Numerous people have asked me why I created The Academy's Certified Lay Ministry training to prepare lay persons to serve the church and the Foundations for a Thriving Church program for laypersons and churches.
Because in my life and the lives of millions of others, a thriving church has made a difference, and we want the church to thrive everywhere.
If we want our small membership churches to thrive, we need to retool. The definition of "retool" is "adapt or alter (someone or something) to make them more useful or suitable."
The Academy for Small Membership Church Ministries (TASMCM) has received a $30,000 grant from the Guy and Ruby Casebourn Murphy Charitable Trust to continue their training of lay pastors and develop innovative programs which support small membership churches.
The definition of paralysis is "the inability to move." Every person sometimes suffers guilt and shame that can lead to inaction and losing faith in themselves. However, as in the story, we all need four friends who have faith in Jesus and faith that we are worth healing.
In Junior High, I was invited to a friend’s house for a sleepover. We were not allowed in the house except to use the bathroom. His parents pitched a tent in the backyard so that we would not mess up the house.
During this season of Lent, I would like to challenge us to focus on our relationship with God and commit to deepening our faith. Here are a few suggestions for our Lenten Journey.
