Spaghetti, Marshmallows, and Ministry

by Amanda Box The spaghetti marshmallow game is a famous activity used to teach group dynamics. It was created by Peter Skillman, who wanted to discover why some groups worked together successfully and others did not. In the game, a group is given 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string […]

Leadership as Immune System

by Jon Mullican Peter Steinke has equated leadership to the body’s immune system.  According to Steinke, leadership establishes the boundaries of what is of self – what belongs in the body – and what is foreign – what is not of the body.  Leadership is responsible to identify behavior that is allowed and behavior that […]

Nurturing a Discipling Culture

by Steven Carrizal About eight years into my work as a youth minister, I was asked two questions that have stuck with me for more than two decades. The first was this: Do the students in my ministry know that I love God? As I pondered this question, I was confident that my love for […]

Church for Every Context: A Book I Wish Every Minister Would Read

by Jason Locke If you’re familiar with any of the blog posts from my sabbatical partly spent in the UK, then this book by Mike Moynagh explains a big piece of my research. During our 10 days based in Oxford, I got to visit with the author over cool drinks on a warm, summer afternoon. That two-hour […]

An Adaptive Change Project in Developing Leaders

by Scott Laird Are you feeling stuck as a church or a church leader? Your congregation has programs that run well but there is a sense that the church as a whole and many individuals have not discovered nor employed their spiritual gifts. As a mid-sized, program-based church in a mission field, our congregation must […]

The Importance of a Guilt-Free Zone

by Shannon Rains “No-guilt zone, dear friend.” These words began an email that Grady King sent to me in December. I couldn’t make a HOPE Network connection call, so I sent a note apologizing. He saw past the short note of explanation and spoke to my heart. I hadn’t considered that I felt guilty for […]

Reflections on 46 Years with the Same Church: Part 3

by Jimmy Adcox Longevity in ministry is the result of a healthy partnership between the minister, the church, and the elder group.  As cited in a previous blog, ministers help make longevity possible through building trust – trust that is demonstrated through a healthy measure of character, competence, and chemistry with the church.  But members […]

Leaders Influence Hope

by Evertt Huffard The reasons I have been invited to consult with church leaders could be anything from feeling overwhelmed by a crisis to being puzzled by an inability to move forward. The motivation to bring in someone to assist the leaders proves to be even more varied and complex depending on personality, experience, culture, […]

Reflections on 40 Years with the Same Church: Part 2

by Jimmy Adcox Is there a secret to long term ministry?  To be honest, I’m not sure.  When people tell me I must have done a great job to be in one place for 40 years, I often smile and say, “They are just a patient group of people.”  And they are!  I certainly couldn’t […]

How To Have Healthy Conversations About Hard Topics in Your Church

by Steven Carrizal  Conversations are a cornerstone for social interaction and communication. In the context of a church family on a Sunday morning, conversations are how we learn about and share the events of our lives as we greet one another. We talk about the weather, the game, the weekend, and our children. We make […]

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