Surviving or Thriving?

The health of a leader’s soul matters more than any amount of success, education, following or charisma. While it would be hard to find someone who would push back against that statement, it seems like every week another news story is breaking about a pastor or ministry leader whose secret double life has been exposed. In the words of pastor and Christian counselor, Chuck DeGroat, “I’m not surprised when the secret lives of Christian leaders are exposed. I am so sad that we keep elevating them. I’m even more grieved for the countless ‘followers’ who feel betrayed, confused, maybe even […]

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Are We Facing A Spiritual Epidemic?

A fellow South Florida pastor recently told me that, “The American Church is spiritually unprepared for this next season.” He’s right. As the country continues to grapple with the spread of COVID-19, renewed racial tension, an uncertain economic outlook, and what is assuredly to be an ugly election, the Church – God’s people – are facing something of a fork-in-the-road moment. Flattening the curve of the coronavirus is and continues to be inconvenient and painful. It has meant major changes to our daily rhythms, comfort and convenience. It has brought pain and grief to those who have lost loved ones. […]

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The Mission is Still On

In a recent article, Christian writer Jeff Christopherson suggests three ideas that, if embraced by the Church, would lead to unprecedented spiritual renewal in our cities. His ideas were simple:    The Gospel is everyone’s vocation — not just a chosen few.   From the start of the Coronavirus to the time this article was written, Google searches for faith-related questions are up 700 percent. “The Search for God” documentary is trending on Netflix. Churches across the globe saw record numbers of digital attendance over Easter. What this means is that our friends, neighbors, family members and co-workers are searching […]

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Leading The Church In Uncharted Waters

It has been said that leadership is about leading people where they need to go but often resist going. Today, in the midst of COVID-19, the question the Church faces is how to engage and mobilize people toward their own transformation, in order to accomplish a shared mission in a changing world. If the Coronavirus has taught us anything, it is that the world in front of us is nothing like the world behind us. And while the uncharted waters ahead are indeed scary, they are also present a great and unprecedented opportunity.  A wise friend and mentor of mine […]

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What the Church Can Learn From the Circus

Similar to much of the western church trends of today, the circus business was (and still is) in long-term decline. Facing fierce competition from alternative forms of entertainment, shifting interests of its once core audience along with increasing pressure from animal rights groups, culture was simply leaving the circus behind. In the face of their declining market, the circus tried as hard as it could to increase ticket sales and grow participation through highlighting star performers whom Ringling and the other circuses relied on to draw crowds. However, these star performers came at a high cost which only continued to […]

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South Florida’s Faith Is Your Problem Too

From the very beginning, the vision of Church United was beyond any one church, key leader or organization. In order to see South Florida become known as a place of faith, hope and love it will take a movement of the Church, united together for the sake of Kingdom mission. We believe as more and more people are awakened to faith in Jesus, the narrative of our neighborhoods, workplaces and cities will begin to change.  South Florida United Just a little over two years into our Vision 2023 journey, one thing has become abundantly clear: this isn’t pastors united, church staff […]

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The Work of Christmas Begins in January

Last month, at the Church United Night of Worship and Celebration we heard story after story of uncommon generosity, church unity and collaborative efforts to spread faith, hope and love across South Florida. Pastors, ministry leaders and congregants came together, putting down their logo and embracing one another as fellow believers: praying together, serving together and giving together. If you missed the service, here are a few highlights of what God did.   Little House Coin Banks Collectively we raised money to bless local schools, nonprofits, ministries and local families. When Broward County government came to us, asking that we […]

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Followership vs. Leadership

We live in a day and age that is obsessed with leadership development. We are constantly inundated with books, blogs, articles and podcasts bosting 7 secrets, 6 principles and 3 steps on how to become a better leader. We attend seminars, workshops and leadership programs looking for the latest and greatest guru in hopes that they will unlock something within us and set us on the path to greatness. However, in spite of all our efforts – reading books, listening to podcasts and attending seminars – we’re mentally and spiritually tired. The quest of chasing leadership development in hopes that […]

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Churches Join Forces to Love South Florida

Every November churches from across South Florida come together to demonstrate what unity for the sake of mission looks like. Linking arms with other churches in their region, God’s people are sent out to Love South Florida — to pray for, serve and give towards the flourishing of their neighborhoods, workplaces and cities. This year we are kicking off with Unsinkable, a region-wide sermon series. This series is meant to strengthen, catalyze and reorient Christians to the fact that THEY are the sleeping giant waiting to be deployed out to share faith, give hope and extend the love of Jesus […]

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The Hope of South Florida: But God.

The Bible reminds us that God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise – God always uses the B-team. In God’s economy, weakness and inadequacy are fundamentals to flourishing in the Christian life. However, so much of Christian culture today celebrates the A-team: the most gifted, the eloquent, the successful and the prosperous. Over and over again the Bible reminds us that the shared story of every Christian is not one of performance and gifting but rather one of God’s intervention. But God… You know what the two most powerful words in all of human history […]

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