by Michael Forney | Sep 18, 2020 | Pastors and Leaders Newsletter
“Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer Discipleship is a word around which most followers of Jesus agree in its importance but have broadly different understandings as to what constitutes a disciple and...
by Brett Heintzman, Director of Communications, Free Methodist Church - USA | Aug 18, 2020 | Pastors and Leaders Newsletter
Anniversaries are times to celebrate and reflect, remember where we’ve been and dream of where we’re going. Such is the case with the Free Methodist Church – USA. We are 160 years old this month! It’s appropriate to ask ourselves, are we the...
by Jonny Radcliff | Aug 18, 2020 | Pastors and Leaders Newsletter
My Volunteers Aren’t Committed Leadership has one frustrating ingredient: people. You can be the champion of the vision. It can be directly from God. But you can’t do it without people. And people can be tricky to corral. There are going to be times in leadership...
by Katie Sawade Hall | Aug 18, 2020 | Pastors and Leaders Newsletter
Long before I was a pastor, my experience with church ministry was that of a volunteer. Growing up in the FMC as a pastor’s kid, I helped with a little bit of everything–from teaching CLC and singing in choirs, to painting on church workdays. My first pastoral...
by Dr. Gay Zambrano and Dan Zambrano | Jul 8, 2020 | Pastors and Leaders Newsletter
It was a Thursday, late afternoon, as my wife and I finally settled in behind the “news desk” – really just an eight-foot long folding table covered with a checkered tablecloth – while the senior pastor adjusted the zoom feature and double-checked the audio on the...
by Mark Adams | Jul 8, 2020 | Pastors and Leaders Newsletter
Another exhausting day at work is nearly over. I text my long-suffering wife as I navigate through an exhaust-choked rush hour toward another late dinner. Late because I stop at the hospital on the way home to pray with and encourage the Smiths as they watch their son...
by Jenny Switkes | Jul 8, 2020 | Pastors and Leaders Newsletter
(1)After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. (2)There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, (3) and because he was a...
by Kaye Kolde | Jun 15, 2020 | Pastors and Leaders Newsletter
Just as I laid my head on the pillow early on a Saturday night, I heard the text notification sound loudly on my phone. I was annoyed with myself because I had forgotten to move my phone and charger back to my office or turn off the sound. I know the best practice for...
by Mike Henry | Jun 15, 2020 | Pastors and Leaders Newsletter
The Holy Spirit is as dunamis today as he was on the Day of Pentecost. On that day the disciples became apostles. They turned from fear to boldness. Their faith and doctrine were enhanced and empowered by the presence of the Holy Spirit. All of a sudden, everything...
by Michael Simmons | Jun 15, 2020 | Pastors and Leaders Newsletter
Emotions as Guides Our emotions serve as guides to our inner landscape, leading us toward paths of connection and intimacy. However, many of us are taught early in life to view our emotions as mere distractions to our spiritual/relational journey – rather than...
