224 results found for: church

non bitter and jaded pastor

Bitter Much? How Church Workers Can Resist Becoming Bitter and Jaded

Read more via the Breeze Church ChMS blog By Aaron Buer Can we be real? There’s something I’ve noticed in church world, and I bet you have too.There are a lot of pastors and church workers out there who are jaded and even bitter.Maybe it has to do with constantly carrying people’s problems. Perhaps it happens when we experience the inner workings of the church and they aren’t as “holy” as we were hoping. Maybe it’s because churches can’t always provide the salary and benefits that other companies can.The truth is that there are a bazillion reasons church workers and pastors grow jaded […]

conflict

The Healthy Approach to Resolving Church Conflict

The Table podcast: In this episode, Dr. Darrell Bock and Eric Willis discuss a healthy approach to resolving church conflict. Listen via this link  The Table is a weekly podcast from the Hendricks Center. These podcasts treat key topics related to God, religion, Christianity, faith, work, and Culture. They show the relevance of theology to all areas of life. They will be hosted primarily by Dr. Darrell Bock, Executive Director for Cultural Engagement at the Center.  His guests bring significant experience to the topics they cover.

church history

Six Lessons Christians Must Learn From Church History

“Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” George Santayana (1863-1952) Church history reveals some lessons that Christians today would be wise to consider and reflect upon. The Christian Church has existed for 2,000 years, but it has changed and evolved significantly over that time. It is therefore important to look back and learn the lessons from the history of the Church that can help us chart a way forward today. A few years ago I read a wonderful book on the history of the Church written by Dr. Bruce Shelley entitled, “Church History in Plain […]

professional

The Intersection of Leaders in Business and the Church

“The Table Podcast” featuring Dr. Darrell Bock and Greg Forster via Hendricks Center for Christian Leadership and Cultural Development at Dallas Theological Seminary Transcript podcast teaser below regarding the divide between professionals and pastors… “There’s a failure to recognize that both groups bring knowledge to the table. I’ve been influenced in this particular respect by Dallas Willard and his analysis of how people will respond and change the way they live based on who they think has knowledge. As I’ve meditated on that and looked at it in the world that we move in, in our program what I see is religious […]

discipleship

How We Created a Discipleship Strategy at our Church

By Aaron Buer Every church is different. We have different worship styles, staff configurations, values, and preaching styles. This diversity of expression is a beautiful thing. However, there’s one thing that should be consistent in all of our churches. Discipleship. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20) It’s kind of “the thing”. If you aren’t making disciples then you aren’t a church. You’re something else entirely. We all know […]

Diversity and Reconciliation in the Early Church

In this podcast, Drs. Darrell L. Bock and Michael Burer dialogue about the tensions of diversity and racial reconciliation in the age of the early church, focusing in on the very issues touched on in Paul’s letters. To listen to the podcast and read transcript in its entirety, click here.         Excerpt from transcript below. Darrell Bock: Welcome to the Table, where we discuss issues of God and culture. Our topic, today, is reconciliation and diversity in the New Testament. We want to take a look at how the church was originally formed out of Jew and gentile, and […]

manage

Leading and Managing People in the Church

(Leading and Managing People in the Church is taken from Chapter 6 in Barry Voss’ Management for Church Leaders™ Volume #1 Training Manual, ©2010.) “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31 The Golden Rule.  It seems that we all know Luke 6:31 so well yet are unable to keep it most of the time. The church is a people business that is based upon relationships – with God and with each other.  Jesus taught us this principle so we might live in harmony with each other, and with God, and to demonstrate to the world […]

growth

Two Factors that are Killing Your Church’s Growth

by Aaron Buer blog reposted courtesy of Breeze. Here’s a question: Why is it that some churches grow and others don’t? In many cases, growing churches and stagnant churches look almost identical from the outside. Similar buildings. Similar worship style. Similar budgets. Similar locations. So what’s the difference? Why is it that some grow and others don’t? Something that I’ve noticed through interacting with different churches is that growing churches are typically structured differently than stagnant or declining churches. Growing churches either never had, or at some point shed their start-up structural configuration, while stagnant or declining churches were never […]

micromanaging

3 Signs You’re Micromanaging Your Church Staff

Editor’s Note: Enjoy this read on micromanaging by author Aaron Burr. We did! Reposted with kind permission of Breeze. If there is one thing none of us wants to be called it’s a micromanager. We hate being micromanaged and can’t stand the idea of being identified as one. And yet, because we care deeply about the work that we’ve been called to do, most of us are at least somewhat guilty of micromanaging. I know I have my moments. So, how do you know if you’re a micromanager? Here are three signs: “Only I Can Do This” There have been […]

meeting

4 Ideas for More Engaging Church Staff Meetings

Please note: Article by Aaron Burr originally appeared on Breeze.  Reposting with kind permission from Breeze. What is the one thing that church employees complain about the most? Meetings.   Credit: The Office That’s right. People hate meetings. Why? Because they are boring and keep us from getting our work done. You know what? Let’s get rid of meetings! Down with all meetings! Ok, that probably won’t work. Actually, the truth is I don’t hate meetings. (Gasp!) Well, I hate bad meetings but I actually enjoy good meetings. Our Tuesday morning team meeting is the highlight of my week. It wasn’t […]