What does an oxygen mask have to do with ministry? Kris Barnett examines why never addressing your own needs can actually hurt your congregation.
Digital Wisdom and Teens
I recently lead a small gathering of 50 or so youth ministers on the topic of technology and its influence on teen behavior. The number one question on everyone’s mind was “How can we help teenagers when it seems like they seem to know more than we do on this topic?” It’s a valid question but it need not be … Read More
Three Ways to Strengthen Unity
One recurring theme throughout the New Testament is unity. Jesus speaks of oneness among His disciples in His high priestly prayer found in John 17:21-23. He prayed, “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. … Read More
Seeing and Responding to Scripture
When my wife and I had our honeymoon in Plymouth, Mass.—some 14 years ago now—we made the decision to drive the entire way. Now I know a 20-hour car ride on your honeymoon sounds like a bad idea, but it was really quite nice. On the way, we visited places like Hershey, Penn., Amish Country, and New York City. One … Read More
Would You Rebuke Jesus?
The Bible teaches that “there is a way that seems right to man (intuition), but the end leads to death” Proverbs 14:12. As leaders, we need to be cautious about following our own intuition over the wisdom and will of God. Following our intuition is dangerous because it leads us to make decisions based on what just feels right. Following … Read More
Meetings that Engage People
We’ve all worked for that person who used meetings as social gatherings, pulpits, and pep rallies rather than for more productive reasons. We leave thinking the leader could have summed up these hour-long life drains in a well-worded email. Maybe you have led some of those meetings, but what if there was a better way? John who wrote, “Though I have … Read More
Visitors Prefer Preaching – Sermon Quality
We preachers always knew sermons were important to church visitors, but now we have the data to prove it! The Pew Research Center recently released the results of a survey of 5,000 Americans about whether they have ever changed churches and, if so, how they search for a new church. And the number one factor cited by respondents? Quality of … Read More
Worship and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
As a pastor you don’t have a choice about which service you attend – unless you have a youth pastor to send to that service with all the complainers – but your members make a decision about which service to attend if there is more than one offering. So how do they make that decision? In a recent podcast, Thom … Read More
We Are Ambassadors for Christ
Some of you remember the Cold War, the “peaceful” conflict between the United States and the former Soviet Union that occurred after WWII into the late 80’s and early 90’s. My family had a front row seat to the conflict. My father was the senior enlisted soldier for Army intelligence in West Berlin, Germany from 1981-1986. We lived 100 miles … Read More