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Altar Care Ministry
We are looking for guidelines, resources, and training ideas to help make our workers more effective in helping those who have responded to altar calls. What procedures do other churches use to train their altar workers? What process do you take people through who respond to altar calls, and how do they do it? Are there any resources or outlines available for training altar care workers? What materials do you put into the hands of new converts, and how do you follow up on them? We want to see our altar care team better trained, better equipped, and more effective. What suggestions do other pastors have? Read the responses.
Awakening the Sleeping Giant
Rev. Tony Cooke
At the end of two WWII movies, Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) and Pearl Harbor (2001), Isoroku Yamamoto, Admiral of the Japanese fleet, says of the attack, “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.” History bears out that his concern was well-founded. Today, there is another sleeping giant that is being awakened...that also needs to lay hold of a great resolve. It is the Body of Christ! Read the article.
Strategic Restructuring for Success
An Audio Interview with Pastor Mark Cowart
In a brand new audio interview, Pastor Mark Cowart of Colorado Springs discusses the types of changes that need to be made as a church or ministry evolves. Mark shares excellent insights that will give leaders wisdom as they seek to streamline, reinvigorate, and reinvent their organizational structures to be more effective. Listen or download for free.
Image vs. Substance: Avoiding the ‘Saul Syndrome’ and Cultivating a ‘David Heart’
By Tony Cooke
There wasn’t anyone who seemed to be better “kingly material” than Saul. Scripture tells us, “…There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people” (1 Samuel 9:2). Saul not only looked good, but he was also humble. Unfortunately, the humility that marked Saul’s early days evaporated with his ascension to the throne... Read the article.
Honoring Our Greatest Generation
By Pastor Larry and Pam Millis
On Saturday, November 14, 2009 a celebration and tribute was held to honor veterans from WW-II and the Korean War, as well as people who grew up during the Great Depression. Members of Living Word Fellowship in St. Joseph worked and planned for months to make the event truly memorable. Songs from the era were performed by a chorus of church members and each honored guest was then individually recognized and presented with a small gift... Read the article.
The FAB of Follow Up
By Joe Cala
When I ask Pastors what they do to follow up with their visitors, the response is very familiar. For the most part I’ll hear pastors tell me that their Follow-Up System to the visitor consists of “A phone call,” “a letter,” and maybe if they’re really aggressive, “a visit to the house to pray with them.” At that point I ask, “now after that week is over and they didn’t come back, now what do you do?” Read the article.
The Cell Phone vs. The Bible
Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone? Read the thoughts.
Read all of our quotes by visiting our Quotes Page.
LOVE
“Love has reasons which reason cannot understand.”
- Blaise Pascal
DISAGREEMENT
“Agreement makes us soft and complacent; disagreement brings out our strength. Our real enemies are the people who make us feel so good that we are slowly, but inexorably, pulled down into the quicksand of smugness and self-satisfaction.”
- Sydney Harris
HUMILITY
“I must, in candor, say I do not think myself fit for the Presidency.”
- Abraham Lincoln
PRAYER
“The real victory in all service is won in secret beforehand by prayer.”
- S.D. Gordon
MONEY
“If all the gold in the world were melted down into a solid cube, it would be about the size of an eight-room house. If a man got possession of all that gold—billions of dollars worth, he could not buy a friend, character, peace of mind, clear conscience, or a sense of eternity.”
- Charles F. Banning