Discipleship requires management as much as leadership
Pastors manage churches as much, if not more, than leading them. Making disciples requires pastors to be involved in the day-to-day operations of a church.
Pastors manage churches as much, if not more, than leading them. Making disciples requires pastors to be involved in the day-to-day operations of a church.
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It’s tempting to imagine that legendary ministers like E. M. Bounds or Andrew Murray or someone known as “Praying Hyde” were simply born to pray. Along with the likes of David Brainerd, Leonard Ravenhill, Armin Gesswein, Bertha Smith, George Müller and so many others, there is a group of Christians who are primarily remembered for their prayer lives or their teaching on prayer. But no one was ever born praying. The men and women most known for prayer were not members of a spiritually elite corps the rest of us weren’t invited to join. They learned to pray.
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One statement from the introduction of Katie McCoy’s book To Be a Woman sets the stage for the conversation our culture is afraid to have but can’t afford to avoid.
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About four years ago, I was a student heavily involved in collegiate ministry, growing in my understanding of Scripture, and being discipled by a woman in our church. However, even as I grew and learned more about the church, I remember asking myself, “Where do I fit in to all this?”
Think of a man named Sam, who has benefited from seven years of Bible preaching. When he first came to church, he was a mess. Now he is an entirely different person. You have seen complete transformation in his life. This kind of life change is every preacher’s goal. Sam tells others about Jesus, votes his values, and labors in the community to push back darkness. And he does these mighty works in the name of Jesus.
NEOSHO, Mo. (BP) – It’s the late '70s and you’re an up-and-coming television host with a new morning show. You’ve booked an icon in Judy Collins. She comes on the stage, takes a deep breath, sings into the microphone ... nothing. What do you do?
Columnist Mike Leake compares the love he shows his young son when he receives odd-looking refrigerator art to the love God shows His children.