March 28, 2022
April 3 | Discovery
In Luke 7:11-23, how does Jesus' presence lead to a display of his power, which leads to an understanding of his purpose?
Church & Ministry
Church & Ministry equips leaders and everyday believers to build healthy, gospel-centered congregations. Explore biblically grounded articles on church leadership, preaching and teaching, eldership, staff and volunteer development, discipleship systems, small groups, church planting, church growth, and ministry strategy. You’ll also find practical guidance for navigating transitions, cultivating congregational health, and serving your community with wisdom and compassion. Whether you’re a pastor, elder, ministry staff member, volunteer leader, or church member who wants to help your church thrive, this hub brings together resources to strengthen the local church and advance Christ’s mission.
Pastor Pens Primer for Inexperienced Preachers
Kentucky pastor Mark Messmore has written a new book, "Simple Preaching Prep," aimed at helping equip both aspiring preachers and seasoned lay leaders for the task of preaching sermons to their congregations.
March 4, 2022
NewThing Hoping to Plant Hundreds of Digital Churches
NewThing is launching a digital church-planting effort it hopes will spark hundreds of new churches during the next year. Jeff Reed said the initiative already has drawn interest from 200 prospective church planters.
March 1, 2022
Authentic Online Church
By Kent E. Fillinger Yogi Berra famously said, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” Since the pandemic started two years ago, there have been an endless number of “experts” making countless predictions about the future of everything—including the church. Plenty of churches offered an online campus or church online on various platforms before COVID-19. Broadcast methods varied by church; the main options were livestreaming, on-demand full service (worship and message), on-demand message only, and rebroadcast (simulated live). A 2018 survey by Vanderbloeman and Jay Kranda revealed the top three broadcast platforms were Churchonlineplatform.com, Facebook Live, and YouTube.
March 1, 2022
The Characteristics of an Authentic Leader
By Billy Strother A great deal of discussion and training on the subject of “authentic leadership” has occurred since Bill George published a book by that title in 2003. Authenticity is the quality of being genuine or real. Authentic Christian leaders are those who are perceived as genuine in their walk with the Lord and in their loving investment in the congregants they serve. There remains no agreed-upon definition for authentic leadership theory among those who discuss it. Generally, however, an authentic leader is a person who possesses the characteristics of self-awareness, empathy, relational transparency, consistency, and ethical focus. Authentic
The Most Important Thing
By Chris Philbeck My wife and I recently attended a pastors and wives retreat just outside of Phoenix. It was a great experience for both of us. While we’ve been married for almost 40 years, it’s always good to get away from the busyness of life to reconnect. The retreat also included some times when the pastors and wives split to focus on separate topics. One session for the pastors began with the question: What do you think is the most important thing in good preaching? Hearing the various answers—such as connection, engagement, relevance, vulnerability, etc.—was interesting. At one point
March 1, 2022
Authentic Leadership
By Michael C. Mack What is authentic Christian leadership? It may be best to begin with how it’s different from secular leadership. Authentic Christian leadership is a lifelong process. I’ve seen secular self-help books and blogs that provide simple steps to leadership, but becoming a leader after God’s own heart takes constant, everyday, deep-rooted transformation of the mind and heart as led by the Holy Spirit. Christian leadership happens first in loving, abiding communion with God, and second, in the environment of loving community with others. It’s rare to hear secular leadership described using the word love, but Christian leadership
March 1, 2022
Authentic Community
By Rick Lowry God created every person with a “community gene.” We all have a natural longing to be with other human beings. From an early age, we have known the value of being a member of a group. Everyone grew up in some version of a family, a place where we belonged, living with significant others who helped shape us. We are in community, in groups, every day: the staff team at work, the board or committee on which we serve, the Thursday night Bunko ladies group, the guys who gather to watch NFL games—all small groups that satisfy,
March 1, 2022
Authentic Statistics
By Kim Harris The years 1981 and 1997 don’t have a lot in common. Both years followed presidential elections, but 1981 inaugurated a new president while 1997 welcomed back the leader from the previous term. Both years saw advancement in space exploration with 1981 witnessing the first space shuttle flight, while the Mars Pathfinder landed in 1997. However, it seems the differences between those two years far outweigh similarities. The cultural environment across sports, entertainment, pop culture, economics, and politics shifted significantly during that 16-year span. One thing that didn’t change in that time, though, was the most common baby
March 1, 2022
Authentic Church: What Baseball Can Teach Us
By Tony Burgarello “Let’s play two”—it’s one of the greatest baseball quotes of all time. It came from Ernie Banks, a Baseball Hall of Famer and Chicago Cubs legend. For nonbaseball fans, Ernie played professionally from 1953 to 1971, served in the military, was an All-Star on the field, and set countless records. On top of all that, he was an ordained minister who made a tremendous impact in the community his entire life. He was a difference maker! He received nearly every award you could imagine for his achievements on and off the field. Ernie, who died in 2015,
Authentic Preaching
By Chris Philbeck In a scene from Walk the Line, a 2005 biographical movie on the life of Johnny Cash, Johnny and his band are in a studio with music executive Sam Phillips. The musicians are auditioning a gospel tune, but they are performing with little emotion or conviction. Finally, Phillips interrupts: “Hold on. Hold on. . . . Do you guys got something else?” After some interesting dialogue where the angry singer says Phillips is accusing him of not believing in God, Cash finally protests, “Well, you didn’t let us bring it home.” “Bring it home?” Phillips asks in
February 22, 2022
Bill Weber Reflects on a Lifetime of Ministry
After 53 years of vocational ministry that included service in church, college, and mission settings, Bill Weber says, "No matter how diverse the ministry activities or the people one works with, the focus must always be on Jesus."
February 20, 2022
Real Friends and Real Transformation
Editor Michael C. Mack shares how God used the first-ever small group he joined to change his life.
February 20, 2022
How You Can Grow in Authentic Community
How do you make your church, group, or class more authentic? Over the years I’ve discovered the following principles, most of which work best in smaller groups . . .
February 16, 2022
ECDC Launches Initiative Aimed at Boosting Churches
The Englewood Community Development Corporation—founded by Englewood Christian Church in Indianapolis—has launched a major initiative aimed at bolstering churches in its own backyard and nationally. The initiative is funded by $2.5 million in grants from the Lilly Endowment Inc.
February 9, 2022
Bowling Green Church, IDES Helping Community Recover from Tornado
For the past two months, since a tornado struck its town on Dec. 10, Bowling Green (Ky.) Christian Church has been helping its community with the able assistance of IDES.
February 2, 2022
Oregon Church Plant Launches with Mission-First Model
Gabe Piechowicz took a circuitous route to becoming a minister—he first spent 15 years as a logger. And now Piechowicz is taking an unconventional route to planting a church in Eugene, Ore.—by first doing mission work rather than holding traditional Sunday services. His immediate focus is serving in the homeless community.
January 24, 2022
Jan. 30 | Discovery
In Romans 14:1-5, 13-23, what surface-level issues were people in the church having with one another . . . and what deeper issues may have been behind those problems?
January 19, 2022
Sun & Sands: Minister Glad He Answered Call to Serve in Hawaii
When Bryan Sands answered the call to serve with Kaimuki Christian Church in Hawaii, he was following two ministers who served a combined 57 years. Sands hasn't regretted the move . . .
January 17, 2022
Jan. 23 | Discovery
How did Jesus cause some people to stumble and fall and others to “never be put to shame”?
