|
The Top Ten Leadership Commandments
|
By Hans Finzel
 Based on the life and legacy of Moses, Hans presents ten Scriptural principles that can change most everything. Moses answered the call to do something beyond his means; stood his ground before kings; led millions of people across rivers and through deserts. He did all this and more with a dogged persistence that would not give up. You will discover an effective tool for developing leadership skills, all built on the solid foundation of God's Word. 248 pages. #321 $14.99.
|
|
Communication
| |
It is vital that your church has good communication with all members. Informed members are much more effective for the life of the congregation. Use multiple avenues to communicate important news: Newsletters, informative worship bulletins, prayer chains, postcards, and one of the most effective means today: the internet. Ask each worshiper to record their email address for the church office on the attendance card or pad.
|
For Sermons
and Bulletins
|
They are your neighbors. When you pull out of your driveway, you wave at them as they water their lawn. Your kids attend the same school; they play touch football together in your yard. You may have even picked up their mail while they were on vacation. But have you every invited them to our church?
|
|
Ezekiel 1:4-28
Awesome
|
The prophet has trouble finding appropriate nouns and adjectives to describe the scene, and the scene is real. The wheel that moved in concert, the sparkling jewels, the lightning, and the brilliant light are pictures of God's power and glory. We cannot fully understand this description of God's glory, but Ezekiel is endeavoring to paint a word picture of the sovereignty, majesty, and glory of God. Take a look and see. |
|
For Pastor's Eyes Only
|
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
by John C. Maxwell. 30 years of successful leadership. Hard cover. 231 pages. New. Retails for $17.99. Free (including shipping) to the first pastor who emails us.
|
For Church Secretary's
Eyes Only
|
Apples of Gold compiled by Jo Petty: Love, Joy, Peace, etc. Hard cover. 86 pages. Gift edition. Gold cover. New. Retails for $15.00. Free (including shipping) to the first secretary (or office administrator) who emails us. |
|
Office Tips
|
Routine tasks need routine procedures if you want to stay organized and keep things running smoothly. Set up routines for handling paperwork and office systems. For instance, every piece of paper that comes into your office should be handled once, acted upon, and filed - not haphazardly piled on a desk. When you sit down at your desk, can you actually work comfortably there? Are things arranged so that the things that you use most at the desk are closest at hand? - Susan Ward
|
|
An Excellent Church Website
|
We like the attractive and informative website for Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church (LCMS), Sarasota, FL, Rev. Rossetter Leavitt and Rev. Todd Kuehn, pastors. Good eye appeal and good job identifying the programs and activities of the Church. Click Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church for ideas. Well done.
|
|
Guys - Are You Man Enough? Let's See!
|
If you own a dog, we KNOW that that you are not man enough to own a cat.
Seen in a local restaurant: "Life is short. Eat your desert first." Any of you guys man enough to do that?
|
|
Boy Scouts
|
Churches and other faith-based groups appear to be making plans to remove affiliation with the Boy Scouts of America. The Southern Baptist Convention will likely recommend that its 47,000 churches withdraw their support.
One new organization, On My Honor, has announced that it has formed an alternative to the Boy Scouts.
|
|
My Mother Taught Me. . .
|
About ANTICIPATION. "Just wait until we get home!"
About GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."
About my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"
About JUSTICE.
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"
|
|
Greetings! We invite you to hear the music and read the words to The River Is Here by Andy Park. This is the perfect song for the beginning of your contemporary worship service. It's upbeat and each stanza is introduced with Scripture. Jesus is the River! Please click The River Is Here. It's included included in the contemporary song book, The Best of the Best.
|
|
|
When All Seems Lost
|
Sermon by Pastor Don Ginkel on Lamentations 3:22-33  Several years ago I began to suffer from IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It was painful for any clothing to even touch my stomach. I couldn't wear underwear. My trousers had to be very loose fitting. About that time Nadine and I went to DIA to catch a flight. As I went through the scanner the alarm sounded. The TSA agent directed me to a spot close by for additional scanning with a hand held device. Now people were staring at me. The next agent said rather loudly, "Remove your belt and extend both arms out horizontally." It was then that I realized that my trousers would fall to the floor. Everything seem to implode. In a split second I could see the article on the front page of the Denver Post the next morning: "Lutheran Pastor Don Ginkel, a member of Ascension Lutheran Church, Littleton, was arrested yesterday at DIA for indecent exposure!" I said to the TSA man, "I don't think you want me to do that." He said, "Do it!"
I did it. And in a way I do not understand to this day, my trousers stayed in place.
Well, sometimes God asks us to endure a lot more suffering than that. Acts 14:22 says, "We must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God." Only two places on this planet are exempt - a few acres in southern California and a few in Florida, both run by a friendly talking mouse who wears suspenders. Now we are ready for a very important message entitled, WHEN ALL SEEMS LOST!
Throughout the world wherever there are Jews the Book of Lamentations is read in synagogues on the ninth day of the fourth month. That's the day the mighty Babylonian Empire destroyed the Holy City of Jerusalem in 606 B.C. Jeremiah was the man who was to try to save Jerusalem from destruction, but practically nobody listened to him. So he cried a lot. He was crying the day Jerusalem was destroyed - so he wrote this funeral song, a crying song, a lament. We call this book the Lamentations of Jeremiah. Let's look at - - The circumstances A. For Jeremiah. [read more]
|
|
|
10 Things I've Learned about Pastors
|
By Thom S. Rainer
I served as lead pastor in four churches and, when I was a seminary dean, as an interim pastor in eight more churches. I also served as a church consultant for about 20 years. . . . Here are ten things I've learned about pastors.
- They truly sense God's call in their lives. It's not just another job for them; it is, as one pastor told me, "an inescapable reality." [read more]
|
|
3 Ways to Continually Affirm the People You Lead
|
By Pastor Rick Warren
In America, we live in a very negative culture. Most people get far more jeers than cheers, far more pokes than strokes. We live in a society where the number one form of humor is put downs. People are put down, criticized, maligned. God calls us to do the exact opposite . . . When you appreciate people, you raise their value. If you have bought or sold real estate in these last few years, you know the meaning of appreciation. Every time you appreciate somebody you raise their value. How can you continually affirm people? [ read more]
|
|
Stack of Stuff
|
 Years ago I asked a pastor friend here in Denver if he had ever preached a sermon on hell. He said, 'No!' I dared him to do it. Four weeks later he called me and said he just did it last Sunday. I asked him how it went over. He said he thoroughly enjoyed the research and preaching it and that the congregation said it was one of the most moving sermons they had ever heard. Yes, you know what is next. Dare you!" - Pastor Don
"Provide worship services accordingly. For example, if you have a community with a large number of retirees, Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m., followed by a catered lunch at an inexpensive price might give you the chance to preach the Gospel to those who would never come on the weekend. Don't forget a Thursday evening service for the cabin/beach crowd." - Dr. Kent Hunter At some place in every worship service, before, during, or at the end, ask everyone to turn around and introduce themselves to at least one person. Free - high quality 90 minutes tape cassettes, 100 to a box. Tell us how many boxes you would like. Just pay shipping. Email us. Suggested Concerns for the Board of Elders
This Board should meet at least monthly with the Pastor. A secretary should keep notes and pass them out at the following meeting . . . They should keep themselves informed as to the church, communion, and Bible class attendance of the members assigned to them (not more than 12 family units). [read more]
"Gay people are not uniquely broken. That's a position we share with every other human who has ever lived or will live. But we are, nonetheless, broken. And following Jesus means turning our back on a life of sexual sin, just as it does for every other Christian." - Wesley Hill, Outreach, page 120, July/August 2013.
|
|
Deep Preaching
|
By Dr. J. Kent EdwardsYou need to ask what you want the truth of your passage to accomplish in the lives of your listeners and the world in which they live. This enormous power is at your disposal. As a preacher, you will hold the Bible in one hand and the tiller of people's lives in the other. Your words will help plot the direction of people's lives. So in which direction should their lives turn? This is the place to dream dreams and envision a better and brighter tomorrow. What would it look like if the people you preach to were to implement fully the idea of your passage? What difference would it make in the lives of your listeners next Tuesday morning if this idea were to become fully operational? What would it look like if God's agenda in your passage were to be fully realized? ( Deep Preaching, p. 155, by Dr. J. Kent Edwards. To order this 201 page practical guide, click #351, $19.99)
|
|
A Dozen Ways to Kill a Great Idea
|
By Brandon Cox
 Ever watched a really good idea crash and burn? Me too. Here's some brutal honesty - entire movements have gone down in flames because of boneheaded approaches to good ideas. This isn't to say we can't afford to make mistakes. In fact, the only way to know we're taking risks is to make mistakes. We can't afford not to make them. But we also can't afford to ignore timeless principles of leadership effectiveness. In honor of our most fatal leadership mistakes, here are my "from the hip" ways to kill great ideas (warning: sarcasm ahead): [ read more]
|
|
Attention to Worship Brings First-timers Back
|
By Judy Karwan, Our Savior Lutheran Church (LCMS), Palm Springs, CA, Rev. Mike Coppersmith, PastorBrighten up your building. The visitor's first impression does not begin with your opening hymn, but with what they see when they drive into your parking lot. Have specially designated visitor's parking; install attractive, well-placed directional signs for important areas such as the worship center, the nursery, restrooms, and Sunday School registration area; increase the brightness of your sanctuary with higher wattage bulbs than you are currently using; and take a weekly walk through your facility to spot things that may seem like clutter to the first-time visitor.
|
|
Adult Bible Class Advertisements
|
 Place one of the following four classified ads in your next four worship bulletins or newsletters: Help Wanted
Mature or immature adults to fill vacancies on Sunday from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. Must be alive and have open or closed mind (preferably open). Coffee, tea, home made cookies and bars will be waiting for you. Call (put in phone # of church office) or report to Adult Bible Class next Sunday at 10:10. Sales Opportunity
Experienced or inexperienced Christians (no age requirements) to attend training course each Sunday morning to prepare to give mansions away to public. Special training needed on textbook to be able to properly present your product. More details at interview. Report to Bible Class teacher, Pastor (name) at 10:15 sharp on Sunday. Above average pay with unending benefits. AcreageFree acreage in heaven with mansion. No upkeep or taxes. Applications may be made Sundays, 10:15 a.m., at Adult Bible Class in Church Fellowship Hall where descriptions of property and process for ownership will be fully described. DeathsCHURCH MEMBER, I. A., died last week after suffering for years from Bible Ignoramus, a terrible disease. Family requests memorial for Adult Bible Class on Sunday morning made up of you. Note: In may parish ministry I worked as hard to get all members into Bible Class as I did to get them to worship. No effort was spared. No amount enthusiasm on my part was spared. But there is more. Example: Home made rolls, bars, and cookies provided by the ladies in Bible Class were a must! The men really go for this (One Sunday morning after the first service, as I was going down the hallway to Bible Class, a young, serious lady [we'll call her Barbara] stopped me and said: "Pastor Ginkel, I think it is aweful that you serve all those home made pastries to get men to come to Bible Class." I stopped and said, "Barbara, if the devil can use everything under heaven to get men to hell, I believe I can use home made pastries to entice them to attend my Bible Class." She walked on down to Bible Class to join her husband who was enjoying his coffee and some home made cookies. When I saw him I smiled.) My personal goal was to bring one new person to Bible Class each Sunday. That's rather easy to do. Brother pastor - why not make this your personal goal? It pays very BIG dividends in so many ways! - Pastor Don
|
|
Linen Baptismal Napkins (50% discount)
|
 White linen, 12" square, folded twice, with decorative fraye d edges and white cross. Can also be used as Communion napkins.
Regular price for one dozen napkins is $120.00. Our price: $60.00. Regular price for a single napkin is $10.00. Our price: $7.00. To order on our website click Baptism Napkins or email us or call toll free: 888-772-8878.
|
Toll free phone: 888-772-8878
Churches & pastors may charge their orders
Ask for a free catalog
|
|
|
