So: what will successful small church ministry look like in coming decades? (This is a sketch; elaboration in the coming days.) Move away from full-time pastors with Bible / ministry / seminary degrees, to bivocational part-timers, educated for & earning salaries in professions outside the church. (Stetzer's "marketplace ministers") Move away from CEO leadership to … Continue reading A “New” Approach to Ministry in Small Churches (Ministry in Small Churches pt 3)

I've been married to my wife, Beth, for 32 years this May. And I have been employed in some form of full-time ministry for 31 years this August. In our 32 years, we have moved from ministry to ministry. California, New Mexico, Texas, Georgia, Texas, Kentucky, Texas, Croatia. All those moves were for MY ministries. … Continue reading Let Me Brag About My Wife

Sometimes we feel like God is sleeping on the job.  When that happens, it's okay to tell him to wake up. (I love the psalmists' raw honesty, don't you?  Why would we ever try to hide our feelings from God?) This is a prayer for all my friends who are faithfully serving in difficult places. … Continue reading On behalf of the faithful in difficult places …

I have fallen in love with 2 Cor 12.15: "I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls." Here's why I love that line. The Corinthian church was what we might call "a problem church."  Paul loved Corinth; he founded the church there (Acts 18). He spent several years living there, it was … Continue reading “Willing to spend and be spent” (2 Cor 12.15)

I habitually listen to Seth Godin's podcast, Akimbo. Godin has forgotten more about communication, leadership, marketing, etc., than most people will ever know. On his most recent episode, "Five Monkeys," Seth talked about how our organizational culture can help or hinder us.  He posits four questions that can help us examine our organizational DNA.  The … Continue reading “What do they need?”

You've seen the video; you've almost certainly seen several versions of the video. And maybe you were outraged by the first version, and then outraged at the outrage when you saw the longer version and realized how the posters of the original video edited it to mislead the country. Or maybe you "doubled down" on … Continue reading The True, “Larger” Story of Covington

See here. I've been reading through the book of Proverbs. What struck me reading the book is how many of its wisdom sayings have to do with speech. A huge theme in the book of Proverbs is speaking the truth: Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool. The plans of … Continue reading Richard Beck, “Speaking Truth”

In continuation of the things I've been writing about character traits that make a good minister / pastor ... check this out. http://jimputman.com/2018/08/20/8-key-attributes-of-a-successful-church-leader/