I've spent a considerable amount of time this past fall visiting with pastors and ministry leaders throughout our constituencies. My friends, there's trouble. When Barna released stats earlier this year that 30% of clergy are likely to leave ministry before this pandemic is over, I confess, I was skeptical. I thought it was an alarmist overstatement. "Maybe in America," I said. "Not here." After engaging with ministry leaders in my limited circles in the past few weeks, I not only became a believer in those stats but I began to say that I fear they might be about 10% low. [...]

Two years ago, who'd have imagined we'd be in our situation today? It's been a tough road, an uphill battle. As ministers, we've taken some hits. We've seen casualties as congregations have divided and as colleagues have stepped out of ministry. We're weary and we're increasingly wary of every supposed signal that this season might be ending. I get it. I'm tired and I'd be lying to say this season hasn't taken its toll on me. But despite my weariness, I'm optimistic about the future of the church. And I'm convinced more than ever that YOU matter. Why am I so [...]

DID YOU KNOW... A majority of Canadian clergy are quickly approaching retirement and up to 30% are projected to leave ministry before the COVID crisis is done? WE NEED YOUR HELP Will you help us raise $494,000.00 to expand our reach for leadership training through technology? Will you become a regular supporter to subsidize a new generation of leaders? Let me ask you – would you relocate your young family 2,271 KM across Canada from your home city of almost 403,000 people to serve at a small, prairie church in a town of [...]

We all know that COVID has had an effect on the body of believers and our churches, but certainly there are other challenges that existed well beforehand.One such being the growing group of people in our world who are 'none and done' with the faith. Increasingly we see those who never have or no longer profess faith in God.How can the church reach out to this post-Christian generation?As we take inventory and consider what is essential to our faith, it really is a beautiful invitation to go back to our basics, back to our first love, back to our calling - [...]

I don't often recommend books I haven't yet read, but I recently did with Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer, A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture (Tyndale, 2020). Partly this was because I thought the topic to be timely. I'm sick of hearing about prominent "celebrity" pastors failing and their ministries' toxic celebrity culture brushing off victims and voices in opposition. McKnight and Barringer (McKnight's daughter) had both attended Willow Creek in the past with front-row seats to their handling of Bill Hybels' fail. I also recommended the book sight unseen because I very much like and trust Scot [...]