Outreach Leaders

In his encouragement to Timothy, Paul makes a bold statement that prayer, in various forms, should be made for all men, and urged this young pastor to pray for those in authority. Godless Emperor Nero was on the throne at that time. Yet, the believers were supposed to pray for him?

As I start my 30th year of ministry at Brentwood Baptist Church, people have been asking me to tell them the secret of a long-term ministry. A growing church will always demand their pastor to be the first one who grows. After all, no organization, not even a church, can ever outrun its leader.

Understand the shifting cultural landscape of those outside your church and what really matters to the unchurched.

When we allow our desire for perfectionism to shut us down spiritually, we are actually standing in our own way. We’re cutting ourselves off from our only hope for spiritual growth and formation, and we ultimately decide that if we can’t seek God in our own, “perfect” way, then we won’t seek Him at all.

For years, there has been a silent message that most of us have been taught to accept. It is based on an idea that is portrayed as Biblical. The message is that in order to be a good Christian in any situation, no matter how hard, you must die to yourself.

How many times do you think you've seen the Nike swoosh logo and read the phrase Just do it? A few hundred? A thousand? Imagine you asked your church this Sunday to fill in the tagline that goes under the swoosh logo—do you think 100% of people would be able to do it from memory?

Prevent unrealistic expectations from affecting your success with these tips.

As you rebuild your definition of a mature disciple avoid the mistake of measuring discipleship by activity; church attendance, serving in a ministry, participation in a small group, Bible reading, quiet time.