Decision Making Process: Part 4 – The Decision-Making ‘Exit Ramp’

by Tim Woodroof –  On a freeway, most exit ramps look the same. A sign gives you warning an exit is available in one mile. A right-hand lane allows you to slow as you turn onto the exit ramp. The ramp banks gently away from the freeway and towards an intersection with some lesser road. You […]

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Decision Making Process: Part 3 – The Decision-Making ‘Freeway’

by Tim Woodroof –  Nothing beats an interstate freeway for moving quickly and efficiently from Point A to Point B. But there are obvious challenges involved with freeway travel. You have to build the infrastructure—a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. You should establish some “rules of the road”: how fast (or slow) drivers should go … which […]

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Decision Making Process: Part 2 – The Decision-Making ‘On Ramp’

by Tim Woodroof – The decision-making model used by church leaders can be vague or clear, unrestricted or structured, informal or fixed. To borrow the metaphor from the previous blog, leaders can move towards a decision by taking the “scenic route” or using the “freeway.” Each has its strengths and weaknesses. But the larger a leadership […]

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Decision Making Process: Part 1 – A Decision-Making Model

by Tim Woodroof –  It’s late on a Wednesday night. The shepherds’ meeting is winding down. There is only one item left on the agenda, but it is the final item for a reason. It requires a difficult decision. “Before we leave tonight,” says the Chair, “we have to decide whether to drop our support for […]

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Serving God with Dirty Hands #4: Throw What Stinks Out of God’s House!

by Phil Ware –   What’s the greatest danger to participating in a great move of God during times of transition? Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, and he had provided him with a large room […]

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Serving God with Dirty Hands #3: As Each Part Does Its Work

by Phil Ware Names. They get harder and harder to remember the older I get. Names. They pile up in my digital address books becoming more and more frustrating to keep up to date with their changing addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. Names. They stack up in my Facebook® and Twitter® and Instagram® “friends” […]

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Serving God with Dirty Hands 02: Beyond My Broken Prayers

by Phil Ware “I’m not sure I can pray anymore. It’s useless. My prayers are not heard. They go unanswered. Nothing happens when I pray. At this point, I don’t even know what to say. I’m frustrated, discouraged, and disappointed with God. I’m even more disappointed in my lack of faith. I don’t even know […]

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Serving God with Dirty Hands #1: Unworthy and Under-qualified

by Phil Ware –  How are we ever going to find anyone who is willing, able, and qualified to lead us to face the important challenges ahead of us? “I just don’t think I can do it. I’m not really qualified. I’m not sure I’m worthy of stepping into the role. I believe there are […]

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I Will Pursue Unity

by Rubel Shelly Special Note: The following arose from a time of self-reflection on June 30, 2017. Rubel was preparing some thoughts on Jesus’ prayer for unity (John 17) to share with others in ministry. He has graciously allowed us to share these personal practices in hope of beginning a larger discussion on Christian unity among […]

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The Graying of our Churches (part 2)

by Tim Woodroof [Interim Ministry Partners (IMP) has the privilege of working intensively with churches across the country—more than seventy-five congregations in the last few years. As a result of our work, IMP is strategically (perhaps uniquely) positioned to observe churches in a wide variety of circumstances and draw out some common themes. This blog […]

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