Author Archives: Rev. Shane L. Bishop

You are Disaffiliated! (What Now?)

Disaffiliation from a denomination is a long and bumpy road.  It is a road few of us wanted to take and most of us hoped we could avoid.  Things didn’t work out that way. Disaffiliation is hard.  Denominations were not structured to let people out.  They are like interstates with next to no exit rampsContinue reading “You are Disaffiliated! (What Now?)”

We Can’t All be a Fred Bishop but…

Does heeding a God-PING (prompting) to serve really matter? Really? I would guess only a handful of the people who will read this post have heard of Junior Axley. Let me tell you how he may have impacted your life. Junior Axley was a volunteer youth director at Sunfield Methodist church over six decades ago.Continue reading “We Can’t All be a Fred Bishop but…”

Melissa is Cancer Free (but that is not what makes God good)

Thursday we received Melissa’s post-surgical pathology report. Monday’s surgery had come after four long months of chemotherapy. We we were informed that the cancerous tumor removed from her breast was tiny, the margins around it were clear and the removed lymph nodes were clear as well. Melissa is not yet through this journey but sheContinue reading “Melissa is Cancer Free (but that is not what makes God good)”

A Change of Inputs (recovering evangelism while there is still time)

Churches are in a decaying orbit; we have to change our inputs.

Musings and Reflections for a New Year

I am 60 years old. Not yet old but old-ish. Certainly not young. And I have seen some things on my journey. Most good. Some great. Some horrific. I have seen people die suddenly, people die slowly and dying people decide they wanted to live longer still. I have seen relationships forged, love promised andContinue reading “Musings and Reflections for a New Year”

2023 Crazy Gospel Math

I sometimes get the opportunity to help pastors and congregations think about growth.  Almost all churches desire to grow, they just don’t know where to start. Here is a formula I use.  Take your sanctuary capacity; multiply it by .75 and double it.  That is your target.  I see a lot of churches in USAmerica thatContinue reading “2023 Crazy Gospel Math”

Back Story to My “Trail Guide” Series

In early 2021, I received a God-PING. The prompt was to turn my Wednesday evening Going Deeper messages into a series of verse by verse treks through entire books of the New Testament. These books would have the NLT scripture text baked in and offer engaging commentary, colorful stories and illustrations, practical applications, questions toContinue reading “Back Story to My “Trail Guide” Series”