Marriage Matters

Preachers, Church Leaders, Ministers, Family Ministers: We just finished a four-day Marriage Matters conference with Jerry and Lynn Jones. This is a hard-hitting, enjoyable, relationship-building, faith-building conference. More information? www.marriagematters.ws. You’ll be glad you checked it out!

Missional Outreach: Evangelism in the Latin American Churches

Yesterday I wrote about leadership development using the phrase: “missional inreach.” The phrase may sound strange to our ears, because it connects missional with internal church dynamics. I believe there is a sense in which missional outreach efforts begin with and are based on effective missional inreach efforts. The church which honors God’s purpose and …

Missional Inreach: Leadership for Latin American Churches

For the last several years, my heart has been burdened by the need for biblical leadership and biblical church organization in Latin America. In 2002 when I taught an adjunct course at Baxter Institute on the subject of Church Development and Administration, effective biblical leadership was a key component. I presented a guest seminar at …

A Big Step Toward Becoming a Missional Church–Congratulations!

Last week, the Main and Oklahoma church was able to pay off their mortgage on the Family Life Annex, eliminating a major budget expense of the past almost 20 years. I remember that when I first worked with the church about 10 years ago, the church was paying about $1000/week (yes, week!) on the mortgage. …

It’s Sunday Again: The Communion We Share….

For me, Sundays provide time for reflection. What is the nature of the fellowship Christians share? What does it mean that we assemble, that in fact the Greek word for church can also be translated assembly when referring to secular meetings? Is assembly something we do or something we are? How do the shared activities …

Leadership Training in Latin America

The next two weeks will be devoted to Latin American Leadership Training. One can hardly overstate the case. A church that appointed elders within the last year has been instrumental in three new church plants since that time. Churches that are self-governing more easily become self-sustaining and self-supporting, both financially and with regard to the …

It’s Sunday Again: Sunday Morning Reflections on the Lord’s Day

It’s Sunday again–no preaching nor teaching obligation today. Early this morning the breeze on the back patio feels cooler than normal–a welcome harbinger of summer’s almost end. Another Lord’s Day–this must make over 3000. I suspect that I have preached on at least 2000 of them. The opportunity to arise and celebrate God’s presence and …