Blog
4 Essentials to Recruiting Committed Volunteers
You want nothing more than to create a long-lasting ministry—a ministry that has a solid foundation in Christ, one that fosters excellent relationships, and one that you can look back on year after year and celebrate lives changing. It is a ministry experience we all want. But there is one vital piece of that experience that we all...
3 Essentials to Effective Student Discipleship
The process of making disciples is not passive. It is active. We should never ask our students to sit complacently in a chair for thirty minutes or more and absorb while we, as leaders, wax eloquently from the stage. Learning is about engagement. Therefore discipleship has to be about participation as well. At first, I thought it to be...
Healthy Youth Ministry Habits To Start The New Year
I have been told that it takes 21 days to change a habit or start a new one. Tis the New Year season for new habits. But rather than be the awkward person in the gym—the newcomer that isn’t sure how to use the machinery, who isn’t aware of the unspoken gym etiquette, and who forgot your locker combination—let’s work on some habits we...
Who goes there? Working with Other Churches and Ministries
Knute Larson, Jeff Bogue, and Jim Brown talk about how and when to work with other churches and ministries. Who goes there—friend or foe? - Working with Other Churches and Ministries No one would say his church can meet all the commands and concerns of our Lord for the city or area in which he serves, or that each individual local...
The First 30 Seconds of Meeting Someone
At CE National we often repeat a great phrase that encompasses our mission and vision. Living ON MISSION. However, I often find it odd that when I speak of living ON MISSION (we even write it in caps, so you don’t miss it), what we mean is often lost. So then I add, “You know, living out the great commission.” Jesus said to go and make...
Making Changes in the Church: Pastorpedia
People hate changes and surprises! We can argue with the idea if we like, or just try a change to surprise everyone at home. It's just plain true. People do not just get shocked—they get negative. Yet at the church we easily surprise our people with a change in mood, presentations, style, or schedule. And when the reaction is negative...
Four Challenges Young Church Leaders Will Face
I was recently asked to give a talk to a classroom of ministry students at Trinity International University. The topic was on some of the challenges they will likely face as they enter church leadership. Kind of a broad topic don’t you think? I first considered that every generation has challenges awaiting them on the other side of the...
Confusion About Groups in the Church
Let’s not Kid Ourselves Many people in our churches yawn and think about what’s for dinner when someone is giving an announcement about groups of the church. Some of them think it's about alcoholism, drug problem, or sexual deviation. It must be a support group. There are still a few around who think that groups are divisive and a...
Dig In: Tips on Communicating Christ in a Post-Christian Culture
Recently, I attended a gathering of youth workers from all across the country. I love these times because I get to reconnect with old ministry friends and make plenty of new ones. But during my time there, my conversations, and others I caught wind of, seemed to continually turn to a single struggle that many youth workers are having....
Why Bring Your Bible To School Day Matters
It might not seem all that important. It might seem like just another day we can ignore and move on to more important things. It might even seem like a day we kind of laugh at because there has to be a more impactful way of bringing our faith into public spaces—especially our public schools. It is just far too simple and not significant...
