September 2019 » GProCommission

September 26, 2019

Two Examples of Preaching Christ from Samuel and Acts

This is the final installment in this three part series reshared with kind permission from Leadership Resources. To access parts one and two, simply click the corresponding links. What follows is the final part of an interview with Colin S. Smith on what it means to preach Christ. Click here for the audio below is the transcript. KH: We’ve talked a little about theory about preaching Christ and why it’s important. Can you share a couple examples? Maybe walk us through a message you’ve preached before and how you think about preaching Christ. CS: Sure, I’d be glad to talk about […]

September 24, 2019

Preaching for Encounters with the Risen Christ (Part Two)

Continued from Part I and reshared with kind permission from Leadership Resources. This post is a continuation of a series on what it means to preach Christ with Colin S. Smith. Listen to the interview in audio mode here. Below is the transcript: KH: You’ve written before that preaching Christ must arise out of the Word and should lead us to the table, creating a worshipful experience encountering Christ there, at church. What do you mean by this, and why do you think it’s such an important idea? CS: I got that out of the Church of England liturgy, going all the […]

September 21, 2019

Can Anything Grow in the Desert? Testimony from a Pastoral Trainer in Kenya

Watch our video interview with Pastor Tasse, be encouraged, and learn more about MentorLink International’s resources for training leaders who lead like Jesus. A written interview is below, as well as links to the MentorLink courses. We encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel for future interviews. “ With explosive numeric growth but few trained pastors, Christ’s Church in the great continent of Africa has been described by African leaders as “a mile wide and an inch deep”—a description which can fit many congregations anywhere. Kenyan pastoral trainer Pastor Alia Tasse rejoices over the rampant church planting in Africa. […]

September 19, 2019

What does it mean to preach Christ? (Part One)

Reshared with kind permission from Leaderhip Resource (LRI) LRI’s Kevin Halloran sat down with his pastor, Colin S. Smith, to talk about what it means to preach Christ. Listen to the audio or read the transcript below. The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:23, “We preach Christ crucified,” and a few verses later, he said he was determined to “know nothing among the Corinthians except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). But what does this mean? And how can a preacher faithfully preach Christ? Pastor Colin Smith With me is my pastor, Colin Smith, of the Orchard Evangelical […]

September 17, 2019

How to Speak the Right Words at the Right Time In Your Ministry

Strategy matters. Vision is critical. Structures and systems are vital. These are all important aspects of organizational leadership. But, they are trumped by what leaders actually say. Words matter. Lately I’ve been studying the book of Proverbs and thinking about the impact of words on our lives and organizations. I’m realizing that there have been turning points in my life that are a direct result of something someone said to me. When I was in 9th grade, my youth pastor told me, “You are a leader.” When I was in 11th grade, my English teacher told me, “You are a […]

September 12, 2019

Spiritual Mirrors

Being a follower of Jesus requires us to be obedient and submissive to his commands. And although we often fail to do so God does not leave us on our own nor does He expect us to do so with our own power. God gives us His Holy Spirit to enable us to follow His Son. His Word says in Acts 1:8 that “we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us.” In Romans 8:26 it says that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” And in Galatians 5:16 it says that “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful […]

September 8, 2019

How to lead in a world of distraction

Clay Scroggins is back on the podcast with some fresh insights from his brand new book, How to Lead in a World of Distraction. In an open and vulnerable interview, Clay talks about how the pressures of leadership led to him missing some of the signs of emotional ill-health, breaking down in his boss’s office, and finding quiet and healing in a noisy world. And if you think this is just theory, Clay is learning all this while leading a church of over 9,000, nurturing his marriage, and parenting five kids under the age of ten. Welcome to Episode 292 of the […]

September 5, 2019

5 Preaching Trends That Will Shape the Future

Continued from PART 1 here. 4. PREACHING TO THE HEART/AFFECTIONS (MARK) One of Jonathan Edwards’ great fears during the awakening that happened around his preaching was that the conversions of thousands of people to Christ weren’t real. That they were surface level, even counterfeit. His desire was that the gospel would change someone from the inside-out vs. the outside-in (through Religious Guilt or Cognitive Teaching, etc.,). He knew what Augustine said was true: that we are what we love, that the most powerful part about us wasn’t our thinking, but our feeling, our gut, and that true and effective preaching […]

September 3, 2019

5 Preaching Trends That Will Shape the Future (PART 1)

In a culture where everything’s changing, so is preaching. Sure…the message never changes, but the method has to if you want to be effective. What worked in preaching a decade ago is less effective today, not because the scripture or Gospel has changed, but because the culture has. The fact that 70-80% of all churches are plateaued or declining and the rash of deconversions we’re seeing are evidence that in many cases, what used to be effective isn’t anymore. This is a post I wrote with Mark Clark, Lead Pastor of Village Church, a church that reaches over 5000 people each weekend […]