IC leaders ask more questions now than ever before? Slowly emerging from Covid…we scan the horizon for what the “new” normal will look like. As healthy and humble leaders, we need to ask critical questions of ourselves and the people God entrusts us to lead. The potential for unprecedented gospel ministry is right in front […]
Whose voices do you listen to most? To whom do you give a voice? In a world of increasing polarization – cultural, political, economic, religious – giving a voice to others requires considerably more intentionality, and a preparedness to be judged by those who prefer the simplicity of the “them and us” world. We listen […]
People attending for a long time without becoming members is common for all churches, especially for international and multi-cultural ones. Some join quickly, some more slowly, and some not at all. Why? The answer comes down to the issue identity. People join churches that they identify with. Pastors expect (and hope) for God to lead […]
The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim would say, “Let me cross over,” the Gileadites would ask him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he answered, “No,” they told him, “Please say Shibboleth.” If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce it correctly, they seized […]
It has been a deluge. Information, opinions, perspectives, denials, announcements, and no doubt much more to come. Christians have been just as prolific as the rest. Exploitation of the pandemic for other agendas has been equally voluminous, from politicians and some media outlets with primarily political agendas through to the horde of conspiracy theorists. Christian […]
Articles like this abound: many leaders are talking about COVID and the trends happening in the church….so what makes this article different? We are going to explore accelerated shifts not just in ministry, but in the International Church (IC). IC’s are unique, and so are IC leaders…It takes one to know one! (In fact MICN […]
Harold Abrahams won the Gold Medal for the 100 meters sprint at the 1924 Paris Olympics. His story, and that of Eric Liddell, is told in the movie “Chariots of Fire” though the movie has multiple historical flaws. In the movie at least, Abrahams is challenged by the Master of his Cambridge University College as […]
Where you live matters. Your context matters. God’s people have never been called into a ghetto, some kind of vacuum, protected by high walls of fear, suspicion, and judgementalism about everyone else. Your church’s context matters, it is the place where the church shines the light of the future in Christ, your city. Your church […]
I was reminded of this statement the other day in a book I was reading (another story for another day). It was a reference to those who “despise the day of small things” (Zechariah 4:10). It was intriguing as it stirred my mind to recall a number of similar perspectives. The context was the early […]
“Guardedness is the plague of the international church.” Long-time counselors to kingdom servants worldwide, Eric and Rachel DuFour made this bold statement in a workshop at the MICN Conference in 2018 and I have been thinking about it ever since. Guardedness is the inability to open one’s heart to deep connections. It is the compulsion […]