The Gathered and Scattered Church

The record-breaking storms this winter caused huge delays in airline flight schedules, and as a result, thousands of people were stranded in airports all over the country.  Because of the backlog of canceled flights, many airports looked like pajama parties gone awry, with people gathered everywhere — many sleeping on couches, benches, chairs, tables, and floors. 

How is Business?

It has been said, there are two, critical questions every successful CEO and business owner must answer.  First, “What is your business?”  Second, “How is business?” If we put these two questions to the Church, how would we answer them?   “What is our business?”  In other words, what is our purpose, or our reason for

The Light of Our Legacy

When you look at the stars in the night sky, are you aware how long the light from each of these stars has traveled to reach the earth? Light travels at the speed of 186,282 miles per second. The nearest star to our galaxy is 4.5 light years away. The light from the stars we

Go Home and Tell

In the New Testament, there is an intriguing story about Jesus not allowing someone to follow Him. In fact, the story is so important that it is found in three of the four Gospels. In the book of Luke, the story is found in chapter 8, verses 26-39.  The setting is the graveyard in an area

Is Your Worship a Service or Is Service Your Worship?

What is the difference between a “worship service” and a “service of worship?” The answer to this question is critical to the future of the Church. It represents what I believe to be the heart and core of what it means to be the Church, the Body of Christ. For many years, churches of all

Releasing the Missionary in You

Let me ask you, “What is your calling?  How many of you are members of a church?  How many are ministers in that church?  How many consider yourselves to be missionaries of that church?  Most would say they are members.   Some would say they are ministers; but only a few would say they are

The “Marginal” Church

My article last week was about what it means to be an attractional church.  This week I want to focus on what it means to be a marginal church.  The term “marginal church” refers to the fact that we no longer live in a Christian culture in the United States, and that Christianity no longer

Attractional Church?

Mammoth Cave National Park, in south central Kentucky, is one of the oldest tourist attractions in North America.  People have visited this site since 1816. I often wonder what attracts people to these places. Is it the 400 miles of underground passageways in the longest cave in the world, or the hundreds of acres of

The Ultimate Undercover Boss

Personally, I do not care for most “reality” television shows today.  There is one exception however. I really enjoy Undercover Boss.  I especially enjoy watching people’s reaction when they learn they have just spent a day working alongside the CEO of their company. In each episode, hidden cameras follow a different executive each week on an

The Power of Partnership

How important are partnerships in your life, and in your ministry?  Have you given much thought to the partnerships in your life?  Which were successful?  Which were failures?  Do you find yourself seeking out new partnerships, clinging to old ones, or steering clear of them altogether? Partnerships are important.  In Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 the Bible says,