We must not forget that the gospel is the power of God for the salvation for all who would believe (Romans 1). God anoints the message of salvation through Jesus in a special way. When...
Opportunities do not come twice! For sure, sometimes another opportunity comes - but that is another opportunity! In actual fact, every opportunity comes once! And in a day and age when most people will...
For years church leaders have been lamenting about how difficult it is to get members to disciple (or mentor) others. Even when their own spiritual lives are healthy, many members wouldn't know what to say...
Would you like to start next year on a stronger foundation than you've ever had before - so you can achieve more in outreach? The new year is in swing, and I want to bring...
A young schoolboy who recently caught a ride with a friend of mine looked out the window and asked her, “What are all those buildings with the letter ‘t’ on top?” Times have changed! it...
Jesus had three key conversational techniques. (1) He asked questions, (2) he made provocative statements that drew people in (possibly the most difficult), and (3) he told stories from the natural world that aided understanding,...
Some people wrongly assume that, if we truly love people, we will find a way to share the gospel. I haven’t found this to be true. I’ve met many sincere Christians who would love to...
While many identify fear of rejection as a key hindrance to outreaching action, it is unavoidable that love conquers fear. No matter how much time we give to showing them how to outreach - if...
People are looking for something to believe in and give their lives to – and Jesus gives us just that. He calls us to the greatest mission on earth – and it is the responsibility...
I've had the book for about 3 years - and didn't read it because a skim-read led me to believe it was 'just another good book about church small groups - but one that, yet...
A friend recently recounted the typical journey of all organisations - including our churches and para-church organisation. It is an interesting reflection: Mission - movement - model (mechanism) - monument. (And, does the Shining Lights...
Sometimes it is the small things that count. Two 'punches' have more combined power than one. Imagine if your members, whenever they engaged in a spiritual conversation with a stranger, had something simple to give...
Today we live in a truly multi-media world, and this affects the way we disciple our members. Advertisers use multiple media to increase the 'volume' of their messages - and we are wise to do...
Vision is powerful. People are looking for something to believe in and give their lives to – and Jesus gives us just that. He calls us to the greatest mission on earth – and it...
Have you seen young people walk away from the faith of their heritage? Do you know newer Christians who are struggling to work out why we might believe Christianity to be true? I mean, what...
One of the great privileges of being a pastor or key Church leader is that we get to speak on key occasions like Christmas and Easter, births and funerals, baptisms and weddings. On these occasions...
I've been reading a leadership book (which I'll leave nameless because what follows). It promotes prayer as a vital leadership habit - but then it measures prayer in terms of time. It's a great book...
A recent Pew study claimed that New Zealand is one of only three countries in the world where the non-religious are expected to outnumber the religious by 2050, according to new research. They believed that...
In this November update to partnered church leaders is: 1. A planning calendar to make the most of the final phase at Easter 2016...
How much do you know about our nation’s bicultural heritage? Most New Zealanders are unaware that there are many positive stories in our early history. However, this awareness is important - because we learn a...