According to the National Sexual Violence Research Center, “One in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives.” The center also reports that “one in three women and one in six men [will … Continue reading Ministry in the Aftermath of Sexual Violence | Influence Podcast
Dr. Siang-Yang Tan is professor of psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and senior pastor of First Evangelical Church in nearby Glendale. In Shepherding God’s People, he examines “biblical and theological foundations for pastoral ministry” (Part 1) and … Continue reading Shepherding God’s People | Book Review
What do pastors do? A lot of things. Perhaps too many things. They preach and teach; plan worship services; officiate at major life events such as baby dedications, weddings, and funerals (“hatch, match, and dispatch,” as one wag puts it); … Continue reading Pastor Paul | Book Review
This past August, the Assemblies of God Executive Presbytery appointed Wilfredo De Jesús as general treasurer of the denomination. Best known as “Pastor Choco,” De Jesús succeeds Rick DuBose in that office, which is charged with oversight of the Division … Continue reading Meet the Assemblies of God’s New General Treasurer | Influence Podcast
“What separates the truly great teams from the mediocre ones?” asks Tony Dungy in The Soul of a Team. His answer is “four simple yet highly effective principles — selflessness, ownership, unity, and larger purpose.” The principles form a memorable acronym: S.O.U.L. Here’s how Dungy defines the principles: Selflessness: Putting individual needs aside for the good of the team. Ownership: Fulfilling your role by learning it thoroughly and by consistently giving 100 percent. Unity: Understanding and rallying around your team’s mission, philosophy, and culture through open communication and positive conflict resolution. Larger Purpose: Contributing to the wider community in a … Continue reading The Soul of a Team | Book Review
The Americans with Disability Act defines a disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity.” How many Americans suffer from a disability? Estimates range from 13 percentof the U.S. populace to 20 percent. That’s between 40 and 60 million persons. My guest on Episode 165 of the Influence Podcast is Charlie Chivers, founder and CEO of Special Touch Ministry, a non-profit faith-based organization, committed to serving people with intellectual or physical disabilities, their families and caregivers. Special Touch is interdenominational in scope, but Charlie is an ordained Assemblies of God minister and … Continue reading Is Your Church Disability Friendly? | Influence Podcast
Aubrey Malphurs believes that emotional immaturity dooms ministry teams to failure. The purpose of Developing Emotionally Mature Leadersis to raise their “emotional intelligence” and thus contribute to their effectiveness. Toward that end, he proposes a “model” of emotionally intelligence that takes into account four skills: “emotional self-awareness, emotional self-management, understanding others’ emotions, and others’ emotional management.” This Biblically grounded, scientifically informed book is a good reminder that “how you feel impacts how you lead, and how followers feel when around and led by you affects how well they will follow your leadership.” Book Reviewed Aubrey Malphurs, Developing Emotionally Mature Leaders: How … Continue reading Developing Emotionally Mature Leaders | Book Review
“One Half of the World does not know how the Other Half lives,” wrote Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richard’s Almanack. That is certainly true of church history, the standard volumes of which are dominated by accounts of the thoughts and deeds of men. Ruth A. Tucker’s Extraordinary Women of Christian History tells readers about the “Other Half” of Christendom by means of biographical snippets of famous Christian women. Tucker has served as a professor of church history at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Calvin Theological Seminary. She is best-known for her biographical approach to both the history of Christian missions … Continue reading Extraordinary Women of Christian History | Book Review
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Josh Wellborn about what churches can do to reach and retain young people. His vision can be summarized in two words: relationship and discipleship. Take a listen! Continue reading How to Reach and Retain Youth in Your Church | Influence Podcast
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Ryan Lokkesmoe about leadership lessons we can learn from the New Testament church. Lokkesmoe is lead pastor of Real Hope Community Church in Houston, Texas. He has a Ph.D. in New Testament from the University of Denver, and he is author, most recently, of Paul and His Team, published in 2017 by Moody. Here’s my review of his book: Ryan Lokkesmoe is the lead pastor of Real Hope Community Church in Houston, and has a Ph.D. in New Testament studies. In Paul and His Team:What the Early Church Can Teach Us About … Continue reading Leadership Lessons of the Apostle Paul | Influence Podcast
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