Police brutality meted out on people of color is embedded in the video feed of our culture. Not even two weeks after honoring the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, our frozen reality dishonors his dream. During a traffic stop, 29-year-old Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by five members of a special …
If you’ve ever been on a whitewater rafting adventure, you’ll remember that rafting guides know how to address unhelpful behavior right away—if they don’t, difficult people can ruin the experience for everyone, or even put their safety at risk. Likewise, when ministry leaders fail to address counterproductive behavior on their ministry teams, they jeopardize the …
Jesus tells the respected and influential Jewish Pharisee Nicodemus that he must be “born again” to see the Kingdom of God (John 3)—there is no other way to experience life the way the Trinity lives it. And the learned man responds just as we would—“Huh?” Or, more faithful to the text: “How can a man …
Most roadblocks to needed change that congregations encounter are self-inflicted by its own leaders. Below I’ve listed the top six ways I see ministry leaders (unconsciously) sabotage change. 1. They send out mixed messages. Leaders must speak with one voice and vision. Change is disconcerting enough, but even more when the leaders are not on the …
Not long from now, we’ll be celebrating the cataclysmic changes brought on by one little boy’s birth in a backwater town, in a borrowed feed trough. All births have transformational weight behind them—but this one birth changed everything, everywhere, for everyone. There is innate power in a birth. So what could that mean for new birth in …
In Luke’s Gospel Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow—a woman who won’t stop bothering an uncaring, disbelieving judge until he grants her justice. Then Jesus tells His disciples that persistence is important—it’s a marker for faith. “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge,” says Jesus. “Even he rendered a just decision in the …
Every repetitive thing we do in life is in danger of a dulling descent into rote. And our ministry rhythms are not immune. Week after week we plan worship. Year after year we start new ministries and add fuel to existing ones. It can feel like rinse and repeat; wax on/wax off. How do we …
By Denise UtterVibrant Faith Coaching Team As August tails off into September, I often reflect back to my teacher days. I loved the end of August and looked forward to new blank notebooks, clean 16-month calendars, new pens, sharpened pencils, and an array of colored highlighters (oh the color-coding)! It was a fresh start—a chance …
By Rev. Dr. Mark SlaughterVibrant Faith Coaching Team Fall is on our doorstep, and that means we’re already working to reinvent what we do to spur new energy, spiritual vitality, attendance, and contributions. But what if you could produce that same energy without re-tooling the ministry programs you’re already doing? We’ve just launched an experiment …
Transformational growth in your congregation heats up when every stakeholder is invited to make tangible contributions, every month, to the mission. To make meaningful contributions, people need to know the big picture, the plan for moving forward, and the personal contributions they can make in the next 30-90 days to help fulfill the mission. Most …
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