Anchored to an Everlasting Love
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jer. 31:3) It is a simple truth you almost need to forget and then return to anew to fully grasp its magnitude: The all-powerful God of the universe loves you passionately and unceasingly!
10 Ways to Encourage Your Pastor This Week
Pastors pour themselves out week after week—preparing sermons, counseling struggling members, leading through challenges, and carrying the weight of spiritual leadership. And while many people appreciate their pastor, encouragement is often assumed rather than expressed.
Praying for Your Pastor - Part II: Praying for Your Pastor’s Spiritual Health
In ministry, it’s easy to assume that pastors are spiritually strong simply because they’re always preaching, teaching, and leading others in faith. But the reality is, many pastors struggle to maintain their own personal walk with God.
Praying for Your Pastor - Part I: Why Your Pastor Needs Your Prayers
Last month, our church experienced a season of prayer and fasting. It was a powerful time to seek the Lord and ask Him to move in our lives, families, and church. But during that time, I was convicted of something: I wasn’t praying for my pastor as much as I should have been.
Why Your Church Needs an Intentional and Repeatable Discipleship Strategy
In a world where churches often measure success by attendance and programs, it's easy to overlook the deeper question: Are we making disciples? Programs may fill seats, but disciplemaking transforms lives. That's why having an intentional and repeatable discipleship strategy—like micro-groups, or what at Replicate call D-Groups—is critical for every church.
Decoding Discipleship Myths: Your Sermon is Enough
It is often innocent enough as an assumption, but that is exactly what it is, an assumption. The senior pastor assumes that all the people of the church just need the sermon for spiritual growth. So groups are given discussion guides, or a series of questions, to come together in their small groups to talk about the sermon from that Sunday morning. Of course, the expectation is that every group member has seen/heard the sermon to some capacity, which is rare.
A Quiet Soul
We have stopped living in a quiet world. Now, that doesn’t have to mean sound in our lives. Take stock for 10 minutes of how many notifications come across your phone. How many emails? How many messages? How many news updates? How many dings, pings, and vibrations happen in your life in any given amount of time. Our world has become loud.
Decoding Discipleship Myths: Attendance equals growth
Far too many myths exist within the church about what it means to grow spiritually and how a church facilitates that growth. The goal of these articles is to identify those myths and give thought to how to possibly overcome those myths within your organization.
On That Day
On that day. Those three words denote a dramatic change in perspective and destiny. They provide a window into why and how you should have hope about your future.
The Vital Skill of Listening in Marriage
Married couples regularly underestimate the value of not just good, but great, communication in their marriage relationship. Communication underscores any truly successful marriage
Leading from Personal Vision: The Missing Piece in Pastoral Leadership (Part III)
When pastors lead with personal vision in place, their leadership takes on new depth and credibility. Instead of asking their people to live lives of purpose while struggling to do so themselves, they lead from a place of integrity and inspiration.
Leading from Personal Vision: The Missing Piece in Pastoral Leadership (Part II)
So how does a pastor develop a personal vision that fuels rather than fights against their ministry vision? It starts with intentional reflection in three key areas…
Leading from Personal Vision: The Missing Piece in Pastoral Leadership (Part I)
Many pastors lead with a clear church vision in mind. They cast mission statements, set goals, and rally people toward a preferred future. Yet, many of these same pastors struggle with a lack of personal vision.
Ruminate or Restore
You have wounds. I have wounds. Everyone we encounter has wounds. These are hardly trifling affairs, either.
A Reflection on 27 Years
After 27 years of marriage, I’ve learned that we aren’t the same people we were when we first met. Marriage is a journey of growth, intimacy, and mutual love, not about completion, but about becoming better partners as we walk through life together.
What is Love?
Okay, if your brain did not immediately follow reading the title of this article with, “Baby don’t hurt me” we might not be able to be friends. Extra points if you continued it with, “ don’t hurt me, no more.”
Limits Of Legacy
You want to leave a legacy. You want to lead a life that makes a difference and leaves an impact. You want the world and those you love to be better as a result of your life.
Leading From Who You Are
From the lowest position on the org chart to the highest. Every person is leading someone. It is not a question of whether or not you can lead. You are. So, you might as well choose to lead well.
Why Every Church Needs a Mission-Driven Budget
For many churches, budgeting is often treated as a financial exercise—a process of managing income and expenses to keep the lights on and the ministry running. While this is important, it falls short of the higher calling of stewardship.
The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Effective Church Leadership
In the realm of church leadership, success is often defined by spiritual depth, theological knowledge, and administrative competence. While these qualities are undoubtedly important, one often overlooked but equally vital attribute is emotional intelligence.