Every morning, I pray that my fellow Jesus-followers will stay strong and true. Being a leader is never easy, but when we are called to it, there is no better place to be and no better way to live. This is true not only of pastors, but also of the gifted leaders in our churches [...]

I have been spending quality time with clusters of pastors lately, so far, with seven groups. To prepare for the two to three hour meetings, I’ve asked them to read several articles, a report from the Lusanne meetings and a couple of short booklets. All of them focus on two indisputable facts, namely, that God [...]

Okay, so I’m a little concerned; maybe even fed up with all the bashing of a really rich word. The word is RELIGION. What got me going this morning was The Church Report’s “must see” video that has gone “viral” entitled Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus. Now, I get what people mean when [...]

Important news and updates! First, new pastors and interims: Caleb Stomberg, his wife, Lindsey, and their two children will soon be moving to New Leipzig, ND to serve the New Leipzig Baptist Church.  Rev. Brandon Jones, his wife, Marci, and their three children are coming to Herreid, SD, where Brandon will assume pastoral duties.  Walter [...]

Check out some great new resources on this website. Like…   All the information from last February’s Rural Ministry Revitalization cluster meetings Some great articles in the Resources section including… Honoring Your Pastor (Pastor Appreciation) The Introverted Leader – an encouraging article about pastors who are not type-A extroverts And a Pastor & Leader Evaluation [...]

Annual evaluations have been a part of my life for so many years that this year, I actually counted. As the Regional Leadership Team processed my latest eval, it was the thirty-first consecutive year for that kind of thing. The first twenty-three of them were done when I was a pastor, the last eight as [...]

That’s the news. Slowly, Minot residents are accessing their flooded homes. Some will not get to them soon. It’s summer. Mold has taken over every space. The flood water is rancid. The smell is stifling. Head-high piles of debris line the streets.  Crews from some of our churches have already been helping First Baptist Church folks gut their [...]

If you’re involved in the region I serve, you probably know that all of the Regional Ministers and wives are in Orange, CA, hanging out with the YG11 youth and staff. In case you’re totally out of the loop, YG11 is the 2011 version of a youth conference our denomination holds every three years. This [...]

Matt Morken, youth pastor at Grace Baptist, Grand Forks took a group to Minot to help muck out assoc pastor Paul Pankratz’ house. He’s part of First Baptist, Minot.  Check out this great video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX5jJaSIHdw&feature=player_embedded#at=109