Digging Deeper:

Three Questions for Pastors and Churches

For years, my young son settled for the security of a peanut butter sandwich and overlooked a smorgasbord of delectable food to savor.

In many ways, don’t we all?

We seek security and miss the cultural shifts occurring all around us. Change always involves some level of risk, but a willingness to adapt and change can also lead to golden opportunities.

We complain about our job but never go back to school to acquire new skills. Others say: “I’m lonely” as they stay home scrolling through Facebook or watching TV.

Many of our churches cry out, “We want to be alive! We want to grow in our faith! We want to receive new families! We want a youth ministry! We want to make a difference in the world!” Yet so few churches are willing to venture beyond what they already know is safe.

Now you know why I wrote this book.

“Digging Deeper: Three Questions for Pastors and Churches” will challenge all of us to walk away from the habits and practices that prevent our churches from being fruitful and effective.

The three questions?

1. How bold is your dream?
2. How committed is your team?
3. How firm is your foundation?

The questions are simple and straightforward, but the answers require a lot of prayer and soul searching.

There is also a bonus chapter: “Why United Methodist?”

For many years, I served small, medium and large churches and supervised other pastors. During those years we faced a lot of challenges. At times, our churches, our pastors and yes… me, myself and I stubbornly clung to our old habits. But, at times we took risks and God blessed us. Sometimes our ideas worked and sometimes they didn’t. But in the end, we grew stronger as we sampled God’s amazing menu.