We all want to be a leader who lasts. We want to be able to say along with the Apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Sadly, too many of us burn out, bail out, or fall out. LET’S TALK Recently I…
Category: Ministry
What We Can Learn from 2021
Small Church Leadership Trends As we continue to work through COVID and culture changes, the church is forced to re-examine what it is doing and why. In today’s blog I’m sharing Karl Vaters list of trends he observed in smaller churches. As I read them over, I think they apply to larger churches as well….
The Priority of Prayer
This coming year the theme for the Pacific Conference is “IMPACT.” We can only make an impact as we depend on God. Someone said, “Prayer can do anything God can do.” The call to pray is one of Scripture’s most commonly mentioned commands. “The first thing I want you to do is pray.” (1 Timothy…
Eight Ways a Pastor Can Be Refreshed
Have you taken the time to thank your pastor? Peter Drucker, one of the world’s greatest leadership experts, once listed what he considered the four hardest jobs in the world. Here are those four: President of the United States, a university president, a CEO of a hospital, and a pastor. That’s incredible. If he’s right,…
Lessons from a Sabbatical
Part 3 “CHURCH & CULTURE” Remember that finger motion rhyme we learned as kids? It was called, Here is the Church. It went something like this… Here is the church (fold hands, fingers inside)And here is the steeple (index fingers up)Open the doors (thumbs apart)And see all the people (wiggle inside fingers) That was so fun to do! Sadly,…
Lessons from a Sabbatical
Part 2 “REFLECTION & DIRECTION” Another takeaway from our Sabbatical was the need for reflection. Reflection doesn’t solve problems; in fact, sometimes it reveals them. A Sabbatical is not a cure-all for all that ails us, but a time to seriously think through where you are in life and what God has for you in…
Lessons from a Sabbatical
Part 1 “REST & RENEWAL” Taking a Sabbatical is a privilege. Most people don’t have the time nor resources to take an extended time off. I want to thank the Conference and the team that made it possible for us to take nine weeks off. Our Sabbatical centered around four important elements: Renewal, Family, Insight,…
Covid Challenges
Yes, we are back and refreshed from our Sabbatical! Thank you for letting us get away! We also came back to continued concerns about COVID. The Delta variant continues to spread. I’m hearing from our pastors that more people have gotten sick from this new wave than ever before. And while the list of symptoms…
Why You Should Stay
Church attendance was already in decline before COVID, but the pandemic accentuated the trend. Tom Rainer predicts that most churches will be down 20 – 30% in post-covid worship gatherings. The reasons for the decline are numerous. Some have gotten used to doing church in their pajamas. Some have found another church. Others are simply…
The Benefits of Consistency
Most of us have COVID fatigue. We are tired. One person said, “The quicker we get rid of these masks, the better.” I get that! I think we are almost there! Through all the ups and downs of this past year, one verse keeps coming back to me, “Therefore put on the full armor of…
Standing Against Racism
Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death. This tragedy forced us to look at the reality of racism and injustice in our world and our personal lives. None of us should be quick to deny our biases, but humbly allow God to expose our prejudices and allow Him to change our hearts and…
3C Living
This week is our annual Pastors and Spouses’ Retreat at Newport. It is so good to be with one another. One thing you can’t replace online is worshiping together (Thank you to the two Brians from New Hope for leading us in worship!) And, yes, the weather is great too. LET’S TALK Our guest speaker,…
Coffee with Randall 