“Teachers, school staff, and students are understandably nervous about going back to school right now,” says Marilyn Lee, Executive Director of Loving Houston. “Let’s pray for God’s protection and provision for all of our Greater Houston schools.” Whether or not you already have a church-school partnership, you can meet the needs of schools for this particularly challenging year.

No one begins in the ministry full-grown, all-wise, capable in all things. At first, we were all newbies, beginners, novices, learners. Here’s a list of 12 of my mistakes from pastoring and the wisdom to help prevent them.

Coming as a shock to no one, 2020 is living up to forecasts for being one of the busiest storm seasons on record! Should a significant hurricane hit Houston—this year especially—there will be a palpable sense of hopelessness in the city. The Church must be prepared to minister to those inside and outside its walls.

Church Consultant Sally Hinzie is an avid reader and a practical thinker. She condenses The Trellis and the Vine into a quick, easy-to-read review.

Thanks to COVID-19, many Christians might feel at a loss for how to live out the Great Commission call in day-to-day life. How could we possibly go and make disciples of all nations when simply engaging with friends, family, and our church community seems so difficult? However, you can find creative ways to reach the nations near you—even in a global pandemic.

Anxiety is at an all-time high, and church leaders and pastors are not immune. If you were honest and expressed the fears going through your mind during COVID-19 and the economic shutdown, what would it sound like? How should leaders respond in the midst of this swirling internal storm of anxiety?

Almost everyone uses forms or principles of orality—whether or not they recognize it. Experiential education, action learning, guided discovery models, narrative methods, storytelling, and many other oral art forms are a part of the orality domain. With the current global pandemic, it’s necessary to rely more on modern, digital technology for communicating and training for advancing the gospel.

Some say, "a good friend is hard to find." But with over 300 diverse churches in our association alone, that shouldn't be the case for pastors and ministry leaders in Houston. One great example of pastoral friendship is that of Parris Patrick and Kevin Rizer. What began as a simple invite to lunch quickly became a true, lasting friendship.

The New Testament is conspicuously silent with respect to details on church governance and decision-making., but it does provide teachings that speak powerfully to the organizational needs we face. An imperfect system filled with people of integrity, humility, and grace will function far better than a perfect system filled with those who lack these qualities.

Across Houston, churches are making different decisions about whether or not to have in-person services. If your church has a plan to re-gather or is executing it, fantastic. If not, I offer a different approach: pray toward conditions being met rather than a specific date to be set.