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Leaders today are facing discouragement and are asked if they will continue in their ministry assignment or leave ministry altogether.

We’re very intentional about being welcoming and friendly. I tell people on Sunday mornings at the end of the services, “If you’re our guest, I’d like to meet you.” And so I go to the hospitality room and meet people every week.

Resistance and pushback are needed to shape a better outcome, but too much can be destructive.

Likewise, effective preachers don’t just ask, “How can I explain this?” They also ask, “How can I picture it?”  What story, metaphor, or image will build a picture in listeners’ minds?

We’re overwhelmed. Everyone I meet is drowning in “their thing.” It doesn’t matter if “your thing” is an artistic endeavor, profit margins, wining and dining clients, or raising children. We can’t see past “our thing” because “our thing” (whatever it happens to be) is all-consuming.

By reconnecting with your neighbors, you will bring the church back to the forefront of what has been missing--a deep community connection.

“We want believers to feel more equipped in the Word and prepared to engage the culture,” explains Amanda Barr, director of the school.

“We need to build relational capital. These guys need to enjoy gathering together. They need to love one another. They need to really practice the ‘one anothers’ that we see in Scripture. So, that was our primary goal for that fall season.” The groups took off and thrived.