By Rev. Jerry Chiles I have survived so far in this COVID-19 pandemic. I think I’m OK, but have some bumps and bruises. I find myself not knowing what comes next. I hear about lawsuits to allow churches to reopen, and I listened to the health experts who are very cautious. What do I do? […]
I Don’t Know What to Do Read More »
By Rev. Jerry Chiles You might be asking yourself, “Why am I here at this junction of history? Why am I having to go through this crisis? I am exhausted. God why are you doing this to us?” God is not the one who is doing this to us. Is God present in this crisis? Yes!
In the Middle of the Crisis Read More »
Pre-pandemic, I wrote my article about recruiting lay leadership, “It Gets Harder Every Year.” And we thought we had problems then! Here are some thoughts about recruitment during the pandemic and post-pandemic. What we know: People are staying home. Or, they are at least staying-in-place, which could mean with a relative or in a vacation
Recruitment During and After the Pandemic Read More »
By. Dr. Rick Jordan Editor’s note: With our attention focused on the pandemic these days, we also don’t need to forget that we cannot do ministry by ourselves. We must have other people joining us! Whether we return to our churches soon or sometime later, these helpful tips from our new partner, Dr. Rick Jordan, will
It Gets Harder Every Year Read More »
by Dr. Paul Raybon We hope that the following ideas from our partner, Paul Raybon, can help guide your church in these challenging days of the pandemic. Who is empowered to make decisions? Health and safety issues may develop too quickly for deliberative processes. What are triggers for implementing changes? Deciding these up front can
Public Health and Safety Emergency Continuity Planning For Your Church Read More »
Editor’s note: All of us at the Barnabas Partneship have been praying for you and your church as you go through unchartered waters in these last few weeks due to the coronoavirus pandemic. But we also felt that we needed to bring a sense of “normalcy” by posting this article because ministry must still continue.
It’s Not Just a Stick! Read More »
One of the key tools in assessing the health of a congregation is asking the questions “what’s working?” and “what’s not working?” This is NOT the same as “what do you like?” and “what don’t you like?” There could be a ministry that you passionately support that is not doing what it needs to do.
How’s Your Vision: What’s Working/Not Working? Read More »
by Dr. Paul Raybon I made my annual trip to the eye doctor last week. When you read for work and pleasure as well as spend a lot of time in front of a computer screen, you take care of your eyes. I’m always fascinated by the whole process. Having pictures taken of the inside
Over the years I have fallen into the ministry trap of if you want to get something done right, you have to do it yourself. There is a certain wiring of any minister’s DNA, I think, that wants to do a good job in part because we tend to be perfectionists or it reflects on
The Significance of Going from One to Three Read More »
by Steve Zimmerman Growing up out West in Oklahoma you cannot help but be influenced by some of the culture. To this day I still get homesick when the sun sets in the evening and not be able to see the whole glory of the heavens in their splendor like that on the Great Plains.
