Leadership Matters
Not too long ago I marked 33 years since I entered the ordained ministry. One of the things I did was to write one of my professors from my years at Calvin Theological Seminary. I just wanted to thank him for inspiring me so many years ago with a passion for the gospel and ministry in the church. Another one of my teachers at that time, Richard De ...
The church has always been and is still only one generation from extinction! This sobering reality is hitting home to many churches across Australia and in many other places in the world, including the churches that I serve in the CRCA. In another 30 years these church buildings will close their doors, become restauran...
Sometimes it is good to look in the rear view mirror to see the way forward! It was the ancient Greek historian Thucydides who said that his history was important to "those who desire an exact knowledge of the past as a key to the future, which in all probability will repeat or resemble the past." Lately I have been reading history...
A lot of gatherings of people call themselves “church”. But are they? What is the essence of being church? As I go around meeting with people to discuss church health issues, I keep wondering to myself (and them), “Is this bunch people what you might consider church?” What do you look for? ...
“Everything rises and falls on leadership development.” I am quoting Dale Galloway here but this is a church health principle that I have come to appreciate after more than three decades of pastoral ministry and almost a decade assisting unhealthy churches move toward health and growth. Quoting Galloway again: “I...
Recently I witnessed a hunger for the word of the LORD! It reminded me of the words of the prophet Amos: "Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD GOD, "When I will send a hunger over the land, not a hunger for the bread or a thirst for water, but rather a hunger for hearing the words of the LORD." (Amos 8:11) I...
From 4-7 April seventy-one CRCA pastors, ministry workers, and their spouses gathered together for Recharge 2016. It was a beautiful view! As Peter Adam reminded us, the place where we gathered was Kalorama, which in Greek means "seeing beautiful things." And it was beautiful in so many ways. ...
Most everybody has heard of Amazon! Entrepreneur Jeff Bezos built Amazon from a small online bookseller to a retail giant. In a recent article in Foreign Affairs (January 4, 2015) Bezos stated: "Entrepreneurs ... benefit greatly from being willing to fail, willing to experiment. Good entrepreneurs ten...
