An Open Letter to Christians in the Wake of the Election

We are missing out on an amazing opportunity. Over the last 30 days social media feeds have been filled with people spewing venom at one another due to a disagreement of ideas. People are instantly villainized due to their affiliation with one person. News reports are showing how Americans can deal with the added stress […]

When Ministry Ends at Your Front Door

In times of ministry, it’s easy for the charity switch to turn on. But the most difficult moment of ministry leadership is when you return home.  My wife is amazing and, while she doesn’t have a specific role on the Core Team (except when we ask her to speak), she leads the ministry of supporting […]

Compound Interest & the Volunteer ROI

Compound interest is a powerful thing. Many Americans place their hopes for retirement in this reality. I shared this powerful concept with some teens in a disciple group recently and the connections that can be made to spiritual discipline are profound. Becoming rich, whether physically or spiritually, takes dedication, consistency, and lots of time. It […]

The Myth of Priorities

Greg McKeown states in his book Essentialism that “the word priority came into the English language in the 1400s. It was singular. It meant the very first or prior thing. It stayed singular for the next five hundred years. Only in the 1900s did we pluralize the term and start talking about priorities. Illogically, we […]

The Efficient Minister: Meetings & Email

This post is part 2 in the Efficient Minister Series. Check out Part 1 as it features an overview on why time matters particiularly for ministry leaders. Meetings Some say ‘meetings are a necessary evil.’ While I cannot speak to the totality of that statement, most meetings I attend are not necessary. Communication is necessary, […]

The Efficient Minister: Events & Voicemail

Leaders of ministry often lack many resources: volunteers, money, support… the list could be endless. One of the most vital resources is time. The clock is always ticking as the semester, season, or year blazes by … each minute matters.  Why Time Matters The biggest reason is because most ministers give even when it is imprudent […]

Big News for Next Level Ministry… Partnership Announcement!

Next Level Ministry is overjoyed to announce our new partnership with Ablaze Ministries! Next Level Ministry has always been committed to excellence in ministry leadership. Partnering with Ablaze Ministries will allow us to do just that at, well, the next level. Ablaze Ministries is committed to supporting and building up excellent youth ministers to build […]

Martyrdom and Narcissism

Last Tuesday, Fr. Jacques Hamel gave his life for Jesus Christ. Fr. Jacques was martyred by two jihadists in a Catholic church in Normandy during the sacred liturgy. Shockwaves flew through first world countries by this tragedy so uncommon in these areas. Our surprise should not be so great. According to Christianity.com, more Christians have […]

You can’t Form Disciples without Community

Humanity, people, you…Every single person comes from community and is drawn to community. The Trinity, a community of 3 persons, one God, breathed us into existence. Biologically it takes a community of a man and a woman to create a child. Sociologically, community is essential in order for the person to develop and thrive.

4 things I learned about Evangelization from Vacation Bible School

This past week our church hosted Cave Quest VBS. It was an outstanding adventure… and a significant amount of work. Here are a few lessons I learned about Evangelization from Vacation Bible School. Evangelization is Joy-filled At the morning VBS meeting, the leaders reminded the volunteers that the energy they bring is the energy that […]