Church Leadership
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The Guys at the Back of the Line
I am not nearly as much of a college basketball fan as is our son, but I do enjoy watching games if a team I support is playing (Go Big Blue!!). There is much more about the game that I do not know than there is that I really understand. For example, I understand how the scoring works, what a foul is (even though I’m not sure some officials know that), and other very basic things. High on the list of those things about which I have no clue is how specific plays are designed and executed. When I watch a game, things just sort of happen. I never quite…
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Something Every Congregation Needs to Consider
At Central, we are so excited about evangelism, and about having every member involved in various aspects of that wonderful work. A few weeks ago, we hosted a “School of Evangelism,” and, while we had been involved in some parts of that model already, the work since then has only grown and excitement is everywhere. With that in mind, our sermons recently have also focused on evangelism. While writing the sermon I preached last Sunday morning (I wrote it a few weeks ago), I was doing some thinking about one particular aspect and wanted to share it on here, because it really is something that every congregation needs to consider.…
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Nothing Good Happens When the Wagon Gets Too Full
There is a fairly common situation that can be expressed in a lot of ways. It could be that you have heard (or said) that, in many instances, ten percent of the people do ninety percent of the work or maybe twenty percent of the people do eighty percent of the work. Sometimes instead of using the ratios mentioned above, you may hear the following expression: “We have too many people in the wagon and too few people pulling the wagon.” Using that analogy, let me suggest that there is absolutely nothing good that will happen if or when a wagon gets too full. There are any number of bad things…
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We’re Still Studying That
I cannot begin to remember all of the times I’ve heard somebody say, “We’re still studying that.” Those who know my background have probably already assumed (correctly) that this is usually said in a religious context. In other words, what is still being studied is what the Bible has to say about some doctrine, practice, etc. I am, in no way, opposed to the practice of studying the Bible. In fact, I firmly believe that all of us, including me, could benefit greatly from doing more of that. Many will remember this very positive description of people who lived in Berea and to whom the gospel had been preached: Now…
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Turning a Spiritual Ship is Harder
If you’ve read many leadership books or articles, you have likely heard a very common illustration. It has to do with changing the culture of a business, organization, or even congregation. It is the illustration of trying to turn around a large ship. The picture is meant to remind you that you simply cannot turn those large ships on a dime and it takes awhile for them to get turned all the way around. As it pertains to leadership, then, that picture is meant to instill in the leader the idea that you cannot just change everything overnight and expect it to be successful. Changes have to be thoughtful (of…
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And Their Voices Prevailed
If you have a copy of God’s Word handy, you may want to read the twenty-third chapter of Luke before you read the rest of this post. In that chapter, we can read Luke’s inspired account of some of the events concerning the arrest, interrogation, condemnation, and crucifixion of Jesus. Other details are in the other gospels, but we will focus our comments to those recorded by Luke – along with a few details gleaned from the other gospel accounts. I find the words that are used as the title of this post to be extremely interesting and informative. They play a major role in the narrative that follows. A…
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Sometimes It’s Tough
Now, there’s a wide open topic for you! Let me narrow it down just a bit by saying it is sometimes tough to be an elder’s wife. I’m aware that it is sometimes tough just being a wife, even if your husband doesn’t serve in this capacity. I also am aware that it is sometimes tough being married to a preacher. I’ve lived that life for a long time. However, being the wife of an elder has its own challenges and I would like to share some of those with you. He can’t share everything with me. Before he became an elder one of the greatest qualities of our marriage was that…
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The Message of a Pulpit to the Preacher
Pulpits are interesting things. They come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, configurations, etc. In my experience, the basic function of a pulpit is to provide a convenient place for a preacher to lay his Bible and whatever notes he may have. Some pulpits may have additional things that seemed to be designed to help. There may be a light placed in such a way so as to help the preacher read the material he has placed on the pulpit. There could be a microphone to help amplify his voice. In recent years, some churches have installed screens in pulpits so that the preacher can look down and see the PowerPoint…
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Building Up the Preacher’s Wife
She–along with elders’ wives–holds one of the most difficult “roles” in the Lord’s Church. It is difficult because it is not defined in Scripture, but is often “defined” by each member of a congregation, and she’s just expected to know that. From talking with dozens and dozens of families over the years, allow me to let you in on a little secret. You may not believe it at first, but I promise you it is true. It is this: there is a very high likelihood that your preacher’s wife feels very lonely. Her husband has dozens of people come up to him each week and basically tell him how great…
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An Influencer
Having all of our family home for the holidays was simply wonderful. We even had a few extra days to relax and enjoy one another’s company. One of those days was spent with the girls going shopping at our mall. We enjoyed browsing through the stores without all of the hustle and bustle of trying to find just the right gift. When it was time for lunch, we decided to just eat in the food court and our guys joined us. While eating lunch I noticed that our youngest granddaughter (she’s 15 now) got a stunned look on her face. She was staring at someone with utter awe. I asked her…