Matthew | July 31, 2008
Church growth is depended on foundational attitudes within the congregation. These attitudes can be verbally expressed or silently believed. Mostly these attitudes will dictate the growth of a congregation. There can be negative growth attitudes that will hold a congregation back as well as positive attitudes that will push a congregation ahead. Never will all [...]
Matthew | July 30, 2008
The greatest leaders in the world are those who stand alone and push for development within an organization. Being a leader is a lonely job because of this vision for the future. A leader is someone who steps out of the crowd to push an organization or church in the right direction. This pushing creates [...]
Matthew | July 29, 2008
I have received the syllabus for the class that I am taking this fall for the Doctor of Ministry program at Harding Graduate School. The class that I am taking is Wisdom and Moral Formation of the Church. The class seems especially interesting to me as we will study the integration of wisdom into one’s [...]
Matthew | July 28, 2008
This book deals with the influence of cultural studies on the New Testament text. It was refreshing to read a book about Jesus from a scholarly point of view without the author constantly questioning the miracle accounts and the divinity of Jesus. The author does a superb job in informing the reader of the cultural [...]
Matthew | July 27, 2008
Yesterday on my day off I had the honor of conducting two weddings. It was interesting because I recently had to watch the movie “27 Dresses” (Wife made me). In one of the early scenes the lead character is traveling back and forth to each wedding reception, and this reminded me of last night. I [...]
Matthew | July 25, 2008
A while back ago, I was eating lunch with a friend. I mentioned that we are going to have powerpoint soon. It took six months, which I thought was too long of a time, but he shot back that this was amazing. Amazing, I wondered. Six months, amazing. “Yea, six months compared to seven years [...]
Matthew | July 24, 2008
A recent friend of mine is dealing with some issues in a congregation that is overly given to debating and disputing over “the issues.” The focus of the congregation is on disagreement and doctrinal disputes. There is nothing wrong in discussing the issues, but when the focus of correctness is solely the purpose of the [...]
Matthew | July 23, 2008
It seems that seriousness is equal to reverence in some circles. Having a serious, reflective, quiet attitude in worship is a sign of true worshipping. It seems that this assumption is prevalent in most congregations. A silent, individualistic worship is the preferable style of some people. We almost assume that if someone is laughing, talking, [...]
Matthew | July 22, 2008
The mission trip to Pearlington, MS was a wonderful success. The church is a recent plant after some hurricane relief work took place in the small town. The congregation has about 20 members who are attending services on a weekly routine. It was nice to work with the Hartsville Pike congregation and with an old [...]
Matthew | July 21, 2008
I. Still in Mayberry 1. Extreme views of the small town. a. Peaceful place. b. Backwoods people. 2. There are no strangers. a. The minister is instantly recognized. b. Ministers have not become marginalized but have been glorified. c. The members know everyone and everyone’s business. d. This creates problems because certain newcomers are automatically [...]
