Follow Jesus. Lead the church. Change the world.
7 Things Christ-following Leaders Don’t Say … I recently read an article by CarerrBuilder.com posted on CNN.com: Mistakes that can kill your career. It’s a pretty good list for any job, but it made me think about things that kill one’s leadership (i.e. leadership poison). Out of this, came the following list of statements that … Read more
My great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather was a pioneer preacher! I’ve long had an interest in genealogy/family history, and one of the people I’m interested in learning more about is Adolph Nussman. Nussman was recruited by Lutherans in North Carolina in the 1700s because they did not have a pastor. Nussman, in Germany, answered the call and became the … Read more
John Dietrich Aurandt, one of my ancestors, a pioneer Christ-following leader, started a number of churches in central Pennsylvania. We don’t know a lot about him, but we know that he started several (Lutheran and UCC) churches in the area. According to a book, Aurandt is “The father of the Reformed Church in Blair County.” … Read more
Leaders give away ministry! If you follow Luke’s story of early church history in the book of Acts, by the time you reach Acts 6, the church appears to reach an important crossroads. Up to this point the church has been actively involved in mission and has been experiencing tremendous growth. But with the growth … Read more
A few years ago, we came across a great weekly guide for praying for pastors. It comes from Dan Reiland’s book, Shoulder to Shoulder: Strengthening Your Church by Supporting Your Pastor. We encourage our parishioners to pray for us, and for everyone to pray for their pastors! Monday: Pray for your pastor’s family. God’s peace … Read more
Reggie McNeal addresses six new realities the Church faces today! I’ve read many leadership books in recent years as part of the Doctor of Ministry program at Asbury Theological Seminary, and Reggie McNeal’s The Present Future has been one of the most impacting books I’ve read during this process (see other recommended leadership books in … Read more
Yesterday I received my copy of the March/April 2007 issue of Interpreter Magazine (a publication of the United Methodist Church) in the mail. The cover story caught my attention: "Changing Communities, Changing Churches." There are some great stories about United Methodist churches that, faced with the challenge of changing communities, chose to make the changes … Read more
Recently, Rev. Dr. Tom Salsgiver, wrote an editorial for our conference publication called, “Keepers of the Aquarium or Fishers of People.” The article got my leadership juices flowing and I started thinking specifically about pastoral leadership in a “fishers of people” context. Pastoral Leadership In a “Fishers of People” ContextBy Randy Willis Tom Salsgiver recently … Read more