to consider ways to join these mission efforts around the world. Several topics were addressed at this event, but the one from which I gleaned the most was about mobilizing God’s people for mission work.
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I want church leaders to think about times when church really is fun – and to long for that to happen in their own congregations.
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I’m not what you would consider a man of the outdoors, but I did my fair share of fishing during my teen years.
My first sermon lasted about 10 minutes. I remember reeling in the vestibule after the message, wondering how I had blown through all my notes, anecdotes, and musings on the divine in the amount of time it takes to make a hot ham and cheese sandwich. I learned a valuable lesson in ministry that day: It is one thing to prepare a sermon; it is quite another to deliver it.
KELLY, N.C. (BP) – Post-COVID church attendance studies indicate a positive trend in many congregations as members and guests alike return. Still, U.S. Protestant churches report current attendance at 85 percent of their typical worship service levels prior to COVID. These statistics may concern church leaders, seeing pandemic wounds heal but wondering about the metaphorical scar tissue left behind.
