From Our Backyards to a Village Called Inija

January 29, 2011

Here’s a video of our church’s trip to the Brazilian rainforest. You can read my thoughts about the trip here. Much thanks to Katie DeCillo (one of our team members) for putting this video together!

Lessons from the Brazilian Rainforest

January 21, 2011

The paint team needed one more can. The construction team needed a few more tiles. The water team needed one more day to finish a water wheel. The medical team encountered unseen hurdles. But the frustration of unfinished projects in the Amazon jungle only made our group think about the unfinished work of the gospel. One of the joys of being called to pastor FBC Murray was joining a multi-generational partnership with AMOR to reach the people of the Amazon Valley in Brazil. Our church has been Read more [...]

Ten [unexpected] Trends to Surface in 2020

January 8, 2011

I returned last night from a two-week mission trip in the Amazon jungle, ministering among the Wai Wai people. Once I collect my thoughts (and recover from jet lag) I will blog about short-term mission trip lessons for the established church. In the meantime, I am posting a portion of an article I recently wrote for Church Executive. I once served under a leader who said he didn’t have a vision beyond the next 12 months. His point was that everything changes rapidly, and no one knows the Read more [...]

Solving Unsolvable Problems

December 12, 2010

Some problems have staying power. And good leaders admit it when a solution to a problem will not come to fruition. Allow me to offer you two perspectives—one from the solution side and the other from the problem side. First, leaders can select the right problem to solve but craft a poor solution. Or they can attempt to solve the wrong problem. Poor solution. Don’t be guilty of wanting to hang on to your ideals—the best solutions—that you know are right, because sometimes the right solution Read more [...]

A Pastor’s Thank You to His Wife

November 8, 2010

Dear Erin, Few understand the pressures of being a pastor’s wife. Your life is more public than most. You receive more scrutiny than other church members. Many place higher expectations on you than anyone else in the church. And you love the role. In fact, you thrive in it. Your gracious smile speaks more powerfully than the vast amount of words emanating from my mouth. I’m learning from you, honey. Learning how to be a better pastor. Learning how to be a better husband. A man more like Jesus. Read more [...]

See You at the NOC!

October 15, 2010

The NOC is almost here—November 3-5 is quickly approaching. The National Outreach Convention—or “NOC”—is one of the largest annual gatherings in the US focusing on one simple question: how do we reach more with the message of the gospel? It’s a 3-day experience in San Diego, CA full of practical and innovative teaching from some of the top church leaders and experts. If it’s germane to the church today, then it’s covered at the NOC. Topics this year include assimilation, community Read more [...]

The Problem of Personal Preferences

September 24, 2010

Personal preferences—it’s a topic that gets much water cooler talk within church leadership circles. Many pastors decry the elevation of churchgoers’ preferences above God’s mission. Rightly so. Anything that comes between God’s people and God’s mission is evil. It’s why Jesus told Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan.” Peter—with good intentions—was telling Jesus that suffering was not part of the Messiah’s mission. But God’s plan demanded a cross. Peter, however, preferred the Read more [...]

From Our Backyards to the Nations

September 5, 2010

It only takes one passionate soul to start a movement. Think about the wave. It typically starts with a single person in the corner of the stadium screaming at one section to raise their hands. Before long, thousands are participating in total unity. What about a gospel movement? I believe God can use any one of us to begin a revival that reaches multitudes. John the Baptist kick-started the “beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). He began a movement as Read more [...]

The Critical Role of First Followers

August 25, 2010

A friend sent me this video today. It’s from Derek Sivers and a speech he gave at the TED Conference earlier this year. The video contains an important leadership lesson: A leader needs the guts to stand alone and look ridiculous. But what he's doing is so simple, it's almost instructional. This is key. You must be easy to follow! Now comes the first follower with a crucial role: he publicly shows everyone how to follow. Notice the leader embraces him as an equal, so it's not about the leader Read more [...]

One Problem with Modern Church Buildings

August 16, 2010

Our church needs a new building. It’s no secret among our people that the fellowship hall needs to go—it was built in the 1920s originally as a grocery store. It has a well in the basement. And the linoleum on the main floor looks like camouflage. So, our long-range planning committee is meeting and discussing the future of what we build. But before we build, we must understand the philosophy of church buildings. First, the church is not a building. The people who constitute the church, however, Read more [...]