By Paul Richardson, Executive Director of Engage Burkina

Engage Burkina

One of the African pastors I met with was the first to say it. I’m not sure which one; however, they all carry this little phrase around with them: “Water is life.”

Burkina Faso is a small, land-locked country in West Africa. It is one of the poorest countries in the world. They don’t track unemployment; they call it “underemployment.” It’s a nice way of saying, “There are a lot more people here without jobs than with jobs.”

One in 3.4 children die here before the age of ten. AIDS and malaria are part of daily life in this culture, but the larger factors impacting mortality are simply malnutrition and water-born illnesses.

Here are some quotes from Burkinabe pastors and government leaders we have spoken to since our first vision trip in 2007:

• “People cannot hear the Gospel without water.”
• “You have no idea how many people will trust Christ because of a well.”

Every time we dig or drill a well we put it as close to a church as possible and under the care and oversight of a pastor who makes it available to anyone that has need.

One pastor told us, “The people in the village thought we were a cult. But now that we have brought the well, people are listening to our message.”

Water helps sustain physical life, but, of course, there is a “living water” that you can have where you will never thirst again. Water is life.

This week we are focusing on providing water to villages in Burkina Faso. Consider making a donation to Engage Burkina on behalf of the TonyMorganLive.com community. Or, if you prefer, visit the Engage Burkina store where you can sponsor other projects in the villages where we are doing ministry.

Part of the back story of the release of new eBooks in “The Leisure Suit Series” is that Emily and I decided to forgo any profit from the project. Instead, Church Community Builder, the sponsor for this series, has made a sizable contribution to Engage Burkina.

Burkina Faso, located in west Africa, is one of the poorest and most illiterate countries in the world. Engage Burkina has three primary initiatives right now in the areas of water, education, and churches. As needs arise, the non-profit also responds to people who have medical, nutrition, or other needs related to the poverty and living conditions. By reading and sharing the eBooks in this series, you’re also supporting these initiatives.

This week I’ve decided to do something a little different around here. We’re beginning to make decisions on what villages will get water in the coming year. The challenge, of course, is that we’re also deciding what villages will not get water. Our community can do something about that. (more…)

1. Play basketball
2. Ride my bicycle all over the city
3. Write songs on the piano
4. Bowl
5. Avoid girls

I partner with a group of organizations that help resource leaders like you. Here are the folks that are making things happen at TonyMorganLive.com in November:

igniteCRM – web-based church relationship management software created to empower ministry leaders for accelerated church growth

Church Community Builder – web-based church software that actively serves over 1,600 churches in 15 different countries from church plants to multi-site, mega-churches

Leaders Book Summaries – summaries of the best books on leadership, management and church life to help you become a better leader

Outreach Events – specializes in dynamic, outreach-oriented events with speakers and Christian comedians that create opportunities for sharing faith

Standard Theme – the best-coded WordPress theme ever (My site is built on this theme.)

StreamingChurch.tv – provides everything you need to broadcast your services live

Vanderbloemen Search Group – email me if you need help filling your staff leadership position

I have one “featured site sponsor” open currently. If you are interested, email me for more details. I’d love to have you join our team!

1. 1980 Cleveland Browns – Brian Sipe leads the “Kardiac Kids” to several come-from-behind wins to take the division title.
2. 1995 Cleveland Indians – The Cleveland Indians make it to the World Series for the first time in over 40 years.
3. 1978 Cincinnati Reds – Because I wasn’t able to get Indians games where we lived, I became a fan of “The Big Red Machine” and watched Pete Rose get his 3,000th hit and a 44-game hit streak.
4. 1987 Cleveland Browns – The Browns made it to the AFC Championship game two years in a row behind quarterback Bernie Kosar.
5. 1990-91 Bowling Green State University Basketball – They only made it to the first round of the NIT, but the season was highlighted by an exciting home win against a highly ranked Michigan State team. (Best game I ever attended.)

Here are the most popular articles from October in order of traffic:

1. Senior Leadership Teams: 7 Questions to Identify Who Should be on the Team
2. New FREE eBook Available Today: How to Get Unstuck
3. Top 5 Mistakes Churches Make When Raising Money
4. Introducing the First 25 Planters from the Launch Network
5. The Entire Service is One Message
6. 5 Questions on the 5 Levels of Leadership: An Interview with John Maxwell
7. Read This Before Our Next Meeting
8. 10 Questions to Increase Volunteer Engagement
9. Campus Pastor Search for Large Multi-site Church
10. Win a FREE Resource: Building a Leadership Development Culture

1. Fantasy football
2. The new album “The Awakening” by James Morrison
3. Driving my new-to-me Acura TL…after driving the minivan for six days
4. Presidential politics
5. 30 Rock episodes on Netflix

I partner with a group of organizations that help resource leaders like you. Here are the folks that are making things happen at TonyMorganLive.com in October:

igniteCRM – web-based church relationship management software created to empower ministry leaders for accelerated church growth

Church Community Builder – web-based church software that actively serves over 1,600 churches in 15 different countries from church plants to multi-site, mega-churches

dc – design and communication solutions that create raving fans, inspire people, and honor Christ

Church Art Online – the largest library of church art on the Web

Clover – provides websites for growing churches and ministries

Church Leader Insights – join Nelson Searcy for a free, 75-minute webinar where you’ll discover the eight systems of a healthy church

Injoy Stewardship Solutions – offering a free report on the “5 Mistakes that will Kill Your Church Fund Raising”

Leaders Book Summaries – summaries of the best books on leadership, management and church life to help you become a better leader

Outreach Events – specializes in dynamic, outreach-oriented events with speakers and Christian comedians that create opportunities for sharing faith

Standard Theme – the best-coded WordPress theme ever (My site is built on this theme.)

StreamingChurch.tv – provides everything you need to broadcast your services live

TheCommon.org – offers a simple way for people to get and give help to their community

I have exactly one advertising spot open. If you are interested, email me for more details. I’d love to have you join our team!

You may have seen the news recently that Joe Sangl has acquired the stewardship company Injoy Stewardship Solutions (ISS) – the company founded by Dr. John C. Maxwell.  Joe is a good friend of mine. He and I worked on the staff of NewSpring Church together with Perry Noble.  For the past five years, Joe has focused on helping equip people to become personally financially free through his I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. ministry.

I was able to catch up with Joe recently, and he had this to say about his new endeavor.

TONY: Why did you acquire ISS?

JOE: As you know, I have had literally hundreds of opportunities to speak and teach at churches all across the nation helping equip people to give and to win with their money God’s way.  I have been able to see how God is moving in His church and how He has given so many leaders such huge vision to reach their communities for Jesus.  Usually, the next step toward that dream will cost a huge amount of money.  I have personally worked with ISS when I was the Pastor of Financial Planning and Coaching at NewSpring Church. We were able to fund our huge next steps from 2007 to 2010 – in the midst of a tremendous recession.  I have seen the incredible results that can happen when the church is filled with people that are financially free.  Frankly, my heart skips a beat at the thought of helping leaders fund their God-given dreams!

TONY: In your work with churches, what do you believe is the biggest mistake that leaders make when raising money?

Joe: The number one mistake I have seen is when the initiative becomes all about the money or the project.  When this happens, the initiative can turn into a fund-raiser instead of a spiritual journey that focuses on what God wants to accomplish through the initiative and how many more people will meet Jesus as a result.

In fact, the team at ISS has written a free e-report called “The Top 5 Mistakes Churches Make When Raising Money.”  It literally takes five minutes to read it, and it could substantially impact the next major phase of ministry that a church embarks on.  That free e-report can be obtained instantaneously by filling out the form below.

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This is a sponsored post from Injoy Stewardship Solutions, one of my ministry partners on TonyMorganLive.com.

Here are the most popular articles from September in order of traffic:

1. Getting People from Point A to Point B: Inactive to Engaged
2. 7 Reasons Why Churches Choose to Have a Smaller Impact
3. Senior Leadership Team: 7 Roles that Can’t be Delegated
4. Getting People from Point B to Point C: Engaged to Serving
5. Hiring a Worship Pastor for Church of 5,000
6. Are you a Quitter?
7. 10 Questions to Increase Volunteer Engagement
8. Be the First to Preview My New eBook
9. God is Able
10. Outspoken: a New Book on Church Communications