Sep 26, 2018

by Alan Briggs There’s been a lot of talk about pastors in recent days. Blogs, posts, tweets and major media outlets have been abuzz about the challenges of the pastoral vocation. I lead in several spheres, but one of those has been pastor. For twelve years I have experienced the joy, heartbreak, victory and loss of walking with people through the dark caverns,...

Sep 26, 2018

by John J. Pethtel   Pastoring a church is NOT an easy job. This Pastor’s Appreciation Month (and every day) I wanted to share 9 ways you can encourage your pastor (or pastors). Thank them. It’s not easy to preach every week. It’s not easy to carry the burden of ministry every day. A pastor rarely hears “thank you.” A good pastor isn’t in the ministry for...

Jun 22, 2018

  Church succession can be a sticky subject and sometimes involves a lot of awkward conversations. But it doesn’t have to. As pastors age, they can prepare so that the transition of leadership in their churches passes smoothly and their churches are set to stay on a healthy trajectory. A variety of reasons for change A number of things can make it...

One of the questions that I get frequently from people in congregations is, “What can I do to help my church?” While the answer can be specific to your local church, I am suggesting a few ways that you can be helpful to your local church and its ministry. 1. Regularly Attend and Participate: Don’t just come when you feel like it. Commit to that relationship...

Apr 26, 2018

PULSE The Church Revitalization Task Force (Carl Greene, JR Shick, Patti Wethington, and Frank Mazza) has been working diligently over the past year to provide an assessment process to use to help a church diagnose the state of its health. This process is currently being implemented in six churches but we are inviting your church to participate. When we assess...

Mar 20, 2018

by John J. Pethtel I like John Maxwell. I have read many of his books. I agree with many of the things that he says. One of those things that has been beneficial to me has been to do a personal evaluation. I used to just hope that things in my life would get better without doing any assessment or working at it. While God is gracious, it turns out that He has...