It’s important to do, u know. You are a spiritual leader, and so, lead! here are some things on which to train those who follow u: outreach spiritual practices worship as a way of life outreach spending time with God not whining generosity forgiveness trust outreach worship as a way of life confession what would u add to that ... Read More

Marketers will tell u that you must choose your customer … not just people you think will benefit from what you have to offer, but people you actually want to work with. It’s the same for outreach, whether u’re in an existing or brand new church. Affinity is key to being able to share a message of hope. Don’t overlook that. We do hate to admit how much like marketing outreach in the church is, but it is. We must employ smart measures to maximize our time. God will redeem them if we stay grounded in our relationship with ... Read More

Last night I drempt I started a church. (was it a nightmare? JK). I know what to do, where to go, how to get it going, what to say; I love God, want to give God away; I can network people, make it work, etc, etc. But the burning desire to be the point person isn’t there every day. It is in some who are reading. I’d love to talk with you. Speak up! Let’s connect. ... Read More

When tragedy strikes in your life, where do u turn? We got some tough family news yesterday about a long lost niece that we knew and loved when she was a child. I woke up this morning thinking of her. As I sat in the wee dark hours of the early morning and watched the sun come up, I remembered that God is still “on the throne,” as they say. But what happens for those who don’t have that kind of belief in the order of things? Tragedy is not some punishment or zapping from God; but it exists. Yet the sun still comes up and the ... Read More

I used to have a pastor who talked about the importance of facing your demons by “kissing your dragon on the nose.” We all have different dragons, but I think we in church leadership also all have the same dragon: fear of networking beyond the church building. We attend seminars on networking and seminar leaders have to ask us to make lists of places where we can network. It seems to take a lot of effort. But if we were just being ourselves in every day life … Christ followers who are open about being Christ followers … ... Read More

So, what’s new in church work? Many are enamored of “emergent.” But do we know what that is? and more importantly, do we know what it isn’t? Christianity is, in many ways, about influence: Go therefore and baptize … It’s a command to touch lives with the hope of the Gospel. Such is an extension of our worship of God. The question is, how do we get there? We have to sort and rank all the information and trends and fads that come our way. Not everything we hear is true, or important, or urgent, or even ... Read More

Most pastors and worship leaders think of the worship service as the thing that happens inside the building. But it’s oh so much more. If you want to do great work, allow God to lead you into the mission field by immersing yourself in God’s presence daily. Let your interactions in every day life influence the way you plan and lead the worship service. It’s not a formula; it’s a lifestyle. Worship is not in a box. ... Read More

If you have a missional perspective on worship, you will try new things in the worship service, and you will make mistakes. Here are some good ways to fail: FAIL FREQUENTLY: Institute a value of change by letting people know you’re trying new things for the purpose of mission. Just make sure you know what your mission is. FAIL SMARTLY: Don’t do new things just to do new things. Do them because it makes sense for welcoming guests from your mission field. FAIL BOLDLY: Be courageous enough to walk the tightrope of risking offense ... Read More

I subscribe to Seth Godin’s blog, thanks to my friend Jim Griffith. He is right, the short and pithy insights cause me to think, and they always apply to my work in the church. Seth’s topic today was about how record sale figures were at one time manipulated over the years by Billboard, and how some authors have bought their way into the publishing market, thus inflating their sales and making their way onto best seller lists. You should read that post. When I read it, I was reminded of how we do that in the church, manipulating ... Read More

My answer is yes. If you had just one hour to change someone’s life, and you had no computer, no screen, no band, not even an organ or even a cymbal or a lyre, what would you do? What would you say? Worship leaders are enamored of all the bells and whistles, but that won’t get someone to your church, it won’t keep them, and it won’t change them. Granted, it can open a doorway; but we in the church spend far too much time trying to be clever, and far to little time actually interacting with the people God has called us ... Read More