This past week the Pacific Conference hosted the Global Leadership Summit via online streaming. We had a great time of learning and fellowship together. It may have been best roster of speakers ever! You can check out a highlight video (scroll down) on our website. Here are some great quotes from the event.
A Rant About Education, Ordination, and Ministry
I read that the average cost of a wedding in 2016 was over $35,000 dollars.[1] I would be all for spending that kind of money if there was a guarantee that the more you paid for a wedding, the better the marriage, but that just isn’t true. If there’s no correlation between wedding-spending and marriage-success,…
Really Caring for Others
Do you have a favorite Bible story? One of mine comes from the life of David and his care for a guy named Mephibosheth. (Who would name their baby that? And if you preach this story, you’re going to want to practice saying his name). Mephibosheth actually means “shame.” He had a tough life. When…
Taking Time Off
Some of the questions I’ve been asking our pastors during our quarterly phone calls is about their stress level. How stressed are you? Are you taking a day off ? When is your next vacation? I believe getting away is important. Right now, Linda and I are preparing to visit our youngest son and his…
Networks Work
Isolation can be suffocating for a pastor. Ministry can be lonely. That’s why we need others to help and encourage us. I like the word “networking.” To network means to be interconnected with others. I’m not talking about a formal network, rather your connection with other pastors and leaders in your local community. LET’S TALK……
Four Reasons to Attend the Global Leadership Summit
You don’t want to miss this year’s “Global Leadership Summit.” Mark the dates… August 9th and 10th. A church in your region may be hosting it, but we are also streaming it at the Conference Office in Portland. I would love to have you join me for this summit. At the end of this blog,…
What I Heard at General Convention!
Happy 4th of July! I hope you have a wonderful time with friends and family! These past few days we have been part of our General Conference in Portland, Oregon. This is a meeting that takes place every four years and gathers our leaders from all of our Conferences across the nation. We do a…
Stretching
As leaders, we are on a journey of growth. There are times when forward motion seems easy and effortless. We’re excited about our goals and motivated because they are easily within reach. But there are times when we stagnate. We’re neither excited nor motivated. In fact, our “leadership” seems to be more about procrastinating than…
Gathering Together
Next weekend we gather together for our General Conference in Portland (June 30-July 2). We will be celebrating our 50th anniversary as a Denomination. Wow! We are a relatively young group of churches with a strong historical past. Did you know that our roots go back to the first denomination founded in America? So why…
4 Ways to Support Your Pastor
A few years ago, Forbes Magazine published a ranking of the nine toughest leadership roles. You may be surprised (or not!) to find that Pastor made the list! Why is pastoring so challenging? I think for two reasons. First, we are in a spiritual battle. God’s kingdom and church are in the balance in the…
7 Things Leaders Should Stop Doing (Right now!)
Sometimes, as pastors and leaders, we do things that get us into trouble. They may not be wrong, but they are definitely unwise. A while back I read this blog by Ron Edmonson. He graciously gave me permission to repost his article about the 7 things every leader should quit doing. I love this list,…
The Small Church & Millennials
Years ago, most people would wake up on Sunday mornings and get ready for church. Not so in the post-Christian community of today. That doesn’t mean everyone isn’t a believer, but that the culture as a whole has forgotten and abandoned their Christian roots and values. Today people don’t even think of church. Our church…
