February 18, 2020
DTS podcast discusses what makes a good elder board

What Makes a Good Elder Board

What Makes a Good Elder Board? 00:15 Brandenburg’s background in pastoral ministry 02:17 What is an elder-led church? 10:19 What are the qualifications of an elder? 19:15 Is there an age requirement for elders? 24:00 Developing young leaders in the local church 27:04 Utilizing giftedness in the local church 34:48 Creating healthy relationships between pastors and elders 40:57 Building culture in the local church Bill Hendricks: Hi, my name is Bill Hendricks. I’m the Executive Director for Christian Leadership at the Hendricks Center, and I wanna welcome you to The Table Podcast, where we deal with issues of God and […]
February 13, 2020
The question of Bible readers versus simply being quoted

Have Bible Quoters Replaced Bible Readers?

Merely quoting verses is not “staying on the line” if you miss the intention of the author in the passage. After all, even Satan quoted Scripture when he tempted Jesus (Matthew 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13). In a recent article called, “Have Bible Quoters Replaced Bible Readers?“, Russell Moore explains why only quoting Scripture (as opposed to reading it well) is dangerous. Moore shares the following explanation from David Niehuis of how the issue often manifests itself: “Some of my students attend popular non-denominational churches led by entrepreneurial leaders who claim to be ‘Bible believing’ and strive to offer sermons that are ‘relevant’ […]
February 11, 2020
Pastor Aaron Buer shares how key being encouraging is to those that work in ministry.

How to Be a Chief Encouraging Officer At Your Church

My senior pastor often talks about the word “encourage” and how it contains the word “courage.” The word comes from Old French, “to make strong.” Have you noticed that ministry takes courage? Walking with a family as they grieve the loss of a loved one—that takes courage. Sharing the message of the cross with people who are far from God—that takes courage. Confronting each other’s sinful behavior—that takes courage. Asking the people of your church to serve and give—that takes courage. Sharing constructive feedback with church employees—that takes courage. Pouring out your heart from the stage as you teach or […]
February 6, 2020
Pastor Josh talks about the true cost of ministry which goes beyond financial resources.

The True Cost of Ministry

reshared with kind permission from Josh Reich. Picture this, your church just pulled off a big event, and you are sitting in a room evaluating it and deciding if it was a success. The answers are often dependent on how excited you were before the event and during it — the number of people who attended, people who became Christians, or how you experienced the event. Then someone asks, “Do we do this again next year?” Now, if you are smart, you would stop the conversation at this point. Churches are notorious for throwing money after things they’ve done before […]
February 4, 2020
Pastor Carey Nieuwhof shares about the tensions facing pastors of small and mid-sized churches.

5 Real Tensions Every Small to Mid-Sized Church Leader Feels

This article on the tensions that face small and mid-sized churches is reshared with kind permission from Pastor Carey Nieuwhof If you lead a small to mid-sized church, you face struggles leaders of large churches don’t. I can totally relate to the dynamics of leading a smaller church. When I began in ministry, I spent about 3 years leading a small congregation (under 100) that grew into a mid-sized church (under 500) and then grew into a larger church of 1500 I’m part of today. You learn a LOT about leadership (and yourself) at every stage. I remember the emotions […]
January 28, 2020
Dr. Ramesh Richard shares his one word for the year: Able

Able-Our Word for 2020 and Beyond

Limits characterize life. Humans experience physical and psychological limitations, geographical and chronological parameters, cultural and intellectual boundaries. Call it finitude. We may try to maximize this existential reality, and we must. Some even break human limits in indirect ways. Remember when poets thanked God that “men cannot fly”? Now we fly, harnessing mind, metal and nature to transport us across the world and to the moon and back—most often with bags. Finitude is attended by frailty. All earthly life features a necessary beginning and an inevitable end. Once we cross peak age, which comes all too early (25, I am […]
January 23, 2020
Pastor Nieuwof breaks down the big shifts that will be needed to change the direction of the church in the coming years.

6 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2020

So what are the 2020 church trends you should watch in what is shaping up to be a very pivotal year? In this post, I’ll share six new trends that really have my attention. While it might seem like a lot of change and challenges ahead, you and I lead in an age of massive disruption. Industries are being disrupted or obliterated in years, not decades, and once-dominant companies are falling fast (just ask Polaroid, Blockbuster or Compaq computers). And leading in the church is even a little more complex than leading in the marketplace for numerous reasons. Here’s one of them: […]
January 21, 2020
Author Bob Tiede shares the power of focusing on one year as the vision for your year.

What Is Your “One Word Focus” For 2020?

Did you know that a “One Word Focus” for 2020 could dramatically increase your effectiveness in the coming year? There is incredible power in having a single focus! Jon Gordon, Dan Britton and Jimmy Page have written an incredible book:  “One Word That Will Change Your Life.” They share: “87% of us make New Year’s Resolution every year. Although these resolutions are meant to be good and well-intentioned solutions, unfortunately they are built on a flawed assumption of more effort,  willpower and goal setting. We set to-do goals instead of to-be goals.  Success is measured by what we accomplish instead of who we become. […]
January 21, 2020
Saying no means saying yes sometimes!

Say No to Saying Yes in Your Ministry

Reshared with kind permission from Breeze Church. Welcome to 2020! I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m living in a sci-fi movie. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the 1900s but the year 2020 feels like hover-boards, vacations to the moon, and robot butlers. Anyway, a question for you: Do you have any goals for 2020? Maybe you’re a resolutions person, or perhaps you have goals in mind for your church or ministry. Perhaps God has placed something on your heart to run after in 2020. Recently, I spent some time in the book of Nehemiah. […]
January 16, 2020
The Bible illustrates the essential characteristics of a leader.

Five Key Characteristics of a Leader

reshared with kind permission from Barry Voss. With this being an election year, the American people are looking for a leader. But what exactly is a leader? A leader is someone who not only is effective in positively influencing others, but who also demonstrates the character of a leader. People want  leaders they can trust to do what they say.  One’s character is what makes trust possible.   This is true for all leaders, whether they are political, business or church leaders. I believe that there are 5 basic characteristics of a leader: Characteristic #1 First, they must have integrity. It means […]