Seriously Fun

Seriously Fun

When I first spoke with Jarrod Conyers, he was not like I expected him to be. Mark DeVries had asked that I meet with this man he knew who was working on translating the entire bible into emojis. Mark had seen one of the books and loved it and wanted to see if we...
Building Arks in our Spare Time

Building Arks in our Spare Time

One of the most fun parts of my work with Ministry Incubators is the opportunity I have to lead an “Innovator’s Cohort” through Hood Theological Seminary, alongside my friend and colleague Kerwin. The cohort is made of church leaders who are all looking to do...
The Justice Imagination Lab

The Justice Imagination Lab

Sometimes the most significant barrier between where we are and where we’re being called to go is simply a lack of imagination. We get easily sucked into patterns of what is and what always has been, so when we see an invitation to new work we are called into, we...
Compelling Preaching

Compelling Preaching

Being a church leader is an incredibly multifaceted job. The role consists of all of the responsibilities of running a small nonprofit organization, a fair amount of crisis response, premarital counseling, social work, volunteer recruitment and management,...
Introducing: Mission Possible

Introducing: Mission Possible

One of the most common limits faced by innovators is the nagging fear that way they are trying to do may just be impossible. There are too many obstacles, not enough resources, too much standing in between them and where they want to be. This fear causes leaders to...
Giving up on the ‘Good Ole Days’

Giving up on the ‘Good Ole Days’

When Rev. Tim Jackson was appointed to lead Vestal United Methodist Church and Magnolia Avenue United Methodist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, they were dying congregations whose buildings were empty most of the time.  Vestal UMC had a Christian education building...