Both extroverts and introverts can lead well. Both can lead poorly. Personality is only one part of leadership. However, your personality as a leader comes with intrinsic advantages and challenges. The extroverted pastor tends to work a room better than an introvert. The introverted pastor tends to listen better one-on-one. Partly because they are moreContinue reading “He’s Not Jesus”
Category Archives: Church
Missionary Kids?
Some years ago, my family had the opportunity to visit an elderly woman who was the child of missionaries. She had grown up in an India that no longer exists—under British control, before partition, where she raised a black panther cub until it was bigger than she was and her mother made her give itContinue reading “Missionary Kids?”
A Prayer for Saturday Night
Father, as we walk by faith and not by sight, grant us grace that none of us will have a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from You, the living God. Rather may we hate what is evil and cling to what is good. May we be devoted to one another in brotherly love andContinue reading “A Prayer for Saturday Night”
You’ll Never Guess Who’s Been Going to Church
Young people are more likely to have been to church than any other age group in the UK, a poll has found. According to the Savanta ComRes survey for Operation Mobilisation (OM), over half of the population (54%) said they had never been to church in the last 12 months. This rose to 56% amongContinue reading “You’ll Never Guess Who’s Been Going to Church”
A Female Take on Women in Ministry
A wave of uneasiness swept over me when I first read her Instagram post: “Hey, women are not the lesser half of the image of God.” It was written by a female pastor as a response to those who discredit women in church leadership. While for years I’d accepted the biblical structure of male churchContinue reading “A Female Take on Women in Ministry”
They Just Don’t Come
A few years back, I heard about a church that had grown concerned about their bloated membership. After years of lackadaisical accounting, the number had become unwieldy, even disingenuous. Their “official” membership tallied more than twice the average attendance— doubtlessly inflated by the dead, the derelict, and the well-intentioned-but-never-there. This discrepancy obscured the church’s identity.Continue reading “They Just Don’t Come”
His Compassion Is Our Confidence
Throughout the four Gospels, readers are flooded with examples of the compassion of Christ. In His miracles, Christ shows His compassion by giving sight to the blind, making the lame walk, and curing people with extreme sickness. In His parables, He consistently shows that God’s heart is geared toward compassion and His desire is forContinue reading “His Compassion Is Our Confidence”
Pregnancy Care Is Just the Beginning, Men!
When Roland Warren took over as Care Net president 10 years ago, just 12 percent of its 1,200 affiliated pregnancy centers had programs for fathers. That was a problem. “We wanted to solve not just for a live baby, but for a strong family—a father and mother, united in marriage, loving each other and God,”Continue reading “Pregnancy Care Is Just the Beginning, Men!”
The Template for True Worship
I believe that you were, firstly, created to worship. Secondly, you were saved to worship. And thirdly, you are providentially sustained to worship. When God made humanity, He gave a creation mandate, but it was to be done for the glory of God. So, whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, you doContinue reading “The Template for True Worship”
Wolves Among Us
When a wolf looks at sheep, what does he see? Food. His motivation for getting close to sheep is not to care for their needs or protect them from danger; it’s to feed on them. But in order to get close to sheep, a wolf employs deceptive tactics to keep the sheep from discerning hisContinue reading “Wolves Among Us”