The congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hitchcock, Texas, built their Kingdom Hall down the street from my first pastorate in one day. Pretty impressive. But since our family lived in the parsonage next to the church, we subsequently became the target of numerous visits from fervent JWs. That experience gave […]
Herb Reese
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Recently, I received the following email from someone I’ve known for several years. It’s a cry of desperation because her church is not responding to her family”s deep need. I’ve contacted the church on their behalf, but to no avail. Here’s the email: My husband has been hospitalized for several […]
Pastors have many irons in the fire. A pastor is often on call 24/7. His typical workweek is at least 55 hours long and involves the following: Church meetings Staff meetings Board meetings Counseling sessions Long term planning Lunch meetings Sermon preparation Conflict resolution Crisis intervention Weddings and funerals Hospital […]
New Commandment Men’s Ministries Blog Has Isaiah 1:18 Ever Actually Happened? By Herb Reese “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah […]
New Commandment Men’s Ministries Blog Meet Bored Ward and Fulfilled Phil By Herb Reese Meet Bored Ward Bored Ward is fifty-five years old and has been married thirty years to his wonderful wife, Karen, with whom he has raised two children. With both of those children grown and gone, […]
Tomorrow (August 15, 2017) marks the first anniversary of my live, full-time, online ministry. Doing ministry on the Internet was a radical change for me. I had many questions floating around in my brain when I started. Could I get my message across? Would anyone listen? Would anyone do anything […]
New Commandment Men’s Ministries Blog An Easy Way to Form Teams When Starting Your Men’s Team Ministry By Herb Reese Forming men into teams need not be complicated. Learn why teams do not require every skill represented, how specialized workers can be borrowed when needed, why men should choose […]
The problem with Protestant, non-liturgical churches is they tend to be personality driven. The reason is because Protestant churches elevate the sermon to a central focus of worship. And if the sermon is critical to the worship service, then the ability of the pastor to preach the sermon well becomes […]
t for me and my cousins, Dr. and Mrs. Mitchell will always be remembered as “Uncle John and Auntie Mary.” Because they had no children of their own, Uncle John and Auntie Mary treated me, my siblings and my cousins like their own sons and daughters.
This month I’m working on a new section of my Meeting to Meet Needs membership site. The section is called “Case Studies.” I’m in the process of compiling a list of churches with men’s team ministries to their widowed and single parents that I’d like to review on the site […]
New Commandment Men’s Ministries Blog No Self Respecting Man Would Sit at a Turquoise Picnic Table By Herb Reese Kristin Schell’s sojourn as an exchange student in France, with their long, boisterous three-times-a-day family meals, instilled a hunger in her heart to recreate the same kind of experience in […]
Someone from Illinois recently passed on this question to me that he received about bringing sons on service days: “I just got a question from a dad who would like his 14 and 10 year olds to be on a team. What is the earliest age recommended or approved to […]
My medieval history professor at the very secular and anti-Christian UCLA didn’t intend to evangelize his class. But that’s exactly what he did when he made the mistake of assigning us to read some of Martin Luther’s Reformation writings, including The Pagan Servitude of the Church and Preface to the […]
New Commandment Men’s Ministries Blog When and How to Recruit Care Receivers for Your Men’s Team Ministry By Herb Reese Recruiting care receivers requires patience, privacy, and coordination with church leadership. Learn when to identify potential participants, why general appeals can create problems, how to explain the ministry clearly, […]
For several years I’ve been on the advisory board for The Life of a Single Mom, founded by Jennifer Maggio. I’ve watched with great enthusiasm as this ministry has become the nation’s leading single mom ministry. I think it’s time all of my readers know about TLSM. When Jennifer was […]
The intersection at 80th and Wadsworth, a few blocks from my home in Arvada, Colorado, is a testament to American capitalism and entrepreneurship: It has a McDonalds, an Arby’s, a Chic-fil-a, a Hobby Lobby, a Target, a funeral home, a Walgreens, a Goodwill, a bank, a Petco, two supermarkets, two […]
New Commandment Men’s Ministries Blog Will Men’s Team Ministry Work in Developing Countries? By Herb Reese Sometimes I receive inquiries from pastors in developing countries about whether men’s team ministry will work in their church. The first question to ask, however, is whether men’s team ministry in the form […]
Westchester High School had two basic problems: it had no air conditioning and it was built right next to the runways at Los Angeles International Airport. That meant on warm days, when there was no ocean breeze from the Pacific Ocean a mile away to cool us down, we had […]
New Commandment Men’s Ministries Blog A Great Orientation Requires Thorough Planning By Herb Reese A successful orientation begins long before the meeting starts. This practical checklist covers scheduling, purpose, materials, workbooks, name tags, equipment, seating, room preparation, leadership, timing, and the first service day. Careful planning communicates seriousness, helps […]
New Commandment Men’s Ministries Blog Promoting Your Men’s Team Ministry for Maximum Involvement By Herb Reese Launching a men’s team ministry well depends on clear, respectful, repeated promotion. Learn how to prepare a natural elevator speech, invite men without implying commitment, distinguish caregivers from care receivers, avoid condescending language, […]