Michael Kelley's reflection on Jesus' pace reveals a leadership pattern that directly impacts church vitality: the way you move through your week shapes the culture of your entire congregation. When Jesus walked through His ministry, He modeled three distinct rhythms: unhurried, interruptible, and intentional, and that pattern created space for genuine transformation rather than just programmatic activity.

Consider the Mark 10 scene where Jesus' disciples "rebuked" (which could even be translated as “punished”) the families who were bringing children to Him. They were protecting Jesus' schedule, managing His time, keeping the ministry efficient, but Jesus responded with indignation, insisting the children come. Earlier in Mark 5, interruption follows interruption when Jesus and His disciples encounter a demon-possessed man, pressing crowds, Jairus' desperate plea, and a hemorrhaging woman. Yet nowhere does Jesus exhibit frustration with these disruptions to His plans.

Jesus remained unhurried and interruptible while never losing intentionality. He walked with purpose toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:51), even as He made space for unplanned encounters. This leadership rhythm allowed the Kingdom to break through in unexpected moments.

Here's what this means for your church: The growth you're seeking may be waiting in the interruptions you're currently avoiding. When your leadership pace mirrors the frantic urgency of our moment, you create a church culture that values efficiency over transformation. People sense when their pastor is too hurried to see them or too scheduled to be interrupted.

Three ways to reset your ministry pace this week:

Nigerian Church's Discipleship Model Offers Blueprint for Sustainable Growth | Outreach Magazine

While American churches debate growth strategies, William Kumuyi has quietly built one of the world's largest congregations through a simple principle: multiplication through discipleship. The 84-year-old Nigerian pastor leads Deeper Christian Life Ministry, which draws 33,000 to its main campus each Sunday and has planted 8,000 congregations across 120 nations. His approach began with a Bible study prioritizing "practical application to the life they were living" rather than mere biblical exposition. When the church hit 50,000, Kumuyi implemented Moses' Exodus 18 model, dividing the congregation into manageable cell groups led by trained volunteers.

This week: Audit your discipleship pathway. Can you trace a clear journey from first-time visitor to multiplying disciple-maker? Consider piloting small groups this quarter that prioritize life application over information transfer.

Church Buildings Aren't the Church—LA Fire Survivors Prove It | Christianity Today

One year after fires destroyed a dozen Los Angeles-area church buildings, displaced congregations are learning anew how the church has never been the building. Pacific Palisades Presbyterian pastor Grace Park found a steel cross still standing amid the rubble of her sanctuary, a reminder that what makes a church cannot burn. Expressions Church led a prayer walk through burn-scarred parks. Calvary Palisades moved through three borrowed spaces before returning to baptize new believers in their damaged sanctuary nine months later.

Consider: Your church's resilience isn't measured by your facility but by the strength of relationships between members. The start of a new year is the perfect time to strengthen the relational infrastructure that sustains ministry when everything else fails.

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