Category Archives: Spirituality

What does it take to Grow a Great Church?

Posted on May 13, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

Many things have been suggested over the years. Here’s my list – these are the things I pray for: The Manifest Presence of God. The bible tells us God is omnipresent (everywhere). We believe God is with us every time … Continue reading →

Posted in church growth, Local church, Spirituality | 1 Comment

Reading Tribal Church

Posted on April 30, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

I just finished reading Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation by Carol Howard Merritt, the book we’re supposed to be reading for our next monthly district clergy gathering. The book’s points can be summed up fairly briefly: Young people … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, church growth, Evangelism, Spirituality | 3 Comments

Stuck

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

Sometimes we get stuck. While getting stuck is commonly taken to be a bad thing, it depends on where we’re stuck or what we’re stuck in. Perhaps you’re stuck in a family that keeps on loving you even when you … Continue reading →

Posted in Evangelism, Local church, Spirituality | 1 Comment

A Balanced Life?

Posted on March 9, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

A balanced life is something we think a good thing. But what do we mean by “balance?” If you listen to the Catalyst podcast you may have heard Erwin McManus talk about balance (I don’t remember if it was episode … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipline, Spirituality | Leave a comment

Discipleship Goals #4

Posted on March 4, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

Stewardship seems like a word for old timers. Now we have Extravagant Generosity. The subject is the same: God has put resources at our disposal and holds us accountable for their use. When our lives are dominated by fear – … Continue reading →

Posted in Five Practices, Spirituality, Stewardship | 2 Comments

Discipleship Goals #2

Posted on February 26, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

It’s easy to center the act of disciple making on what we do with individuals. But if all we do in our disciple making is work with individuals, we’re missing both the model of Jesus and what we see in … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Five Practices, Ministry, Spirituality, Uncategorized, Worship | Leave a comment

Discipleship Goals #1

Posted on February 25, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

The mission of the United Methodist Church is to “Make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Sounds good. But it’s pretty vague, especially given our fragmented theology. I thought it would be useful to explore in … Continue reading →

Posted in Five Practices, Local church, Ministry, Spirituality | 2 Comments

Cafeteria Religion

Posted on January 14, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

Barna has come out with another survey, showing that Americans are more prone than ever to just make up their own religion. Ed Stetzer also comments on it. Here’s my preliminary thoughts. Our culture has divided so much between “liberal” … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumerism, Culture, Market, Spirituality | 3 Comments

A Simple funny

Posted on December 17, 2008 by Richard Heyduck

Here’s a humorous statement from Simple Church: Saddleback, led by Rick Warren, was the first church to launch forty-day spiritual growth campaigns. Anyone ever heard of Lent? It may be that Saddleback’s campaigns are more routinized than how many churches … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Spirituality | Leave a comment

Christmas Presents

Posted on December 9, 2008 by Richard Heyduck

In our culture, the one whose birthday it is gets the presents. This is why most kids look forward to their birthday. It’s a big deal. Christmas is Jesus’ birthday. So who gets the presents? When I was a kid, … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Consumerism, Spirituality | Leave a comment