Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27 The shepherd’s work is to visit the flock. A good shepherd tends to the sheep not only within eyesight but also goes and finds the…
Is there a Recipe for Church Growth? (Suddenly Surging Part 4)
(Part four of five in David Roseberry’s Suddenly Surging series on church growth.) A Pivotal Moment In the early days of Christ Church, the congregation I started in 1985, I was moved by a random encounter in a suburban parking lot. My heart was broken after I met one man and learned what had just happened…
5 Takeaways from 7 Years of Bi-vocational Ministry
For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. —1 Thessalonians 2:8-10 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and…
Ministry: Is It to Die For?
Over at LeaderWorks, we’ve been talking about awkward questions for church leaders. Many of them are about money (no surprise there!). Who should be able to see the giving records? How to address the pastor’s compensation? What about retirement? But as I rolled out this series, I heard from a friend with another awkward question….
Healing, Wholeness, and the Sick
As with this holy oil thou art outwardly anointed, so may our heavenly Father grant that thou mayest be inwardly anointed with the Holy Spirit. May he of his great mercy forgive thee thy sins, send thee release from suffering, and restore unto thee health and strength. May he deliver thee from all evil, preserve…
The Gospel in Human Decline
In several of his books, Henri Nouwen recounts how the severely physically and mentally disabled residents of Daybreak, a L’Arche community became his spiritual mentors. Nouwen saw, with the eyes of faith, what many could not: the Spirit is not hindered by human frailty. He believed that great saints who are in continual, hidden converse…
