Month: May 2011
Ten Steps Ahead by Erik Calonius
What happens when you take hard research from neuroscience and couple it with experiential data gathered through interviews conducted with visionaries such as Steve Jobs and Richard Branson? The product of that work is Ten Steps Ahead, by Erik Calonius. Calonius set out to discover what sets apart today’s business visionaries from the rest of…
Will the World End on May 21?
According to Family Radio founder and pastor Harold Camping, yes. At 6:00 p.m., to be precise. For the past three months I have received anonymous cards in the mail that advocate preparedness and warn of the impending judgment that will surround the return of Christ. These postcards have postmarks from around the nation…Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,…
State of the Plate Part 2
Barna Research has released this new study on giving trends in American churches. The interesting statistic is the percentage of people who have stopped giving altogether. You can check out the results below: How do these statistics line up with your personal stewardship? Are you seeing these effects in your church?
The Price of Missions
I think that we’re aware that missions has a price tag, but we usually think of the price in terms of the dollar amount we’ll give to the offering appeal. Denominations will make a large allocation toward missions work, and churches follow suit by devoting a sizeable percentage of their operating budgets toward the same….
Where Does God Reveal His Plan?
The church at Antioch was a worshiping community. They were sincere and devout, making worship the priority of their gatherings. Acts 13:2 reports, “One day as these men were worshiping the Lord, the Holy Spirit said…” (NLT). Here’s an important point for today’s church: God revealed himself to the church in the context of their…
The DNA of the Church
Last weekend we began our annual Global Missions emphasis. Usually, these month long celebrations of missions and missionaries come packaged to church leaders to provide a supporting structure for the challenge to pray, give, and go. For some time I’ve personally been frustrated with missions promotions because they seem to polarize and distance the local…
Great Idea for a Student Ministry Fund Raiser
Our associate found a great fund raising idea for our student ministry’s summer mission trip. It’s simple and effective! It’s called the “Wall o’ Money.” Here’s what he did. He took simple white envelopes and had the students decorate them, numbering them from $1 to $100. The envelopes were then displayed on one of the…
