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Are you and me baby nothin’ but mammals?
What, if anything, is different between humans and animals? Are there things that are more than just superior evolution? Are we different? Here’s a few ways: Only humans wear clothes (generally) Humans use an infinitely complex language (this is more… Continue reading
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When does talking about your feelings become emotional manipulation?
There’s a fine line, it seems, between talking about your feelings and emotional manipulation. See, if I tell you that something you’re about to do is making me feel sad, unworthy, hurt… is it just a simple observation of the… Continue reading
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Energy levels do not equate to amount of work done
Often when we talk about how much energy we have, we have the idea in our head that a certain amount of energy means we should be able to achieve a certain amount of output. That is, we assume human… Continue reading
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Reblog: You can’t reach everyone
Any time you do anything as a church; whether the time you meet, the place your meet; or the style of your meeting… you will make it near impossible for thousands of people to come along. That’s not a theological… Continue reading
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When you say you don’t “get” predestination, I say…
Did you decide to feel hungry today? Did you make yourself feel thirsty? Or what about the language you learnt to speak as a child… did you choose to WANT to learn “English” over “Spanish”? Did you decide to want to… Continue reading
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What did Paul share when he shared his life?
In 1Thessalonians, Paul says “We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.” A common reaction to… Continue reading
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Col Marshall’s thoughts on the limitations of the Weekly-Sermon-Driven church
At a recent MTS Training day, Col Marshall explained some of the potential risks of the church that’s sermon-driven… – potentially limits the audience to those who can deal with that type of sermon – potentially limits the maturity of… Continue reading
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Things you can’t really understand until you’ve been in full-time ministry…
There’s nothing super-godly about being in “paid FT ministry”, but there are some things that you just couldn’t know without experiencing them first-hand… (This is why MTS is so important!!! No matter how much ministry you’ve been doing, or how… Continue reading
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Reblog: Submissively encouraging decisiveness
(or “managing up”) is a really important skill. We’re all in submissive relationships; whether being pulled over by a cop, a wife with a husband, an employee with an employer, a volunteer and a leader. One of the hardest aspects of… Continue reading
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So many ways to measure success…
We recently ran a carols night that loads of people said, “went really well”! But how should Christians and churches work out whether something “went well”? The error is to assume that there’s only one measure of success… As if… Continue reading
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The difference between a passive helper, an aggressive helper, and a passive-aggressive helper
A passive helper will wait for you to ask them to help, and then they’ll do their best. An aggressive helper will suggest themselves for certain roles (or just do them and tell you later on) A passive-aggressive helper will… Continue reading
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The principles that should guide what pastoral staff meetings look like
A Church staff meeting is the opportunity to express and embody the values you want to shape your staff team culture. For our staff team, that means we spend time in the bible and in prayer for our church and… Continue reading
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Good delegation creates new opportunities
There’s an important aspect to delegating something… After you delegate it… STOP DOING IT!! If you’ve delegated a task or responsibility to someone, you can check how they’re going, you can ask them to keep you updated, you can give… Continue reading
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Reblog: Delegate, but always check they know the…
… very next step to take. They might have to call someone they’ve never spoken to before. They’re happy to do it. They’re keen to make a cold-turkey phone call. They know what they need to say, and how to… Continue reading
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Should your program be designed for the kids or their parents?
Yes, of course you’d like it to be for both. But the reality is that every decision will suite one group over the other. So how do you choose who to appease? There’s a really helpful line of distinction in… Continue reading
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You haven’t delegated until you’ve told other people who’s the boss
This is a pretty simple one. If you’re appointing someone to do something that you’re normally responsible for, you don’t just explain that to them. You need to explain it to everyone else too. If you’ve asked someone to organise… Continue reading
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Distance makes the heart grow…
The saying says that distance makes the heart grow fonder. But the reality is far different. Distance makes the heart grow… distant. Time apart from your spouse will increase unrealistic expectations about them – you remember the good times through… Continue reading
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Reblog: Do you have enough for people to do?
Imagine if everyone in your congregation(s) [who isn’t already giving a few hours to ministry at your church] all came to you next week and said they each wanted to give 2hrs – per week. Would you have enough for… Continue reading
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What would Satan do?
Paul says to the Corinthians that we should not be unaware of Satan’s schemes (2Cor2:11) and that we should stand against the schemes of the devil (Eph6:11). So take the time to think into the enemy’s camp. Who – in… Continue reading
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Ask, “How far along the decision making process are you?”
When someone comes to you asking for feedback or suggestions about their idea, you need to know something before you offer your thoughts… How far down the decision making process are they? How personally committed are they to this idea?… Continue reading
MINISTRY PRINCIPLES & PRAGMATICS 