Here’s what’s new at CareLeader.org this week:

Video: Friend-based ministry

Dr. Jeff Forrey and I discussed this topic with Dr. Tim Muehlhoff, Dr. Benson Fraser, and Brad Hambrick. See a few excerpts from our discussion here. And learn how the influence of friends can be leveraged for ministry. Plus, hear how friends of Tim, Benson, and Brad have helped and influenced them.

Top posts of February 2017

Here are February’s most popular CareLeader.org articles:


1. 5 ways to address seniors’ end-of-life concerns Practical advice from Elyse Fitzpatrick on caring for the elderly in your church and community. The info in this post will be helpful to deacons and small-group leaders in your church.


2. The lay counseling conundrum Lay counseling ministries are a good idea. So why don’t more churches offer them? Brad Hambrick explains why.


3. 7 gospel-centered principles for protecting a marriage Here’s a short list of steps you and other leaders in your church can take to help your people guard their marriages.

What else is new at CareLeader.org?

The name game

Our work on a friendship ministry curriculum continues. Pray for us as we work on crafting its title. Because it’s tricky coming up with a title that clearly communicates what a program is and does. Added to that is the challenge of creating a title that speaks to those who typically purchase the materials (pastors) and still appeals to participants (church members).

So I’m thankful that the Lord loves to give wisdom—we need it.

Once we decide upon a title and get a few preliminary designs in-house, we’ll share the concepts with you and ask for your feedback. I’d love to hear what you think.

A new single-parenting ebook

In a few weeks, we’ll release a new ebook you can use to assess and improve your church’s ministry to single parents. It’s called Single Parents: Is Your Church Meeting Their Unique Needs? Our motive for writing and giving away the ebook? We want you to read it and get excited about Single & Parenting—a program many of our CareLeader team members created a few years ago.

But selling kits isn’t our primary motive for writing the book.

The CareLeader team has done a lot of work helping adults and children affected by divorce. Those experiences helped us see the need for a course to help single parents. And with one in four children under the age of eighteen being raised without a father, the need continues to grow. I believe ministry to single parents is a great way to reach the next generation for Christ.

That said, if you’re interested in learning how well your church meets the needs of single parents, consider downloading the book. Perhaps there’s someone in your church who’d be interested in leading up a single-parent ministry. The book may be a great way to get him or her thinking about what your church could do. It will be available for download March 9.