We all know that emotional health plays a large part in the rest of your health. If you are stressed or there is something weighing on you, the evidence of that can be seen physically and spiritually. In this article by Pete Scazzero, the founder of New Life Fellowship Church in Queens, New York City, NY, he talks about the moment he realized that he had not been leading from a place of emotional health. At that point, he knew he was going to need to make some major changes both for his sake and for the sake of his church. He goes on to share four things that he believes will help pastors refocus, step back into leading from a place of emotional health and ultimately allow the church to grow and become everything God has intended it to be.
You can read the full article on outreachmagazine.com!
For over twenty years, Pastor Jeff Leake has served as the Lead Pastor at Allison Park Church in Pittsburgh, PA. It’s safe to say that during that time, he has learned a thing or two about how to be successful in ministry. In this post from his website, he shares about the importance of having someone to speak into your life and provide a spiritual covering and the characteristics that person should have.
We had the pleasure of talking with Sam Tesh of CIVIL Creative Agency about the importance of the environments we create for our churches. Whether we realize it or not, a message is communicated long before a word is ever spoken. In this ARC Hangout, Sam shares the wisdom and insight he’s gained over years of working with churches and organizations to make their space impactful so whether you’re in a large building or in a temporary location, these tips can work for you!
I love Amazon Prime because I am guaranteed free 2-day shipping! It’s an amazing world we live in with smart phones, apps, and online streaming. We live in an on-demand world.
None of us like to wait. I mean, doesn’t a yellow traffic light translate, “Quick, speed up!” rather than slow down and wait?! But the longer I’ve navigated life, leadership, and ministry, the more I see the importance of learning how to wait. So what makes waiting so hard?
I’ve found that in seasons of uncertainty and waiting, it’s easy to get insecure. It’s easy to question if what I am hoping for is ever going to happen. Sometimes I don’t even know what I can hope for. We know that hope deferred makes the heart sick, which can make seasons of waiting a frustrating place.
My husband and I planted Substance Church almost 11 years ago in Minneapolis, MN. As church planters and leaders we have always had a huge vision in our heart. But if I can be honest, it’s always surprised me to watch how long it has taken for parts of the vision to be seen and walked out. Like all church planters, we have tried to get a permanent facility. I’m excited to say that we are FINALLY renovating our first facility and should be moved in by January 2016. But if the Lord had told me 7 years ago that it would take this long for us to get a facility, I would have wept. In all honesty, while I can now see that God’s timing for us and Substance is perfect, the last few years as we cast vision, searched for land/properties, and raised funds for an ambiguous location, it was SO discouraging having door after door closed shut. Now I can see that God was doing a deep, beautiful work in our hearts, but let me share a few lessons I’ve learned in the trenches of waiting.
During seasons of waiting, it’s easy to get insecure and think that if I was a better leader, employee, friend, wife, mom, etc., then maybe I wouldn’t be in this holding pattern – maybe I could actually make something happen sooner. And unfortunately the world is full of “Job’s friends” who affirm our insecurities by telling us what we need to do to get out of this particular season.
I’ve found that in seasons of waiting and uncertainty it’s easy to form our own theology about what God can or can’t do, or will or won’t do. We tend to look at our current experience and form our own beliefs rather than looking to God and His Word, which never changes.
I’ve also experienced that when I’m in seasons of waiting and uncertainty I have felt misunderstood. I felt like people were looking at my life and wondering why “fill in the blank” wasn’t happening, and honestly so was I. Unrealistic expectations can be so harmful in the waiting process.
Sometimes we are thrown into a season of waiting because of someone else’s bad decisions. I think of Joshua and Caleb who had to take a 40-year detour in the wilderness because 10 of their fellow “spies,” who were leaders, gave a bad report. (Numbers 13)
Seasons of waiting reveal who or what we trust. Do we lean on our own understanding or do we fully trust in The Lord? (Proverbs 3:5-6) Recently I heard Christine Caine talk about how when we wait upon the Lord we will renew our strength (Isaiah 40:31), but so many times we are waiting on the wrong thing – which is evident by our lack of strength. And because seasons of waiting have unknown timelines, it’s easy to become tired.
In human pregnancy, we know that the gestational period is 9 months. But when it comes to what God is birthing and forming in us, the gestational period isn’t always clear. If you talk to any woman who is 39 weeks pregnant, the number one question she gets asked is “when are you due?” It gets to the point where you don’t even want to go out in public because it’s so annoying being asked questions about something you have no control over. At least with pregnancy we know the baby will eventually come out (most health professionals won’t allow you to go past 42 weeks), but in life when there is no official “due date,” it’s much more difficult to answer life’s questions like, “Why aren’t you married yet?” “When are you having kids?” “Why aren’t you healed?” “Why don’t you have a church building yet?” It’s easy to get frustrated and insecure.
Yet when we look at Biblical precedent and the faith stories of the cloud of witnesses who have gone before us we see a pattern of waiting.
Abraham and Sarah waited 20 years before their dream came true.
Moses waited 40 years before he became a leader.
David spent years in the wilderness exiled and on the run before he became king.
Jesus waited 30 years before his “ministry” opportunities became public.
I don’t know what you are “waiting” for today. But let me encourage you with this: God sees and hears. (Genesis 16) He knows. (I Samuel 2) He has a plan. (Jeremiah 29:11) And when those insecurities, uncertainties, fears and anxieties try to mess with your thoughts and emotions, just take a deep breath and realize it’s a sign that you need to run to the One who loves you and knows you. When you know you have a good, good Father “who knows what you need before you even ask,”(Matthew 6) you can rest assured that “your times are in His hands.” (Psalm 31:15)
*For more ARC Women posts, visit the full blog site here!
Brady Boyd is the Senior Pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO and has been in ministry for several years. In this post from his blog, Ps. Brady shares some of the insight he’s learned over the two decades he’s spent in ministry and the three things he wished he had known when he began this journey. Not only is it incredibly helpful for church planters who are just starting out, but also for those who have been pastoring for years and just need a little encouragement!
Use this link to read the full post on Ps. Brady’s blog!
Dale Partridge recently released a book entitled People Over Profit. In this blog post, he recounts the story of discovering that his employees had more negative feedback on his leadership than positive feedback which led him to improve his strategies as the CEO and write this book. He also shares some of the main points he talks about in his book that will help anyone working to grow themselves and their team.
In this teaching, Ps. Luke Barnett from Phoenix First Assembly in Phoenix, AZ talks about "How to Grow Your Team" taking a cue from the best leader who ever existed - Jesus. He teaches about how to select your team by using the five tests that Jesus used when choosing his team.
We’re kicking off our Growth Series with this video from ministryhangouts.com. Ps. Shawn Wood talks with children’s pastors, Ps. Beth Cunningham from Church of the Highlands and Ps. Trinity Davis from Turning Point Church. They give some amazing insight into how children’s ministry works in their church, how they align their vision with the overall vision of the church, and what they’ve learned over their time working on this side of ministry.
In this part of our special ARC hangout series "Summer Serve,” we spoke with Steve Sjogren and his wife Janie. Credited with pioneering the movement of servant evangelism, Steve is the author of what many consider to be a definitive work on outreach, *Conspiracy of Kindness.” This conversation with Steve will inspire you to do whatever it takes to give the people of your community hope through simple acts of kindness done with love.
If you know anything about Ps. Dino Rizzo, you know that he has a heart for outreach and serving the local community. In this book, he talks about the servolution movement which he defines as “a significant change in the course of history sparked by simple acts of kindness.” But this book is more than just the history of this movement. Ps. Dino shares his insight into outreach, his passion, inspiring stories, and resources and ideas for you to get started on your own servolution journey.
7.5 Lessons I Learned About Outreach at Burning Man
Every year in the Nevada desert, an event called Burning Man takes place that could be compared to today’s version Woodstock. The event itself doesn’t have a single focus, but rather a number of purposes and it all differs based on who you talk to. Several years ago, Steve Sjogren attended Burning Man with the intention of serving those attending the event, and in this post he shares some amazing insight into what he learned during his time there.
I saw an Instagram post a few weeks ago from Dan Ohlerking. He posted a picture of Billy Hornsby that hangs on the wall within the ARC – Billy Hornsby Center for Church Planting building. I scrolled through my feed, double-clicked to “like” it and moved on. Later that day and in the days following, I found myself thinking about Brother Billy and the legacy he left behind. He is in heaven now along with his beautiful wife Charlene.
When I met Brother Billy in 2007, I was serving on staff at my church as our Pastor’s assistant. I was new to ministry and Brother Billy took time to talk with me and poured out wisdom about ministry, family and serving. He connected me with his sweet assistant, Gayle, to help me learn the ropes and to this day, she is a dear friend and a voice of wisdom in my life.
That’s what Brother Billy did…he loved you, he validated you in your calling and he connected you with people to help you. He cared about EVERYONE!! Through the next several years he would visit our church often and each time he’d pour out wisdom and guidance to our pastors, he would speak into our church, and he would love and encourage our staff.
When Brother Billy became sick and was nearing the end of his days, my pastor, his family, and a few of us from our church drove to visit him in the hospital. Brother Billy was frail but he, like always, just poured out. He spoke destiny over our pastors, their children and our church. He talked about what was really important in life, recited scripture and encouraged us.
When it was time to depart we prayed together, ending with Brother Billy praying for us!! We all gave hugs to him and Charlene and when I leaned down to give him a hug, he sweetly whispered, “You’re precious to do what you do for them (my pastors) and God is going to bless you for it.” I could not even see over the tears that filled my eyes.
On the entire ride home I thought, “I don’t feel precious, I feel selfish at times, I don’t always have a good attitude…how could he think what I did was of value…precious?” You know why? Because like Christ, Brother Billy looked at the heart…he saw your best intentions and placed value in everyone and everything. He loved the Lord with passion and was one of the wisest people I’ve ever known. I was no one to him in the grand scheme of his life, but he made me feel like I was a someone and boy did he impact my life. I still think and reflect on things he taught and said. I miss hearing him teach in our church, I miss his wisdom, funny stories and the way he thought EVERYONE should plant a church.
Finding those people who speak into your life, who gently steer you in the way you should go, is invaluable. Thousands of people were touched by the life of Billy Hornsby and I think he would fully expect them to touch the lives of thousands more. Relationships are so important – accountability, encouragement and guidance from those further down the road is a necessity in growing in our calling. We need each other!
Who is speaking into your life? Who are your go-to people…your 3am friends? Who are those people speaking life over you and praying for your increase? Find those people, foster those relationships, and be that person for someone!
Philippians 2:5, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Jesus Christ.”
For more posts by Erin, you can visit her blog here.
*For this and other posts like it, visit the ARC Women blog!
In this blog post, Steve Sjogren, the author of Conspiracy of Kindness, talks about the importance of increasing your impact in outreach, as well as every area of your life. These three tips that he gives are beneficial for those who want to go beyond themselves and touch the lives of people around them.
Small Groups-Based Outreach: it's a strategy for building effective outreach to your community that is working well for Church of the Highlands in Alabama. Ron Hogland is the Outreach Small Groups Hub leader at Church of the Highlands and he joined ARC's Executive Director Dino Rizzo in this conversation for our “Serve Summer” series. They talk about the strategic connection between small groups and outreach and you’ll learn how small groups can be the key to a sustainable and effective outreach culture in your church.
Steve Sjogren’s story is quite unbelievable. During what should have been a very quick and simple medical procedure, something went wrong and he died on the operating table for several minutes. You would think that would be the catalyst for a life change, but Steve already had a passion for servant evangelism. In this book, he talks about that passion and how to communicate the love of Christ through serving others with acts of kindness.
