Tuesday, June 25, 2019: “A Call to Prayer” Connecting with an International Student. This evening a group of people gathered at the Carolina Baptist Collegiate Ministry building for orientation/training on connecting with an international student for the academic year 2019-2020. The goal is to connect Baptist Christian families in the Midlands with international students to […]
Monday, June 24, 2019: “A Strategic Insight” Completed Communication is an Illusion. George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright who lived from 1856 through 1950. Among his most insightful quotes is this: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” It is an illusion because communication is at least a three-way proposition. (1) […]
Thursday, June 20, 2019: “A Call to Action” Lay Leadership Development. Great, significant, and exceptional lay leaders in congregations do not happen without a focused effort to develop them. In too many congregations it is assumed that people are natural leaders and getting them to lead is as simple as getting them to commit to […]
Wednesday, June 19, 2019: “Strategic Insight” Where is the Voice of the Holy Spirit Clearest? I believe the Holy Spirit is present everywhere seeking to draw people to the Triune God and speak into the lives of people. Not everyone is listening. At times the figurative noise of their context and cultural framework inhibits the […]
Tuesday, June 18, 2019: “A Call to Action” Ministry is Personal! Ministry action is always personal and direct. Ministry support can be non-personal or indirect. What is the difference and why is it important? Ministry action involves compassionate connections in real time that is focused on people by name and in their context, involves literally […]
Monday, June 17, 2019: “A Call to Prayer” Church Adoption is Hard! By now the word is out throughout the Columbia Metro Baptist Association. This Sunday Park Street Baptist Church is voting on being adopted by Village Church. It is a tough emotional decision. Do they give up their way of doing church so that […]
Sunday, June 16, 2019: “A Family Story”: A God Moment? This Sunday morning when I woke up I checked my cell telephone to see if any messages had come in overnight. I do not have my ringer on while I am sleeping. Today a message had come in about three minutes earlier from the pastor […]
Saturday, June 15, 2019: “A Call to Action”: I was in Toronto, Canada this week meeting with some leaders from the denomination known as the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptists. It was a great time, and the third time in 20 years I have been asked to advice this group. Friday night I had the opportunity […]
Friday, June 14, 2019: “A Call to Action”: Where Have All the Musicians Gone? At one time the average congregation needed someone who could sing reasonably well, perhaps wave their arms in an appropriate fashion, and pick out music from reliable sources to teach a group of people called a choir to sing them in […]
Thursday, June 13, 2019: “A Call to Prayer”: Who’s Church is This? Regularly I interact with congregations who are struggling to figure out who owns the congregation with which they are connected. The struggle is whether this congregation is “my church” or “God’s church.” When it is “my church” the congregation gives into the idea […]