Holy Week is here! For many pastors, this can feel like a very unholy week. There is so much to do—extra services, extra sermons, extra elements in the service… And the pressure can be overwhelming. We once again see our Chreasters who only come on Christmas and Easters. There is a looming sense that if…
Lessons from Brazil on Planting and Growing a Church
To church plant, or to grow? For some churches, this is a critical question for missional discernment. As God grows our community, should we respond by building more infrastructure in the congregation to support new members—additional worship services, more programs, etc.—or should we send a portion of our members off to start a new church, to…
Leprechauns and Blessings
(Updated 03/17/17) I wasn’t sure what we would do this St. Patrick’s Day since the leprechauns told us they won’t be coming back. Each year for the past several years on March 17, while our kids were in school, the leprechauns would come to our house and devise an elaborate scavenger hunt for the…