relevance

Worshiping Relevance

One of the buzzwords in ministry that makes me cringe is “relevance”. It is something that we need to look at and examine, yes. But the heights that we take it in ministry today can be just silly. When I have a discussion about relevance in ministry with someone, I usually point them to Paul’s …

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Rural Ministry: 10 Ways You’re Doing it Wrong…

I am not writing this article to make anyone upset, call anyone on the carpet, or to make anyone upset. There I said it. Now we can move on….. There are a lot of things that we do in Rural Ministry that simply do not work. Many of fall under the following categories: Culture of …

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Rural Ministry: The Urgency of Evangelism

The Barn is on Fire…. The picture you see above is one that I took in September of 2010. I was visiting my mom and step-dad at the farmhouse  where I grew up in Illinois. We looked out across the field and saw a little smoke, not an uncommon sight, maybe someone burning some trash …

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Rural Ministry: Know your context.

One of the most important lessons to learn early in youth ministry is to understand your context. Is your church rural, small, large, multi-ethnic, urban? That is important to answer. You do not approach a rural church with an urban mindset. It is not going to work well. The opposite is obviously true. The key …

Truth at #SYMC

Your love never fails, it never gives up on me. Thank you God for that truth. Breathe, take that in, and look at what that means for your life. No matter what, God still loves you. Receive that love. Walk in that. Let shape how you do ministry. Share this:EmailFacebookPrint

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Closing the Country Club and Opening the Hospital…

The following is a “dangerous” prayer. You have been warned. Lord, Let us close the club we have been calling “church” for so long. Let us push aside our agendas so that Yours may be in the center of what we do. Let us stop worshiping comfort and start worshiping You. Let us realize how much we …

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Evangelism… Making it a Priority in Student Ministry

So, you said the “e” word at youth group, and you have gotten a combination of reactions that include: confused looks, “deer in the headlight lookaways”, and just downright fear. Now what. What strategies do you use to make the Gospel a priority in every youth group meeting? 1. Share it every week. I don’t …

Thoughts on Communion….

Dr. Rodney Reeves (Dean of the Theology School at Southwest Baptist University) had some interesting thoughts on Communion posted at his blog, A Genuine Faith.   …One of the clearest places where we should find eternal hospitality is at the Lord’s table, a banquet memorial where we proclaim the Lord’s death till he comes. The reason we …

Question of the Day?

If your church were to suddenly have to turn all leadership to those age 25-35, would your church be in deep trouble?  Why or Why not? What is your church doing to retain, train, and grow leaders in the 18-40 age group? What are you doing that works well? What doesn’t work in your context? …

I know you are out there…

I know you are out there. Maybe You are a Youth Worker that has been told you are too young/old/boring/playful/whatever to effectively serve in youth ministry. Maybe you have been sucked into church politics without even knowing it and you are now paying the price. Maybe you’ve been bullied by a youth parent/deacon/elder/Sr Pastor/whoever. Maybe …