Why the Downward Spiral?

Andy Rupert Have you ever read the Book of Judges in the Bible? It is a sad departure from the victorious Book of Joshua. For some strange reason, the Israelites turned away from the very One who gave them so many victories just a few years before. The book ends with a scene that would…

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Training New Leadership

Paul Downey The Bible doesn’t provide a lot of biographical information about the man known as Barnabas in the Book of Acts, but it does present a man worthy of our admiration and emulation. His selflessness and generosity are seen in accounts of his activities as well as in the sometimes surprising silence of the…

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The Promise and Perils of Speaking Up

David Shumate Our family recently visited the Titan Missile Museum south of Tucson, Arizona. The museum was inside a decommissioned nuclear missile silo that was part of America’s strategic defense system during the Cold War. There, underground, behind blast doors designed to withstand a nuclear attack, we saw the control room where Air Force crews…

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Times Are Changing, Must We Change with the Times?

Don Johnson The first paragraph of Micah contains a stirring indictment: Micah 1:1 The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. 2 Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is:…

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Dr. Ed Nelson On Church Planting

In my conversation with Dr. Nelson, one of the topics I wanted to cover was church planting. Dr. Nelson’s ministry has been closely connected with church planting in every aspect – as a church planter, as a pastor supporting church planting ministries, and as a member of the board of Baptist World Mission, a mission…

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Leadership from the Heart

Warren Stuber Everything rises or falls on leadership.” This has proven to be a true statement; therefore, leadership is extremely important. But what is leadership? Many define it as “influencing the thinking or activities of others toward accomplishing tasks or achieving goals in a particular situation.” Since it involves influencing others’ thinking and actions, leadership…

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Passing the Torch – My Timothy

Ben Strohbehn The letter was signed “Your Timothy”— one of the greatest commendations a senior pastor can receive. This came to me from one who once served as a member of our pastoral staff. He is now serving as senior pastor of another church to which the Lord led him. This unique closing of his…

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The Ethics of Change

Don Johnson As a final follow-up to my piece on What to do When Your Church Leaves You, I want to talk about the ethics of change. We know that change is inevitable. We know we resist change for various reasons. Not all change is bad, sometimes changing times demand change for the new circumstances.…

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The Critical Nature of Leadership

Layton Talbert The storyline is all too familiar. A well-known leader of God’s people — popular, well intentioned, and godly — forges an alliance with a notorious enemy of Biblical truth. Why? In the interest of unity, he says. An act of magnanimity and compassion — of “getting along” — no doubt. He even sought…

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Developing Leaders in the Church

Ken Hay Through the years church-growth specialists have published articles, books, and surveys that demonstrate a vital principle: when the pastor is the leader of the church and is inspiring the lay people to be the ministers, that church has growth potential. But on the other hand, when the people become the leaders and the…

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