BIG Moves
leadership expert dave rhodes on the future of the church The future of the church was never dependent on it getting bigger, said Dave Rhodes of Future Church Co. And it won’t be during the church’s recovery. Our primary problem as church leaders, he said, is that “too often we are faking disciples instead of […]
Build A Bigger Table
investing in young leaders benefits everyone When our team is working on a project or event, it often becomes apparent we need other voices in the process. We identify a gap in our collective knowledge about a particular topic or task. Then we need to expand the table to make room for a leader to […]
Identifying and Determining Values
Values are a key component to any church’s revitalization process. A church’s existing values may stymie attempts to redirect a congregation in the future. But fresh, carefully discerned values can be the pistons that drive a revitalized ministry. Church Health Director Scott Foshie talked with Rob Peters of ReFocus, a ministry group that guides churches […]
A More Reliable Pathway
the pandemic tested our navigation skills The elder who asked the question is godly, smart, and totally committed to our church. But Covid-19 stopped everything cold in March 2020 when Illinois was closed, including churches. I still remember the white board conversation our elders had as we wrestled through the best approach to serving our […]
What Do Learners Need?
“Jack, I want to do something else,” a new kindergarten teacher told me. “I’m ready to quit.” “But you’ve only been teaching three weeks,” I replied, “and you were so gung-ho. What happened?” “I don’t know, but the kids are off doing their own thing most of the time,” she said. “It’s just not working.” […]
Healthy Church Essentials
an invitational culture flows from the heart Despite an abundance of evangelism training and gospel-sharing strategies, professions of faith and baptisms continue their decline in Illinois Baptist life. Could it be that our evangelism crisis is a symptom of a heart change needed to impact the culture of our churches? Throughout scripture, we see God’s […]
Reimagining Prayer
iT CAN BE SCRIPTURE-FED, sPIRIT-LED, AND WIDER-SPREAD. “The Bible was written to change our lives; not increase our knowledge.” When I first heard this exhortation from professor and author Howard Hendricks, it became foundational to my understanding of how to read the Bible. I immediately understood that whenever I read or heard Holy Scripture, I […]
Wake-Up Call
Perhaps the greatest need of our day is revival. I’m not talking about a series of revival meetings, though that might be needed as well. I’m talking about a genuine revival in the lives of Christians that brings spiritual renewal, vibrancy, and power. What a difference it would make in our day if revival was […]