Most teams aren’t suffering from a lack of vision. They’re suffering from a lack of clarity around the vision. Most people aren’t lazy. They’re just confused. Or worse… unsure. Clarity is the fuel that drives momentum. Without it, even the best teams stall...
If your church is pursuing a vision to truly and accurately reflect the Kingdom of God by being a place where all people can come to Jesus, belong, and grow, then let me urge you to understand this: Disability ministry isn’t optional. It’s essential.
If you’re leading in a church that's stuck, declining, or struggling to recover from the challenges of the last few years, I want to encourage you: there is hope. Coming out of COVID and a sudden and unexpected leadership change, our church had every reason to falter....
While Duke might be heading home without a trophy, there’s still something to be gained—life lessons. Because if we can’t learn from sports, then we’re just yelling at college kids on TV while slumped on the couch eating nachos and wings, and that seems unkind.
So, let’s redeem the pain and look at three lessons for life and faith that we can take from Duke’s loss to Houston.
Three years ago today, Ashley and I stood onstage with our girls as I was introduced as the Lead Pastor at First Christian Church. I stepped into my role full of vision, passion, and maybe just a little bit of naivety. Or a lot. The journey has been both deeply rewarding and incredibly challenging. There have been wins, losses, unexpected plot twists, and moments of sheer exhaustion. But through it all, God has been good and faithful. And I have grown in some ways I never expected.
I’m definitely still a work in progress, but here are three lessons I’ve learned in these three years that I hope will encourage and challenge you, whether you’re a pastor, a leader, or simply someone trying to live faithfully in the calling God has given you.
There is a fire rising in this generation. I see it. I feel it. And I believe with everything in me that you - middle school, high school and college students - are on the forefront of something incredible. You aren’t just the future of the Church; you are the Church...
Jimmy McLoud is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Canton, Ohio. His passion – and the vision of First Christian – is to share the good news that Jesus is for all people by helping them find hope, purpose, and a place to belong. He serves on the Board of Directors for The Solomon Foundation and on the Advisory Team for The Unstuck Group. Jimmy and his wife, Ashley, live in North Canton with their four kids: Braylon, Carter, Ellie, and Grace.