A Travel Free Learning Article By Norman Jameson My route to work for several years took me down the same road at about the same time every morning. And, more often than not, I would see the same woman, power walking down the sidewalk in my direction. I knew she was out there to exercise, so I didn’t offer her a ride. When Blake Pollock of Rochester, MI kept seeing the same man walking along the road on which Pollack was commuting to his bank job – no matter the weather – he eventually offered him a ride. He learned... Continue reading

A Travel Free Learning Article By Norman Jameson Download Churches Use Consultants Strengthen Annual Stewardship It takes more than a tithing sermon from Malachi 3:10 to create an effective annual stewardship campaign in your church. An effective effort requires a major time commitment to plan, enlist volunteers, establish committees, design materials, conduct meetings and prepare sermons. Ministers serious about issues larger than raising a budget – such as teaching stewardship and leading a congregation to grow in generosity – must do all of this while keeping all their other ministry plates spinning. Two pastors of churches that recently conducted highly... Continue reading

Welcome to THE Place to Find Out About the FaithSoaring Churches Learning Community We Call it FaithSoaring. What Do You Call it? Revitalized? Transformed? Renewed? Reinvented? Re-Envisioned? Whatever you call it the FaithSoaring Churches Learning Community is about helping you experience it. If you already know you want to connect... Continue reading

A Message from George Bullard, President, The Columbia Partnership A quote similar to this title can be found in many places attributed to various people. The exact quote and who said it first is not the point of this article. The meaning of the quote is the point. To me it means that if you are willing to empower others who do same or similar work you do to serve the same or similar clients you serve, then your desire is for your current and future clients to succeed more than for you to succeed. If you have to be... Continue reading

The Columbia Partnership is launching two learning communities on April 1st led by George Bullard. They are: The Church@50+ Peer Learning Community: Intentionally Focusing on Empty Nesters and Senior Adults. Find out more by Download The Church at 50 Plus Peer Learning Community, SpringSummer 2014 Overly Churched Culture Congregations Peer Learning Community: Breaking Out of This Mindset to Connect with the Non-Churched World. Find out more by Download Overly Churched Culture Congregations Peer Learning Community, SpringSummer 2014 Only five churches can participate in each peer learning community. Each church should have three to five people connected with the peer learning... Continue reading

This was the expression a Christian ministry colleague of mine used when a team of people a couple of decades ago were reflecting on the previous decade or two of our involvement in serving as congregational consultants. We were taking a long-term view of the impact of our work with congregations. “We ain’t hurtin’ them none” meant at least two things during our reflection session. First, it meant that we were serving them well. We were engaging in good, healthy processes with them. We were helping them to be better congregations—at least in the short-term—than they had been before our... Continue reading

By George Bullard Download Bullard, We Aint Hurtin Them None, 2.17.14 This was the expression a Christian ministry colleague of mine used when a team of people a couple of decades ago were reflecting on the previous decade or two of our involvement in serving as congregational consultants. We were... Continue reading

By George Bullard Download Bullard, We Make Congregational Consultants and Coaches Better, 2.12.14 Do you recall the BASF commercials about their focus as a company? Their tag line goes like this: "At BASF, we don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products... Continue reading

Do you recall the BASF commercials about their focus as a company? Their tag line goes like this: "At BASF, we don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better." That pattern speaks well into the focus on TheCollaborative.info project of The Columbia Partnership and the Christian College of Georgia. If we were rewriting this tag line to fit the focus of TheCollaborative.info it would go something like this: “We don’t train the consultants and coaches your congregation uses, we make the consultants and coaches your congregation uses better.” What... Continue reading

Congregational Champions are those people who work in a third-party provider relationship with congregations to assist them in becoming FaithSoaring and continually serving in the Transformation Zone of congregational excellence. Their involvement with congregations may be short or long. It may focus on the short-term delivery of a certain service to the congregation or its leaders, or a long-term relationship that involves the champion coming alongside a congregation and joining them in their journey. Is this you? If so, click HERE and connect with TheCollaborative.info. Congregational Champions include, but are not limited to, people who refer to themselves as Congregational... Continue reading

A Travel Free Learning Article By George Bullard, Ministy Colleague with The Columbia Partnership Voice: 803.622.0923, E-mail: GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org - See more at: http://columbiapartnership.typepad.com/the_columbia_partnership/#sthash.SQniR3Ff.dpuf A Travel Free Learning Article By George Bullard, Ministy Colleague with The Columbia Partnership Voice: 803.622.0923, E-mail: GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org - See more at: http://columbiapartnership.typepad.com/the_columbia_partnership/#sthash.SQniR3Ff.dpuf A Travel Free Learning Article By George Bullard, Ministry Colleague with The Columbia Partnership Voice: 803.622.0923, E-mail: GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org Some Christians treat God like an all-star National Football League quarterback such as Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, or Drew Brees. They have failed at some aspect in... Continue reading

George Bullard is writing in the area of the Overly Churched Culture Congregations. Is that your congregation? Are you stuck? Do you want to know the next steps to take? Four articles are available thus far. More will follow. Here are links to the four articles: Many Congregatons Are Stuck in an Overly Churched Culture Can Congregations Stuck in an Overly Churched Culture Change? The NonChurched People the Overly Churched Culture Doesn't Know Overly Churched Culture Congregations Should Change Prayer Focus Continue reading

A Travel Free Learning Article By George Bullard, Ministry Collegues with The Columbia Partnership Voice: 803.622.0923, E-mail: GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org [Note: This is the fourth in a series of posts on the overly churched culture congregation. To see the full series go to Author Archives: George Bullard.] The first transitional action an overly churched culture church can take to bring about a change in attitude, aptitude, and alignment toward the non- or post-churched culture is to embrace a new prayer focus. Forward action does indeed begin with prayer. However, perhaps not in the way you initially think. Pay careful... Continue reading

A Travel Free Learning Article By George Bullard, Ministry Collegue with The Columbia Partnership Voice: 803.622.0923, E-mail: GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org [Note: This is the third in a series of posts on the overly churched culture congregation. To see the full series go to Author Archives: George Bullard.] For overly churched culture congregations to connect with non-churched culture people, they need an understanding of these people. This post attempts to define the categories of preChristian, unchurched, underchurched, and dechurched. I do so knowing there is no consensus that these are even the right terms, words are important, perspectives are diverse,... Continue reading

Here is a background letter written by George Bullard about his passion for this project, how he came to it, and his perspective on it. Download George Bullard Letter, January 2014 Continue reading

Travel Free Learning Schedule The Columbia Partnership February through April 2014 Download Travel Free Learning Schedule February through April 2014 [Register for these 6 opportunities now! Download and share with others.] February 6th: Leading Congregations Through Crisis online distance learning course taught by Greg Hunt begins and runs for six Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. EST. Cost $99.00. Details and registration are available by clicking HERE. February 11th: Transforming Congregations with a Spiritual Strategic Journey online distance learning course taught by George Bullard begins and runs for seven Tuesdays at 3:30 p.m. EST. Cost $99.00. Details and registration are available by... Continue reading

A Travel Free Learning Article By George Bullard, Ministy Colleague with The Columbia Partnership Voice: 803.622.0923, E-mail: GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org - See more at: http://columbiapartnership.typepad.com/the_columbia_partnership/#sthash.DwWp7yiT.dpuf A Travel Free Learning Article By George Bullard, Ministy Colleague with The Columbia Partnership Voice: 803.622.0923, E-mail: GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org - See more at: http://columbiapartnership.typepad.com/the_columbia_partnership/#sthash.DwWp7yiT.dpuf A Travel Free Learning Article By George Bullard, Ministry Colleague with The Columbia Partnership Vocie: 803.622.0923, E-mail: GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org [Note: This is a follow-up post to Many Congregations Are Stuck in an Overly Churched Culture] The Situation Congregations where 30 percent or more of the active... Continue reading

A Travel Free Learning Article By George Bullard Beyond the ability to be faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, what else do congregations want from their next senior or solo pastor? At the request of a ministry friend I looked at the profile of a congregation where he hopes to be considered as senior pastor. When reading congregational profiles it is important to understand the meaning behind the content. Or, at least the assumed meaning ought to call for some powerful questions to be asked by... Continue reading

A Travel Free Learning Article By George Bullard, Ministy Colleague with The Columbia Partnership Voice: 803.622.0923, E-mail: GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org , Ministry Colleague with The Columbia Partnership Voice: 803.622.0923, E-mail: GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org - See more at: http://columbiapartnership.typepad.com/the_columbia_partnership/#sthash.epdkGaow.dpuf , Ministry Colleague with The Columbia Partnership Voice: 803.622.0923, E-mail: GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org - See more at: http://columbiapartnership.typepad.com/the_columbia_partnership/#sthash.epdkGaow.dpuf In the midst of a region of the world where the impact of a churched culture is fading, many congregations in North America are stuck in an overly churched culture perspective. As a result these congregations become insulated, isolated, and inoculated... Continue reading

A Travel Free Learning Article By George Bullard, Ministry Colleague with The Columbia Partnership Voice: 803.622.0923, E-mail: GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org Now that the USA government shutdown is over–at least for a while–let’s reflect on the lessons churches can learn from the shutdown about conflict. Many of these are lessons of what not to do. These lessons are also politically neutral. It does not matter what position you personally favored. First, if you avoid for too long the conflicts in your church, and fail to engage the crucial issues, it gets to be really messy. If you do not proactively... Continue reading

Congregational Champions are those people who work in a third-party relationship with congregations, for one or more seasons, to assist them in becoming FaithSoaring and continually serving in the Transformation Zone of congregational excellence. Congregational Champions include, but are not limited to, people who refer to themselves as Congregational Consultants,... Continue reading

I’m sure you have seen one or more of the various V8 vegetable juice commercials where people are talking about eating something delicious, like some comfort food, and then all of a sudden someone or they themselves knock their forehead with the palm of their hand and they say “I could have had a V8!” That is exactly what ought to happen to congregations who experience unhealthy conflict that comes out sideways. Only their expression should be, “I could have learned how to handle conflict when it was healthy!” In many cases there is no reason for congregations to experience... Continue reading

A Travel Free Learning Article By George Bullard, Ministry Colleague with The Columbia Partnership Voice: 803.622.0923, E-mail: GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org Jack was the bivocational pastor of the church I attended in Pennsylvania when that church licensed me to ministry as a step towards my ordination. Dale was the bivocational national leader for bivocational ministries among Baptists. Glenn was the bivocational pastor who led the search committee that nominated me to lead the statewide missions efforts for Baptists in South Carolina. These are only three of the thousands of bivocational ministers I have encountered during my life, but they certain... Continue reading

Travel Free Learning Article By George Bullard, Ministry Colleague with The Columbia Partnership Voice: 803.622.0923, E-mail: GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org Seminary on $3 per day? I had a great seminary experience in the 1970s. I matriculated for nine years, and earned three degrees. The total cost I paid for my seminary education was under $10,000, which was just less than $3 per day. I finished with zero debt because of a hefty denominational funding system. All nine years I was involved in ministry. I volunteered in a congregation for a year. Out of that experience I became a staff person... Continue reading

A Travel Free Learning Article By George Bullard, Ministry Colleague with The Columbia Partnership Voice: 803.622.0923, E-mail: GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org [Note: In a recent article I talked about the role of women in ministry regarding church planting. In this new post, I focus on my personal passion for starting new congregations that is foundational to urging a generation of women in ministry to consider starting new congregations.] It is very personal for me. I came out the womb into church planting. It is part of the birth and infancy stage of my life narrative. I was born into the... Continue reading