Does it matter who leads a denomination? Denominational leaders play a crucial role—they can either propel churches forward or hinder their ability to fulfill their God-given mandate to “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:18-20). In my experience, when denominational leaders fully commit to helping churches fulfill the Great Commission, discipleship increases, and churches thrive.

Did you go to Ministers Gathering 2025? Ministry leaders from across Alberta and the Northwest Territories came together in beautiful Banff, AB, from February 10-13, 2025, for a time of equipping, inspiration, connection, and spiritual refreshment. The theme, Leading from Your Life Message, encouraged us to reflect deeply on our spiritual, emotional, and mental well-being.

How can we build a lasting ministry? We need to picture our ministry as a relay race in which we pass the baton to the next person. We can prepare now to hand that baton off well so that the next person will pick up and keep going strong.

Prayer is the engine that drives everything we do as ministers of the gospel. Nothing significant in the kingdom of heaven will happen unless it's preceded by prayer. When we pray, our hearts and minds align with our Heavenly Father's will.

I hear stories about churches doing radio shows in which the pastor would simply field questions about life, the Bible, and theology – a conversation with regular people from their local community who would call and ask questions of the pastor.

What happens when a church goes from plateauing or declining to growing by reaching lost people? Every church that is growing needs to be thinking about multiplying. This is how we quadruple our impact. A church that grows needs to be multiplying in three ways.

What metrics are you using? Tracking the right metrics in the church will help you make the right course corrections and seek the right help as you move forward. 

What changes are you planning in the future? Don’t stay where you are. Keep moving forward. Make sure that as you change, you navigate through some of these challenges in a healthy way. Whenever we implement change, we can either underestimate or overestimate how complicated it can be.

How can you reach more families with young children? Many churches struggle with this question as they find that they are an older congregation or they think they don’t have the volunteer capacity to reach out to families. Here are some simple ways you can reach families with young children that won’t cost you a lot of money and utilize a lot of volunteers.

How many hours a week are you in your community? I encourage pastors to allocate 5 hours a week to be in their community, connecting with non-believers and building bridges of connection to people not a part of the church. Here are some ways to get out of your office and into your community.

Are you a solution provider in your community? Churches often see themselves as "providers of religious goods and services" in the place where they are located. They relegate themselves to society's "faith and religion" aspects and do their best to stay in their lane. However, the Church of Jesus Christ is called to make an impact on the world it is a part of.

Church finances can be difficult to manage. Many times it’s a cause of stress, and we think, “If only we had more”. Well, let’s start by being good stewards of what we have. Churches often make these four financial mistakes

Have you ever asked why aren't people coming back to your church? I know this seems a little opposite of how we typically view church; come here, and we’ll fill you up for the week. But, I would say we have an opportunity here to reframe what church looks like in this season and meet people where they’re at. The gospel never changes, but our methods can change constantly.

What does a vitalized church in Canada actually look like? The reality is every church is on a trajectory and we can’t look at an individual month or year, but we need to look at the overall trends and characteristics of a church that is vitalized. Let’s look at 5 characteristics of a vitalized church.

Why are churches unable to stay open and grow? In an age where the Canadian population is growing, churches nationwide seem to be shrinking. The media calls it “the age of secularism,” but I call it a “wake-up call for the churches in Canada.”

Our Canadian churches have the greatest opportunity to reverse the trend of decreasing Christian influence in Canada. It works when we obey Christ and shed off everything else. We invite you to join us at the Church Vitalization Summit on August 29 and 30 for two 90-minute virtual sessions on reversing the trend in Canada.

What can you do to reach our community with just two people and a few bucks? Here are 20 outreaches that you can do with one other person. If done consistently over time, you'll see the fruit.

Why are you trying to grow your ministry by yourself? From the early days in Jesus’ example to the early church, you’ll read ministry stories in collaboration and partnership. Ministers joined forces and faith to see great things accomplished. Where one lacked, the other contributed and so on. Jesus himself chose to do ministry in teams; these disciples would have had input into Jesus’ life and ministry.