The future is looking pretty challenging for the church today.

As student invited Professor Howard Hendricks to visit his church one Sunday. Afterward, the student Howard what he thought. Howard was never one to mix words, responded, “I think you should build a fence around it and charge admission for people to see what a church looked like in the 1950s.”

Why is the church one of the most change averse organizations on the planet. The natural pull of the church to toward caring for the insiders, since you rarely hear the outsiders complain. But God has called us to risk and to step out in faith and to care about the least and the lost.

The following articles are the best I found this week to challenge each of us to be forward thinking. After all, in God’s kingdom, “playing it safe is risky,” Just ask the guy who buried his talent in the ground.

• Learning to Embrace Risk - Michael Hyatt

• Ten Realities for Regathering Churches | Church Answers

• MarkHowellLive.com | Top 10 Ideas to Help You Build a Thriving Small Group Ministry Post-COVID

• 12 THINGS STAFF MEMBERS WANT TO SAY TO THEIR PASTORS | davekraft

• 29% of Pastors Want to Quit: How to Keep Going When You’ve Lost Confidence In Yourself. - CareyNieuwhof.com

• 7 Things Which Weaken My Leadership - Ron Edmondson

• CourageToLead.com

• How to Lead When You Lack Clear Vision and Direction - Dan Reiland

• Leaders Cannot Have True Biblical Community Without Having This First | Brian Dodd on Leadership

• Church Online: What Have We Learned Over the Past Year? – Phil Cooke

• The Post-Pandemic Small Group Boom - Allen White Consulting

• 10 Reflections on 40 Years of Ministry, Part 2: When I’ve Thought about Quitting | ChuckLawless.com