#RuralMinistry and More.
So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. – 1 Corinthians 3:7-8 ESV I was part […]
It all starts with a young coal miner named John Kuhnert. He had a young family at home, and not a lot of resources to put food on the table to feed the young growing family. John and his brothers discovered that they could get quite a lot of meat […]
If you have been in ministry any length of time, you may have heard the phrase “missions begins at home”. That is exactly what we are doing here at MinistryPlace.net with the new Missions Monday series. Our first look is at local outreach. What are you doing locally to reach […]
My latest newsletter is out. You can read it Here. Please take a moment and pray for the ministry. Thank you.
In my work with National Network of Youth Ministries, I get asked this question a lot. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to share about my work with NNYM at Nyesville Full Gospel Church. The presentation gives a great overview of the work I do in Illinois, Indiana […]
Today’s teenagers are struggling with issues that I never would have dreamed of as a teen. Many of them also lack the home support system that most of us enjoyed growing up. Where are they getting their influence? Every town has several churches with youth workers that desire to reach […]
I know, I used a buzzword. Whether you are in Church Growth, Business, Marketing, SEO, or Fantasy Sports, the word “Metrics” carrries a heavy connotation. Its one of measuring and evaluting everything for the sake of making things better. In a lot of rural churches, this would be a large […]
I’m almost a year into a journey that has included time away from being on a church staff. It has been strange to experience (in some ways) a “normal” church member experience. The disorientation of this journey has been a desert of sorts. It has removed me from most of the […]
Unless you have been living under a rock the last few months, you know there is an ongoing battle to defund Planned Parenthood on the state and national level in the legislatures. As the lawmakers return from their month of recess, the rhetoric on both sides will undoubtedly escalate. I […]
Last week I attended the visitation for a friend that I wish I would have gotten to know more before Alzheimers did the awful things that it does to a person over the process of many years. I can tell you that he served others, and he served his church […]
This morning, a friend of mine posted a news story on Facebook about some urban farming happening in North St. Louis. The story is quite fascinating how people have farmed this land for so many years, not knowing who the owner is, and happily reaping the benefits. There is a […]
Its now four months since I left my last church staff position. Its been a roller coaster of opportunities and some letdowns along the way. This has been the longest gap between serving on staff at a church in 14 years. There has not been the “normal” of searching and […]
