I met Andy Needham ten years ago while he was leading worship at youth ministry retreat in New Hampshire.  Andy has a heart for worship, and is a talented worship leader (a rare gift)… his new project, The Andy Needham Band, is doing some amazing things all up and down the east coast… you really need to check them out and follow what he is up to.  Check out some of Andy’s thoughts: Our new [...]

Ah, Valentine’s Day:  A time of love, hallmark making a killer profit, and the dude at 1-800-Flowers customer service call center offering to tell your wife that you really did have flowers ordered, and UPS killed them.  Yup, the one day of the year that flowers need to be on time, and nothing.  If nothing else, it makes for a funny story to remember next year… hope your Valentine’s day went smoother. So, while you [...]

The last seven days have found me in such exotic climes as Wilmington, Baltimore, and Columbia, Maryland (I know you are jealous).  Here is some of what has gone on here on Church Thought, and the #3at3. The week that was: Goal Setting and Accountability.  An update on my 2012 goals and a little conversation about what makes goals realistic. What Planting a Church Taught me.  I have been putting off launching into this story for about [...]

About a month ago I shared a little bit about what I am expecting to achieve in 2012.  As we have heard time and time again goals need to be shared, and monitored… or they have no chance of being realized.  With this in mind, I am planning (another goal?) to do a monthly update on where I stand on these three simple goals, and where I am headed.  My assumption is that some months [...]

I have been thinking for a while of doing a weekly summary of what has gone on here during the week that was.  My thought is to do a simple summary of the preceding week’s five posts, plus share the three most popular items shared on the 3 at 3: 3 items, shared at 3:00 pm every weekday that church leaders ought to see.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on whether this is a [...]

Last year J.R. Briggs and a team of others launched the Epic Fail Pastor’s Conference.  Realizing the need to deal with our failings and woundings in ministry in a healthy, non-perfect environment the conference allowed pastors (and recovering pastors) the opportunity to be honest, vulnerable, and hopeful with one another, themselves, and the Holy Spirit.  I asked J.R. to share a little of the story behind the conference with us.  Read through to the end to [...]

A while back I took part in a what has become my most favorite pastoral job interview ever… and I didn’t get the job.  Yeah, you read that right.  The interview lasted all of thirty minutes when one of the two people conducting the interview looked at me and said “I just don’t think that you are the best fit for this position.”  No one likes to hear that phrase, especially thirty minutes into the [...]

Seth Caddell is a Pastor in Yorktown, Virginia… his wife makes legendary enchiladas, and he has a blog that you need to subscribe to (like right now).  I am excited to have him sharing with us today. Why do churches die? That’s the question that haunts many struggling congregations.  To be honest, there are no real answers sometimes for why certain churches die.  Some just do.  But there are a few observations we can make [...]

I love watching trends in the church.  I really love the fact that part of my job depends on my ability to see what is going on in local churches across the country, learn from them, and help make churches stronger.  Earlier this week Geoff Surratt shared the first of five trends that concern him in the church, and I think he might be on to something. Geoff’s first concerning trend is what he is [...]

Ben Reed’s blog has been a significant part of my Google Reader feed for quite some time.  As a small groups geek I love hearing what he has to share about his experience as Small Groups Pastor at Grace Community Church in Clarksville, Tennessee.  I’ve asked Ben to share a little bit about what he has been stewing on leadership wise with us…  I love studying leadership. As John Maxwell says, “Everything rises and falls on [...]