Bud Brown

Can you make a disciple without a church?

60 influential Christians take a stab at defining discipleship (â€˜Discipleship Is â€¦’ 70+ Leaders on Discipleship) but 58 of them miss the mission-critical component. Do you see what they missed? Here’s a hint: Derwin Gray and Jeff Jaekley are the only two to name the mission-critical component for making disciples. Being an exceptionally sharp reader –

2 ways interim pastors get church leaders to own church discipline

How does an interim pastor train church leaders to maintain a culture of peace and keeping short accounts so that they “own” the problem of missing church discipline? Often – not always, but often – a pastor who departs under duress leaves a church culture that prefers to turn a blind eye to mischief. He may

6-reasons-why-church-discipline-should-be-swift0

Church Discipline: 6 reasons Interim Pastors should act swiftly

Is it a bad idea for pastors to tolerate the sharp tongued critic that he’d rather avoid? Is it a good idea for her to be patient with factious members who constantly carp, complain and gossip? Yes to the first question. No to the second. Most ministers – especially in smaller churches – wait too

When all else has failed

Where do you turn after everything you’ve tried has failed? You’ve been to the church growth seminars. All the recipes and formulas guaranteed to rocket your congregation to growth sit in 3-ring binders that line your shelves. You’ve tried the church health route, you’ve done your best to insure that the congregation is emotionally healthy

Help me find the answer to my question!

I could use your help. Before I tell you what I need, let me set the stage by giving you a bit of background on the project I’m working on. Then perhaps my question will make a little more sense. I’m working on a theory: the leadership skills that are distinctive of successful turnaround pastors can

If you must interview pastor candidates consult these resources

I’ve worn out the keyboard on my iMac lobbying for more reliable alternatives to the typical unstructured interview process that most churches use in the search process. Knowing that most churches and some interim pastors aren’t yet ready to give it up, I’ve outlined some best interview practices, and suggested a workflow to developing a

How the interim pastor teaches the structured interview process

Interim pastors see their share of pastor search team failures. Steve Jurvetson via Compfight In spite of everything an interim pastor teaches a search committee, danger lurks in the interview: a skilled interviewee dazzles the search team. Questions about competence go unanswered but the call is issued nonetheless. In time those questions will be answered,

Plundering the Internet for my fellow Interim Pastors

There’s a wealth of Internet information, useful tools, anecdotes and illustrations to keep my inner geek satisfied for weeks on end. Here are some of the treasures I’ve found this morning. Challenges to my preaching, provocative insights into the deliberate unbelievers, a news that may show up in your preaching some day. Don’t Settle for

In Memoriam

Editor’s Note: Yesterday, 7/7/13, was Communion Sunday at Mountain Vista Bible Church. It provided an opportunity to allow the congregation to explore and resolve their shock and grief over the loss of 19 fine young men, the Granite Mountain Hotshots who perished the previous Sunday fighting to protect a small subdivision of homes in Yarnell.