In the article below, GCI-USA Publications Editor Ted Johnston suggests ways to use the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), including RCL-based sermons provided each month here in “Equipper.” In one of his GCI Weekly Update articles on The Church and its Ministry, Gary Deddo says this about preaching: The focus of preaching is to identify and remind ourselves of … Continue reading "The priority of preaching: using the RCL" Read the article
This article is from GCI-USA Regional Pastor Randy Bloom. A current big push in exercise has to do with strengthening the body’s “core.” Doing so is viewed as essential to overall strength and health. As I’ll explain in this article, when it comes to strength and health in a church, it’s vital that pastoral leaders … Continue reading "The priority of leadership: growing a strong leader CORE" Read the article
GCI provides many resources to help its members and others understand GCI’s incarnational Trinitarian theological vision. Here are a few: The booklet The God Revealed in Jesus Christ, which overviews the key concepts of GCI’s theology. The article “The Nicene Creed’s Incarnational Trinitarian Roots,” which examines a key aspect of the historic roots of GCI’s theology. The … Continue reading "Resources for theological renewal" Read the article
Here is part 1 of an essay titled Clarifying Our Theological Vision by Gary Deddo, with an introduction from Joseph Tkach. The essay is being published serially here in Equipper. To read each part, click on a link: introduction, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. To read the full essay in one article, click here. For … Continue reading "Clarifying Our Theological Vision, part 1" Read the article
This is the introduction to Clarifying Our Theological Vision, an essay by Gary Deddo, with the introduction from Joseph Tkach. It is being published serially here in Equipper. To read each part, click a link: introduction, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. To read the full essay in one article, click here. For the related essay, … Continue reading "Clarifying Our Theological Vision, introduction" Read the article
A significant aspect of our renewal as congregations is developing “healthy habits” related to reaching out to and engaging the unchurched community. For help, read Sam Butler’s article in this issue on community assessment, and check out these articles on various related topics: The Hospitable Gospel by Ed Stetzer 7 Reasons Churches That Want To Reach … Continue reading "Community outreach resources" Read the article
In order for a congregation to participate actively in what Christ is doing in the community where it meets, it must get to know that community well. There are multiple ways to do so with a particularly effective one being the nine-step community assessment process detailed in the article below by GCI pastor Sam Butler … Continue reading "How to conduct a community assessment" Read the article
Below are links to inexpensive or free resources that address key aspects of congregational leadership. We don’t necessarily endorse the full content of each one, but all of them provide helpful food for thought and discussion. Discerning God’s Will As a Group. This training pack from Building Church Leaders teaches ways for a leadership group to … Continue reading "Team-based leadership resources" Read the article
This article is from Rick Shallenberger, a GCI-USA regional pastor and a contributing editor and feature writer for Equipper. This is part 2 of a series on Christian leadership. For other articles in the series, click a number: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Do you know what it’s like to be on the other side … Continue reading "On leadership: Know yourself to lead yourself" Read the article
This article is by Rick Shallenberger, who serves as a U.S. regional pastor and a contributing editor for GCI-USA publications. This is part 1 of a series on Christian leadership. For other articles in the series, click a number: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. In his letter this month, Greg Williams mentions CAD’s commitment to … Continue reading "On leadership: Commitment to high support-high challenge" Read the article
