The vision of the Free Methodist Church is to see a healthy church within the reach of every Canadian and beyond. Here are some of the ways that we are currently working to make that happen.
It’s that time of year when many of us start thinking about what’s next. We review where we are and consider where we want to be. Then we plan out the changes we need to make in order to get there. We call them New Year’s Resolutions. As we […]
As we wrap up 2016 and look ahead to the new year, I want to share four important thoughts with you. 1) One another. “One another” shows up over and over again in the Scriptures. It is often used in the context of how Christ followers are to live together.
The last in this series from Karl Vater’s, Expanding the Sweet Spot for a Healthy Church Turnaround, focuses on knowing and expanding the zone where the hearts of the pastor and congregation meet up with God’s heart is essential for a successful church turnaround.
Expanding the Sweet Spot for a Healthy Church Turnaround Read More
“Leading an existing church through a turnaround from unhealthy to healthy is one of the hardest tasks a pastor will ever be called to do. And it’s even harder when we’re trying to do so without understanding some basic principles needed for a successful turnaround to take place. In The 4
The 4 Most Overlooked Realities of a Healthy Church Turnaround Read More
“There are some misunderstandings on this subject. What one person means by a church turnaround might be completely different from what another person means. So here are three things I don’t mean when I talk about a church turnaround.” “3 Suprising Misunderstandings About Church Turnarounds“, is the first in a
3 Surprising Misunderstandings About Church Turnarounds Read More
Thanks to my friend Tanya, whose heartfelt conversation with me helped stir and focus these thoughts. Scripture talks about God’s church being like a body. And when it talks about the body, it talks about a lot of different parts needing to work together. It talks about all these parts
“Churches that stop growing almost always have lost their heart for outsiders. Even if many say they’re still passionate about reaching new people, their actions deny their intentions. So how do you know whether your church is focused on insiders?” Well for a start, read Carey Nieuwhof’s “5 Tell-Tale Signs
5 Tell-Tale Signs Your Congregation Is Insider-Focused Read More
“All work—paid and unpaid—is good, but it needs to be boundaried by the practice of Sabbath. The problem with too many leaders is that we allow our work to trespass on every other area of life, disrupting the balanced rhythm of work and rest God created for our good. Sabbath
This past September I sat down with nine people involved in student ministries across Canada to talk about about young people and the Free Methodist Church in Canada. I wanted to start a conversation about student ministry and how to develop Godly competent leaders for the church. It was quite
“For most of my life, I rejected the “r” word. Ritual. After all, why would I want to pray someone else’s prayer? (Never mind the fact that this is precisely what we do when we read the Psalms.) Who wants to perform a mindless activity? Eventually, I realized that I
