by Tracee Swank | Sep 3, 2026 | Discipleship, Leadership, Mission, Tracee J. Swank
In most communities, churches operate as quiet competitors. They would never say so out loud, and most leaders would be offended by the suggestion. But the behavior tells the truth. Congregations watch each other’s numbers, guard their best ideas, feel a flicker of...
by Tracee Swank | Sep 3, 2026 | Immersion, Microchurch, Networks, Tracee J. Swank
Your church doesn’t have to be large or mega to make a big impact in your community. One of the challenges facing smaller churches is figuring out how to reach new people with limited resources, smaller budgets, and fewer people. But bigger isn’t always better when it...
by Tracee Swank | Aug 31, 2026 | Challenges, Leadership, Prayer, Tracee J. Swank
Scripture “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old.” (Luke 5:36 NIV) Jesus warned His followers about surface fixes that hurt the very thing they...
by Tracee Swank | Aug 27, 2026 | Discipleship, Leadership, Mission, Tracee J. Swank
Ask the average churchgoer where ministry happens, and they will point to the church building. Ask them where their job fits into God’s mission, and many will go quiet. We have absorbed a quiet but corrosive assumption that real spiritual work happens at church and...
by Tracee Swank | Aug 24, 2026 | Leadership, Mission, Prayer, Tracee J. Swank
Scripture “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined.” (Mark 2:22a NIV) Jesus did not condemn old wineskins. He simply named what they could and could not hold. Some...
