We’ve Lost the Compassion
We’ve Lost the Compassion A Church Masterfully Distracted from Her Mission “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost” (Luke 19:10, New International Version). Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and[…]
Surrender for Revival
Surrender for Revival: God Is Up to Something in My Town… John Kimball, Lead Pastor of Palmwood Church in Oviedo, Florida (www.palmwoodchurch.com) November 6, 2021 Last night was an incredible experience. While the rain drove us all inside at the last minute, followers of Jesus from all different ethnic backgrounds and church traditions gathered together[…]
Helping Friends Understand Your Anxiety
Over the last week I have been made aware of three different people who are dealing with anxiety — one whose symptoms are quite severe. I have no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic and all the media hype is an enormous contributing factor. Everyone is “wigged out,” but some people unfortunately have either additional medical[…]
The Value of Natural Church Development (NCD)
By John Kimball, CCCC Director of Church Development Christian Schwarz’ Natural Church Development (NCD) process is a gift to the Church. Designed to measure and improve eight Quality Characteristics common to churches across denominational, geographic and cultural lines, NCD implements an assessment tool that surveys the active membership of a congregation to understand the health[…]
When the Pastor Makes Disciples
It was jealousy, pure and simple. She — the self-proclaimed matriarch of the congregation — was really upset that I was spending so much time with the same eight men. “You are the pastor for the whole congregation! You need to spread your time equally among us all.” I would later overhear her say to[…]
Questions Every Candidating Pastor Should Ask
There’s a secret we have unwittingly kept from most young pastoral candidates — and keeping it from them has helped to set them up for more pain and frustration than they deserve. The secret? An interview with a church’s search committee is a dialogue: the candidate is interviewing the church as much as they are[…]
Relationship (from The FORESEE – June 2016)
First published in The Foresee – June 2016: Over the last month, I have been reading and studying the covenants. I remember my Old Testament professor in seminary becoming so animated when we worked through this topic. I knew as a young seminarian that the covenants were special, but my personal fondness for them has only grown[…]
A Big Difference
After nearly 30 years in the pastorate and in various leadership positions in ministry, I have had the opportunity to learn many different things that either enable a church to flourish, or prevent it. These often have to do with organizational, pastoral and leadership issues; however, there is one critical aspect that rests with the congregation[…]
Righteousness
There is no true prosperity, equality or justice without righteousness. Don’t let anyone fool you. They don’t exist. This idea may seem more timely because we’re in a political season full of all kinds of rhetoric, but the reality is this is true every day. When it comes to pastors and other leaders, it is one[…]