Tag «Discipleship»

Teen Ministry: Why Their Questions Matter and Why We Should be Prepared to Answer

The foundations of teen identity are shaken and eroded by the simple yet complex question, “Who are you?” Teens are asked this question in every social interaction, whether at school, in public, or even through social media. The question of who they are is asked by judgmental eyes assessing what they wear, through passive-aggressive comments…

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The Best Metric to Determine Evangelistic Health in Your Church

I fear too many churches are sitting still and becoming apathetic with evangelism. Unfortunately, this apathy means fewer people are hearing the gospel. It’s time to move outward again. The Conversion Ratio It’s helpful to diagnose the degree of the problem in your church. One way of determining evangelistic health is through a metric called…

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Two Approaches to Digital Playlists for Faith Formation

How can a digital playlist enhance hybrid and online faith formation? John Roberto shares two approaches for creating digital playlists to strengthen faith formation. The digital playlist has become an essential resource for designing hybrid and online faith formation. What the textbook was to the print era, the playlist is to the digital world. It […]

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Five Essential Accountability Standards for Pastors and Paid Church Staff

Accountability is the acceptance of responsibility for your actions. But what does this acceptance look like with paid church staff? It’s more than theology. For example, a church leader may believe in the biblical nature of accountability but not follow through, like a person who believes exercise is good for the body but never goes…

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8 Lessons from Jesus on How to Engage People and Help Them Grow as Disciples

Church leaders seeking to reach new people and help them grow need only look to the example of Jesus. Phil Maynard and Eddie Pipkin highlight how Jesus engaged people in ways that were personal and practical, intimate yet inclusive, and inspired by a compelling vision of God’s kingdom. 1. Jesus cast an extraordinary vision of […]

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Why I’m Excited about “THE HOPE INITIATIVE”

If you haven’t checked out The Hope Initiative, that will begin next month, I encourage you to do so. Here’s why: First, it’s a strategy focused on getting believers re-focused on the Great Commission in their community. Most churches—including those started with an outward focus—eventually turn inward. This strategy seeks to reverse that direction in…

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Shifting Your Church Out of Survival Mode and into Hopeful Optimism

Many churches are barely hanging on, but there is hope. Churches are simultaneously both fragile and resilient. They hang on by their fingernails, but those fingernails are surprisingly strong. Every Sunday seems to have the potential to be the last one. Yet the same church survives year after year, decade after decade. Struggling churches tend…

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5 Reasons Why Prayer Must Accompany Evangelism

In June of this year, our Church Answers team will be releasing “The Hope Initiative,” a simple, reproducible strategy utilizing this tool by Thom Rainer to turn a church outward toward its community. One of the reasons I love this strategy is that it clearly connects prayer with evangelism. Many evangelism tools only assume prayer…

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The Holy Work of Hybrid and Virtual Christian Education: An In-Depth Interview with Tanya Campen

How can Christian educators maximize the potential for learning in both hybrid and virtual classrooms? Doug Powe of the Lewis Center staff speaks with author and pastor Tanya Campen about the holy work of Christian education. Doug Powe: Joining me is Rev. Dr. Tanya Campen, Director of Intergenerational Discipleship for the Rio Texas Conference. She […]

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History’s Most Important Biography

I love historical biographies. My family knows that these will always be on my Christmas list. It was no different this past year, and I’m now reading my way through a nice gift I received: a biography of Samuel Adams, the Boston revolutionary. Before that, I read a fascinating biography of King James I, the…

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