Features

Brandon O’Brien’s Top Books on Small Church Ministry

Rather than being a subcategory of American ministry, the small church is the norm. If you take a longer and broader view, most churches throughout history and in most parts of the world are and always have been small.

Megan Fate Marshman: Everyday Grace

While influence tends to want to go upwards and grow to the right, I am fighting to go down to the left, and it takes a lot of intentionality.

What Does It Mean That We’ll Still Be Finite in Heaven?

The promise of Heaven is not that we will become infinite—that would be to become inhuman. It’s that we’ll be far better finite humans than we have ever been.

When Missionaries Return Broken

Churches that send missionaries to difficult places must be ready to help them heal when they return.

Give Thanks to God — Even for the Trials

I have been a new kid in school. I spoke funny (Yankee in the deep south). I was short, the shortest kid in the 7th grade. And I was outspoken. All of these combine to make the new kid a problem for the rest of the class to welcome in. I’m thankful for those who did it.

Like Sisyphus, Are We Engaging in the Futile?

Too many churches are trapped in the Sisyphus dynamic of continually pursuing something that involves high effort and low reward, or even no reward.

9 Signs You’re Stuck in the Past

How to know whether or not you’re leading in the present tense.

Sharing the Gospel: As Simple As Saying ‘Would Recommend’

So let’s take that idea and apply it to sharing the gospel. We’re willing to talk about hamburgers, but are we willing to talk about Jesus?

Small But Mighty

After seeing the toll the pandemic had taken on medical workers, he wished his own church could replicate the outreach, but they didn’t have the resources to take it on alone.

How Pressure Builds Leaders

Why pressure is something you should run toward, not away from.

14 Reasons to Prioritize Taking Your Staff Offsite

Why the Effort is Worth It