Jerry Wiles
Orality in the Marketplace

Storytelling methods are increasing in popularity as effective marketplace tools for improving working relationships and community, addressing organizational change, leadership, and maintaining corporate culture. Not every follower of Jesus is part of the business community. However, almost everyone is engaged in the marketplace in some way. Most people buy things and deal with sales and marketing people. Each of those occasions can be witness and ministry opportunities. 

Orality in the Marketplace
Skyler Womack
5 Lessons I've Learned from Missionaries

5 years ago, I took the role of Minister of Missionary Care at Houston's First. It has been one of the most rewarding and stretching positions I have ever experienced in my short ministry career. Our team has seen and heard it all—from religious persecution to church planting movements, hidden depression to unexplainable joy through trials. Whether it comes through a screen or across the table, we have learned some life lessons from our missionary partners, and we would love to share some with you.

5 Lessons I've Learned from Missionaries
Josh Ellis
How and Why to Celebrate Pastor Appreciation ...

If you’ve never been a pastor, let me give you a little glimpse into their world. Some of it can be quite funny, and some of it will make you secretly thankful that you don’t have to do their job. This reality doesn’t just apply to senior pastors either—every ministry position has nuances and complexities. Sure we make fun of youth pastors (I was one, so it’s okay), but there is no easy ministry job. Let me see if I can explain why that is so.

How and Why to Celebrate Pastor Appreciation Month
Marie Burrus
How Poor Communication Skills are Hurting Your ...

Why are many Christians so offensive, aggressive, or just downright weird in the way we share the gospel? More often than not, our problem is not our theology behind our conversations but rather our methodology. The gospel may be a stumbling block, but the way we share it shouldn't be. So, let's learn to be winsome without losing the truth of Scripture. Here are five strategies to help you be a more effective communicator and a better gospel witness. 

How Poor Communication Skills are Hurting Your Gospel Witness
UBA Staff
Better Together in Our Communities

At UBA, we talk a lot about being better together—because we know it to be true. When churches work together to advance the gospel, they can do all kinds of things that would never have been possible for each individual church. In the same way, churches can also partner with schools in their communities, as well. We recently got the chance to talk with Kevin Alvarez, lead pastor of Long Point Baptist Church, and hear how Loving Houston helped connect and equip his church to be better together with their local school district. 

Better Together in Our Communities

pastoring

Amistad, una Relación más Elevada

Amistad, una Relación más Elevada

Las redes sociales se jactan de poder enlazar una red de amistades, pero la realidad es que la gran mayoría de los usuarios solo logran tener muchos conocidos, pero muy pocos amigos. Por otro lado, para los pastores y ministros cristianos, debido a las demandas del ministerio, desarrollar amistades profundas se complica. La amistad es una relación de ecuanimidad y equidad que necesita ser cultivada todos los días.

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While social networks boast of being able to link a network of friends, the reality is that the vast majority of users only manage to have acquaintances, but very few friends. Often for pastors and Christian ministers, the demands of the ministry make it very complicated to develop truly deep friendships. Friendship is a relationship of balance and equity that needs to be cultivated every day.

UBA's Top 10 Articles of 2018

UBA's Top 10 Articles of 2018

2018 has brought a lot of things our way: heavy losses, exciting possibilities, and hard discussions. Likewise, our blog also had a lot of fascinating and pertinent articles for the year. As we prepare for what God has in store for 2019, we'll first pause to remember and celebrate the top 10 articles of 2018.

What Do You Do All Week?

What Do You Do All Week?

If you ask me today, “What do you do all week?” and then again next week, the answers will probably be different. It’s just one of the many reasons I love working for UBA. Like everyone else on the team, I love churches. I love bringing them together, and I love helping them share the love of Jesus effectively. It takes all of us working together to reach our city. It’s why we’re better together.

Pastoreando a Tu Pastor

Pastoreando a Tu Pastor

Octubre es el mes del pastor, Dios creó su cuerpo que es la iglesia para que Cristo mismo sea la cabeza (Efesios 1:22-23) así que, si todos somos cuerpo, necesitamos el ministerio particular los unos de los demás. (1 Corintios) 12:24-27) Aprende a pastorear tu pastor.

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October is Pastor Appreciation Month, God created his body, which is the church, so that Christ himself is the head (Ephesians 1: 22-23). If we are all members of the body, we need the ministry of one another, including your pastor (1 Corinthians 12: 24-27). Pastor your pastor!

Pastor Appreciation Month—Why is it Important?

Pastor Appreciation Month—Why is it Important?

There was an old Isotoner Glove commercial featuring Hall of Fame Quarterback Dan Marino saying the tagline, “Take care of the hands that take care of you.” Regardless of your church or staff size, take care of the people who feel God’s call on their life to lead and take care of you. From ministry interns to senior pastors, we need them at their best, because they often see us at our worst.

A Plea for Church Leaders to Say and Do Intentional Evangelism

A Plea for Church Leaders to Say and Do Intentional Evangelism

I sat in an empty conference room going through church files. One box contained hundreds of leads from a long-gone Tuesday night outreach program. I called in a couple of deacons.

“What should we do with these?” It may be the dumbest ministry question I’ve ever asked.