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PLI is devoted to empowering leaders for wider influence for the sake of the gospel in their communities and effective leadership in their ministries. Learn more about our vision and process here.
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Blog
Some Thoughts on Gift Planning
By: Jock Ficken
People don’t realize that when they die they can pick two of three places to give their money. They can give it to The Government (taxes) Family Ministry or other charities Which two would you like to designate in your estate plans? Such was the introduction at a congregation that had capitalized on a congregation-wide … Continue reading
6 Reasons Pastors Don’t Teach People to Give…and 7 Things They Can Do
By: Jock Ficken
Most pastors in most churches don’t teach people a biblical foundation for giving and as a result they harvest what they sow…or what they haven’t sown! (This follows the “broken ministry/business model” reference a few weeks ago.) I started down this journey by misadventure some years ago myself. I was a new pastor. I had … Continue reading
Will freelancing become normal for pastors and other ministry leaders in the church?
By: Jock Ficken
,Last week I referenced a “broken” or “soon to be broken” ministry/business model and that churches will be faced with how to: Aggressively live out the Mission of God to an emerging generation AND Cut the costs of operating congregational ministry. Very few churches do these two well… Very few churches do these two well and secure or maintain … Continue reading
Kale and Campbell’s Soup…3 Questions Leaders Should Ask
By: Jock Ficken
Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow…let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge… (Genesis 41) Joseph had time to prepare Egypt, and God provided a season of abundance…before the famine! Russ Bredholt has been only an occasional … Continue reading
Mary Magdalene’s Three Tips for Pastors
By: Jock Ficken
Sharon, my Mary Magdalene for the morning, was my shuttle driver between airport and hotel. Thirty minutes, just the two of us. She…a talker! Me…not so much. It was quickly obvious that Sharon was a representative of the growing majority of people in most communities that have clicked the “not interested in church” button. I decided … Continue reading
The Wright Brothers Soft Landings… 3 Things I Learned
By: Jock Ficken
The Wright Brothers chose Kitty Hawk, NC, for their flying experiments. It had: Wind Good weather Sand dunes…. for soft landings Soft landings…for when their experiments failed! God seems to be providing unprecedented opportunities for wider Gospel influence for the people of God in the chaos of our current culture, but… …if most churches are … Continue reading
My Mom, the Sears Catalogue, and the Church
By: Jock Ficken
I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:25-26) My 88-year-old mom had selected those words of Jesus for her funeral text sometime after my dad died 30 years ago. … Continue reading
Time to Grit your Teeth and get in the Local Mission
By: Jock Ficken
So many–pastors, churches, women, men–who intentionally enter some slice of their community to represent Jesus and respond to the mission of God start by gritting their teeth and finally giving it a try. They’ve heard about it, talked about it, prayed about it, but never did anything about it. There is a lot of talk, … Continue reading
Why Can’t I Disciple Leaders Like Jesus and Paul?
By: Jock Ficken
If the church is going to recapture the mission zeal of the New Testament or the mission zeal demonstrated in much of our own history, it will need to be able to navigate a significant shift from… recruiting volunteers to serve to discipling leaders for mission. Simple enough, right? More and more the Mission of God will … Continue reading
Three Essentials to Finishing Well
By: Jock Ficken
People who start well…oftentimes don’t finish well. And that includes ministries and ministry careers! I’m a football fan, and, in particular, a Cornhusker (a fading glory, I know!). A couple of decades ago, before the national championship seasons, Nebraska started each game well–they dominated, dictated direction for most of the game–only to see it evaporate and … Continue reading
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