Rev. Tony Cooke I was recently asked this question while teaching on Paul’s ministry in the Book of Acts. It wasn’t the first time I’ve been asked this, and the question has typically been connected to the interaction that Paul had with certain disciples in Acts 21 while he was en route to Jerusalem. Acts 21:4 says, “And finding disciples, we stayed there seven days. They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.” Paul did not submit to or comply with these warnings, but...

Rev. Tony Cooke Every time January rolls around, people begin speculating about what the New Year will bring. One individual said, "My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there." As understandable as that perspective is, Winston Churchill emphasized the importance of maintaining focus on "today" when he said, "It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time." Planning in life is important, but a great...

Rev. Tony Cooke We just recently conducted a “second generation” In Search of Timothy seminar. This seminar builds on the concepts presented in the book and in the original seminar. One of the principles we cover in this new seminar involves an observation a minister friend recently shared with me about the usage of the words “disciple” and “church” throughout the New Testament. Of course, we know that both of these are good words, but the frequency and ratio with which they are used as the...

Rev. Tony Cooke As we toured the sites connected with the ministries of Paul and John, I was deeply impressed with the toughness and tenacity of the early followers of the Lord Jesus. The Church was born and grew in an atmosphere of extreme hostility. Whether it was persecution from angry Jews, attacks from irate idolaters (such as the followers of Artemis in Ephesus), or vicious assaults from Roman Emperors (such as Nero and Domitian), the Church was a force that would not and could not be...

The people who make up your team are the most important part of your church after sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and obedience to God’s Word. Your leadership team molds the culture of your church and guides them for better or worse. And it is for this reason that you must create a great team before trying to create a great church. "Leaders of [organizations] that go from good to great start not with “where” but with “who.” They start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people...

Children’s ministry comes with its challenges, but statistically, it brings some of the greatest rewards. In fact, 85% of Christians accepted Christ between ages 4-14. According to Barna, the probability of accepting Christ is 32% at ages 5-13, only 4% at ages 14-18, and only 6% at ages 19+. While the Holy Spirit plays a key role in salvation, I believe that it is what we do that ultimately sets the stage for salvation and discipleship to be possible. That is our responsibility in the Great...

It has been over a year since I blogged about Clover church websites. This year Clover has released 12 new features that make it an entirely new product. Clover has been generous enough to support ChurchRelevance.com for over 2.5 years, but this post isn’t an ad. Instead this post is my written admiration and appreciation for what I believe is one of the most user-friendly, powerful, and all-inclusive church website solutions available. New Greenhouse - Promo Video from Clover on...

By Angelito Garcia Be hospitable to one another without complaint. It is so easy to invite anyone we like into our home and give them our marvelous recipe and warm blanket. And then there are some of us who would go out of our way to become members of a meals ministry, volunteers to homeless shelters and visitors to those behind bars. More spectacularly, a church I attended in New York City that sits right in front of the epitome of sophistication and artful elegance, Carnegie Hall...

By Tony CookeA group of friends went deer hunting and paired off in two’s for the day. That night one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under an eight-point buck. “Where’s Harry?” “Harry had a stroke of some kind. He’s a couple of miles back up the trail.” “You left Harry lying there, and carried the deer back?” “It was a tough call,” acknowledged the hunter, “but I figured no one is going to steal Harry.”This hunter sold-out Harry, his friend, for a prize deer! While the story is...