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The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups, by Daniel Coyle, Copyright © 2018 by Daniel Coyle; Bantam Books, New York Learn more about this book and buy it on Amazon: The Culture Code. If you buy from this link, I will get a commission. The book will cost the same. Here are the…
One of the most disruptive things to me about COVID-19 has been the Lord’s Supper. For more than forty years, I’ve had a structured meditation for the Lord’s Supper. There are reflections while I’m eating the bread and another series of thoughts for the fruit of the vine. In most congregations, there’s been adequate time…
About two years ago, I visited with a pastor who started a new church. It was in a section of town where people told me you couldn’t grow a church. The neighborhood was changing. This man and his family had started the church in his living room with very few people about three or four…
Family Systems and Congregational Life: A Map for Ministry, by R. Robert Creech, © 2019 by R. Robert Creech, Baker Academic Grand Rapids Robert Creech describes a leadership theory that says a person best leads by improving self more than making others do the right thing. You can view and buy this book on Amazon: Family Systems…
Fifty years ago, I started repeating favorite verses and sayings after my run: Physical exercise has some value (1 Timothy 4:8, GNB). As time progressed, I added more content that was meaningful. When I finish a run, I walk about a quarter of a mile to cool down. During this time I repeat this. What follows…
The Peacemaking Pastor: a Biblical Guide to Resolving Church Conflict, by Alfred Poirier, © 2006 by Alfred Poirier, published by Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, ISBN 978–1–4412–0142–3 This book has a good analysis of conflict with practical suggestions on dealing with it. Is it a hindrance or opportunity? Since it is a reality of human relationships,…
In the late nineteen eighties, I told Gail, “I’d like to move one more time and do it easier.” Fresh out of school, I didn’t know what I was doing when I went to my first work and I didn’t know what I was doing when I moved eighteen months later. The second church fired…
I realize there are times and circumstances where preachers have to be terminated. There are instances of moral misconduct with no repentance or damage that can’t be repaired. A rebellious attitude can disrupt the unity of the congregation. There are other times when speed isn’t imperative. There’s time to think about what needs to be…
Names: Top Row (L-R) Tony Deason, Amy Deason, Chandler Coffman, Steven McGhee, Leigh Ellen Bristow, Craig Bristow Middle Row (L-R) David Watkins, Janet Watkins, Annetta Gregory, Doug Gregory, Jerrie Barber Front Row (L-R) Danny Bruce McGhee, Sandy McGhee, Jonathan Hughes, Danelle Hughes, Gail Barber Kids (L-R) Winford Hughes, Jaren Miller, Levi Hughes, Brooke Hughes, Timothy…
UPROAR: Calm Leadership in Anxious Times, by Peter L. Steinke, Rowman & Littlefied, Lanham; Copyright © 2019 by The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc; ISBN 9781538116531 Peter Steinke died July 13, 2020. This was his last book. He had been studying, writing, and teaching about family systems for twenty-five years. I went to a…