Saturday Lagniappe: "Developing a Powerful Positive Perspective" and Much More

Developing a Powerful Positive Perspective

Over the past few months, I’ve been thinking a lot about the power of perspective. In fact, one of the greatest assets any leader can have is a powerful positive perspective – the ability to see the good in any circumstance. Read More

5 Ways the Church Hurts and Helps Victims of Sexual Violence

Let’s dare to risk discomfort for the sake of ministering to victims of sexual violence. Read More

Pastoring a Church Between 100 and 200 Without Going Crazy

Some Dos and Don’ts for surviving and thriving in the awkward, in-between world of 100 to 200 in church attendance. Read More

Cutting-Edge Florida Church Network Rediscovers the Life of Mission

If you want people to live in a different way, you have to promise them change—the possibility of a different kind of church. Read More

How Refugees Revived One White Iowa Church

Meet the congregation that traded in a homogeneous heritage for a diverse future. Read More

Wrestling with Challenging Kingdom Multiplication Questions

Scripture shows us that Jesus frequently used questions to challenge people’s paradigm. Questions have the power to challenge us to listen closer to the voice of God, see things from a different perspective, and guide us to breakthrough new behaviors. Read More

Episode 86: Critical Mass and Launching a New Campus [Podcast]

So you’re at critical mass in your services? Here are some things to consider before launching a new campus. Listen Now

Episode 85: Gaining Commitment in Your Core Team [Podcast]

Strengthen your core team with compelling vision. Listen Now

6 Mistakes I Made as a Church Planter

One of the greatest joys of my ministry was planting a church in northeast Tennessee in 1991. I made several mistakes, which hopefully you can learn from the easy way, through my pain, not yours. These are not the only mistakes I made in the ten years I pastored that church, but they are the ones I regret the most. Read More

Bravery

Among the readers of NewChurches.com, I imagine we share differing views on certain elements of the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives. When a pastor starts talking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit or the filling of the Spirit there are a multiplicity of differing views. I don’t want to argue any of those right now. But I would like to draw your attention to what I believe is an undeniable reality of God’s Spirit working in a person: Bravery. Read More

99 Essential Doctrines Christians Should Know

Christianity wouldn't have its framework without these essential doctrines. Read More

3 Reasons Why Pastors Neglect Leadership Development

Here are three reasons pastors neglect making leadership development a priority in their churches. Read More

The 5 Marks of Authentic Leadership

Influence matters but it's not the whole package. Read More

Are You a Terrible Boss? These 4 Subtle Signs Will Tell You.

Here are some of the more common warning signs that there may be a problem. Read More

20 Thoughts On Helping People Recover From Terrible Decisions They’ve Made

How cn we help people recover from the terrible decisions they've made? Read More

9 Steps for Transitioning from Parsonage-Living to Homeownership

Make a smooth and financially responsible move. Read More

Online Bible Study Resources

If you’re an avid online Bible student, you are probably already familiar with the ten resources I’ve listed below. But these are the ones that I find most helpful in my own personal study. Read More

You know what’s actually America’s most relentless propagator of racism? The porn industry.

With the increasingingly visible violence between members of law enforcement and the African American community regularly dominating the news cycle, much analysis has been spilling forth from the chattering classes discussing various strains of racism running through society. They discuss the roots of slavery and segregation, the breakdown of the family structure, and systemic prejudice. What no one has yet discussed, however, is how ugly and brutal racial stereotypes are being crassly perpetuated by one of the largest capitalist enterprises in the United States of America: the porn industry. Read More

The Story of Iran’s Church in Two Sentences

It’s a simple story that can be summarized in just two sentences: Persecution threatened to wipe out Iran’s tiny church. Instead, the church in Iran has become the fastest growing in the world, and it is influencing the region for Christ. Read More