Author Archive for HN Admin – Page 5

Healing After Conflict

by Shane J. Mushonga Conflict is like an unwelcome friend on life’s journey arriving uninvited; and it lingers if left unaddressed. How do we rid ourselves of this unwanted companion? Consider these three steps to choose healing as a better travel companion: 1. Be Intentional in the Process While conflict is common, healing requires an […]

Need a Vision for your church family? Start here.

by Jon Mullican   Vision work is imaginative work, using our God-given minds to generate an image of a preferred future.  In Revelation 21, God tells of a future with a “new heaven and a new earth” where there is no pain and no tears.  This is God’s dream for His people. Functionally then, envisioning […]

Say “Yes” to Church Strategy Sessions: Clarifying Your Mission & Vision

by Chris Goldman   As part of my work with leadership teams for companies engaging our marketing services at bizmktg.com, we begin with a strategy session. This session is usually four hours long and helps clarify the mission, vision, and organizational messaging. For every company or nonprofit organization, this must be uniquely authentic as good […]

Know Where You Play – Know How You Win

by Chris Goldman   “You have to know where you play and know how you win.” ~ Lynn Anderson, Founder – Hope Network When Lynn Anderson made that statement to our mentoring group, it sunk deep into my leadership psyche. To be clear, Lynn wasn’t reducing Kingdom leadership to sporting competitions. Rather, he was reminding […]

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 […]

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 […]

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