One of the most helpful ways to preach faithfully to a local congregation is to have a long-term plan. It doesn’t limit the Holy Spirit, but I think the process connects you even more to Him in your preparation and delivery.
What if COVID-19 has provided you the opportunity to prioritize all the things you have dreamed about for your church? Church – it’s time to dream again.
I have struggled with feelings of inadequacy like you. If I would have waited till I felt ready before I engaged in ministry, I would have never taken one single opportunity. What are you waiting for?
As our world continues to polarize its citizens into different camps, how should Christians respond? Instead of retreating from this world, we need to be blessing this world. Your city should be a blessed place because of your church’s involvement in it.
Due to past successes, supporters often give leaders a free pass for any current suspicious direction. Allowing past successes to overlook present mistakes will lead to future calamities.
2020 has been challenging, but we still have a ways to go. Instead of losing a critical opportunity by pacing through another intermediate stage as a church, what if you created a strategy for the next three months of which your entire church could get behind?
Are you a leader? Have you always wanted to be a leader? If so, you should learn from the greatest leader this world ever witnessed. Here are 7 essential leadership characteristics from the life of Jesus.
Now that we have made it through the first half of 2020, people are constantly asking – when will we get back to normal? I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think we are going to return to it, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing for your life, family, or church.
All church leaders have been imagining what it will be like when we restart and everything returns to normal. That isn’t happening. We need to think about a church rebuild – not a church restart.
In the weeks to come, many churches who practiced social distancing during the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic will begin to regather. Regardless of when your church decides to meet back together, here are some things to consider. Attendance will be lower. Anticipate that, and don’t get discouraged by it. If your church is intentionally trying to have smaller services, …
Look back over the last 8 Sundays, and look forward to this coming Sunday. Won’t forget, can’t regret what I did for love.
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 could help you. As a …
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 differing seasons. In the ebb …
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 want to provide care, direction, …
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 use as supplements. For the …
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 world (health, safety, security, fear, …
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
I don’t remember the pandemic course in seminary. All pastors are learning on the fly in days in like these. We are dependent upon God’s principles contained in Scripture, God’s guidance through His Spirit, and God’s wisdom given through knowledgeable people. My friend, Wayne Bray, has a great heart for the local church. As the pastor of neighboring First Baptist …
With the rise of COVID-19 around the world, it has caused everyone to get creative quickly. In ministry and church settings, we have been asked not to gather for a few weeks, but we are also aware that it could be longer. Many ministry leaders I have spoken with regret not having some things in place currently. They were going …
I had the wonderful privilege of preaching at Edwards Road Baptist Church’s DNOW 2020. The theme was “Set Apart.” Here are the notes from our sessions together. Session 1 – Set Apart 1 Peter 1:13-16 If God has provided necessary holiness, we should pursue practical holiness (1:13). One sign that we belong to Jesus is if we are fighting against …
If you searched for the 1 book that focuses on marriage out of the 66 books that compose the Bible, you would arrive at the book entitled The Song of Solomon or The Song of Songs. The biblical “expert” on marriage appears to be King Solomon. In his book, he wrote flattering comments about his bride, but none is as …
In Larry Osborne’s book, Sticky Teams, he used one of the greatest illustrations regarding ministry teams I have ever read. He equated ministry teams to different types of sports. The thought-provoking idea is how some ministry teams grow in size but never change to maintain effectiveness. Here is a snippet from his excellent book. I liken them to sports. As …
A.W. Tozer explains a wondrous concept about tuning pianos and uniting worshipers: “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred …
If you look at your current financial picture, you might notice too many issues to address at once. Instead of becoming overwhelmed by the numerous tasks, rely on biblical wisdom and align your plan with immediate obedience and gradual progression. #1. Prioritize God’s wisdom over others’ opinions. Proverbs 2:3-4 – Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your …
I attempted to create a discipleship guide in 2018. Instead, God showed me a paradigm contained in Scripture. I wanted to show my church how to use it in 2019. In addition, people outside our church asked if I could share the process. I released a book, a Bible study workbook, and a bunch of free resources at the end …
Giving his life away for gospel ministry landed Paul in prison, and yet all he could talk about was the need to rejoice. If he could find joy in there, we should be able to find joy no matter where we are.
As a newly-married man, the first book I ever read on finances was from Dave Ramsey. The principles he taught me caused me to look at finances differently from that point forward. While there are many books out there on finances for the Christian, these are my favorite so far. I believe each of these is extremely practical and thorough. …
I am eager to begin our four-month study through the Book of Philippians. We start this sermon series this Sunday! The Apostle Paul was no stranger to emotional stress. Giving his life away for gospel ministry landed him in prison, and yet all he could talk about was the need to rejoice. We will go through this book to see …
The more that God blesses us financially, the more we can bless others as well. Within the heart of God, we learn how to further our personal generosity. The Standard of Giving The standard of giving is God because He is the original and the ultimate Giver. Proverbs 14:31 – Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker; but he …
I was asked to serve as a trustee during a transitional time in North Greenville University’s history. As I finish my final stint on a 5-year term, our board has asked me to serve as chair. I was surprised to have been asked to serve as a trustee, and I was blindsided by the request to serve as chairman. I …
It is never an ordinary day when Jesus shows up to your job. In the initial stages of Jesus’ ministry, his reputation was spreading quickly. This man was no regular rabbi. He was not a humdrum holy man. When he interrupted your life, you would eventually thank him for it. Read what happened when Jesus called some of his first …
While there are many examples of how Jesus trained his disciples, we are limited in our exposure. With them spending three years with him, they experienced countless lessons and experiences of which we are unfortunately unaware. Jesus did so much in his life that the world is unable to contain all the volumes that they could have written about him …
On January 13, 2020, Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow led the LSU Tigers to defeat the Clemson Tigers for the National Championship. As a Clemson fan, it was a disappointing loss but one that provided plenty of respect for the solid LSU team. They figured out how to get it done on both sides of the ball and had a …
Whenever we refuse to handle our finances God’s way, we invite unnecessary chaos into our lives. In the Book of Proverbs, God provides practical wisdom that is as relevant today as when it was first written. Discover God’s will for your money, and you will experience God’s best for your life.
In 2019, our preaching team worked through Mark, Membership Matters, Psalms [Vol. 1], Distinctive Discipleship, Malachi, and He Shall Be Called. Out of those sermons, the list below reveals the sermons that were viewed online more than any others. It is such a revealing and interesting list to see which sermons trended more than others. I pray that our church’s …
I started TravisAgnew.org in 2007 as an online opportunity to share what God was teaching me with whoever would engage. I have been so thankful to those who have encouraged me along the way regarding its content. 1,091,830 visitors 1,779,749 views As I look back over the last decade, I wanted to share with you the top 10 trending posts …
Join us this coming Sunday at Rocky Creek as we start 2020 by addressing our finances biblically. We will start a 5-week sermon series called Financial Proverbs. Whenever we refuse to handle our finances God’s way, we invite unnecessary chaos into our lives. In the Book of Proverbs, God provides practical wisdom that is as relevant today as when it …
For all those who read weekly articles I post, I want to say thank you! Some posts connect more than others. Below are the top 10 posts from TravisAgnew.org for 2019. If you would like to subscribe to my weekly newsletter so you never have to miss an article, you can sign up for the Weekly Wrapup. I send out …
If every Christian is in a unique place surrounded by specific challenges, why do we think that a broad approach will work for every single one of us? In this 11-chapter book, you can learn the biblical framework for discipleship and a practical guide to getting started with your own growth or in helping to disciple another. Like me, you …
You must be logged in to post a comment.