Christian Year & Seasons
This Sunday, October 20, 2024, is the twenty-second week after Pentecost, and the Gospel reading is Mark 10:35-45. The audio file above is a 12-minute overview for pastors, Bible study leaders, or folks who like to dig deeper into the lectionary reading. I hope this is helpful in preparation
Culture
In keeping with end of the year predictions, here are mine. Of course, several years ago I predicted $5 per gallon gas. Thankfully, we never got to that point. But in light of my obvious fallibility I’m framing my prognostications in the familiar “what’s in and what’s
Leadership
I crossed two significant (for me) milestones yesterday. First, and most importantly (again, for me), Fuller posted my DMin degree. So, I am now official. As the old joke goes: "My friends call me Chuck; you can call me Dr. Warnock." Or something like that. Anyway, here it
Books
Two bound copies of my dissertation arrived today. The title is The Reconciling Community: The Missional Mending of Spiritual and Social Relationships Through Local Church Ministry. I lived with writing this for almost two years, so it is very gratifying to see it done, bound, and approved. Still waiting for
administration
Over the centuries of church history, various metaphors have been used to describe the role of God’s chosen leaders. Some metaphors have lodged permanently in our collective consciousness, while others have not passed the test of time. I suggest that there is one more metaphor for the pastor’s
2 Kings
Sunday I preached on the story of the prophet Elijah and his protege Elisha from 2 Kings 2:8-14. Elijah knew he was nearing the the end of his life, and asked Elisha what he could do for him before he departed. Elisha replied that he wanted a “double-portion” of
Resources
A few days ago I had the opportunity to participate in a leadership conference with Dr. Greg Jones, former dean of Duke Divinity School, and Dr. John Upton, president of the Baptist World Alliance and the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. Next week, I'll share Greg Jones' thoughts
administration
Small churches are concerned about a lot of things including growth, finances, and ministry programs. But one issue seems to cut across all of these small church concerns -- sustainability. Small churches often do not ask the question, “How are we going to sustain this?” before launching a new program
Church news
I recently was asked by a church publication in Taiwan to respond to the controversial film, Divided. Here is my response. I would be interested in yours. If you haven't seen the film, here's the link to the film's website. A Pastor Looks At
Culture
Today I was talking to a friend, Jim Stovall, who teaches journalism at the University of Tennessee, and is a pioneer in developing and teaching web journalism. In our conversation about how the internet is changing newspapers and journalism, Jim said, “I tell my students to start now, to become
howard schultz
“What leadership means is the courage it takes to talk about things that, in the past, perhaps we wouldn’t have, because I’m not right all the time.” -- Howard D. Schultz, Starbucks CEO in the NY Times If you read Pour Your Heart Into It, as I did,
Books
Rob Bell's new book, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived is already generating tons of controversy. Harper One is sending me a pre-publication copy to review. I also hope to snag an interview with Rob about the book.