Unless a Seed Dies
In the week before his death, Jesus said to his disciples: The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to...
Disappointed, but not Surprised
The difficult departure of a lead pastor resulted in unhealed wounds among the pastors, staff, members, and attenders of a strong church...
The Joy of In-Between
After a church leader with long tenure, it is often helpful for someone to serve in-between the outgoing and incoming leader; otherwise,...
Rooting for Bright Hope
Living nearby, I was close enough to know the highs and lows of Bright Hope Fellowship: a strong start, the disruption of masonic issues,...
By Faith
In hope, the Millersville (Pa.) BIC Church made the decision to press ahead to full recovery—and people pledged to be active partners in...
In Hope
After an extended season of growth, Millersville (Pa.) Brethren in Christ Church encountered a series of demoralizing setbacks and...
Hard Questions
A flourishing church in southern Lancaster County (Pa.) hit a rough patch. In quick succession, the church lost three pastors, each time...
A Time to Heal
The Preacher in Ecclesiastes wrote: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: . . . [such as] a time...
Setting Direction IV
Greg Starr, pastor of New Life Church of Hershey (Pa.), customized an approach to setting direction that fits New Life. With his...
A Fruitful Tree
After 180 years, Washington Boro (Pa.) Church of God is like an old apple tree. The church has matured over the decades. It is deeply...
Micro-mission
Montoursville (Pa.) BIC wants to serve broken and neglected people. As a smaller church, they excel in caring for one another. But how,...
Setbacks to New Strength
After an extended season of growth, Millersville (Pa.) Brethren in Christ Church encountered a series of setbacks, coming in quick...
New Trail
In 2007, New Trail Fellowship near Abilene (Ks.) was launched to serve the western heritage community of the Smoky Valley Region by...
Transition
One way to ease the stress of transition is to prepare in advance (Mt.16:21; Jn. 14-17). After 23 years, the pastor of Highland Park...
Evaluation
For better or worse, your church is being evaluated every Sunday. On the way home, someone will ask, “What did you think of the sermon?”...
