Articles for tag: Externally Focused Network

May 6, 2013

Christian Standard

How to Take Your Ministries to the Next Level

By Brian Mavis The church has a problem. The things that matter the most””spiritual growth, changed lives, ministry impact””are the toughest to measure. How are you supposed to measure things like peace, patience, kindness, a transformed heart, and kingdom impact? As the saying goes, “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” Our mission is to go and make disciples of Jesus; not merely decisions for Jesus (though that is a start), but disciples. Yet it seems to me there is a disconnect between our mission and what we measure. It is not

March 23, 2013

Christian Standard

Neighboring Churches

By Brian Mavis “From the city”s perspective, there is not a lot of difference between the way Christians neighbor and non-Christians neighbor.” The assistant city manager of Arvada, Colorado, made that statement to a group of church leaders. It left them embarrassed and convicted. But it wasn”t the first time they had heard something like that from a city leader. A month earlier a group of church leaders was meeting with Bob Frie, the mayor of Arvada. He explained that even though Arvada (population 106,000) is a great city, it has many problems typical of a city its size””delinquency, elderly

February 22, 2013

Christian Standard

Want a Better Church? Ask Better Questions

“You are a Christian only so long as you constantly pose critical questions to the society you live in . . . so long as you stay unsatisfied with the status quo and keep saying that a new world is yet to come.” “”Henri Nouwen By Brian Mavis If your spouse calls and says, “I”ve just been in a car accident,” the first question out of your mouth will show what you really care about (and it will also have a direct bearing on your marital relationship). Asking, “Are you OK?” reveals love for your spouse and results in compassion and healing.

June 7, 2012

Christian Standard

Seven Positive Trends for Megachurches

By Brian Mavis I asked nine authors, academics, megachurch pastors, and missional church planters “What”s next for megachurches?”Â The nine shared enough opinions and insights for several articles, and I will develop those in upcoming issues. Several of the leaders I contacted mentioned some concerns, but this month let”s focus on identifying and distilling seven positive trends.   1. Deeper Discipleship Megachurches are growing less content with measuring attendance alone. David Faust, president of Cincinnati Christian University, said at a megachurch leaders conference he was . . . encouraged to hear a number of megachurch leaders talking about how their plans for the

March 7, 2012

Christian Standard

NACC 2012: Interview with the President

By Brian Mavis Rick Rusaw has served as the lead pastor at LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont, Colorado, since 1991. He is the cofounder of Externally Focused Network, and coauthor of Externally Focused Church, Externally Focused Life, and Externally Focused Quest. Here he answers questions from people like you about this summer”s North American Christian Convention. I contacted 15 different church leaders from around the country and asked them to send me one question they would like to ask you about this year”s convention. Several asked, “How would attending the NACC help me grow as a minister?” RUSAW: The theme

October 29, 2011

Christian Standard

You Must Read This . . . Looking Afresh at “The Least”

By Brian Mavis Same Kind of Different as Me Ron Hall and Denver Moore Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2006 I gravitate toward “heady” books, but if you want a book to make your heart smart, read Same Kind of Different as Me. It is the true story of three uncommon friends, Ron and Deborah Hall and Denver Moore. The Halls are white millionaires, and Moore is a homeless black man. The book alternates between the perspective of Ron Hall and Moore as they tell their inspiring story of enduring tragedy, repenting from prejudices, and forging an authentic friendship. And really, it”s

May 4, 2008

Christian Standard

Understanding the Externally Focused Movement

By Krista Petty, Eric Swanson, and Rick Rusaw Just a few years ago, a Google search for “externally focused church” found nothing. But today that search yields tens of thousand of references. What does it mean to be externally focused? In their book The Externally Focused Church, Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson offer this description: Externally focused churches are inwardly strong but outwardly focused. They integrate good deeds and good news into the life of the church. They value impact and influence in the community more than attendance. They seek to be salt, light, and leaven in the community. They

May 4, 2008

Christian Standard

The Biblical Basis for Externally Focused Ministry

By Eric Swanson If you look long enough, you can find a “biblical basis” for almost anything. That”s what my friends and I discovered years ago when I was in college. We entertained ourselves by finding obscure passages to justify a wide and wild set of behaviors. (All of these are from the New American Standard Bible, my version of choice back then): “¢ Not wearing sweatshirts: “They shall not gird themselves with anything which makes them sweat” (Ezekiel 44:18). “¢ Sleeping in church: “I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of

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