Category Archives: Local church

Reviewing Meet Generation Z

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Richard Heyduck

My introduction to James Emery Miller’s recent book, Meet Generation Z: Understanding and Reaching the New Post-Christian World came through an interview on Carey Nieuwhof’s podcast. My first thought was, “I need to read that book.” Imagine my happiness when only … Continue reading →

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What the American Church Needs in 2015

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Richard Heyduck

I’m only going to mention two things here, not because I think the situation is really that simple, but because if we can get these two things right, most of the other things will fall into place. The first thing … Continue reading →

Posted in Jesus, Local church | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Definition-phobia

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Richard Heyduck

In a recent post Tony Morgan writes about reasons churches lack a strategy for life change. The first of his four reasons is that churches don’t define success, fearing the accountability that will come with it. I ran first ran … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Leadership, Local church, Ministry, Tony Morgan | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Different Future

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

Will Willimon’s Bishop functions as a study of the episcopacy and as a spiritual autobiography. Reading it, we gain insight into the church, its leadership, and its leaders. Willimon is explicit and plain-spoken about his convictions. At one point he … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecclesiology, Local church, Ministry, United Methodism, Will Willimon | 1 Comment

Ed Stetzer’s Subversive Kingdom

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

The best thing about Ed Stetzer’s Subversive Kingdom is that it’s true. First, it’s true that Jesus has inaugurated the kingdom and that the kingdom has not yet eradicated all the competitors. Second, it’s true that the best way for … Continue reading →

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Temporary Beauty

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Richard Heyduck

In the mid-1950s First Methodist and First Baptist Churches in my town both had 50 year old buildings that were showing their age. Ministry styles had changed over that time and the buildings that suited the congregations at the turn … Continue reading →

Posted in Local church, Ministry | 1 Comment

Care or Cure?

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

Stanley Hauerwas: “One of the demonic things that has happened to medicine is to change its purpose from care to cure, and that puts an unbelievable burden on doctors. It gives them a lot of power, but they break apart … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care, Local church, Ministry, Stanley Hauerwas | Leave a comment

The Best Measure

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

What’s the best measure of effective ministry? What do we look for if we want to figure out whether effective ministry is happening or not? Our first tendency is to look at the numbers. The bigger the numbers, the higher … Continue reading →

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Rural Church

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

One of the books I’m reading now is Shannon O’Dell’s Transforming Church in Rural America. I figured that since I’m pastoring a church in rural America (ok, some folks describe our town as a metropolis – when compared to surrounding … Continue reading →

Posted in Local church | 1 Comment

Thinking about our Church values

Posted on April 14, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

Craig Groeschel is thinking about and refining his church values. I find his comments worth listening to, so here they are, along with some comments of my own. 1)    We are faith-filled, big thinking, bet-the-farm risk takers. We’ll never insult … Continue reading →

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