Category Archives: Mentoring

The Jesus Jacket

By Mike James | Published: November 28, 2011

I read an interesting yet disturbing article recently on intergeneration connections and the involvement of teens after they graduate from high school. The article was written by Kara Powell and it was called, “Faith that Sticks.” Studies suggest that approximately 40 to 50 percent of our students who are part of a church or youth group [...]

Also posted in Discipleship | 2 Responses

THE LEADERSHIP FACTOR

By Mike James | Published: March 8, 2011

We’ve all heard the quote, “Everything rises or falls on leadership.” We know that it is the Spirit of the Lord in us that provides the energy and guidance to lead, but the fact is… God is still using people to accomplish His purposes. He uses godly leaders. Churches that are healthy are constantly producing [...]

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Church Vitality Components

By Mike James | Published: September 27, 2010

Audrey Barrick writing for the Christian Post reported an interesting new study by the United Methodist Church on what makes some churches healthy. Here are the key findings in that study. Churches with a high number of small groups, effective lay leadership, faithful pastors, and both traditional and contemporary services tend to be the healthiest. [...]

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Church Attendance Up?

By Mike James | Published: July 11, 2010

Religion News Service reports that a new Gallup Poll found that Americans’ self-reported church attendance has increased slightly since 2008. When asked “How often do you attend church, synagogue, or mosque?” 43.1 percent of Americans in 2010 said they attended church “at least once a week” or “almost every week.” That’s up from 42.8 percent [...]

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Farewell

By Steve Rice | Published: October 16, 2008

Today I say farewell as the writer of 28Nineteen. On November 2, 2008, I will assume the Senior Pastor position at the First Baptist Church of Shelbyville, Kentucky. My family and I are very excited about our new assignment from the Lord. Read about our move in this Kentucky Baptist Convention article or this Western [...]

Also posted in Assimilation, Church Growth, Discipleship, Miscellaneous, New Member Classes, Personal Journey, Preaching, Resources, Spiritual Growth, Sunday School | 1 Response

Conditions of Discipleship

By Steve Rice | Published: July 1, 2008

This week I am teaching at Ridgecrest National Conference Center as a part of LifeWay’s Discipleship Week. Pictured here is Dennis Rogers, Discipleship & Family Ministries’ Specialist from the Georgia Baptist Convention. This week, in the main discipleship session, we are taking a close look at a newly published LifeWay tool, Discipleship: Stepping-Stones to Developing your [...]

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How To Disciple Students (Podcast)

By Steve Rice | Published: April 17, 2008

Recently, I sat down in the studio with Joe Ball, Kentucky Baptist Convention Youth Strategist, to discuss discipleship and assimilation. We focused on those topics especially as they relate to students. You can listen to our conversation on his blog, Despising None. During our conversation about mentoring students, I pointed out some of the safeguards [...]

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W.W.J.D. Becomes W.W.A.D.

By Steve Rice | Published: April 9, 2008

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 I use to dream of [...]

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The “Real” Apostle Paul

By Steve Rice | Published: April 7, 2008

“I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother [...]

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Spiritual Maturity Study: Key Findings, Part 3

By Steve Rice | Published: April 5, 2008

Today, let’s continue our examination of the key findings from the study of the spiritual maturity of Kentucky Southern Baptists conducted by the Kentucky Baptist Convention and LifeWay Research. (See Spirtual Maturity Study: Key Findings, Part 1, and Part 2 for other key findings). In future posts, we will look closely at each major area of [...]

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