Jesus gave the church the task to "make disciples" of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). He did not reserve the task to just a select few, however. All Christians can make disciples...that means you can make disciples! Unfortunately, many pastors and books make discipleship seem complicated. It's not. Here is a practical guide for how to disciple … Continue reading How to disciple someone: a practical guide
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The 5 Essentials Habits of Christian Leadership
So much of Christian leadership is just doing the basics. So much of success in life is just doing the basics. For example, we all know that we need to get a good night's sleep in order to do good work and be effective. Yet people can neglect their sleep, watching Netflix in bed on an … Continue reading The 5 Essentials Habits of Christian Leadership
Ministry Model Doesn’t Matter
Church leaders love them some ministry models. They love to read about and study what other churches do and how to replicate those models in their own church. They love to debate the merits of the model. But guess what? Ministry model doesn't matter. Just about any model can be successfully implemented in a church. … Continue reading Ministry Model Doesn’t Matter
How to grow your church without sacrificing theological integrity
Many pastors don't really want their churches to grow in numbers. They have seen the results of the seeker-sensitive movement: sermons light on actual Bible teaching, pastors who function more like CEO's than shepherds, and people who may be attracted to a cool experience but aren't actually formed into disciples. But growing a church in … Continue reading How to grow your church without sacrificing theological integrity
Thriving Youth Groups
Jeanne Mayo wrote Thriving Youth Groups to record her process for establishing a friendship culture in the various Youth Ministries she has run in her career. She believes that building a culture of friendship is the key to growing a youth ministry. Students will not come back to the Youth Group if they are not accepted … Continue reading Thriving Youth Groups
Overcoming Problems in Pastoral Productivity
No one is keeping track of when you clock into work or clock out. No boss is holding you accountable for how you spend your time. Sound like a fantasy world? Think again. It's the schedule of a pastor. The schedule of a pastor is almost infinitely flexible with no one really checking up on … Continue reading Overcoming Problems in Pastoral Productivity
The Secret Sauce of Casting Vision Recap
Recap and application of Church Fuel's master class on vision. Vision sketches out a potential future: "Can you see what I'm saying?" Vision needs to be both BIG and small. The big side of vision is your purpose for existing as a church. It will be along the lines of the Great Commission or the Great … Continue reading The Secret Sauce of Casting Vision Recap
Community Group Leader’s Toolbox
All Community Group Leaders have questions. But not all Group Leaders have the same questions. Rather than having to sit through training and hear answers to questions you're not asking, the Group Leader's Toolbox is a collection of resources that you can look through and find what's useful to you! The Format Each resource answers a common (or … Continue reading Community Group Leader’s Toolbox
Sticky Teams
Larry Osborne wrote Sticky Teams to help pastors navigate the practical realities of leading, not just a spiritual organism, but also an organization. There's not much theology found in the book; it's a practical guide with seasoned wisdom sprinkled throughout. Model Don't Matter "Even the clearest vision, greatest innovations, and most stellar programs won't much of an … Continue reading Sticky Teams
Planting Missional Churches
Ed Stetzer is the Southern Baptist church planting guru. Planting Missional Churches functions like a textbook for a seminary class on church planting. By missional, Stetzer means "doing mission right where you are" (19). For Stetzer, it means thinking like a missionary to our own American culture. A missional church then has a culture whereby it … Continue reading Planting Missional Churches