The irony of the idiom, "It goes without saying" is that it is usually followed up by saying what it is that "goes without saying."  This month Bob Osborne, Director of Church Health for EFCA West, urges church leaders to acknowledge that there is something that often does "go without saying" among the membership, which leaves many local churches missing a key aspect of their calling.  Once again, Bob does an excellent job of highlighting something that leaders need to talk about.  Read (and talk about) "It Goes Without Saying."

Shane Bennett wrote in a recent edition of Missions Catalyst, a free weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry, about Coffee for Your Soul.  Shane points out that while there are many disturbing things that occur throughout the world, there are also reasons to hope.

	Simplicity Parenting Preview

Recent studies seem to confirm that the combination of the amount of information to which children are exposed and the pace at which they live life has created stress levels that they are not developmentally equipped to handle.  In her article Simplifying Childhood May Protect Against Mental Health Issues, Tracy Gillett highlights what the issues are and how they can be addressed by parents.  The article holds strong implications for churches and their ministries as well.

Eric Geiger writes in his blog regarding Three Thoughts on Discipleship and Jesus' Method.  According to the author, Mark 3:14 contains three key aspects of discipleship.  "And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach."  How are you and your church doing with these three aspects?

In a recent article, Thom Rainer differentiates between the traditional bivocational pastor who serves churches that are unable to compensate a pastor with full-time pay, and the marketplace pastor who serves in churches that could offer full-time compensation to the pastor, but they choose not to do so.  Rainer sees eight advantages to this paradigm.  Read Eight Characteristics of the New Bivocational Pastor for his view on this new trend.

According to Thom Rainer, between 1% and 2% of churches close each year.  In his article Seven Ways Churches Should Die with Dignity, Rainer has seven suggestions regarding how to help a church that is nearing the end of its life cycle.

While the Entrepreneur article Seven Interview Questions That Determine Emotional Intelligence  is directed to those in business, the questions used may also be very helpful when interviewing volunteers or potential staff for a church.

Recently The Gospel Coalition asked a number of pastors for a short list of books every church planter should read.  Read through TGC Asks: 3 Books Every Church Planter Should Read and note which books may be most helpful in the current season of your life.

Many times authors, bloggers and church consultants have lists of things leaders should be doing.  As a change of pace, Ron Edmondson recently highlighted Seven Things Every Leader Needs to Quit Immediately.