“Life is like walking downhill over the rocks,” writes Chris Maxwell. “The slopes and sharp rocks remind us of danger.” Consequently, he goes on to say, “Healthy equilibrium isn’t staying away from the downhill slants or the harsh drops; it … Continue reading Becoming Steady Pastors in Unsteady Times | Influence Podcast
On January 6, 2002, reporters for the The Boston Globe began publishing a series of stories about clergy sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. Their revelations went on to garner a Pulitzer Prize and shine a … Continue reading What Churches Should Learn from Religious Scandals | Influence Podcast
The American Muslim population is growing. According to Pew Research Center, there were 2.35 million Muslims in the U.S. in 2007 and 3.85 million in 2020. Pew estimates that by 2050, there will be 8.1 million Muslims in the U.S. … Continue reading How to Share the Gospel with Muslims | Influence Podcast
Leading change is one of a pastor’s most important jobs. The changes pastors lead are spiritual, moral, and missional in nature. In other words, they help people come to Christ (spiritual), become like Christ (moral), and go out as witnesses … Continue reading Leading Congregational Change Collaboratively | Influence Podcast
“Imagine a steep and deadly cliff,” write Shayne Moore, Sandra Morgan, and Kimberly McOwen Yim. “Today, most churches and nonprofit organizations working in anti-human-trafficking efforts are focused solely on the victims who have already fallen or been thrown off the … Continue reading How Churches Can Help End Human Trafficking | Influence Podcast
The Israelite destruction of the Canaanites, found in biblical passages such as Deuteronomy 7:1–2, presents a conundrum to Christians. Here’s what that passage says: When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before … Continue reading God, Genocide, and Biblical Interpretation | Influence Podcast
“Recent studies of Pentecostal origins have demonstrated that eschatology and pneumatology were inexorably connected in the historical development of Pentecostal theology,” writes Prof. Daniel Isgrigg. Why? Early Pentecostals “believed that the Holy Spirit was being poured out because they were … Continue reading An Eschatology of Hope | Influence Podcast
Two years after Covid arrived in the United States, the pandemic seems to be winding down and normalcy seems to be returning. Even so, the pandemic and the governmental responses to it were incredibly disruptive. So, what does the new … Continue reading Where Is the Assemblies of God Heading? | Influence Podcast
Every Pentecostal knows that William J. Seymour was the leader of the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles, California. The revival that happened at that mission from 1906–1909 played a central role in the history of early Pentecostalism. Even after … Continue reading How William J. Seymour Led Azusa Street | Influence Podcast
Pastors often hear complaints about church from members of their congregations. These negative comments can create a doom-and-gloom mentality among church leaders, as if everything in their congregation is going wrong. According to The Congregational Scorecard, a new report from … Continue reading What Do Churchgoers Want? | Influence Podcast
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