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...
3 Thoughts on the Differences Between “Being Biblical” and “Being Political”
Here is a frustrating reality for a pastor during politically polarizing times: when speaking about a social issue, the pastor can be affirmed for being “biblical” by people who are politically pa...
3 Guiding Principles for Preparing Doctrinal Position Papers
This article is a response to church leaders who have asked for our (Mariners Church and Rooted Network) position papers as they are in the process of creating their own. The position papers we de...
The Power of Consistency in Discipleship
Imagine a leaky faucet. Regardless of how you hard you twist the knob, it still drips. One drop at a time. Incessantly – drip, drip, drip. The consistency becomes an annoyance pretty quickly. But p...