Daffy Duck rehearses his fencing moves in a classic Warner Brothers cartoon: "Ho! Haha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust!" His forward thrust is followed by a "thwack!" as the foil bounces back in his face and bends his beak upward. Daffy folds his beak back into place and tries again. "Dodge! Spin! Thrust!" Thwack!

Every time, thwack!

Why is it that in ministry, as with Daffy, many a forward ...

Topics:	Conflict, Conflict resolution, Confrontation, Health, Interviews, Reconciliation
Filters:	Church board, Counseling, Deacon, Elder, Management, Pastor
Purpose:	Fellowship
References:	1 Corinthians 10, Philippians 2, James 4:1-3
Date Added:	July 11, 2007

Is your congregation ready to make a decision on a new building program, add staff, or change its worship focus? Here's a way to help determine that.

¨ For every 100 people in your church, list five influential people. Then mark each name with these influence-level indicators.

1 = low influence 2 = medium influence 3 = high influence

¨ Estimate how each person will respond to the improvement ...

Topics:	Change, Direction, Growth, Leadership, Master plan, Planning, Strategy, Transitions, Vision
Filters:	Church board, Deacon, Discipleship, Elder, Outreach, Pastor
Purpose:	Discipleship
References:	Numbers 14:1-9, 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1
Date Added:	July 31, 2007

Take a careful look at our church in these areas:

Our history. List the key events in the history of our congregation. Now do the following: Identify marker events that have significantly affected the direction of the church. Identify patterns that have shaped the character and values of the church. For example, look for attitudes toward debt, decisions about ministries with children or youth, and ...

Topics:	Change, Direction, Growth, Leadership, Master plan, Planning, Strategy, Transitions, Vision
Filters:	Church board, Deacon, Discipleship, Elder, Outreach, Pastor
Purpose:	Discipleship
References:	1 Corinthians 10:23-32
Date Added:	July 31, 2007

Churches vary by time, place, and the mix of people in the congregation. Some congregations are always trying new things, others trust their leaders to guide them in the right directions, and still others resist change. Discovering what type of congregation you have can help you decide how to successfully interact with your members. Rate your church on the following scale: 1) this is true of my church; ...

Topics:	Change, Communication, Growth, Health, Leadership, Planning, Vision
Filters:	Church board, Elder, Management, Pastor
Purpose:	Fellowship
References:	1 Corinthians 10:31-33
Date Added:	July 31, 2007