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By: Jock Ficken
There are pockets around the United States where it still feels like not a lot has changed. Gail and I were in one of those pockets last week near St. Louis at a large PLI congregation. “We had our largest attendance at Christmas that we’ve ever had! Last month!” Not many leaders are saying that … Continue reading
By: Jock Ficken
I asked a bunch of younger leaders to do the difficult, to challenge some “landing pattern” pastors and spouses and others who have served so well for so long to not squander what might be their largest legacy in helping the Church set sail toward a new season of great mission vibrancy. This “landing pattern” … Continue reading
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
By: Jock Ficken
The Prayer Dr. Robert Newton, former missionary to the Philippines, former district president and PLI Board member, explained that when they were missionaries in the Philippines they would kneel down, hold hands and pray the essence of these two prayers as they prepared to enter a village. We have now come with the One … Continue reading
By: Sherrah Behrens
“WOW! THERE MUST BE SOME REALLY GOOD STUFF HAPPENING HERE!” That was the response of a couple of leaders attending the conference our congregation hosted some years ago. Several years earlier we had jumped to a multiple campus ministry and had now built the first phase of the new campus where the event was being … Continue reading
By: Jock Ficken
It’s no secret that the Church in the U.S. is struggling and declining; it’s been well-documented in many places. And it’s no secret that this places enormous pressures on pastors and their families and their congregations. But… What if much of what is happening in the church is a season of pruning? And it’s a … Continue reading
By: Jock Ficken
This summer we’ve invited ourselves to return to a season of adventure and discovery…to admit that all things in leadership and ministry are different. They aren’t what they used to be. We’ve packed a decade (or more?) of change into a handful of months. (It hasn’t really caught up with us or the people we … Continue reading
By: Jock Ficken
Every day, leaders wake up knowing that their congregation must navigate change or distance itself from being a vibrant community with wider influence. Here’s the problem: Inertia wakes up even earlier every day and has already resolved to fend off any feeble attempts at desperately needed change that would challenge the status quo. So, here … Continue reading
By: Jock Ficken
80% of U.S. churches… Worship less than 100. Face steady to rapid decline. Possess collective memories of being 2 times or 10 times larger. Leaders and members are taunted with the whisper that they’re failing. Usually today’s realities were set in motion years earlier by… A stubborn refusal or inability to make necessary changes for … Continue reading
By: Jock Ficken
Leaders articulate vision! They offer a preferred future. They also articulate WHY WE CAN’T STAY HERE. My early leader years? Lots of vision! I ignored WHY WE CAN’T STAY HERE, and then I couldn’t understand why nobody wanted to leave…HERE! I was like Moses trying to convince the Israelites to exit Egypt before anyone realized … Continue reading
PLI enews is a weekly publication containing our leadership and ministry blog as well as free content and important news.