When we first launched the Spiritual Leadership Conference twenty years ago, it was obvious to me that there was a need for emphasis on a biblical model of leadership.

Not the kind of leadership where pastors write and circulate mean letters about one another. Not the kind where leaders are known for sharp criticism. Not the kind where we lift ourselves up.

We wanted a conference that was based on a common understanding that we need the Holy Spirit’s filling in our lives. An understanding that if we would walk in the Spirit as leaders, we would not fulfill the lusts of the flesh expressed through carnal leadership. An understanding that it is only by pride that contention comes.

God has blessed the emphasis of spiritual leadership in this conference. This year, in particular, I’m praying that God will bring about revival in our hearts through the conference. I’m praying that the spiritual leadership in our churches will come to a new dimension by the grace of God.

In this growth points video, I share three aspects of the conference that are emphasized every year: spiritual leadership, servant leadership, and soulwinning leadership.

(If you cannot see this video in your RSS reader or email, you can watch it here.)

Much of the conference will be live streamed at lbclive.tv. But I invite you to personally join us. We’d love to serve you in any way that we can. We do have a few dorm rooms available yet, and we provide airport transportation as well. (more…)

There is no doubt that God’s grace is amazing and that His liberty to believers is abundant.

But what happens when we mix the truth of liberty with the spirit of pragmatism?

(If you cannot see this video in your RSS reader or email, you can watch it here.)

We live in a pragmatic age. Our culture’s default mentality is “If it works, it must be right” or “if I like it, I should be allowed to do it.” In many cases, we’ve carried that logic into local church ministry and then defended it by claiming Christian liberty.

I thank God for Christian liberty. I want to give that liberty to others, and I want to receive it from them. But I also want to be discerning enough to consider how my liberty will affect the generations following me. (more…)

If there is one Sunday of the year that is ideal for reaching people with the gospel, it is Easter Sunday.

First, many people who don’t ordinarily attend church will be looking for a church to attend this Sunday. And second, it is the ideal Sunday to preach a gospel-focused message about Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.

Your outreach efforts for Resurrection Sunday are probably already underway. In this growth points video, I’d like to share seven suggestions for maximizing that outreach. What do you do on Sunday after your guests arrive? And how can you begin preparing for that now?

(If you cannot see this video in your RSS reader or email, you can watch it here.) (more…)

Patience is not my strongest virtue. But there are areas in which church leaders cannot afford to be impatient. When it comes to knowing when it is time to begin a new building program, hire a staff member, launch a new ministry, and a hundred other decisions, we need to have the peace of God before moving forward. Especially, we need the presence of God on that part of the journey.

In this growth points video, I point out three provisions we miss without the presence of God.

(If you cannot see this video in your RSS reader or email, you can watch it here.)

(more…)

Busy ministry can easily overtake core convictions. When we find ourselves on a perpetual treadmill of activity, it’s wise to pause to remember the early convictions upon which we’ve been building.

In this week’s growth points video, revisit with me two convictions which must be central to the life and ministry of a spiritual leader.

(If you cannot see this video in your RSS reader or email, you can watch it here.)

1. The conviction to maintain personal integrity

We’ve all heard the stories of men whose integrity was sabotaged by their own neglect. Thinking they were doing great things by being busy for God, they became careless with their personal walk with God.

God did not create us as human doings, but as human beings. At it’s core, integrity is developed as we are real with God. This is a matter of personal commitment on our part to walk with the Lord, to walk in His Word, and to walk in honesty. (more…)