Ministry in a (Post) COVID World
The 2021 Church Report
The 2021 Church Report
A Florida church helped the Tavriski Christian Institute in Ukraine purchase a bus that enabled many to flee advancing Russing troops. Also, briefs about an upcoming leadership summit, a women's retreat, and more.
March 14, 2022
What do you learn about God's sovereignty, grace, and patience from Romans 11:11-32?
March 1, 2022
Noni stretched her back as she straightened from her work. She’d been putting in long hours at the café she owned trying to pay off debt incurred when the café was closed during the worst of the pandemic, but she still owed money and worried she would not be able to pay it. She thought of her son, who had been pressuring her to let him move to live with his father. Her eyes teared up as fear filled her heart. The future seemed uncertain, and she wondered what would happen to her and her family. Just then, the door
February 21, 2022
In Romans 10:1-15, what do you learn from the comparisons between the righteousness that is by the law and God’s righteousness that comes by faith?
January 26, 2022
News briefs from NewThing, IDES, Milligan University, the Missouri Christian Convention, Christian Financial Resources, and more.
January 1, 2022
If not for the obstacles standing in the way of the Colorado River, there would be no Grand Canyon. Without these natural barriers, the river would not have created dramatic ravines, horseshoe bends, and whitewater rapids. Instead of a Grand Canyon, we would have a “Grand Trench.” How awe-inspiring would that be? Not very. If I could give any counsel to Christians and ministry leaders in today’s world, it would be this: Lead like you are the Colorado River. Anticipate impediments to your progress. Don’t expect the way to be free and clear of obstacles. No matter what the barrier,
December 20, 2021
The Sadducees’ view of life was very limited: we live, we die, that’s it. How do you think that kind of viewpoint would affect a person’s life?
November 1, 2021
Missionaries and mission organizations share their stories.
September 28, 2021
"I believe we can make at least two errors in practicing apologetics," writes Chad Ragsdale. "The first error is when we forget the purpose of apologetics. Apologetics is a servant of evangelism and discipleship. . . ."
September 1, 2021
Reaching our worlds with the gospel today demands that we think afresh about outreach.
September 1, 2021
Dietrich Bonhoeffer is well-known for penning the book The Cost of Discipleship about what it costs each of us to follow Jesus. In addition to that cost, discipleship—or disciple-making—also costs church leaders who take it seriously. I recently spoke with a lead pastor who serves not far from where I live. Our conversation went something like this: Me: Disciple-making is the mission Jesus gave to the church. Him: I think we need to focus more on evangelism. It seems like all I hear of late is “discipleship,” and [to me] it sounds like “work harder, learn more, go deep.” It
September 1, 2021
In his book Disciple, Juan Carlos Ortiz says the greatest problem facing the church today is “the perpetual childhood of the believer.” The fact that most of our churches are made up of spiritually immature believers is a major issue to the church fulfilling her mission. This extreme lack of spiritual development continually cripples the dynamic advancement of our churches. We will never take our cities for Christ if the vast number of our people remain at a “kindergarten” level of spiritual growth and maturity. This deep and widespread problem can be attributed, more than anything else, to the lack
August 20, 2021
A survey of Christian church ministries serving Haiti shows that many are lending a hand in the aftermath of the earthquake and tropical storm that have rocked that nation.
August 9, 2021
What kinds of things tend to spiritually enslave people?
July 29, 2021
(A classic column from David Faust in celebration of his 25th anniversary of writing for us weekly.) No magic formula, no technique dreamed up in a church growth laboratory, can replace the power of personal discipleship.
May 24, 2021
The ark of God and the temple both represent God’s presence with his people. How do God’s people respond to his presence?
May 1, 2021
How your church can build on your pandemic compassion with both spiritual justice and social justice.
April 22, 2021
Our “pulpit was empty.” In the jargon of our church that meant that our professional orator in residence had left us for greener pastures and we were on the prowl for another. Then we got this letter from some preacher fellow that wanted to come for two weeks and live with us and preach to us on three Sundays.
March 1, 2021
“The greatest source of power available to a leader,” said Dr. James O’Toole, founding director of Neely Center for Ethical Leadership at the University of Southern California, “is the trust that derives from faithfully serving followers.” Three decades earlier, Howard Hendricks, longtime professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, told a Promise Keepers rally, “The greatest crisis in America is a crisis of leadership, and the greatest crisis of leadership is a crisis of character.” During the past several decades, a proliferation of books, journals, degree programs, podcasts, online conferences, and DVD series have addressed the issues of character and trust in leadership in virtually all arenas