In the life cycle of a church, vision ignites everything. Church planters have a passion for reaching people far from God in their communities, towns and cities. Cast vision for souls now. Start before you’re completely ready. Communicate urgency to energize, deputize and mobilize your established congregation to fulfill that vision. Casting vision will net you support and momentum.

One of the lesser-known phrases that I’ve heard in the past year is that coming out of the pandemic, “all church leaders will need to think like church planters”. But what does that mean? What makes “thinking like a church planter” beneficial to leading into the future? Instead, let me suggest what “Thinking Like a Planter” might look like.

Young ministry leaders are aching for mentorship but statistics continue to show that they’re not finding it. The reasons are complex. Older leaders haven’t been mentored themselves or had bad mentoring relationships. They’re busy and need to give their time to others. They may feel that getting this close to an employee is risky. They don’t want to make themselves vulnerable. Possibly, established leaders don’t see the benefits of making this kind of investment, but they need to.

As we look to the fall and the potential of limited restrictions, churches are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This will be different than the reopening that we’ve been accustomed to. This will be, in essence, a fresh start; something from which to build upon. It’s for this reason that church leaders are looking at relaunching this fall.

Be kind. We are responsible for the views we personally express, and the views of others which we endorse and repeat.

On May 3-4, over 300 ministers attended the very first, completely virtual, Ministers Gathering 2021. Although we usually meet in beautiful Banff, Alberta, this was one for the books, as many of our international ministers were able to be in attendance this year.

I may not be Julie Andrews, but here are a few of my favourite things.

Listening is of greater value than talking.

I was asked to share some of the things I learned since moving to Barrhead from Logan Lake, BC. Here are five things I discovered.

Who are you leaving a trail of jellybeans for?

Do today’s leaders know what it takes to mentor the next generation? Here are four things we all need to influence young leaders.

Pastor Joachim Chisanga is one of the millions of people on the move for reasons benign and tragic. He misses the warmer, free, expressive climate and worship in southern Africa but he has adapted to southern Alberta. His perspective on adapting to change and leading outbound, adaptive change is informative.

Obsession may seem like a sinister thing in Hollywood movies, but it's fuel when it's directed toward godly outcomes. Those who obsess over their mission are likely to stick with their work well beyond the time the non-obsessed have given up. Obsession is a passion of the resilient.

As church leaders move into the future it would serve us well to be exposed to the diversity of the world. If we aren’t, our default mental models will create a single-story narrative to help us make sense by making simplistic assumptions that ensure our comfort and keep us from having to change.

As COVID-19 continues to affect in-person gatherings for churches, congregations need to once again consider options for conducting annual congregational business meetings. Here are some answers to questions you may have.

Resilience can be developed by anybody of any age. Leaders across Canada offered their personal practices that helped them build resilience. Good for you, your family and your team.

Our role is to put our feet into the water, He will provide the wind and create the way forward.

It doesn’t have to be a huge carnival. It doesn’t have to be a musical that takes months to prepare and dozens of volunteers. It doesn’t need a whole lot of money to make it happen. I’m talking about showing God’s love by blessing your community.