Posted on Saturday, February 2, 2019

Shut up and Serve

by Andrew T Holm

Reading Time: 3 minutes

We live in a noisy world where everyone wants to be heard. Avenues like social media have given everyone a voice, but has caused us to often stop listening and even think selfishly. Our culture wants us to think: ‘It’s all about me.’ Scripture, on the other hand, teaches something completely different. We need to listen and serve.

My wife and I have two kids under 5. When they’re awake, they contribute the most to the household volume. They enjoy singing, talking, and screaming. Sometimes they’re main objective is simply repeating everything they hear. There’s never a dull moment.

No matter what though, one thing remains true – they want to be heard. In fact, they will repeat themselves, and get louder, UNTIL someone listens.

Posted on Saturday, January 19, 2019

A Denomination Is No Longer Effective When…

by Andrew T Holm

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Jesus didn’t establish denominations, he established the Kingdom. Jesus didn’t die and conquer death for policy, he did it for people. Believers created denominations and political order to make sense of the unimaginable grace that Jesus gifted us. Sometimes denominations are wonderful organizations that help build the Kingdom and extend that grace, while other times, denominations become derailed and ineffective, protecting the organization instead of the mission. No doubt there’s a cycle of effectiveness, but the question is: Do we allow ourselves to recognize, filter, and change, so as to pursue being effective again, or do we ignore problems, retreat, and remain, so as to protect what once was safe and familiar?

A Denomination Is No Longer Effective When

Posted on Sunday, January 6, 2019

5 Reasons Why Small Groups Are Vital

by Andrew T Holm

Reading Time: 7 minutes

You may have heard of small groups before. At True Life, where I serve, we call them Life Groups. It’s not a new concept; Jesus himself had a small group (aka. The 12 Disciples). But in a world where authentic relationships and in-person conversations are becoming scarce, the need to embrace small groups continues to rise. Committing to small group may not seem that important, but I argue that it’s probably one of the most important decisions a Christian could make.

Christianity started and grew as small groups. In many areas, early believers were forced into small groups due to persecution, but it didn’t stunt growth. In fact, the Church grew rapidly!

Posted on Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Dear Congregation

My Letter of Resignation

by Andrew T Holm

Reading Time: 4 minutesTo say the past six years have been some of the best years of our lives would be an understatement. We came here six years ago with nothing but a passion to pastor, a small car, and a few possessions that somewhat filled the parsonage. Since then, we’ve been blessed with two beautiful children (who you have welcomed and embraced as your own), a lovable dog, and a board and congregation who earnestly explored what ministry could, and would, look like in the Bay Roberts area. We are beyond blessed and continue to see the future of Bethel as a bright light in the area.

Posted on Thursday, March 8, 2018

Church Conflict: 3 types of conflict and how to navigate them

by Andrew T Holm

Reading Time: 6 minutesIt’s inevitable. Conflict will happen. The question is: will you let conflict sink you? If there’s one mistake we make when leading change, its pretending conflict doesn’t exist. We’d like to think we don’t avoid conflict, but more often than not, we don’t address it. Instead, we make a big deal out of the small stuff and ignore the awkward situations.