For reasons beyond the scope of this post, my younger self went many years without reading anything not at least indirectly related to pastoral ministry or my Christian growth. Commentaries, works of theology, homiletics, and church leadership comprised the bulk of my reading. Biographies had to be missionary biographies…unless they were biographies of Christian athletes.
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A bit of wise, if somewhat cliche, advice suggests, “God is in control, but He doesn’t expect you to lean on a shovel and pray for a hole.” The proverb suggests that the Lord’s sovereignty does not absolve people of their responsibility. And it is right.
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Should we plan and prepare, or should we trust and obey? Yes, we should! As we seek to serve the Lord, any dichotomy we place between the two is a false one.
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This spring, Lifeway Research released the results of a study on how Protestant churches welcome first-time guests. The results, as they say, speak for themselves.
Baptism is one of my favorite biblical ordinances to witness. It never gets old! Every baptism matters to the Lord and should be celebrated by the church. No baptism should be followed by “golf claps.” (For all my non-golfing fans, that means a quiet and dignified way to clap!) Thunderous applause, hearty Amens, and an exuberant celebration should follow every baptism. Baptism should be a party for the glory of God because of all the eternal things it represents!
DALLAS (BP) – For many students and ministries, the start of a new school year feels the same as New Year’s resolutions for many adults. Most students see returning to school as offering more new opportunities and better chances to start over compared to the beginning of a new calendar year.
There are usually two types of people when it comes to setting the alarm to wake up in the morning. Person number one (this is me) – sets the alarm for the last possible minute to when you actually need to wake up to not be late. Person number two – sets the alarm for about an hour before they actually need to wake up, because they want to be able to hit the snooze button over and over and over again.
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) – Everyone has seen or heard the stats about the short tenures of pastors to children, youth and college students. The common narrative is that they spend two to three years on average at any given church. There also currently seems to be a shortage of these next gen leaders across the nation. I’m personally getting three to five calls a week from churches and ministries looking to hire someone to lead these ministries in their churches.
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) – Thirty years from now, when people ask what the pandemic was like and what we did, what will we say? What will we say about the students we lead? If we say we binge-watched our way through the latest TV series, we will have completely missed a huge opportunity.
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) – According to a recent Barna study, half of 18-year-olds in the U.S. report anxiety and fear of failure, and about 40 percent say they often feel sad or depressed. Thirty-four percent of young people say they feel lonely and isolated from others.
This summer will not be as busy as usual, Shane Pruitt says. But that doesn't mean it can't be very effective for ministry. He lists seven ways for leaders to make the most of it.
One of the key aspects of serving a new online audience well is giving an effective Gospel invitation, Shane Pruitt says. He offers several applicable practices to keep in mind.
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- We're being inundated with COVID-19 updates daily. As numbers of confirmed cases and the loss of life continue to grow, hard-working people are losing their jobs, and churches are navigating new ways to minister to their members and reach their communities with the Gospel. There seems to be one word that describes it all -- chaos.
Gen Z-ers or millennials will tell you what adults need to know about their generations, according to Shane Pruitt.
