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Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life!
I am a minivan owner!!!!!
Now for many of you, this is old hat, and in the last couple of days, I have been welcomed into the Minivan Mafia. For me, it is a major shift because there was a time when I said there was no way I would own a minivan. Well, after 2 kids, a dog, lots of traveling, and sporting events it has become the most practical choice to make.
Ok, so that’s not really the BIG new chapter I am starting in my life.
The headliner for today is that I am stepping into my business full-time helping pastors and ministry leaders be as effective as possible in their ministries to have maximum impact in their communities.
From my first week at Central Bible College in 1997, I have known this day would come. Sitting in the back of the chapel, I was this punk kid who wanted to be a youth pastor my whole life. But, that morning, God spoke to me and told me I was going to have a ministry of training, equipping, and empowering pastors to have healthy and effective lives of service to God and their communities. Well, 20+ years later and the day has come.
Over the last couple of years, I have had the privilege of serving as the Executive Pastor at Hope Church here in Bettendorf, IA. Though I have been in local church ministry for 20 years and have loved it, there has always been a nagging feeling as though God wanted me to do something else.
As I journeyed through my doctoral degree these last few years, it became clear that my days in local church ministry were numbered. I struggled with it because I believe in the ministry of the local church and the pastors who serve there week after week. Not only that, but it is all I have known since graduating high school.
Knowing God was moving me in a different direction, a couple of years ago I started a business called Modern Inklings, which many of you are familiar with. My focus is to provide tips, teachings, and tools for ministry leaders to help them be more effective in their leadership, innovative in their practices, and efficient in their systems. My goal is to train healthy pastors because healthy pastors lead healthy churches.
So, last week I served my final days as a member of the Hope Church staff, which is still hard on many levels because they are such a wonderful staff with incredible skills and abilities, and today I am sitting at my desk writing to you and going all-in on serving you and other leaders like you.
You may ask, “What are you working on, then?”
Well, I am so glad you asked!
My biggest project right now is preparing for the launch of the Modern Inklings Ministry Lab. This is a place where pastors and ministry leaders will be able to go to find tips, training, and tools to increase their effectiveness. 
It will be developed from my own 20 years of church ministry, biblical and strategic leadership education, and from my network of pastors and leaders who know a lot more than I do. It is going to be an incredible resource for ministry leaders of all stages and abilities to learn something new and practical that goes beyond fads.
Right now, I am inviting anyone that would like to be part of the Beta Team to sign up. By joining the Beta Team you will have a voice in building the Ministry Lab to help yourself and others with challenges similar to yours.
You will also be able to lock in a lower rate to the Ministry Lab for as long as you are a member. Once we go live with the full version of the Ministry Lab, the Beta rate will be gone.
Most of all, you will be able to be part of something that has the potential of changing the way ministry is done and promote a healthy way to do ministry: for pastors, volunteers, and members of every faith community we can reach.
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Get ‘er done!
Thanks Mark! It’s only because of leaders like you that I am able to do what I am doing.