Trust comes easily as you serve with others in ministry. They are family — your brothers and sisters in Christ. But by placing too much trust, by neglecting common-sense accountability structures, you may create an atmosphere of temptation for them. One pastor whom I greatly admire learned this lesson the hard way. He is not the first pastor to do...

Most of us get stuck in “ruts.” For me and my wife, it’s restaurants. We’ll often go out to eat with the intention of trying a new place, but once we get in the car, we usually talk ourselves into returning to our favorite. No matter how convinced we are that another restaurant deserves a visit, there’s something comfortable about our familiar...

Delivery is important, whether it’s for someone giving a speech, a baseball pitcher trying to strike out a batter, or a comedian trying to get a laugh. We’ve heard it said, “It’s all in the delivery.” Another area in which delivery is important is church construction. Construction “delivery” refers to the contractual relationships between the customer (church), the architect, the contractor and, possibly, a construction manager. These relationships significantly impact the design, quality, cost, speed, stress, and ultimate success of a construction project. A church that enters into a construction project with a full understanding of the available construction delivery options will reap tremendous benefits that it might otherwise miss.