Category: CHURCH & MINISTRY
Putting Love Top on Your List
He was one of the most cantankerous men I had ever known. When all the church wished to move forward into a new area of ministry, you could count on him confronting the elders about it in a negative way. In fact, “negative” was his middle...
Questioning Christ
I’m sure you can recall a fellow student who had a knack for asking lots of questions about every assignment. “When is it due? What if I get sick? Can I use a calculator? Will this be on the test?” They asked because they wanted to...
Scoffer, Slacker, Seeker, or Saint? – A Spiritual Census for Teens
Every ten years in America a survey called a census is taken to determine the current number of U.S. residents. Other information is also obtained and used to paint an up-to-date economic, political, and religious portrait of our society. What if a census were taken in...
Sheep on Offense
The video showed three sheep walking down a grass-lined country road. Suddenly a wolf came toward them out of the woods. Rather than panicking and scattering like sheep tend to do, these three stayed together and stood their ground. In fact, they advanced toward the wolf...
Pagans in Padded Pews
Appeasing a False God through Church Attendance I recently overheard a conversation between two women. One was proudly describing an act of revenge she had taken against someone who had offended her. When she finished boasting of her clever wickedness, the other woman said, “Oh my!...
Now that Vacation Bible School is Over . . .
Once VBS is over for the year, what strategies characterize your church’s follow-up with the children who attended? Methodologies abound, but let’s evaluate two of the most common. “Our job is done. It’s up to their parents now.” Perhaps this strategy will not be verbalized, but...
Nothing To Do in the Church?
Several years ago a well-known sports announcer was asked to explain the game of American football. Among other things, he said, “Football is 22 men down on a field desperately in need of rest, while 22,000 people sit in the stands desperately in need of exercise.”...
Me Fight?
“Fight earnestly for the faith given to the holy ones once for all” (Jude 3, MLV) Do you like to fight? I hope not. God’s word speaks of our attitude toward others as peaceful and our demeanor as loving. Jesus said that in conflict we should...
Making Church Meetings with Small Crowds Better
Try to imagine that you have never walked into the sanctuary of a church building. One Sunday afternoon, as you drive by the brick structure that your neighbors frequent two times Sunday and once Wednesday, you see on the church sign that there is a Sunday...
Is Your Church Doctrinally Sound?
There’s a push in some circles these days to be doctrinally sound. Churches use terminology like, “that’s a pretty sound (or solid) church,” or “they’re not too sound, doctrinally.” Perhaps you have even found yourself at one point or another on a search for a “doctrinally...
