Encouraging, Equipping, and Engaging Ideas for Local Church Leaders

I’m excited to finally be able to introduce to you a new resource for local church leaders—Ministry127.com!

For many years, God has placed a passion in my heart for independent Baptist leaders to strive together for the faith of the Gospel (Philippians 1:27.) I thank God for friends and spiritual leaders around the world who have sharpened and encouraged me in the work of the Gospel. In that spirit, our team has been working for months on a new resource website called Ministry127.com (based upon Philippians 1:27.)

Just as our annual Spiritual Leadership Conference brings leaders together for mutual edification, even so, our prayer is that Ministry127.com will be a Spiritual Leadership Conference every day—online, at no charge! (more…)

Life is full of opportunities, and ministry multiplies these exponentially! The question of how to get it all done and avoid burnout is huge, especially for those constantly engaged in ministry. In the March edition of the Striving Together Podcast, we look at one of the busiest days in the life of Christ and see how He accomplished all the Father had planned for Him, even as the demands just kept coming.

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There is a difference between being busy and productive, and scheduling priorities is what makes the difference.  In this lesson, you will learn to identify your God-given roles and then develop a workable weekly plan to align your actions with the priorities God has placed in your life. (more…)

God has given us an incredible commission: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). He’s given us many resources to see this accomplished, but we are prone to forget one of the most basic—time.

Each of us has twenty-four hours in a day, and we are responsible to make every moment count for Christ! Sometimes it helps to remember the simple truths about time: (more…)

As parents, we have an awesome responsibility to raise our children for the Lord. Parenting is so much bigger than providing basic necessities of life; it requires nurturing young hearts in the ways of the Lord.

Our culture pressures us to assume false methods of parenting that sound logical by man’s reasoning but will ultimately damage our children. We must reject these worldly philosophies and follow the principles of God’s Word to bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

Below are four descriptions of parenting styles, three of which describe unbalanced approaches. These descriptions are helpful for parents with children of any ages, as they outline the heart philosophy of the parent rather than the behaviour of the child. (more…)

Our 2010 theme for Lancaster Baptist Church is “By His Spirit.” Truly, the Holy Spirit’s filling is a “must have” for every spiritual leader. Without His ministry in and through our lives, we will not properly fill the leadership roles in which God has placed us. But through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can see Him do the impossible!

Sometimes, however, we become a little fuzzy on what a Spirit-filled life looks like. Here are ten indicators that reveal the Holy Spirit’s filling in your life: (more…)