You can do this. It’s amazing to plant new churches, and Anglicans actively seek more of it. “But”—you might say—“I’m an introvert.” Me too. And I want to think with you about being an introvert and a church planter, with help from a few others who are like us. Whether you’re a pastor or a…
Why Collaborative Ministry? An Australian’s Story
In the early 2000’s, about four years into my ministry as an Anglican Priest, I started to seriously doubt my leadership capacities and probably came close to slipping into depression. I had been working in a series of financially struggling parishes with small congregations. Although I’d been given pretty good formation as a “minister of…
Video: Ministry in the Aftermath of a Hurricane
Last January, John and Ashley Wallace joined us on our clergy orientation trip to Israel. It’s always wonderful to meet young clergy families who are dedicated to the work of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the work of the Church. None of us could have imagined how intense that work would become only 9…
Four Creative Constraints of the Preaching Life
This post originally appeared at LeaderWorks on January 23, 2018. Preaching may be more than art, but it is certainly not less. It is a craft and a skill. An individual may have certain gifts given by God, but those gifts are diminished if not stewarded by effort and practice. Excellence deceives us. When we…
Build Your Generosity and Stewardship Emphasis This Fall
Pastors, it’s not too late to plan an emphasis on stewardship and generosity this fall. But it is almost too late. Leading a church in this area takes intentionality and courage. Some pastors have such an allergy to the topic of giving that they don’t bring it up until it’s too late. Waiting until the…
Throwing a Cap Over the Wall
I am walking in the Land of Giants again. Israel. Yesterday we were atop Mt. Carmel where Elijah called out the prophets of Baal. Today we walk were the Apostle Paul walked, rather, stood in chains before his captors and played the only card he seemed to have left. After several years of captivity, Paul breaks the…
Five Elegant Solutions to Grow Generosity
Some of you may know the acryonm KISS. I did not when it was first whispered in my ear by an unknown man about five minutes before my first sermon many years ago. He was a robed lay reader and was seated next to me. The church was filled with the good people of my…
Interview: Kevin Miller
Kevin Miller has served as a writer, editor, and director at Christianity Today for nearly three decades. After being ordained and working as an associate at a larger Anglican church, he now serves as the rector of Church of the Savior in Wheaton, Illinois. The church had been planted a little over a decade before Kevin arrived, and…
Pastoral Leadership and the Economy
The decline of the American church is often overblown. However, we have felt a seismic shift in cultural values in the 21st century. Even in the ‘Bible Belt’, it can’t simply be presumed that most people’s moral frameworks are founded on even a hazy understanding of the Bible. In looking for guidance in the behaviors…
Interview: Matt Canlis of Godspeed
Matt Canlis wasn’t too different from most young ministers at the tail end of seminary. He was full of big ideas for big churches. But unlike most young ministers, he benefited from a mentoring word from Eugene Peterson, who counseled him to put off being swallowed up by the “American Church Machine” and discover a…
It Ain’t Over…Yet
by David Roseberry I have been so grateful for the many people who have responded to the vision of Giving Up. Several rectors have texted me and told me that the book made a difference in their thinking and in their planning for the last three months of the year. And, thankfully, in the way…
Slow Down This Advent
Advent is a time of waiting. As one who didn’t grow up but had to grow into the church calendar, the movement from increasing anxiety as Christmas approached to cultivating patient anticipation refreshed my hectic heart. December is a hard time for church leaders to slow down. But the always-on, always-connected world we built with…
