The difference between teaching and preaching By Randy Bloom, US East Regional Director When was the last time you heard an inspirational sermon? When was the last time you preached one? (I used the word, “preach.” You’ll see why later.) These may be difficult questions to ask and answer. I’ve heard some inspirational sermons. I … Continue reading "Foundation of Inspirational Sermons" Read the article
Affirmation and appreciation go a long way in deepening relationships and making sure another person knows that you value them. A Healthy Church takes the time to acknowledge and say thank you to volunteers and leaders. One way pastors can affirm their team is through a personalized note. Check out the GCI branded pastoral letterhead … Continue reading "Love Venue: Volunteer Appreciation" Read the article
A tongue-in-cheek idea to keep church the way we like it. Because we like things the way they are and don’t want new guests to return, let’s make sure we incorporate at least a few of the following behaviors – things that seem normal to us, but might seem odd or overly strange to guests … Continue reading "Don’t Mess Up My Church" Read the article
Here are a few nuts and bolts. By Randy Bloom, US East Regional Director I think all of us would agree that God is worthy of the best we can do – and this includes preparing for a Sunday worship service. Worship is participating with Jesus’ worship of the Father. It’s important that we make … Continue reading "Worship Service Prep" Read the article
By Randy Bloom, US East Regional Director As I write this article my wife, Deb, and I are experiencing the joy of getting to know our new granddaughter. She is beautiful and we love being with her. Prior to her birth, our son and his wife went to great lengths to prepare for her arrival … Continue reading "The Foundations of Planning Worship" Read the article
By Bill Hall, National Director for Canada Recently, my wife and I had an interesting conversation with our son. He informed us that the 1st of July was the first anniversary of his first date with his girlfriend. Since this date is also the date of Canada’s birthday, I’m sure we’ll all be able to … Continue reading "Celebrations: Special Days and Events" Read the article
The first half of our We Believe discipleship resource is now available in a workbook format. The workbook is developed to the spark conversation and make these resources more applicable for small groups and discipleship classes. We also made one change to the original document. To better reflect our praxis on infant baptism and for greater clarity, we have … Continue reading "“We Believe” Workbook" Read the article
First impressions can bridge someone into the life of a faith community; it can also become a stumbling block. By Heber Ticas, pastor and Superintendent of Latin America. Maria had lived in isolation for about 13 years before encountering our spiritual family. She had fallen into a deep depression and a sense of emptiness after … Continue reading "Sunday Celebration First Impressions" Read the article
How do we assimilate people into our healthy congregations? By Randy Bloom, US East Regional Director When a renowned church leader taught that pastors need to get used to the idea that more people will come and go from church than come and stay, I felt encouraged and a bit frustrated. I was encouraged because … Continue reading "People Come, People Go; Some Stay" Read the article
By Randy Bloom. US East Regional Director Have you ever woken up on a Sunday morning and felt like staying home from church? I’m not keen on admitting it, but I have. Sometimes there were legitimate reasons such as illness or extreme exhaustion; but other times I was just being lazy. After getting up and … Continue reading "Thinking About Skipping Church?" Read the article
