Blog

My goal with this blog is to inspire and equip church leaders to build healthy churches that fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

7 Envelopes Could Change Your Life!

7 Envelopes Could Change Your Life!

I usually write on topics of church leadership, but this time I want to get very personal.Like most couples, we ...
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5 Distinctives of Difference-Making Churches

5 Distinctives of Difference-Making Churches

Although it doesn't take an advanced degree to determine that the church is in trouble, recent research findings confirm the ...
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4 Secrets of Effective Evangelistic Churches

4 Secrets of Effective Evangelistic Churches

The numbers are alarming. Southern Baptists, once a leading denomination in evangelistic effectiveness, continue to decline year after year. The ...
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woman and man waving to people at church entrance

Four Things Your Guests are Going to Notice

It's the most wonderful time of the year! With the guests all arriving the greeters are thriving; we're so glad ...
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Processing the Pain of Senseless Evil

Processing the Pain of Senseless Evil

Processing the Pain of Senseless EvilPosted by Oak Ridge Baptist Church on Monday, November 6, 2017 “Sometimes something useless happens ...
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4 Ways to Embrace Every Race

4 Ways to Embrace Every Race

Recent events have reminded us that racial tension is alive and well in America. Tempers flared and sides are quickly ...
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Out of Africa (West Africa, that is)

Out of Africa (West Africa, that is)

OAK RIDGE INTERNATIONAL PEACE UPDATE The West Africa PEACE team just returned from our second PEACE trip to Benin and ...
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3 Essential Elements of Mentorship

3 Essential Elements of Mentorship

It's seems the church world has gone leadership crazy. Everywhere you turn, there's an article on leadership: How to Spot ...
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3 Ways We Make It Difficult for People to Be Saved in Our Services

3 Ways We Make It Difficult for People to Be Saved in Our Services

I came across an interesting story in my daily Bible reading. In Acts 15 we find possibly the most critical church ...
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Man playing chess

3 Proven Practices for Reaching the Unchurched

Recently a pastor asked me, "What are the top 3 to 5 things your church does to reach the unchurched?"I ...
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The Top 10 Posts of 2016

The Top 10 Posts of 2016

I had quite a bit of blog traffic this year coming from all over the world. I am thrilled that ...
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The Church that Canceled Christmas!?

The Church that Canceled Christmas!?

"WHAT!?  You're not having services on Christmas Sunday? Pastor, are you out of your mind?  What kind of church doesn't ...
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WHY SHOULD I RETAKE THE CLASSES?

WHY SHOULD I RETAKE THE CLASSES?

THREE REASONS I NEED TO RETAKE THE CLASSES Someone may have thought (not you, but some other person), "I love the ...
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How to Make America Great (or any country for that matter)

How to Make America Great (or any country for that matter)

I have lived through twelve presidential election cycles. In each one the candidates work hard to point out what's currently ...
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Why You Should NOT Give Money to that Homeless Person

Why You Should NOT Give Money to that Homeless Person

There he is again. The guy at the corner holding his sign, hoping that sympathetic travelers will donate some money ...
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The ABCs of Empowerment

The ABCs of Empowerment

In my last article I looked at the 3 Principles of Effective Leadership. Delegation and empowerment are easier to write ...
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3 Principles of Effective Leadership

3 Principles of Effective Leadership

When it comes to leadership, perhaps the most often used passage in the Bible is Exodus 18. This is the story ...
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WHY YOU SHOULD BE DOING PARTNERSHIP MISSIONS

WHY YOU SHOULD BE DOING PARTNERSHIP MISSIONS

I just returned from my third trip to our partner church in China. We are now reaping the tenfold fruit ...
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What Rwanda Teaches the Church

What Rwanda Teaches the Church

When the genocide occurred in Rwanda, I was a young father with two small children working 60-80 hours a week ...
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6 Things Your Spiritual Gifts Won't Do

6 Things Your Spiritual Gifts Won’t Do

I've been a Christian for over 35 years now. I remember the excitement I felt when I first learned about ...
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7 Reasons People May Not Sing in Church

7 Reasons People May Not Sing in Church

I've heard people say, "I don't like the new music because it's all about performance. I like the hymns because ...
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How Santa Got into Our Church

How Santa Got into Our Church

In my last blog I shared why we stopped doing an annual Fall Festival. If you have not read that ...
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Solid Answers for Troubling Times

Solid Answers for Troubling Times

It's happened again. Unbelievable atrocities as terrorists erupt violence on hundreds of innocent bystanders. The images filling our screens and ...
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Why We Stopped Doing Fall Fest

Why We Stopped Doing Fall Fest

Our church had been hosting an annual Fall Festival for decades when we decided to switch to a Christmas community ...
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