There is a leadership reality that doesn’t get enough attention: people don’t burn out primarily from work—they burn out from discouragement. And the flip side is just as true: encouragement is one of the most underutilized, high-impact tools a leader has. Let’s get something straight from the start—no one has ever received too much encouragement. […]
What does it take to lead a dying church back to life? Not skills. Not a turnaround strategy. Not the right demographic or the right part of town. What revitalization actually requires — what it exposes — is character. The long, grinding work of leading a congregation through renewal has a way of surfacing what is really […]
The Final Step in the Journey of Faith—and What It Means for Us Adapted with attribution from I Once Was Lost: What Postmodern Skeptics Taught Us About Their Path to Jesus (Don Everts & Doug Schaupp) At some point in every journey, the question shifts. It’s no longer just about curiosity—it’s about direction. Like Alice […]
The Nashville Baptist Association exists to help our churches be more faithful and fruitful for the glory of God and the good of our city. That mission requires honesty — with ourselves, with one another, and before God. This article is written not to alarm or shame, but because what is true, though sometimes difficult, […]
Adapted with attribution from I Once Was Lost: What Postmodern Skeptics Taught Us About Their Path to Jesus (Don Everts & Doug Schaupp) In Top Gun: Maverick, you can see it in Rooster’s eyes. He’s in the cockpit, the pressure building, the mission in front of him—and Maverick is right there, calling him forward. He’s […]
Our team stood outside a large apartment complex with a clear purpose, but no clear direction. We had learned that a family from a closed country lived somewhere inside, and we hoped to invite them to a local showing of the Jesus Film. There was no apartment number, no prior connection—only a quiet sense that […]
Adapted with attribution from I Once Was Lost: What Postmodern Skeptics Taught Us About Their Path to Jesus (Don Everts & Doug Schaupp) In today’s world, faith rarely begins with belief. For many shaped by postmodern skepticism, the journey toward Jesus doesn’t start with doctrine, church attendance, or even spiritual curiosity. It begins somewhere much […]
Every pastor wants a church where people naturally share Christ—but most congregations run cooler than they should. The Jesus Story Project is a simple but powerful way to change that. By creating space for people to share how they came to know Christ—what their life was like before, how they trusted Him, and what has […]
Joining God’s mission through simple, reproducible communities Church Planting is often imagined as launching a new congregation with a building, programs, and a weekly Sunday service. While those expressions can be fruitful, many leaders are rediscovering what could be called the Smaller Way—simple, relational communities of believers that gather in homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, and everyday […]
Yes. Yes, I do. Every so often the accusation gets thrown out there: “They just want our building.” It’s usually said with a bit of suspicion, sometimes with frustration, and occasionally as a way to shut down a conversation before it even gets started. So let me answer the question plainly. Do I want your […]