What Are Core Values and Why Do They Matter for a Church?
Every church has core values, but not every church has written them down. And actually, it wasn’t until several years ago that I and some of the other leaders in our church worked on writing our core values. Both the process and the product proved to be a helpful...
Michael Michael: Saying Goodbye to a Faithful Man
Two weeks ago, I spent time at the home bedside of Michael Michael—a dear friend and one of our longtime church members and deacons. Michael talked with great warmth and joy about the faithful love of God in his life, his love for his family and church family, people...
3 Truths Every Child Needs to Know
One of the blessings I look forward to every summer is extra time with our eleven grandchildren. Summer is a good time for grandparents to create special memories! Being with our grandchildren always reminds me of the innocence and impressionability of young hearts....
Setting the Course with Fresh Vision: Spiritual Leadership Podcast
In the process of leading a church family and building a congregation, there are times when you need a restart. The apostle Paul wrote to the Galiatians, “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you” (Galatians 4:19)....
6 More Characteristics of an Effective Ministry Team
In the previous post, we looked at five characteristics of an effective ministry team: Calling: We must be confident in the calling and equipping of God. Attitude of Faith: We can approach our area of service with pessimistic discouragement or with an attitude of...
5 Characteristics of an Effective Ministry Team
Being on a sports team is awesome when everyone on the team is team-spirted and individually skilled. Cohesive teams with motivated individuals win championships. But when any single player loses either the drive to personally excel or the humility to further the...
A Conversation about Planting Churches in Challenging Places: Spiritual Leadership Podcast
At a recent California for Christ meeting, I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Alan Fong, Robbie Yapp, and James Kim to discuss the need for and challenges of church planting. It was our joy nearly twenty-five years ago to help Pastor Fong in planting Heritage...
Funding Your Church Plant: Should an Independent Baptist Accept Funds from the Southern Baptist Convention?
The article below is significantly longer than most blog posts. In fact, it’s actually a small booklet I have recently written relative to questions I’ve been asked regarding funding new church plants. If you would prefer to read this as a PDF, you can download the...
Interview with Dr. Jerry Vines: Spiritual Leadership Podcast
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Jerry Vines for the Spiritual Leadership Podcast. Some of the audio and technical quality was not up to the quality we desired, so we held on posting it. However, I felt the content of this interview is relevant...
The Resilient Life
Overcome the Crises and Anxieties of Life through Christ
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Pastor Paul Chappell
Dr. Paul Chappell is the senior pastor of the Lancaster Baptist Church and president of West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster, California. His biblical vision has led the church to become one of the most dynamic independent Baptist churches in the nation. He has been married to his wife, Terrie, for over forty years and is the father of four married children all serving in Christian ministry.
