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Servanthood is central to the work of the church simply because it was central to the work of Jesus. Jesus’ ministry included two types...

Years ago when I was pastoring, we had a group of people who would go to a particular place where the homeless in Cincinnati would meet...

So here’s an idea as we move into the Thanksgiving holiday… Paul’s short letter to the Philippian church underscored his belief that...

Of the four essential elements that every leader must exercise—Integrity, Passion, Servanthood, and Imagination—Servanthood seems like it...

Don’t get me wrong: apologetics are important. From the launch of the Church in Acts 2, Christians have proclaimed the uniqueness of...

Recently I learned of Ron Sider’s death at 82 from sudden cardiac arrest. Fifteen years ago I had him speak at our church and took him...

In the early days of our church, founding pastor Steve Sjogren coined a simple phrase for people to use in basic “servant evangelism”...

Ernest Gordon was a Christian, author and former dean of Princeton Seminary who died a couple of decades ago. Gordon was the inspiration...

After years of working with churches, we’re finding that the Imagination element is typically the least exercised of the four critical...

Years ago we identified 4 critical elements all healthy churches practiced, regardless of size or stripe: Integrity: systems, processes,...

In our work with Elemental Churches, we identify the 4 critical traits all healthy churches have: Integrity, Passion, Servanthood, and...

So how does the Church survive in the time of Covid? One day during a Q&A session with Jesus, this query was raised: “If I am to love my...

Imagine you have a daughter who is the light of your life. And then comes the day you drop her off at a college two time zones away. You...

How Are You Exercising These in Your Church? In the book Elemental Leaders, we identify 4 critical elements every effective leader must...

John Oliver, host of Last Week Tonight, delivered a stinging indictment several years ago on televangelists and the tax perks of churches...

Want To Hear My Best Worst Prediction? Way back in 2007 when I was working on my first book, The Outward Focused Life: Becoming a Servant...

How About a New Way to Measure Healthy Effectiveness? All healthy churches are characterized by four key traits: Integrity, Passion,...

The 4 Fundamental Factors for Effective Leadership Over the decades, I’ve had some good bosses and some not-so-good bosses. And...

So Who Are We Serving? Some years back I walked into a fast-food restaurant that was freezing. People were eating with their coats on. I...