“You need to get in here immediately, if not sooner!” This parental edict, still lingering in the annals of my adolescent memories recorded over half a century ago, left no wiggle room for negotiations. I never did figure out what could possibly be sooner than immediately, but I did know the only option was to […]
Long before I became an IC pastor, my marriage and ministry were unexpectedly saved by an IC. In 2009, my family and I were serving in Christian ministry in Mali, West Africa when I suddenly became very sick. The doctors in Mali were unable to diagnose my illness and I was medevaced to France for […]
“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 If you read various articles from a variety of different news services, you might have noticed a recent trend. Christian leaders and pastors have decided to leave the ministry. […]
A Message from Warren Reeve In 2013 my wife Debbie and I participated in a team trip to Israel with the intent to plant an IC. Included in the consideration were several days in Palestine. What remains are the vivid memories of Palestine and Palestinians. Behind the checkpoints and inside the 12 meter wall surrounding […]
Our house backs on a seven-acre pond with a bounty of wildlife sharing the land with us. Among them are generations of geese who faithfully visit us every morning at the crack of dawn, confident they will be given their daily bread. The most recent brood appeared a couple of months ago with nine teensy […]
Over the past twenty years I have assisted numerous international churches when they were looking for a new Senior Pastor. Professionally I am an executive recruiter primarily serving North American evangelical organizations but having met my wife in an international church in Sao Paulo when I was an expat and she was with Wycliffe I […]
Open Your Eyes! There Is More To See Than You Realize, And It matters! Profile for an Effective International Church Leader (Part 4) Keep your eyes, your ears, and your mind open! Effective IC ministry has much to do with how the leaders understand the complex realities before them. A distorted understanding of the church […]
No matter where you go, you take yourself, your whole self, with you! You can never get away from all you are, the good the bad, and the ugly. Every IC pastor and leader brings inner strengths, weaknesses and vulnerabilities, and personal history that must be honestly understood and addressed. The less you know about […]
Where Do You Think You Are Going? What do you think you are doing? Are you sure that you are leading your international church (IC) toward God’s vision for the church? Is your mission well-aligned with, and incorporated into, God’s mission? What is God’s mission for the nation in which the IC is located? If […]
We often talk of the right fit. A church leader may fit well into one church but not in another: there are plenty of examples of good leaders doing well in the home church but then struggling in the very different world of an international church (IC). How do you discern how well you might […]