Crises have a way of clarifying who we are. Trials do change us, but they often reveal us more than anything else. The same is true for churches and ministries. When trials come, the health of a ministry is clearly seen. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I personally was in disbelief. “Surely this isn’t happening. …
I was honored to discuss “Leading Towards Regathering Practically” with fellow pastors in South Carolina who are all also great friends. It was a part of the South Carolina Baptist Convention’s Advance Anyway podcast they have started during the COVID-19. As pastors, we need to learn from each other without pressure to conform to another’s …
As a culture walking through the uncharted territory of an international pandemic, we know that we have to begin the process of reopening businesses, parks, restaurants, schools, and even churches. While plenty of measures have been taken to flatten the curve of the COVID-19, we all acknowledge that, at some point, we have to reverse …
I would have pulled out my notebook from seminary on how to lead a church through an international pandemic, but, like everyone else, I didn’t have that class. I am making it up as we go along. You are too. I have benefitted from hearing ideas from other places, and I thought maybe this list …
King Solomon wrote that life is full of differing seasons. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time for war and a time for peace. Life provides the opportunity to walk through all of these polarized experiences. Like life, the ministry has …
I teach a large group Bible study on Sunday nights at my church called Equip. The intended goal is to “equip the saints for the work of the ministry” (Eph. 4:12). We have a plethora of ages and backgrounds that come to this gathering every week. For a solid hour, I teach on the topic …
God often uses unexpected situations to teach us needed truths. As the world continues to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all adjusting daily to make sense of it all, protect our neighbors, and grasp the new normal. Until it changes again in another 5 minutes. As a pastor, I …
Our church has been streaming services for years. We make it available for those who are homebound or traveling. We have a pretty good system of keeping our church family informed through online content. So when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we didn’t have to reinvent ourselves, but we did have to spotlight things we regularly …
As we all navigate through challenging and changing scenarios predicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are sure of one thing: we really aren’t sure how much this virus will impact our world. We know it is having an immediate impact, but how longstanding will the fallout be? While there are many challenging circumstances affecting our …
Our Rocky Creek Church staff is currently having to meet by Zoom due to the COVID-19 (along with almost every other organization in the world). Our screens kinda reminded us of something the other day… #RCtogether