Why There’s No Pressure to Entertain on Easter
With Easter Sunday comes a great danger for many church leaders; it’s the temptation to entertain. It’s the pressure to make the Easter service shiny and attractive so that it doesn’t feel all that different from the culture. Then, we think, perhaps some of the new faces will come back the following week. In light of this burden that so many church leaders feel on Easter, consider the following four truths as words of encouragement.... Read More
A Surprising Reason that Church Revitalization Doesn’t Always Work
It’s fun to watch churches that once were dying now come to life again. I love it when I hear stories of resurrected congregations, and I’m beginning to hear more and more of those stories. At the same time, though, many attempts at revitalization don’t work. The reasons for failure include at least these.... Read More
The Holy Spirit Is Not Casper the Friendly Ghost
When we hear people talking about the Holy Spirit, it’s not uncommon to hear people talking about the Holy Spirit in terms of an evangelical version of Casper the Friendly Ghost. At other points, evangelicals derail by putting all of their focus upon the Holy Spirit to the marginalization of Christ. When the Holy Spirit is cartoonized or overly emphasized and brought to the forefront of our worship—we grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Read More
22 Rapid-Fire Leadership and Life Lessons From Transitioning to a New Church
Since December of 2018, I have been drinking from the fire hose of transitioning to a new church and figuring out what it looks like to be a senior pastor. And while the fire hose has been steadily spewing life and leadership lessons, I think I’ve grasped a few. Read More
4 Reasons Pastoral Work is Different (and What You and I Should Do About It)
Now that I'm not a pastor, I have taken seriously one of my ministerial goals in serving pastors and advocating for pastors. To that end, if you're one of those who thinks pastors whine too much and work too little, I want to share with you some reasons you may not have considered that pastoral work really is different. Read More
The Spirit Is Not Limited To a Certain Worship Style
All churches worship uniquely and in a style that suits their context and community. There is no one way to worship. In this video, Mike Harland explains the piece of advice that he recommends worship leaders should ignore. Read More
3 Suggestions for Dealing with Frustrating Cultural Differences
Maybe you are preparing for a short-term trip or long-term service to a place like where I serve. Or maybe you’re trying to get to know someone from the Middle East who now lives near you. Here are three suggestions I have for adjusting to their culture so you can thrive and represent Christ well. Read More
As a ten year old I personally experienced the frustrations of cultural unfamiliarity when my family moved from the United Kingdom to the United States. As a social worker I learned to be sensitive to cultural differences, working with the diverse population of greater New Orleans. The last ten years has made me aware of the growing cultural diversity of even rural areas in the United States and continuing need for cultural sensitivity. While the county is largely rural agricultural, Murray is a college town. The community has a large population of international students as well as migrant workers. Several different cultures are represented in the community. In addition to having a Chinese church and a Korean church, Murray has two Hispanic congregations and a mosque.
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