Blog

Every church is healthy to some degree and unhealthy to another. Health is a spectrum with no perfectly healthy or perfectly unhealthy church. Every church can in fact get healthier, but there are signs your church might be generally unhealthy. Read more…

While dialoguing with ministry leaders on my porch in the fall sun last week, one of the gals asked, “Is there a distinction between being shown value and appreciation?”  We had been reflecting together on the concept of October being pastor Read more…

Revitalization is without question a biblical concept. It appears in reference to individuals and to communities. The call is to be transformed by the renewal of our mind, to see ourselves as made new in Christ. Revitalization means to be Read more…

As you know, we at Preparing for Amazement focus on the health of people and congregations. To aid you in thinking through such health, I want to take a moment and consider what it means for congregations to ask the following question Read more…

While every church can benefit from some revitalization, there are specific instances where churches may have a higher need for revitalization. The three biggest reasons a church might need revitalization are lack of clarity/purpose, high levels conflict/crisis, or if they Read more…

Refined by Fire I had to build a fire today. I repaired some fire bricks with mortar in an outdoor fire area. The mortar package stated that the mortar had to be cured with the gradual heating of a fire. Read more…

I just returned home from a 5-day, 40-mile backpack trip in the wilderness.  Ever since, I have been pondering the concept of nourishment.  While backpacking, all nourishment had to be packed and carried.  And, we could only go so far until we had Read more…