by Eddie Hammett | Aug 19, 2002 | Opinion
This time of year, many congregations begin seeking deacons for service in the new church year. The nomination-election-selection-ordination process is as varied as Baptist churches these days. After 12 years as a deacon consultant, I do not know of a fool-proof...
by Eddie Hammett | Aug 1, 2002 | Opinion
For many church leaders, summer is the time of preparing for the new church year—leadership retreats, planning and evaluation. Let me raise some hard questions for assessing your church’s faithfulness in fulfilling the biblical mandate for the body of Christ....
by Eddie Hammett | Jul 3, 2002 | Opinion
I’ve had several conversations recently with pastors and deacons who are struggling to minister effectively to today’s changing family models. The biblical model for marriage and family hasn’t changed, but the family in our world has. We can chastise...
by Eddie Hammett | Jun 5, 2002 | Opinion
Deacons deal with more than the “power people” in the church. Unfortunately, they must also sometimes face ministerial incompetence. Leonard Sweet observed several years ago that most ministers were trained in seminary to minister in a church and world...
by Eddie Hammett | May 8, 2002 | Opinion
All kinds of churches have “power people”—members who, by many accounts, prevent the church from moving forward. The power people are often deacons and their families. They might be long-time church members, even charter members. But they inhibit church...
