by Daniel (RTL) | Dec 18, 2025 | Articles
Rethinking the Christmas Invitation Every year around this time, churches gear up for Christmas Eve. It’s one of the biggest opportunities we have. The stats are familiar: most people who don’t attend church would actually come if someone invited them. So...
by Daniel (RTL) | Dec 18, 2025 | Articles
The Power of an Invitation In 1995, Al Detter took me to a restaurant. We sat across from each other, made small talk, and then he issued an invitation. “The job is yours if you want it. I’m inviting you to come onto our staff and be a pastor at Grace...
by Derek Sanford | Apr 28, 2025 | Articles
Most brainstorming advice assumes everyone’s a natural ideator. That if you gather enough smart, creative people in a room and give them permission to think big, bold ideas will start flying. But if you’ve ever left a session wondering why the room was silent,...
by Derek Sanford | Apr 19, 2025 | Articles
There’s a loneliness that no one warns you about when you step into ministry. It’s not just the loneliness of late nights or empty rooms. It’s the weight of being the one who is supposed to have answers. The one who holds others up but often has no one holding them....
by Derek Sanford | Apr 16, 2025 | Articles
Preaching Principles: 10 Decision Filters for Mapping Out Your Sermon Series Calendar At Grace Church, our ministry year runs from September to August, so we start planning our church calendar in the spring, around April or May. That means by February, I block out a...
by Derek Sanford | Mar 31, 2025 | Articles
Because culture, clarity, and chemistry don’t show up in the job description. A few weeks ago, I was on the phone with a pastor friend who was considering stepping into a new role at a church. He asked a great question: “What kind of questions should I be asking them...
