Perspectives
Articles in this category are written on various topics from the perspective of the writer.
The Ploughing of Autumn Fields of Idleness
In our leadership, in our homes, in our churches, in our businesses and in all our ventures, all of us long to be fruitful. This is the uniquely human, God-given gift of His glory. But the Bible describes the arch-enemy of our spring-time harvest as this thing called sloth and laziness ‒ the temptation for us all to become idlers.
Nick Franks
Challenging a Culture of Cynicism
Cynicism provides a way out of change — a response restating the issue, often humorously, and allowing for a sense of intellectual superiority before dismissing the issue out of hand. If we are honest, we must admit cynicism is quite often a cheap substitute for honest dialogue. What should we do about our cynicism?
David Goodman
4 Ways Great Churches Keep It Simple
Simplicity brings with it focus, energy, clarity, understanding and power. Is it easy to get to this level of simplicity? Definitely not. It is excruciatingly difficult and totally worthwhile.
Brian Thorstad
Avoiding The Church Comparison Trap
Comparing your church to another church can be one of the worst things you do as a church leader. Instead, learn from churches.
Thom S. Rainer
Five Kinds of Power
Leadership “power” is a capacity to influence others. There are five primary methods of doing this – but only one motivates authentic trust.
Malcolm Webber
6 Ways Leading a Worship Team Is Like Leading a Church
Whether we’re leading the whole church or just the band, leadership requires our best selves and God’s amazing, Spirit-given grace.
Brian Thorstad
Yesterday Once More
Most changes we contemplate and enact aren’t poorly designed. When change goes sideways it’s likely due to poor presentation and communication. We can’t forget that our people love yesterday; yesterday is safe. Tomorrow is scary. Let’s consider forging the link rather than emphasizing it.
Corey Olynik
Assumptions Ministry Leaders Make About Ownership
Many Christian workers make the mistake of assuming that they are earning shares in the ministries they work for through their hard work and dedication. It seems logical. God is the sole owner of the church. Always has been. Always will be. He paid for it with the priceless blood of Christ.
Brian Thorstad
5 Roadblocks of Good Leadership
It’s the roadblocks in leadership which we can avoid that tend to be most damaging. They detract from growth and destroy organizational health. If they aren’t addressed, it can set some leaders back months, years, even an entire career.
Ron Edmondson
Don’t Believe the Lie that You’re Not Good Enough
What is an area where you have to give up your fear of failure?
Aly Halbakken
9 Reasons Christians Don’t Evangelize
Why do most believers never evangelize? Here are nine reasons Chuck has discovered over the years.
Chuck Lawless
7 Assumptions You May Be Guilty Of
As faithful stewards of all that has been entrusted to us by God, we owe it to those we lead to prove ourselves ‒ and them ‒ free of these assumptions.
Rob Streetman
Worship Leading in Real Life
Worship leading in real life isn’t all that glamorous. It’s a weekly exercise in humility, servant-hood, leadership, patience, direction-giving, fire-extinguishing, and sometimes crisis managing, with a little bit of music thrown in.
Jamie Brown
Wounded Healers
We were working with 25 Mothers’ Union community development coordinators from across South Africa. As part of our training, my co-facilitator performed a monologue of how it must have felt to be the woman who encountered Jesus at the well (John 4).
Bill Crooks
The Best Leaders are Broken Leaders
I don’t mean that we’re “broken” in the sense that we’re rendered useless by our imperfections. The opposite is actually true. We’re made more useful, and we discover our greatest purpose through our pain and suffering.
Brandon Cox
18 Church Things the Class of 2018 Won’t Get
This spring’s high school graduates were born in the year 2000. Here are some churchy things for which they have little to no context.
Paul Alexander
Work by Faith Part 4
This is the fourth interview from our series featuring Christian leaders’ spiritual and practical take on work! We hope that our stories inspire readers (you!) to take meaningful actions in work.
Ray Chung
Work By Faith Part 3
An act of obedience to God led her on a career trajectory that far exceeded her dreams. She now leads with a God-fearing heart and decades of business experience that shows through her work. This is Tami Heim’s story.
Ray Chung
Should I Quit?
People often quit when they hit resistance. You might be discouraged and ready to give up. But should you?
Russell Moore
If Jesus Wrote a Support Letter
If you’ve ever had to raise money as a church planter or cross-cultural missionary, you know how awkward writing support letters can be.
Cole Brown