by Sam Rainer
I once made the mistake of giving my cell number to a suicidal transgender alcoholic. For several nights in a row, I had the privilege of answering my phone at 2:00 AM, only to have the same conversation ending with the same advice: “Stop going to gay bars, getting ...
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3 Ways to Love Negative Nancy –
by J. A. Medders
Every pastor, ministry leader, and church-goer knows what a negative church person smells like. Cantankerous with a hint of Folgers.
But let’s get more specific.
I’m talking about the person who is negative about everything but they show up every Sunday, are in a ...
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Leadership Roundup: Articles Worth Reading –
Mental Illness Remains Taboo for Many Pastors by Bob Smietana (Lifeway Research)
"One in four Americans suffers from some kind of mental illness in any given year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Many look to their church for spiritual guidance in times of ...
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Everybody Is a Theologian –
by Nathan A. Finn
But you must say the things that are consistent with sound teaching. (Titus 2:1, HCSB)
One day, I was talking to a friend of mine who is a fellow church member. We are around the same age, but he was raised in our church and has been a member for nearly 30 ...
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7 Tips for Community Accountability –
by Zachary Lee
We are commanded to grow in our faith and to look more Christlike as time goes on. However, this command was never meant to be something we just did by ourselves. The Bible constantly expects that we will be a part of a local community and that there will be people ...
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Giving Singles Land to Till –
by Lore Ferguson
Bloomberg highlighted a study recently, citing that "single Americans (16+) make up more than half of the adult population for the first time since the government began compiling such statistics in 1976." The Church cannot afford to ignore—or bypass—this ...
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Leadership Roundup: Articles Worth Reading –
Loving the Lost: Churches Without the Broken Are Broken Churches by Ed Stetzer
"The Christian life is not about finding safety and comfort; it’s about finding yourself in a dangerous place of vulnerable compassion."
What That "No Parking" Sign Says by Kyle Worley
As a ...
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4 Ways to Cultivate Church Members –
by Jared C. Wellman
In 1938, a film was released entitled The Sword and the Stone, portraying how a young boy named Wart became the great King Arthur.
The film begins in sixth-century England when the country was grieving the loss of their king, Uther Pendragon. Uther did not ...
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How Parachurch Ministries Can Serve the Church –
by Derek Rishmawy
I work with college students at a local church. I'm the college guy. Aside from Bible studies and coffee shop conversations with local students, my job is prepping those who head off to college for a life of faith of their own. Can I say just how much I ...
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Leadership Roundup: Articles Worth Reading –
Pastors Seldom Preach About Domestic Violence by Bob Smietana on Lifeway Research
"Pastors cannot ignore or downplay the issue, when lives are being ruined – and sometimes lost – through sexual and domestic violence right in their own communities and churches."
Strategic ...
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