Introduction Like many churched children, I was one of those who received my first “real” Bible when I was very young. It was my birthday, and it was also Easter, the perfect time to receive such a gift. I remember thumbing through the pages and being just a little distressed that there weren’t more pictures,…
The capital letter “C” church has been a part of my life since I was about eleven years old. I have worked in churches, volunteered with ministries, gone to seminary and surrounded myself with Christian fellowship. While I have been active in many different churches over the years, I have more often than not felt…
I remember one night I had six kids show up for junior high youth group. That’s right, SIX KIDS. Normally, we’d have around 25-30, so six was pretty shocking. A few of my leaders were making negative comments about where all the kids were. Instead of dwelling on who wasn’t there, I decided this was…
In life and ministry, measurements matter. We measure things that are important to us, and when we don’t things can get out of hand quickly. Think about it, most of us measure our bank accounts and weight pretty regularly. Stop doing that for a little while and see how things turn out! Odds are you…
Two years ago my family and I picked up and moved to a new city and a new church. It’s been a crazy good couple of years for us, and we’ve loved every second of it! However, the transition didn’t come without it’s challenges. Over the past couple of years, I have discovered three must haves…
The Uncovered Dish Christian Leadership Podcast is a bi-monthly podcast on Christian leadership by the United Methodist Church of Greater New Jersey that uncovers stories, equips leaders, and changes the world. In this gospel-centered podcast hosts James Lee and Kaitlynn Deal invite guest on the show to share, discuss, and journey with listeners on what churches and congregations…
It’s that time of year. Throughout Fall, we see signs that proclaim gratefulness and the tone of social media becomes more positive. People speak about what makes them thankful. They post pictures, and use words, to show their gratefulness. As we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, let’s not forget those who share our tasks, teach our…
Every ministry faces growth barriers. No church grows all the time without facing a plateau or season of struggles. The question isn’t if we will face growth barriers, it’s what will we do when they come? We will all face growth barriers, but we don’t have bow down to them! You can overcome them and…