The fear of the unknown…the fear of change…can and often does prove to be deadly when it comes to the life of a congregation. By Tim Sitterley, US West Regional Director At nine-thirty on a July evening in 1988, Andy Mochan was rousted from his sleep…first by alarm bells…and then the massive explosion that rocked … Continue reading "A Burning Platform" Read the article
By Randy Bloom, US Regional Director Years ago, faced with the challenge of leading major change in the congregations I pastored, I took the opportunity to visit some non-GCI churches. Initially, I was simply accepting invitations from pastor friends I made in a local ministerial association. Right away it occurred to me that accepting their … Continue reading "With a Little Help from Our Friends" Read the article
Dr. Gary Deddo, Grace Communion Seminary President, addresses the topic: What is the best version of the Bible to use? That question is asked often, and it is a good one. First, we have available in English an astonishing range of options to choose from—and growing. Second, there are different ways of translating and … Continue reading "Is There a Best Version of the Bible?" Read the article
Easter is a joyous celebration of the new life we have in Christ! Easter Sunday is the most attended church service every year. It is also a great opportunity to invite those who don’t normally attend to visit your church. Download and customize this month’s Church Hack, and encourage your members to invite their friends … Continue reading "Easter Invite Church Hack" Read the article
The Easter Preparation season is a time of preparing ourselves to receive from God a fresh and joyous grace. By Rick Shallenberger, Equipper Editor and US Regional Director Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before beginning his ministry. Many in the orthodox Christian world keep 40 days of Lent and focus on penance. But … Continue reading "Easter Preparation Season" Read the article
Like a great waterwheel, the liturgical (Christian calendar) year goes on relentlessly irrigating our soul, softening the ground of our hearts, nourishing the soil of our lives until the seed of the word of God begins to grow in us, comes to fruit in us, ripens us in the spiritual journey of a lifetime. —Joan … Continue reading "The Journey of Reorientation" Read the article
By Bret Miller, GCI IT Manager The number one way many people find a church to visit is by searching on the internet. This means investing time in developing a good website is vital. A good website should tell people about the church. What’s a church service like? Where is it? When is it? If … Continue reading "A Good Website – What’s Stopping You?" Read the article
By John McLean, Director of ACCM The GCI Worship Calendar is designed to focus our worship and attention directly on Jesus – his birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension, and the giving of the promised Comforter. Each one of us has our own personal story. Our stories are—naturally!—very important to us. Our birth, growth, adulthood. … Continue reading "The GCI Worship Calendar: Celebrating His Story" Read the article
What does a guest think when they experience your worship service? By Randy Bloom, Regional Director, Northeast “Honey, we have some new neighbors. Let’s invite them over for dinner.” “That’s a great idea, let’s do it. What should we fix for dinner?” “Oh, I don’t know. Let’s just have our leftovers from the other day. … Continue reading "Worship: Putting Others First" Read the article
In our constantly connected and fast-paced world, the call to worship is an opportunity to intentionally attune the hearts and minds of the congregation to our glorious God. It is powerful to remember that God is the one who calls to us and to corporately reflect on the same truth about his character and involvement … Continue reading "Church Hack – Call to Worship" Read the article
