I am looking forward to this coming Sunday evening on October 10th at 5:30 pm where we will gather at FBC Platte City for the 83rd Clay Platte Baptist Association annual meeting. There we will share a meal together and spend time celebrating what God is doing in our association of churches and looking ahead for what…
Not long ago I was having a conversation where someone made the statement, “Healthy churches are growing churches.” That is correct but there is another factor in defining what it means to be healthy. While it is true that most things in life that are healthy grow – it is usually only up to the…
When it comes to ministry – motivation matters. When I felt the call to ministry years ago my motivation was rooted in my love for the Lord and the desire to please Him by serving his people well. After preparing for ministry and being called as pastor in my first church, I continued to be…
“Help, Hope and Healing” is the motto for the SBC Disaster Relief ministry. Under the leadership of Artie Horn, Joe Dayringer, David Davis, Doug Hager and others, our associational Disaster Relief team is made up of a great group of volunteers with a servant’s heart who have faithfully gone out to show and share the…
With Labor Day coming up I thought I would say a word about how important your work as a pastor is. While our government leaders have been slow to consider churches “essential business” we know that our work is not only essential, it is eternal as well. I am so thankful for our pastors and…
It is that time of year where football at all levels – high school, college, and professional – is ramping up and the games will soon begin. I have always enjoyed the game and spent plenty of time watching them in person or on the television. One of the things sports fans are watching is…
As I conclude this series of sharing traits of an effective leader, this week I focus on how leaders are to be joyful enthusiastic encouragers. I had a friend who is a pilot tell me that one of the instruments planes have is an “attitude indicator.” It simply lets the pilot know if the nose…
As I continue sharing traits of an effective leader, this week I focus on how leaders are proactive in developing leaders and building teams. The truth is that no one person can accomplish the mission Jesus gave us alone. Jesus modeled how important it is to multiply yourself. The people he picked to advance his…
This week as I continue sharing traits of an effective leader, I focus on the need for leaders to work hard at building relationships with the people they lead. As a task-oriented person, I have had to learn how important it is to be people oriented as well. I remember a pastor I served under…
This week as I continue sharing traits of an effective leader, I focus on the need for leaders to be lifelong learners always pursuing the truth. Leaders do well to read broadly and expose themselves to great thinkers. There is always great value in learning from others who have gone before and to glean from…