This week I had an interesting encounter. A middle aged man came into the church to get some food. He had been in before, and this time he also said that he was wanting to meet with me.

He had some things that he wanted to share with me. He had some various personal struggles that were giving him a lot of anxiety. He was out of work, and he had always worked before (as an engineer salesman). He had some struggles with some of his family relationships and some health issues in…

The gospel can at times can be successfully shared in personal conversation or in one-on-one study; however, there are several reasons that a more ideal way to share the study is through seeker small groups. A seeker small group is a group composed of a mix of Christians and "seekers"--non-Christians or the unchurched--who come together to study a particular spiritual topic…

Did you know that your child is being targeted? That he or she is at great risk? And if you are in a middle-class, suburban neighborhood, your child may be particularly at risk. And unlike other threats like drugs or alcohol, this threat is hidden and many parents are unaware of it.

The threat to the emotional and spiritual well-being of every child is this:…

In the recent book, The Facebook Effect, author…

The Washington Post reported yesterday that the US government posted a $223 billion dollar deficit - in one month!! Republicans have been proposing $60 billion dollars in this year's budget, and Democratic lawmakers say that they can only cut $6 billion--which turns out to actually only be $4.7 billion dollars.

Unbelievable. Neither side…

In the new book, Right Here, Right Now, Alan Hirsch opens by talking about how missional movements begin. He says:

"This is how missional movements grow--through a group of people who have been changed by Jesus and are willing to put themselves on the line for his cause."

He then qutoes Seth Godin, saying, "Seth Godin, pop movements…

"Overall, 31% of active churchgoers said they would definitely invite someone they know who does not usually attend a church to accompany them to a church service on Easter weekend this year."…

Here are some statistics about the unchurched from The Tangible Kingdom.

• "The Barna group reveals that one-third of the adult population (34 percent) has not attended any type of church service or activity, other than a special event such as a funeral or wedding, during the…

• to increase our reach in our community
• to raise awareness of our church
• to communicate with members

These startling orphan statistics are more than mere facts; remember that each number is a precious child . . . a real little kid. Every one is precious in the eyes of God, and He has an extra-special place in His heart for those children who are orphans (see verses here).…

Robert Putman, author of Bowling Alone and many other books, has a new book out called…

By now you no doubt have heard of the devastating earthquake that hit Christschurch, New Zealand on Feb. 21, killing 65 people. Click here for the Christian Chronicle article on this. High Pointe Church of Christ is the sponsoring congregation for the South Pacific Bible College in New Zealand. Here is a note…

What is Biblical Leadership?

One of the most common complaints within congregations is a “lack of leadership”.  This observation takes several forms: 1) the eldership acts as a board of directors 2) the eldership should be “Shepherds” 3) there is no vision 4) the focus of the “leadership” is on material things not spiritual things 5) there a severe lack of communications with the congregation 6) there is no one in the eldership I can talk too 7) the leadership…

I can remember Dr. Don Vinzant, one of my Bible professors at Oklahoma Christian University, say to us in a ministry class, "People will leave your church, and when they do, they will all repeat the same lie--I was not being fed." So, as I came across the section below from Lance Ford in the new book that he and Alan Hirsch have written, Right Here, Right Now, I remembered Don's words. 

"Pastors are aware that one of the common critiques uttered by…

Missiologist Eckhard J. Schnabel, author of Early Christian Mission, says, “Jesus had worked as prophetic preacher and teacher, but contrary to the rabbinic model, he did not wait for people to come to him (although that happened as well); instead, he traveled through the towns, villages, and hamlets of Galilee (Mk. 6:56), encountering people where they lived and…

Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you” (Jn. 20:21). As the “sent out” body of Christ, our life and mission is centered around Christ’s life and mission. In his own words, Jesus said that he came to seek and save the lost (Lk. 19:10), serve (Mk. 10:45), and share the good news (Mk. 1:38). Compelled by Christ’s love for us and our love for God and our neighbor, we have as our primary task the mission of Jesus.

If we are to fulfill this mission, we must do…