And it will be said: "Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people." For this is what the high and exalted One says -- he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with those who are contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite." Isaiah 57:14-16
I was very, very encouraged when I received this email from Pastor Tammy Swanson-Draheim from First Covenant Church in Mason City, Iowa.
I am so proud of Tammy and the congregation for following through on the Veritas challenge to create a behavioral covenant. She prefers to call it a “relational” covenant, which is a wonderful adaptation [...]
This week I received a prayer letter from Blessing Point Ministries. Their role is to help churches in the revitalization process.
What caught my attention is the “testing phase” and how this is similar to what some churches experience after they attend Veritas.
Check it out…
When a church responds to the Lord and addresses the [...]
American industry will never be the same. On Monday, G.M. declared bankruptcy. This story is all over the media and many pundits are weighing in on what went wrong from a business perspective.
I want to turn the conversation to a spiritual one. Now, I am not a businessman or an economist, but I’ve been wondering [...]
Dave Olson is my good friend and colleague. In a meeting once, I heard someone ask him to describe the ministry of church planting in the Covenant. I was intrigued by the way Dave answered the question.
Dave said, “Here are the five questions we are seeking to answer in the ministry of church planting.” And [...]
A Covenant pastor in his mid thirties designed a tee-shirt that grabbed my attention:
VERITAS ME. I Can Handle the Truth.
I admire this pastor’s courage to let the truth come out about himself and the congregation he leads. When I see pastors and congregations willing to confront their current reality in a civil, compassionate and Christ [...]
Being a pastor in today’s world is complex and challenging. Dallas Willard once told our D.Min. class, “There is so much pressure on pastors to succeed.” I know. I was one for 21 years.
While serving as a pastor I sometimes felt alone and discouraged. There were times when I simply did not know how to [...]
The journey of revitalization is both adventurous and treacherous. During the adventurous part of the journey, you can just feel the love, baby. I wish I could sing it like Barry White!
It is during the treacherous part of the journey that a Behavioral Covenant really comes into play. How do we walk in hand in [...]
Julie and I are members at Hope Covenant Church in Crystal Lake, Illinois. We started attending when we moved here three years ago. Within weeks of our arrival, the senior pastor resigned for another call, then an interim served for a year and now we have a new senior pastor. I am learning first hand [...]
You’ve got a 100 year old church… what does it take to move that church?
I mean really move it?!
Check out this video…
How would you apply this to the ministry of revitalization within in the Covenant?
Just a few hours ago, I received an encouraging email from a Covenant pastor. He told me, “Thanks for all you are doing for the Kingdom and our movement.” That felt really good, because I do get discouraged sometimes with the state of the church.
He directed my attention to a blog entry by William Willimon. [...]
