Saturday Links
The Bottom Line of Church Ministry
For a church to be deficient in discipleship is to be deficient in the church’s fundamental reason for existence. If any organization is shoddy in its core reason for existence, it matters nothing if the organization excels at other things.
The last session of the two days was an open forum Q & A. It seemed to me that a proverbial tsunami of information had been shared, so I asked the question — “Among everything that has been shared, are there any 1 or 2 factors that rank above everything else in establishing a viable, gospel centered church plant?” Dick [Kaufmann] was the first one to respond and here is what he said.
People are “More Likely” to be Generous Givers When…
- The vision and mission is clear, concise and compelling.
- They understand generosity from a biblical perspective.
- The leadership models the joy of sacrificial giving.
- The leadership expresses gratitude for their generosity…
The 4 Reasons You Stopped Empowering Others (and What to do About It!)
One of the greatest growth challenges for any leader is the ability to empower and release others. While I constantly aspire to raise up others, I am consistently amazed at the conditions of my heart that hold me back. Specifically there are four internal barriers that I must consciously work through. Maybe one of these is stopping you right now.
God would have us learn to improve our abilities as preachers, and he would have us learn to be ourselves. Look to your favorite preachers for inspiration, not for imitation. It’s okay to have a little personality in the pulpit, as long as it’s your own.
A Critical Mind vs. A Critical Spirit
But the Evil One would love nothing more than to infect such a movement with a critical spirit, to have us be theologically minded at the expense of mission-driven rather than having our theological acumen drive us toward mission. It’s a small jump from engaging in critical thinking to having a critical spirit.
Over the years, I’ve observed that the believers who do the best in trials, who seem to have mighty faith, are those who have been diligent to cultivate faith. They’ve sown, watered and weeded. Plodded and plowed. Day by day. Little by little, consistently reading Bibles and books, praying, meeting together with the saints.
