9 Ways Strategic Ministry Leaders Think Differently (Part One)
Since writing Simple Church with my mentor and former boss Thom Rainer, I have enjoyed countless conversations with ministry leaders about strategy and strategic thinking. While some ministry lead...
What Bill Gates Can Teach Us about Discipleship
In his book The Road Ahead, Bill Gates wrote, “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don’t let yours...
Rooted and Resilient: Lessons from the Olive Tree
At a restaurant in Riomaggiore, Nick and I wanted to celebrate. I had just crossed hiking the Cinque Terre Trail in Northern Italy off my bucket list, and we hiked it all in one day. We had left ea...
5 Ways “Missional” Churches Can Miss the Mission of God
Missional has been a buzzword among Christian leaders, especially over the past few decades. People, churches, and even organizations want to be missional, but where does the traditional understan...
10 Problems With Church Programming and 1 Perspective Shift
Here are ten observations from my church resourcing days that I think most church leaders would agree with about church programming—the number of programs, events, and activities a local church of...
Are You Discipling Popsicles or Oaks?
Isaiah 61 is a beautiful pronouncement about the ministry of the coming Messiah:The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has...
4 Cultural Characteristics that Make Discipleship an Uphill Battle
One of the primary terms the Bible uses to describe our relationship with Jesus is the word “walk.” It’s a good word; it has the connotation of a forward progression. We aren’t meant to have a sta...