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Transitions: Why William Bridges Was Right

Dan Ackerman, Executive Leader for Zeeland Classis of the RCA, discusses the process of change and transition that occurs in life on today’s Whiteboard Wednesday. There are all kinds of changes that we have in life. There are some that we don’t think about much like changing our clothes everyday, and there are others that require deeper decision-making, like when …

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Habits for Missional Living: Behavior Matters

On today’s Whiteboard Wednesday, Art Weirs, Luminex Church Health Catalyst, discusses missional habits (inspired from Michael Frost). How can healthy habits help to grow healthy churches? The acronym B.E.L.L.S. was initially developed by Michael Frost, and slightly revised by Art. “B” stands for Bless. This means taking the time in a given period (perhaps weekly) to intentionally bless three people, …

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The Miracle of Team

On today’s Whiteboard Wednesday, Rick Veenstra, Regional Executive for the Synod of the Great Lakes, discusses team ministries and how they help start and strengthen churches. As a pastor and leader in the church for many years, there were times early on when Rick led staff with a “divide-and-conquer” approach. However, in the latter part of his journey, Rick became …

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Resourceful Leadership

A Note from Luminex: This morning’s blog post is the fifth in a 10-week series on leadership. Enjoy! When it comes to resources, there are two contrasting errors spiritual leaders must guard against.  Staying out of either ditch requires vigilance.  Dr. James Dobson compares this balancing act to holding a wet bar of soap: Grip it too tight and it squirts out …

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What is in the Center: Position Matters

For today’s Whiteboard Wednesday, Art Wiers, who serves as Church Health Catalyst for the RCA Great Lakes Region, describes a valuable tool that helps ensure focus on God’s mission during church and leadership meetings. Art gives credit to one of his colleagues, Ken Eriks, who shared this tool with him several years ago. It’s a simple tool where you put …

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Compassionate Leadership

A Note from Luminex: This morning’s blog post is the third in a 10-week series on leadership. Enjoy! “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of …

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Three C’s of Change

On this Whiteboard Wednesday, Dan Ackerman, Executive Leader for the Zeeland Classis of the RCA, discusses the 3 C’s for leading effective change in your congregation. Change is part of life and we all should recognize this reality. So, the important question becomes: How do we lead that change effectively and not just let it happen to us? The answer …

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Adaptable Leadership

A Note from Luminex: This morning’s blog post is the second in a 10-week series on leadership. Enjoy! Wet cement is significantly different than cured concrete even though they are of the same substance.  All of us realize if we are going to build something out of concrete it will make much more sense if we begin with wet cement.  The …

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The Reality of Sabotage

On today’s Whiteboard Wednesday, Rick Veenstra, Regional Executive for the Great Lakes Region of the Reformed Church in America, discusses one of the challenges of starting and strengthening churches – when the tail wags the dog. For many years, Rick has dedicated his life energy toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission. The church in North America has been in …

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A Community of Grace and Truth

On today’s Whiteboard Wednesday, Scott Lokers, from the Great Lakes Region Transition Ministries Services team, discusses the idea of having authentic community through grace and truth. A community of grace and truth is important to have in life. It’s necessary for authentic transformation, and it helps us to live under God’s purpose and design. Let’s anchor this in scripture: John …