7 EFFECTIVE GET-ACQUAINTED OR TEAM-BUILDING IDEAS
Small group leaders, classroom Bible teachers, and leaders of staff meetings need to cultivate a warm, inviting atmosphere. Paying attention to the social climate will facilitate more interaction in Bible studies or enhance the contributions when the group members...
3 THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT TEACHING
If experience is the best teacher, I should have learned something by now about teaching and learning. For 35 years, I’ve served as a faculty in Church Ministry at Columbia International University, complemented by hundreds of Sunday School lessons taught, sermons...
3 CHALLENGING TRUTHS FOR TEACHERS OF BIBLE
What Bible truths nudge me toward excellence and prompt me to give ministry my best shot? What perspectives challenge, even convict me, especially in relation to teaching God’s Word? Here are three of the answers. 1. God judges strictly those who communicate His...
4 TRUTHS THAT KEEP ME GOING IN MINISTRY
Opposition to goals.Lack of visible results.Weariness from overwork.Spiritual warfare.Feelings of inadequacy.These are among the factors that siphon off joy and motivation in ministry. What follows are four Bible truths that instill resiliency in me. I don’t offer...
4 WAYS I DEAL WITH DESPONDENCY
If you expect cures for dealing with despondency, stop reading now. If you want tips from a fellow pilgrim who has persevered through numerous episodes of depression, enabled by God’s grace to keep following and serving Him, you may find help.(Caveat: If depression...
3 LESSONS LEARNED FROM ROBERTSON MCQUILKIN
Robertson—missionary statesman, college president, renown author—is now in the presence of the Lord, whom he loved supremely and served sacrificially. If you could look up the words “finished well” in a Pictorial Dictionary, you’d see Robertson’s face. In the 35...
ENHANCING YOUR CHURCH’S PRAYER MINISTRY
“What’s the secret to your success?” A visitor to his church posed that question to Charles Spurgeon. Reportedly, Spurgeon took the man to a room where numerous persons were on their knees, interceding for that day’s worship service. “That’s the secret,” admitted...
3 THINGS THE BIBLE DOESN’T TEACH
The late pastor Ron Dunn quipped, “Many people believe the Bible because they do not know what it says.” He referred to misconceptions some folks have about what it does and does not teach. What they think the Bible teaches, it doesn’t, or if they knew what it...
8 TIPS FOR GIVING CRITICISM
When you need to confront, especially as one Christian to another, or as a leader to someone you supervise, here are tips I’ve learned from 40-plus years in vocational ministry. 1. Know the conditions for giving criticism. When is it necessary? *Is the person’s...
9 TIPS FOR RESPONDING TO A CRITIC
The only surefire way to avoid criticism is to do nothing. In a span of 45 years of ministry, here are response suggestions that I’ve learned the hard way. 1. Not every critic or criticism merits a response. If I defend myself from every salvo, the effort...
3 REASONS NOT TO LOSE HEART IN MINISTRY
Feeling incompetent for required tasksDoubts about fruitfulnessConflicts/oppositionWeariness from overworkPhysical infirmitiesPersonal burdens or family tensions Those are just some of the reasons we get discouraged and our motivation for ministry wanes.Here are...
5 TEAM-BUILDING IDEAS FOR STAFF MEETINGS, BOARDS, OR SMALL GROUPS
If you lead a group of Christ-followers, you’re on a safari for ways to enhance the relational atmosphere, even when it’s a task-oriented venue. Occasionally I utilize a structured but creative activity that provides a social lubricant and increases bonding among...
