Interviews

The point of hospitality is not to entertain; it is to tell a better story and invite people into the story of God. That's what people need. That's what they're longing for. They want to be a part of that story. And that story is transforming. That story is eternal. That story is enduring. That story is faithful.

None of the programs at our church were bad in and of themselves. The volume of it just prevented us from being focused on building relationships with those who are far from God. So, we had to do less ministry to reach more people. It sounds funny, but people had to be trained in how to do life with nonbelievers or people spiritually disinterested.

A platform society equates visibility with influence. But it doesn’t really align with the kingdom of God mentality.

The inevitability, the inexorable decline of Christianity, is not a done deal. It’s not as though there’s been a complete turnaround and everyone’s a Christian, but there’s a real moment of spiritual openness that is translating now into this resurgence of interest in Jesus. It’s a big deal.

This is the No. 1 attribute of being a disciple: You have to remain teachable. You have got to remain a perpetual beginner in life, in ministry and in your walk with the Lord.

The church is one giant sleeper cell that periodically worships and reviews playbooks on Sundays. How do we begin to activate them Monday through Friday to live and work that out?

“We’re so accustomed to the church being a noun. I want our bias to be action-oriented, and a movement that goes outward.”

"Those we shepherd will see that it is in our honest crying out to God in our pain that our worship grows more authentic." ~Aubrey Sampson