Resilience is the ability to withstand, adapt and grow in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy and stress. It’s the ability to transcend despite all the odds. Resilience is the single quality we all need now to go where no one has gone before.

There’s no question: this COVID-19 pandemic has grabbed our attention. It just cannot be “the same old same old.” I’m not too old to learn; I want to learn. My prayer, as we face an uncertain future, is “Lord, teach us. Lord, use us.”

What’s your best shot at staying passionate about God’s call on your life? How can you sustain energy to fulfill God’s purposes for you and your congregation? How about a life-giving relationship with a cohort of leaders, who are in step or one step ahead of you? Our aim in the ABNWT is to develop a legion of leaders whose sole focus is to obey the Great Commission, lead prevailing, relentlessly, outbound churches, and raise up the next generation of adaptive pastors.

Returning to "normal" will mean setting new priorities and parameters of fruitfulness.

Millions of Canadians are coming out from house arrest. They are excited to be out. They are a little nervous. Some of them are learning what it means to have real-life conversations again. And all of this new interaction makes for a great opportunity to look at your community with fresh eyes.

For many church leaders, this has been the hardest season of their lives; their decisions have been questioned, their lives have been interrupted, their faith has been tested and, their fears have tried to overcome them. And now, they are poised for the greatest opportunity they have ever seen.

Gary Taitinger recently shared with our NextGen Cohorts on including younger leaders in all levels of decision-making. This is challenging and time-consuming but the payoff is more than worth it!

In the life cycle of a church, vision ignites everything. Church planters have a passion for reaching people far from God in their communities, towns and cities. Cast vision for souls now. Start before you’re completely ready. Communicate urgency to energize, deputize and mobilize your established congregation to fulfill that vision. Casting vision will net you support and momentum.

One of the lesser-known phrases that I’ve heard in the past year is that coming out of the pandemic, “all church leaders will need to think like church planters”. But what does that mean? What makes “thinking like a church planter” beneficial to leading into the future? Instead, let me suggest what “Thinking Like a Planter” might look like.

Young ministry leaders are aching for mentorship but statistics continue to show that they’re not finding it. The reasons are complex. Older leaders haven’t been mentored themselves or had bad mentoring relationships. They’re busy and need to give their time to others. They may feel that getting this close to an employee is risky. They don’t want to make themselves vulnerable. Possibly, established leaders don’t see the benefits of making this kind of investment, but they need to.

As we look to the fall and the potential of limited restrictions, churches are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This will be different than the reopening that we’ve been accustomed to. This will be, in essence, a fresh start; something from which to build upon. It’s for this reason that church leaders are looking at relaunching this fall.

Be kind. We are responsible for the views we personally express, and the views of others which we endorse and repeat.

On May 3-4, over 300 ministers attended the very first, completely virtual, Ministers Gathering 2021. Although we usually meet in beautiful Banff, Alberta, this was one for the books, as many of our international ministers were able to be in attendance this year.

I may not be Julie Andrews, but here are a few of my favourite things.

Listening is of greater value than talking.

I was asked to share some of the things I learned since moving to Barrhead from Logan Lake, BC. Here are five things I discovered.

Who are you leaving a trail of jellybeans for?

Do today’s leaders know what it takes to mentor the next generation? Here are four things we all need to influence young leaders.