MINISTRY PRINCIPLES & PRAGMATICS

Uncategorized

  • 1 to 1 the best training for preaching

    Keen to do FT ministry? Want to become a great preacher? Want to see 100s, nay, 1000s of people saved? Great! Do 1 to 1 ministry. Why? It helps you to develop trust for God working through his word to… Continue reading

  • Answer questions from your grid

    Most questions get asked because of wrong assumptions. They’re still good questions. They’re not stupid questions. But people ask them because what you’re telling them doesn’t fit with their existing believes, and they assume you’re wrong. So that’s why the… Continue reading

  • Try teaching the opposite

    How do you get people to wrestle with the Bible, not just nod their head without thinking? One way is to show them they assume the opposite. Lead them down the path of thinking A only to show them God… Continue reading

  • Modern day gifts: The Categorisor

    I love these people, mainly because I wish I was good at it. Categorisors are those people who look at a big list of topics, or a whole book of the bible, or listen to a 3hr conversation… and then… Continue reading

  • part of being “above-reproach” means “escalate it”

    If something happens to you that might be seen in a bad light, escalate it. If someone raises a concern with you, especially with your behaviour, escalate it. If you find out someone has some issue with you, escalate it.… Continue reading

  • A different definition of coaching

    Another Manager-tools concept that’s been helpful… taking the idea of a sports coach, who kinda’ walks around and keeps pushing players forward. He’s not the guy who trains you in how to tackle or pass, there are trainers for that.… Continue reading

  • Ditch “I pray” & just say “please”

    Why do we, when we pray to our heavenly abba, say “I pray that…” We NEVER speak like that to other people. We simply say “can you please, please…” I wonder if one reason people doubt our authenticity is that… Continue reading

  • Bad motives make bad excuses

    What do you do with the person who wants to pull out of volunteering because they “don’t feel like they’re doing it for the right reasons”. It’s hard because motives do matter. We want people to do things with good… Continue reading

  • Ministry Risk = Likelihood x Consequences

    Ministry risks can be evaluated in the same way that other risk scenarios can be… likelihood multiplied by negative consequences. If you’re renting some location for church, how much of a risk are you running? First, consider the likelihood of… Continue reading

  • Some feedback tricks are just destructive

    Have you heard the feedback trick, “Sandwich negative feedback between two positive pieces of feedback”? But what usually happens? They hear the first comment with suspicion, thinking “What’s coming that’s so bad you need to butter me up first?”. And… Continue reading

  • Jesus’ database

    “but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” Rev 21:27 The universal church is a list. Your local church is a list. Its a list of names, people, souls, individuals. That list is very, very important.… Continue reading

  • Don’t fear the accusation of being “token”

    Just because it’s short or brief DOESN’T mean its “token”. Just because a conversation goes for 5mins, doesn’t mean it’s “token”. Token describes an assumed attitude. You might be making it “token” by the fact you don’t really care. It’s… Continue reading

  • You have to operate with some assumptions

    It’s impossible to assume nothing. Either they have done what you’ve asked, or they haven’t Either they know about the issue already, or they don’t Either they are lying to you, or someone else is Either they are planning on… Continue reading

  • The wrong end of the “election” stick

    I get why people find the doctrine of election hard. But I think they make it harder than it is, because they start from the wrong end of the stick. The doctrine of election tells us more about God, than… Continue reading

  • Let the meeting preach the gospel

    Sometimes sermons don’t hit the spot, they don’t resonate, they don’t touch a nerve, they don’t point to our sin and Jesus’ grace, etc… So make sure the gospel is in your meetings. Use the gospel to explain why you… Continue reading

  • many foolish tongues flap about people, sometimes there is talk of past events, but rare are the ones who discuss ideas Continue reading

  • reblog: God’s grace in using tenure

    reblog: God’s grace in using tenure Continue reading

  • setting up a new blog

    so, i’m setting up a new blog for capturing ministry ideas; mainly about principles and pragmatic issues in Christian ministry. Continue reading