Resources

Every leader needs to have an apprentice. Even the lead pastor, as you're thinking about what's next, you need to have an apprentice so you can put that person in that role and you can commission them to go.

When I go to a great restaurant and it’s really good, no one ever has to tell me, “Could you let other people know?” I cannot wait to tell other people, first of all, that I've been, and second of all, how good the food is. I think we have lived our Christian lives on the periphery of God's grace and goodness and favor for so long that we don't know how good the food is for ourselves.

There are just so many things that are compelling about the triune God and the way that triune God has enacted redemption for us and continues to sanctify us after we follow him. We just have to pull the contextualization out for our young people so they can see it on their terms.

By immediately communicating, ‘You are welcome here,’ you are answering guests’ big question: Should I be here?

Rather than being a subcategory of American ministry, the small church is the norm. If you take a longer and broader view, most churches throughout history and in most parts of the world are and always have been small.

The point of hospitality is not to entertain; it is to tell a better story and invite people into the story of God. That's what people need. That's what they're longing for. They want to be a part of that story. And that story is transforming. That story is eternal. That story is enduring. That story is faithful.

None of the programs at our church were bad in and of themselves. The volume of it just prevented us from being focused on building relationships with those who are far from God. So, we had to do less ministry to reach more people. It sounds funny, but people had to be trained in how to do life with nonbelievers or people spiritually disinterested.

At auction, the quilts go for hundreds or even thousands of dollars that directly help women and children in need, providing funds for baby and maternity items at the pregnancy resource center.