by Dr. Paul Chappell | Sep 11, 2015 | Christian Life
I hope you’ve seen the pictures. Three-year-old Aylan washed up on the shore, drowned while escaping. Masses of refugees crowding streets under the shells of bombed out buildings. Inflated rafts spilling over with people fleeing war-torn Syria. The seventy-one...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Sep 10, 2015 | Christian Life, Ministry Leadership
Relationships are vital to ministry. Whether you are a pastor, a church staff member, or serve as a leader in any area of church ministry, cultivating strong relationships is a necessary investment. Relational-less ministry is both ineffective and harmful. It is...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Sep 7, 2015 | Ministry Leadership
If the ministry is anything, it is labor. Paul told Timothy, “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work” (1 Timothy 3:1). And that is exactly what it is—work. I know there are many who look at a pastor or those who serve on...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Aug 31, 2015 | Ministry Leadership
I firmly believe that Christ’s last command must be our first priority. I believe that every Christian individually as well as corporately with their church family should be actively engaged in sharing the gospel year round. As a pastor, I take seriously our...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Aug 28, 2015 | Media/Resources, Ministry Leadership, Ministry News
One of the highlights every year for me at Spiritual Leadership Conference is the pre-conference Church Planter’s Luncheon on Monday afternoon. All church planters and their wives are invited for a complimentary meal, great fellowship with other church planters...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Aug 25, 2015 | Ministry Leadership
Near the end of each summer, our staff pulls away from daily responsibilities for two days of training—usually at an off campus location. I greatly look forward to this time and spend many hours preparing for it. Although we have staff meeting each week, this annual...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Aug 21, 2015 | Christian Life, Ministry Leadership
In the previous post I pointed out seven symptoms of one of the most dangerous spiritual diseases—apathy. A diagnose without a cure, however, is unhelpful. The direct counsel Christ Himself gave to the church at Laodicea was to humble themselves in repentance and...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Aug 17, 2015 | Christian Life, Ministry Leadership
“The nice thing about apathy is you don’t have to exert yourself to show you’re sincere about it.”—Anonymous The bad thing about apathy, however—at least, spiritual apathy—is everything. There are few things a pastor or spiritual leader fears more than apathy. (And if...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Aug 13, 2015 | Christian Life, Media/Resources, Ministry Leadership
God has not only called us to build with Him. He has called us to build with one another as well. We’re “labourers together with God” (1 Corinthians 3:9) and are called to “stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel”...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Aug 10, 2015 | Christian Life, Media/Resources, Ministry Leadership
As local church leaders, it is imperative that we keep God—not numeric growth—as our primary goal. When it comes to the local church, Jesus is the Builder; the church is His habitation; and we are His co-laborers, called to labor in winning souls and building...