Category Archives: Blog

Effective Discipleship Includes Church-Wide Rhythms

Published by Brandon Hiltibidal on May 15, 2023

Church-wide discipleship rhythms have a compounding effect. While many things in life get weaker or worse the longer they go on, corporate discipleship grows stronger and sweeter. For example, I love Mega Stuf Oreos. Sometimes it's a problem....

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3 Reasons Not to Fear Launching Groups in the Summer

Published by Brandon Hiltibidal on May 8, 2023

As church leaders, we tend to be tentative about starting new groups when the weather is warm. We're not proud of it, but it's true. We think... School is out... Our people are at the (beach, mountains, grandparents' house)... No one will make...

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3 Reasons Church Leaders Focus on ½ of the Great Commission

Published by Rooted Network on May 1, 2023

Unlike business leaders who are responsible to define the mission of their organizations, church leaders don’t have that freedom or carry that burden. We have already received our mission. Jesus’ words to His disciples, often called the Great...

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Doubting Thomas and Small Groups

Published by Jeremy Maxfield on April 23, 2023

Doubting Thomas. That’s an unfortunate way to be remembered. But have you ever noticed that even though he struggled to believe what the others said they had experienced—the resurrected Christ—Thomas remained connected to this small group...

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Does Your Ministry Have “Senioritis”?

Published by Jeremy Maxfield on April 17, 2023

Do you remember being a student as summer approached? Teachers jokingly refer to "senioritis," since seniors often have the hardest time staying motivated in the last weeks of spring. This happens in churches too—but with the leadership. Are you...

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Four Things Easter Reveals about Making Disciples

Published by Jeremy Maxfield on April 9, 2023

[caption id="attachment_35662" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. "The Risen Lord meets Mary Magdalene" from the Ely Stained Glass Museum.[/caption] The resurrection of Jesus is the heart of our Christian faith. As...

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10 Problems With Church Programming and 1 Perspective Shift

Published by Rooted Network on April 2, 2023

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 offers: 1. More activity does not mean more...

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What do Christians mean by “surrendering” our lives?

Published by Rooted Network on March 26, 2023

We arrived early, wanting to make a good first impression. Everyone else was dressed impeccably, in nice dresses and suits. I was wearing slacks, Jim a Hawaiian shirt, and my two daughters jeans. Several kindhearted strangers walked over and...

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4 Steps Toward Year-Round Discipleship

Published by Jeremy Maxfield on March 19, 2023

You’ve heard (and maybe said) things like “following Jesus isn’t just a Sunday morning event—it’s a year-round commitment.” But I’ve been challenged to consider what our ministry year subtly communicates to people. For example, is...

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Spring Cleaning, Yard Sales, and Repentance

Published by Jeremy Maxfield on March 7, 2023

For one hot weekend, “The World’s Longest Yard Sale” stretches 690 miles through 6 states every summer. Currently, I live near the border of 3 of those states—Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. The route continues up into Kentucky, Ohio,...

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