Honoring the Evangelists Among You

The most evangelistic person in a church may not be the senior pastor. In many churches there is a lay leader who has a heart for lost people and is effective in reaching people for Christ. Ephesians 4:11-12 tells us that these evangelistic leaders are a gift from God to a local church. Paul wroteContinue reading “Honoring the Evangelists Among You”

Setting Five-Year Goals

Tech leader Bill Gates is often quoted as saying, “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in 10 years.” The same could be said about five-year goals.   Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar was known for saying, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.”  Continue reading “Setting Five-Year Goals”

Your Best Leadership Advice

I remember hearing Paul Chitwood pass along leadership advice he had received from General Colin Powell, who advised leaders to do their job, take care of their troops and not worry about their next job. That is great advice for all leaders.  Another tidbit of leadership advice involved Kentucky Baptist associational leader Rick Reeder andContinue reading “Your Best Leadership Advice”

Stay Faithful to the End 

Short-timer’s syndrome, according to one online definition is “a psychological and behavioral state where a person loses motivation, focus, or emotional investment in their current role as their departure date approaches.”  Short-timer’s syndrome can be the malady of a pastor or ministry leader as one prepares to transition to a new role, or as retirementContinue reading “Stay Faithful to the End ”

Revival Living

“Revival” and “revivals” are not necessarily the same thing.   A revival could refer to a series of special church services where preaching, singing and fellowship took place. Revival, on the other hand, could be defined as an experience or season in the life of an individual, or a church, where a closer walk with God,Continue reading “Revival Living”

Know Yourself to Lead Yourself

I have heard it said that the most difficult person you will ever lead is yourself. I think that is generally true for a number of reasons. We tend to be very gracious with ourselves in terms of deadlines, self-pity, mistakes and weaknesses, and we may also underestimate our weaknesses and overestimate our strengths. Most of us are not very objective about ourselves and benefit fromContinue reading “Know Yourself to Lead Yourself”

Giving a Gospel Invitation

We invite lots of people to do many things. In 2025, both of my daughters were married, and they sent many invitations to friends and family members inviting them to join their special day.   Invitations are sent for baby showers, groundbreaking ceremonies, anniversaries, birthday parties and more. Sometimes folks spontaneously invite neighbors to join them for snacks at their home. An invitation is made and a response isContinue reading “Giving a Gospel Invitation”

Mobilizing Your Church’s Voice

Kentucky Baptists make up the largest protestant denomination in Kentucky, even though technically we are not a denomination. There are more than 500,000 members in the 2,300 Kentucky Baptist churches across our state.   Last year those churches gave more than $33 million to Kentucky and Southern Baptist ministry and mission causes and baptized more than 11,000 people. That kind of impact year after year has made, and continues to make, a gospel differenceContinue reading “Mobilizing Your Church’s Voice”

Making it Up as We Go

Podcaster and leadership expert Carey Nieuwhof said in a recent interview with John Ortberg that he holds to an unpublished view of leadership that most of us are “making it up as we go.” Nieuwhof seems to be saying most leaders do not arrive at their leadership position knowing all they will need to knowContinue reading “Making it Up as We Go”

Family Vacation

The first vacation I can recall with Connie and our girls came as a result of a church member giving us a free pass to a timeshare cabin in Gatlinburg, Tenn. This family had purchased a week’s lodging but was moving back to Alaska and gave the trip to us. At the time, our girls were very young, and we enjoyed a great time together. Like most young families, our finances were tight, and we would not have beenContinue reading “Family Vacation”