Features

Loving and Listening to Doubters

Over the past decade of setting tables where skeptics and churchgoers sit side by side, I’ve gathered a few hard-earned insights about the art of loving those who see the world differently.

5 Innovative Ministries Shaping the Future Church

The following ministry snapshots are just a few of the examples of innovative ministries that are working well. Whether you’re a pastor, church leader or an everyday disciple looking to reach your neighborhood, we hope their stories will inspire you to innovate in your own ways.

What I Learned in the Painful Parts of Church Planting

God has worked in me more than he has through me. His love works within us like an explorer—or, in a way, a church planter—always seeking the places that have not yet met his healing love.

Every Senior Pastor’s Dirty Little Secret

"For most, it’s a secret they’ve never shared with their staff, their churches and sometimes even their spouses."

Experience > Explanation: A Formula for Evangelism

"People aren’t going to remember the facts I tell them; they’re going to remember the experiences they have."

3 Ways We Hate Sin in Others More Than in Ourselves

"We can easily hate the sins of others more than we hate our own. We need God’s grace to overcome this."

How to Start a Church Without a Dime

“What would change if we lived out the truth that God does the building and growing as we live in simple kingdom ways?”

7 Ways to Make Your Sermons More Listenable

"The brain tires easily. If a speaker does not give breaks for the listener’s brain to rest, it will take its own breaks."

5 Ways to Get People Talking About Your Church

“When local churches work together, get along and actually like each other, people start talking.”

3 Reasons Small Churches Should Give to Missions

"In the same way God blesses people who give faithfully, God blesses churches that do the same."

Church Leadership: 3 Hills Worth Dying On

Ronnie Floyd: "The Christian life is not about being right—it is about being Christlike."