Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Tag Archives: leaders


by Leave a comment

Leaders, Shepherd Your Church

My wife Tammy and I began attending the church we belong to in December, 1994. I became an elder at the church in March, 1996. We were a small church back then, with attendance of approximately 80 for worship each Sunday. Over the years, we’ve seen slow, steady growth and now we have approximately 400 in attendance each Sunday morning, and are in the process of adding an additional site in our community as a result of the Lord’s blessing; we have outgrown our current facilities.
Whether you are a large church with thousands of members or you are a church with less than one hundred, the challenge of how to care for your members remains. Timothy Witmer’s book The Shepherd Leader is helpful in doing this. Continue reading →


by 1 Comment

FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • Moses Questioned His Calling – What About You? Russ Gehrlein shares part one of a two-part article that will explore the long conversation Moses had with God at the burning bush.
  • Mere Christians: Mike Sharrow. On this episode of the Mere Christians podcast, Jordan Raynor visits with Mike Sharrow about how to create “mini–Bema Seat moments” to judge your work before God does.
  • Called to Lead. My book Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the Workplace is available in both a paperback and Kindle edition. Read a free sample (Introduction through Chapter 2).
  • Carry Your Faith Into All of Life. Terence Chatmon writes “Faith in the workplace is a non-negotiable. We are called to work and live a fully integrated and balanced life. There should be no sacred and secular divide or split in living out our faith in the workplace and life.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

  • More links to interesting articles
  • The Top 10 Faith and Work Quotes of the Week
  • Faith and Work Book Review ~ Women & Work: Bearing God’s Image and Joining in His Mission through our Work, edited by Courtney Moore
  • Quotes from the book Working in the Presence of God: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Work by Denise Daniels and Shannon Vandewarker

Continue reading →


by 2 Comments

FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • Calling and Burnout. Meryl Herr writes “Could having a calling be bad for you? It may seem like an odd question in an age where books, articles, and podcasts on finding and living your calling abound. But research suggests that having a calling could be harmful in some cases.”
  • The Calling of Motherhood. Bethany Belue writes “My calling is to love my children well in this season and to disciple their hearts to know Jesus.”
  • How Kids Find Their Calling. Luke Bobo and Sarah Haywood write “As parents we have a responsibility to study our kids and appropriately and wisely guide them to the vocations for which they have been divinely designed.”
  • Albert Mohler on a Popular Pastor Who Fell. Albert Mohler shares a word from the heart in chapel to Southern Seminary and Boyce College students about a popular pastor who recently fell.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

Continue reading →


by 2 Comments

FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • Getting The Family Settled After a Job-Related Move. Russ Gehrlein writes “Starting a new job is hard enough, but relocating to an area where you have never lived and where you have no support systems established, such as family, friends, and church, is quite stressful for anyone. Where can the ordinary Christian look for assistance to be able to navigate these rough waters?”
  • Mere Christians: Jenna Barrett. On this episode of the Mere Christians podcast, Jordan Raynor visits with Jenna Barrett about how to discern what God wants to renew in your workplace, three positive things boasting in weakness produces, and Jordan’s new vocational dream for the New Earth.
  • What’s Missing from the Faith and Work Movement? Bill Fullilove writes “And yet, at its idolatrous worst, the faith and work movement, if unmoored from broader biblical truth, will sprinkle the American dream with a gospel-flavored pixie dust, sneaking in selfishness as if it is gospel ministry.  I fear the modern faith and work movement will forget the balancing biblical truth: sacrifice.”

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

Continue reading →


by 1 Comment

FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • Education and Vocation Belong in the Village. Gregory Thornbury writes “Everyone loves a comeback story. And for people of faith who sometimes feel in exile in contemporary society, nothing fires the imagination as much as someone reconnecting to their vocation through their trust in God.”
  • Christian Vocation Disrupts the Culture. Jay Kim writes “A job is necessary, but what most people are seeking is vocation—their voice(from which the word is derived) into the world, their unique contribution to the ongoing conversation of human history.”
  • When Motherhood Feels Invisible. Kira Nelson writes “There’s no such thing as an invisible mom or a supermom. But there are moms who are fully known, fully forgiven, and fully loved in Christ.”
  • The Case for Taking it Slow. Abby J. Perry interviews Michaela O’Donnell and Lisa Pratt Slayton about their new book Life in Flux: Navigational Skills to Guide and Ground You in an Ever-Changing World.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

Continue reading →


by 1 Comment

FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • Should My Construction Company Help Build a Casino? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “I was asked to join up with a construction partner I have worked with before, and one I really like and enjoy working with, to help complete one of their own projects. The project is a Mormon temple. Is this out of the question for a Christian who leads a construction crew to consider working on such a project like a temple like this, or even a mosque or casino or other things like that? How should I think through making this moral decision on behalf of the crew I lead?”
  • Truth, Love & the Golden Rule. Our friend Russ Gehrlein was a special guest on the syndicated radio program The Plumb Line, hosted by Jay Rudolph, on Monday, June 17. Russell and Jay discussed the importance of truth-telling in work and life. Here is a partial transcript of part two of their conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity.
  • Called to Lead. My book Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the Workplace is available in both a paperback and Kindle edition. Read a free sample (Introduction through Chapter 2).

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

Continue reading →


by 1 Comment

FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • A Leader Others Want to Follow. My next book is tentatively titled “Be a Leader Others Will Want to Follow”. Over the years, I worked with many talented individuals, some of whom wanted to move into a formal leadership position. In addition, I mentored several emerging leaders. I would often tell them that I wanted them to be a leader that others would want to follow. The book will discuss 35 leadership attributes that are important for those who want to be a leader others will want to follow, as well as some applications of those attributes. I’m in the early stages of editing the book at this time, and would appreciate your prayers if you are so inclined. Thanks.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
• More links to interesting articles
• The Top 10 Faith and Work Quotes of the Week
• Faith and Work Book Review ~ Agents of Flourishing: Pursuing Shalom in Every Corner of Society by Amy L. Sherman
• Quotes from the book Working in the Presence of God: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Work by Denise Daniels and Shannon Vandewarker. Continue reading →


by 1 Comment

FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • Principles for Leading an Effective Meeting. Dan Doriani writes “To manage meetings well, church leaders must tend to their organizational life together. We must heed some basic principles that can help us make sound decisionswith a good spirit and in a timely”
  • Working with Dan Doriani: Tom Gibbs. On this episode of the Working with Dan Doriani podcast, Dan visits with Tom Gibbs, President of Covenant Theological Seminary.
  • Is Our Ambition Being Used for God? Hugh Whelchel writes “If you are struggling with contentment at work, ask yourself what is motivating you. Are you seeking worldly or godly ends? What are the means you are using to reach those ends?”

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

Continue reading →


by 1 Comment

FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • Moses Had Doubts About his Calling – Do You? (Part 1). Russ Gehrlein shares part one of a two-part article that will explore the long conversation Moses had with Yahweh at the burning bush.
  • Your Job is More Than a Mission Field. Jordan Raynor writes “Using our jobs to make disciples is clearly one of the ways our work matters for eternity. But it’s far from the only way.”
  • Called to Lead. My book Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the Workplace is available in both a paperback and Kindle edition. Read a free sample (Introduction through Chapter 2).
  • Living Out the Lord’s Prayer at Work. Mike Sharrow writes “What would it mean for followers of Jesus in the marketplace to embrace the invitation of the Lord’s Prayer in business?”
  • Many Jobs, One Calling: Women at Work. Megan Dickerson reviews Called to Cultivate: A Gospel Vision for Women and Work by Chelsea Patterson Sobolik.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
• More links to interesting articles
• The Top 10 Faith and Work Quotes of the Week
• Faith and Work Book Review ~ Over Coffee with the Mouse: Life and Leadership Wisdom from 32 Years at Disney and Beyond by Mark Rucker
• Quotes from the book Working in the Presence of God: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Work by Denise Daniels and Shannon Vandewarker. Continue reading →


by 1 Comment

FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • Is There a Retirement Crisis in 2024? Mark D. Roberts writes “Increasingly, what we once believed to be common about retirement is becoming uncommon. The standard narrative, which, in actuality, is only decades old, is now becoming less standard. For better or for worse, retirement in America is changing.”
  • Uli Chi: An Interview with a Wise Leader. Chelsea Logan interviews Uli Chi, author of the new book The Wise Leader, which I plan to read soon. Here is Part 1 and Part 2.
  • We Were Created to be God’s Coworkers. In this excerpt from chapter 3 of his book Immanuel Labor – God’s Presence in our Profession, Russ Gehrlein shares a critical topic in his theology of work. He emphasizes God’s original purpose for creating human beings. That intent applied to Adam and Eve and applies to us as well. Lastly, he describes what it looks like when God graciously chooses to use us.
  • Called to Lead. My book Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the Workplace is available in both a paperback and Kindle edition. Read a free sample (Introduction through Chapter 2).

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

  • More links to interesting articles
  • The Top 10 Faith and Work Quotes of the Week
  • Faith and Work Book Review ~ Distinctively Christian Retirement: A Biblical Call to Serve Jesus Well in Older Age by Simon van Bruchem
  • Quotes from the book Working in the Presence of God: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Work by Denise Daniels and Shannon Vandewarker.

Continue reading →