Leadership From The Cross | Ministry Training | Scott Thom

How Do You Know God Has Called You to Lead? God's Call, Part 2

Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 +0000

How do you know God has really called you to lead?

Many leaders guess, pray vaguely or wait for a feeling, and some step into ministry uncalled while others never step in at all.

In Part 2 of the Shepherd School teaching God's Call, which picks up where Part 1 left off, Pastor Scott Thom gives five keys. A call is unique, with no set formula: God sent the scholar Paul to the Gentiles and the fisherman Peter to the Jews. Training often starts long before the call.

God places the call on your heart (Psalm 37:4-5), which Pastor Scott shows with the night he rode along with Los Angeles County sheriffs through three emergency calls in a row.

The call is confirmed by the authorities in your life: parents (Colossians 3:20), church leaders (Hebrews 13:17) and employers (Colossians 3:22), as with Daniel and Nehemiah serving pagan kings. It is confirmed by circumstances (Romans 8:28) and by the pursuit of inner character, like Timothy's proven character in Philippians 2:19-22.

To train with Pastor Scott in Shepherd School, text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Not sure what God is calling you to? Most leaders were never trained to recognize a calling or to grow into one, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach.

CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify.

Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Want the kind of character that confirms a calling? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back.

Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps.

Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

How Do You Know God Has Called You to Lead? God's Call, Part 1

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Have you ever felt unqualified to lead your family, your team or your ministry, or wondered if your past rules you out?

Most leaders quietly step back when ministry is not happening, when someone challenges them, or when the voice in their head says they are not good enough.

In Part 1 of the Shepherd School teaching God's Call, Pastor Scott Thom shows why knowing your calling keeps you in the game. He tells the story of George Truett, whose church voted him into ministry before he was willing.

From Ephesians 4:11-12 and Luke 10:1-2 he shows that every believer, and especially men, is called to shepherd at home, at work and in ministry.

Then he walks through why knowing your call matters: when ministry is not happening, when you are challenged in your mind, when you are challenged by others, as Moses was by Miriam and Aaron in Numbers 12, and so you can see God's call on others (1 Timothy 5:22).

You only fail if you quit.

To train with Pastor Scott in Shepherd School, text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Feel unqualified to lead? Most leaders were never trained to shepherd their home, their work or their ministry, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach.

Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Struggling to stay faithful when you feel disqualified? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back.

Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

4 Things Great Leaders Reject

Thu, 14 May 2026 14:53:00 +0000

What separates a true leader from someone who simply holds a position? Pastor Scott Thom, in a crossover with No Other Doctrine, says it is often what a leader refuses to accept. First, leaders reject groupthink for independent thinking: they "test all things and hold fast what is good," unlike the Pharisees who would not question their own, or Rehoboam, who listened only to friends who thought like him and split his kingdom. Second, they reject simple answers to complex questions; Nehemiah prayed, planned and inspected the walls before he built. Third, they often reject their own first idea, examining their thinking as Paul urged in 2 Corinthians 13:5. Fourth, they reject social pressure dressed up as truth and look for the evidence, as Peter and John ran to the tomb, without demanding unreasonable proof like Thomas. If you see yourself in these, Pastor Scott challenges you to use that gift at home, at work and in ministry, or risk sliding backward.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you see these leadership instincts in yourself but have never been trained to use them? Most leaders were never given that kind of development, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Is going along with the crowd, or settling for the easy answer, a habit you want to break? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

Seven Steps to a Happier Life: What the Bible Says About Real Happiness

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 21:39:00 +0000

What is happiness, and why do so many Christians still chase it? Pastor Scott Thom goes beyond the dictionary's "state of being happy" and gives seven steps to a happier life. Happiness starts with communion with God, not just being converted but knowing Him. It grows with peace with others, walking in humility and mercy instead of a critical spirit. It comes from accepting the bad with the good and giving God whatever time He needs to work it for good, because we have no right to act unhappy and rob others of their happiness. It deepens as we become more like Jesus, since bad character only buys fleeting pleasure. It rests on knowing the best things we have, above all God's love, can never be lost. It is free from trusting money and things, as a joyful family in a billboard plywood hut in South America taught him. And it is increased by a praiseworthy, godly goal, the very first thing God gave Adam and Eve. He closes with a challenge: have the courage to be happy.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Is a praiseworthy, godly goal missing from your life right now? Many believers sense God calling them to lead but never get trained, because between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do worry, a critical spirit or chasing more things keep stealing your happiness? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

Why Every Leader Needs a Mentor: Pastor Scott's Interview with Pastor Raul Ries and Dale Goddard

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 21:23:00 +0000

Do you have someone who sees in you what you can't see yourself? In this crossover with No Other Doctrine, Pastor Scott Thom opens with three things a mentor gives you: a vision of who you can become instead of who you were, the hard counsel and hard stops you would never give yourself, and an example to follow, as Paul said, "follow me as I follow Christ." Then he sits down with his own mentors, Pastor Raul Ries of Calvary Chapel Golden Springs and his longtime assistant pastor Dale Goddard. They describe what they look for in a man called to ministry: the anointing, humility and a team player's heart, not a spotlight seeker. They explain why they took phones out of their staff's hands during services, why a young preacher must not preach someone else's sermon but find the fresh gold God has for him in the Word, why politics stays out of the pulpit, and why the hardest Tuesday staff meetings are the ones former staff miss most. Pastor Raul also shares stories of being mentored by Chuck Smith.

Please note: the question line mentioned in this episode, 505-578-2040, has been retired. To reach Pastor Scott and Cross Fellowship, use 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you sense God's call on your life but have no one to shape and sharpen you? Most men never find that kind of mentor, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Is your phone, or another distraction, crowding out time with God and the people you lead? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

Exciting Update: A New Podcast Called Navigating Life From The Cross

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 02:57:00 +0000

After about a two year break, Pastor Scott Thom shares what he has been doing and introduces his new podcast, Navigating Life from the Cross. It is not apologetics or leadership training but discipleship: short devotional teachings drawn from more than 30 years of discipling people and his book Discipleship on Fire, each with discussion questions and prayer points so you can meditate on the Word all week, or use it to disciple someone else. He recommends watching on YouTube, where the channel also carries original worship songs and Scripture readings to start your day, with the notes at NavigatingLifeFromTheCross.com. He also shares how God has opened doors for Shepherd School to train men for ministry not only across the United States but in Kenya, Zambia, Uganda, Cambodia, Qatar and Sri Lanka.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Could you be one of the men God is raising up to lead, wherever you live? Most were never trained for ministry, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you want to start each day in the Word but keep letting it slip? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

054 Don't believe in what but I believe in Him

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 16:56:20 +0000

Could you ever say to God, "I don't believe what You said, but I believe in You"? Pastor Scott Thom says yes, and shows why from two places where God seems to say the opposite of His character. When God told Abraham to offer Isaac (Genesis 22), Abraham told his servants "the boy and I will return" and told Isaac "God will provide," because, as Hebrews 11 says, he trusted God's character enough to believe He would raise Isaac. When Jesus told the Canaanite woman it was not right to give the children's bread to the little dogs (Matthew 15), she answered that even the puppies eat the crumbs, and He praised her great faith. Like a father who says "I'm a monster, I'm coming to get you," God sometimes speaks with a wink to draw out whether we really know Him. When your vision seems to die or your prayer goes unanswered, God may be teaching you His love before He grants the request.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

When a passage seems to clash with God's character, do you know how to read it the way Abraham did? Most believers were never trained to, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

When God seems silent, do you drift from prayer and the Word instead of leaning in? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

053 Courage in Difficult Times

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 16:00:53 +0000

The Bible says "do not be afraid" nearly a hundred times and "be strong and of good courage" more than twenty. Pastor Scott Thom walks through what biblical courage looks like when the world, the flesh and the enemy all push the other way. Courage is the Proverbs 31 woman girding herself with strength to do the hard work; it is reinforcing what is worth keeping, like the workmen who restored the house of God (2 Chronicles 24:13). A strong heart is soft toward the weak and open handed (Deuteronomy 15:7-8), not a miser holding on in fear. Courage waits on the Lord (Psalm 27:14), persists like Ruth, and refuses to fear because God goes with us (Deuteronomy 31:6). It takes its medicine when God corrects us and rehabs the weak knees (Hebrews 12:12-13), holds the line when a church is weak (Revelation 3), and, like Joseph of Arimathea asking Pilate for Jesus' body, comes out of hiding out of love. You can be about as courageous as you set your mind to be.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Is fear keeping you a secret follower when God is calling you to lead? Most believers were never trained to step out boldly, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Strength is built an ounce at a time, but does your resolve fade before it grows? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

052 Managing Relationships versus Goal Directing

Sat, 08 Dec 2018 00:18:58 +0000

Most people step into ministry expecting to teach, pray and set goals, and are shocked how much of the job is managing relationships. Back after nearly two years, Pastor Scott Thom tells how, as a 28 year old new staff pastor at a megachurch, he was put over a bookstore and a new believers ministry where, both times, two people felt passed over. The ones who demanded the position walked out; the ones who quietly followed directions were raised up into their own ministries. Christianity is not a seniority system but a meritocracy of character and obedience (Matthew 25:29). Jesus Himself had to keep managing the disciples' arguments over who was greatest (Mark 9:33-41), and John's rebuke of a man casting out demons in Jesus' name shows the danger of an elitist leader. Don't rebuke people for doing good, don't confuse your preferences with biblical mandates, don't choose sides, and once a direction is agreed, pull for it with the same mind and purpose (1 Corinthians 1:10). A leader cannot be easily offended.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Were you ready for how much of ministry is managing people? Most leaders were never trained for that part, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you take offense easily, or drag your feet when a decision doesn't go your way? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

051 Executing Your Plan

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 13:00:00 +0000

Having a plan is not enough; most plans die a few weeks after the planning retreat. Pastor Scott Thom, pointing to the parable of the talents and Jesus' remark that the children of this world are often wiser in planning than the children of light, gives four steps to carry a plan through. First, focus: delete distractions, stop multitasking, jot interruptions on a pad, and work in scheduled sprints of 30 to 90 minutes, breaking a yearly goal into months, weeks, days and hours. That is how his book Discipleship on Fire finally got written. Second, be persistent, like Paul in 2 Corinthians 1: expect failures and more time and effort than you counted on, refine what works and drop what doesn't. Third, build relationships before you need them, for friendship, knowledge and accountability; be generous, ask more than you speak, and learn over meals as Jesus did. Fourth, start now: as General Patton said, a good plan vigorously executed now beats a perfect plan next week.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you have a ministry plan you never quite get to? Most leaders were never trained to turn vision into steps, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Does the tyranny of the urgent swallow your best intentions every week? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

050 How to Successfully Achieve Your Plan

Tue, 17 Jan 2017 13:00:00 +0000

Why do some people with little training thrive in ministry while others with every advantage fail? Pastor Scott Thom has never seen anyone wildly successful who did not work a plan, and he gives six keys highly successful people use to achieve theirs. First, put your spiritual and mental health at the top of the list, because unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain (Psalm 127:1). Second, form good habits instead of bad ones: good habits are hard to form but easy to live with, bad habits easy to form but hard to live with (Romans 6:20-22), and one nagging sin can unravel the whole sweater. Third, build habits through a positive, biblical mindset and timely repetition, unlike Elijah running from Jezebel or the ten fearful spies (Romans 12:2). Fourth, review your goals several times a day, as Deuteronomy 6 says to talk of God's Word when you sit, walk, lie down and rise. Fifth, measure progress by results and spend your time on the 20 percent that changes 80 percent of life (Philippians 3:12). Sixth, help others reach their goals (Philippians 2:3-4).

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you have the heart for ministry but no plan or training to carry it out? Most leaders never got that kind of preparation, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Good habits are hard to form but easy to live with. Is there one bad habit quietly unraveling what you have built? Wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

049 A Servant's Creed

Tue, 22 Nov 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Old movies had knights who swore to a code: sworn to valor, defending the helpless, speaking only truth. Pastor Scott Thom says Christians have a creed too, and he draws it from 1 Peter 3:15-16. A servant of the Lord is dedicated: "sanctify the Lord God in your hearts" means serving for the King's glory even when no one says thank you, as the Levites lived on the Lord as their inheritance. A servant is prepared, ready to give a reason for the hope within, practicing like a swordsman and never stymied by the same question twice (2 Corinthians 5:11). A servant is humble, answering with meekness and fear: listening to understand, restating the other person's view, even letting them have the last word, as he did with a man in South America who believed Jesus was an alien. And a servant keeps a good conscience so that those who slander him are put to shame, which is how six coworkers at one job came to Christ. His creed: a servant of the Lord is dedicated to his Lord's wishes above his own, prepared to engage, humble even when injured, respectable in intent and blameless in actions.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

When someone asks the reason for your hope, are you ready with an answer? Most believers were never trained to give one, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

A creed only matters if you live it daily. Do your good intentions fade by Tuesday? Wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

048 Worship 101

Tue, 15 Nov 2016 13:00:00 +0000

If you lead any ministry where people worship, you need at least the basics of what worship should be, even if you never pick up a guitar. Pastor Scott Thom gives the do's and don'ts, built on Philippians 3:3: we worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. Watch for performance and celebrity, where the worship leader becomes the show and the congregation becomes an audience; you want people leaving saying "God is good," not "that singer was good." A simple test: if the lyrics were swapped for generic ones, would people feel the same? Then it is a concert, not worship. Worship leaders should lead, not preach between every song, so people have time to break from the day and connect with the Lord. Choose songs people can sing in a key they can reach, celebrate God's power, glory and salvation, and avoid mindless repetition and weak theology (old hymns set to new music are a gift). Use lights, sound and screens to serve worship, never to distract from it, giving the Lord the glory due His name (Psalm 29:2).

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you lead people in worship, or oversee those who do, without ever being taught how? Most ministry leaders never were, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Is your own time of worship crowded out by the rush of every day? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

047 Seven Things Successful Leaders Ignore

Tue, 08 Nov 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Like a NASCAR driver at 200 miles an hour, a successful leader has to keep his eyes forward and ignore what would wreck him. Pastor Scott Thom names seven things to ignore. First, others' occasional failures: be gentle, able to teach and patient (2 Timothy 2:24), and watch for patterns, not isolated slips. Second, insults: an attack on your person is not constructive criticism, as Paul's critics in 2 Corinthians 10 learned. Third, "I told you so" from people with no skin in the game, like those who preached Christ out of envy to add to Paul's chains (Philippians 1:15-17). Fourth, guilt over your own isolated failures once you have repented; Paul called himself chief of sinners so others would see Christ's patience (1 Timothy 1:15-16), and slashing your own tires after paying the ticket helps no one. Fifth, counsel from advisors who never ask questions and don't know the situation. Sixth, the cynics who only ever see the bad and drain your faith. Seventh, the people who never challenge you, because a leader needs those who will push him toward the high calling (Ephesians 4:1-3).

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Are critics and distractions pulling you off the calling God gave you? Most leaders were never trained to tell wise counsel from noise, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you replay every insult and every failure long after it is over? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

046 Ten Causes of Ministry Conflict

Tue, 01 Nov 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Paul had to plead with Euodia and Syntyche to agree in the Lord (Philippians 4:2), because ministry is messy: we are sinners at different levels of maturity and training. Pastor Scott Thom names the ten most common causes of ministry conflict and how a leader works through each. Jealousy and worldly competitiveness that pit ministries against each other (1 Corinthians 1), answered by keeping the whole team in view as David shared the spoil with those who guarded the supplies. Abuse of time and resources by the lazy or inattentive, down to the person who never refills the coffee pot. The right person in the wrong role. Ambitions out of step with the ministry's timing. Rebellious sin in the camp. Disputes over practical preferences, handled gently and patiently (2 Timothy 2:24-25). Theological differences that turn divisive. Unmet expectations and broken promises, mostly fixed by open communication. Favoritism, real or perceived. And pay and recognition, where elders who rule well deserve double honor (1 Timothy 5:17) and praise steals nothing from anyone. Ministry is messy, but these are the tools to clean it up.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Is conflict on your team draining the joy out of ministry? Most leaders were never trained to handle it, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you avoid hard conversations until small problems become big ones? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

045 Passing on Your Values

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 12:00:00 +0000

A dad once asked Pastor Scott Thom to talk to his son, who did not seem to respect church. The boy's answer: his dad gave a quarter for the offering plate and twenty dollars for the movies. Our actions teach what we really value, whatever we say. Pastor Scott shows leaders how to pass on their core values so the people who follow them value the same things. If you say you value replicating yourself, are you discipling someone and promoting from within? If you say you want new ideas, do you let people dream and try, or shut creativity down? If you say you are passionate about enjoying God, do you model it so people can catch it? Ephesians 4:11-16 describes a church that is always progressing, from children to mature, from weak to strong, until we come to the unity of the faith, so leaders must keep changing and improving rather than coasting in the status quo. Like the student who finally understood that a black belt is only the beginning, a leader who keeps learning and communicates his values clearly will see God give victory after victory.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do the people you lead actually share your values, or only hear you talk about them? Most leaders were never trained to pass values on, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do your daily habits match what you say matters most? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

044 Special Guest: Jason David

Tue, 18 Oct 2016 12:00:00 +0000

How do you know God is calling you to plant a church? Pastor Scott Thom sits down with Pastor Jason David, a Shepherd School graduate who planted a young church and recently moved it to Belen, about 45 minutes south of Albuquerque. A shy new believer with a burden to teach, Jason took one step of obedience after another: joining a Bible study, asking to lead it, then looking for ministry training. About halfway through Shepherd School God called him to plant a church, and like Moses he argued for months before saying yes. He shares how his friends and his wife Kim responded, what the weekly school nights cost a young family, and the lesson of seeking and knocking: do everything you can without forcing it, and watch God open doors, as He did when they drove the streets of Belen praying for a building. He also speaks tenderly about the loss of a child and how God is turning that grief into a future ministry to other grieving families, reminding leaders that people, not programs or buildings, are what matter.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you sense a call like Jason's but don't know your next step? Most men never get the training to answer it, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you wait for a sign when God has already shown you the next step? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

043 Five Characteristics of a Bad Leader

Tue, 11 Oct 2016 12:00:00 +0000

You can learn as much from a bad leader as a good one; serving under one can burn into you exactly what you never want to be. Pastor Scott Thom names five characteristics of bad leadership, some of which he admits learning the hard way. First, indecision: never having perfect information, or fearing the wrong call, when people will follow a decisive leader through an honest mistake. Saul caved to pressure and offered the sacrifice himself, while Nehemiah waited on God and then had every answer ready when the king asked. Second, complaining about a lack of resources to win sympathy instead of working with what God has provided. Third, shifting responsibility onto others. Fourth, abusing the freedoms that come with leadership. Fifth, building yourself up by criticizing and discrediting the leaders over you, like those Jude describes who reject authority and speak evil of dignitaries; followers will only learn to do the same to you. Instead, lift your leaders' arms, admit your weaknesses, keep improving, and people will follow.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you see some of these traits in yourself and want to grow past them? Most leaders were never trained to, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Is complaining or putting off decisions a habit you fall into without noticing? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

042 People and Priorities

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 12:00:00 +0000

A pastor emailed with a problem every growing ministry hits: when the church was 60 people you could stay until the pizza came, but past a hundred you cannot spend time with everyone who wants it. How do you love people well without burning out? Pastor Scott Thom says God won't give you more hours, but He will show you the way to walk (Jeremiah 42:3). Most pastors are reactive, and that stops working as a ministry grows; you have to become proactive. Start by letting yourself be discipled by the Lord and His Word first, even while you exercise. Then invest most in the people who shape everything else: your family, and the 20 to 40 percent who carry the ministry, because they in turn care for the hurting. Be proactive with those you know need you, set regular times to connect, and hand off what others can do, like leading the devotion or a study, step by step until they own it. Saying "I can't meet" is sometimes right; a plan beats the tyranny of the urgent, which leaves you no good to anyone.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Is your ministry growing faster than your ability to care for everyone in it? Most leaders were never trained for that stage, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you spend your days putting out fires instead of doing what matters most? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

041 Ten Ways to Spot a Church Bully

Tue, 27 Sep 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Bible college rarely teaches it, but stay in ministry long enough and you will meet a church bully. Pastor Scott Thom says not everyone who criticizes you is one; God may be correcting you through them, and many strong personalities, like Peter, are a joy to work with. But some people manipulate for selfish reasons, whether a pet doctrine, authority issues or insisting the ministry be run their way. The apostle John dealt with one, Diotrephes, who loved to have the preeminence, slandered the apostles and put believers out of the church (3 John 9-11). Pastor Scott gives ten marks to watch for, and a bully shows several at once: a strong, uncompromising personality that must always be right, a trail of churches and burned bridges behind them, jumping at the first chance to slam you, always thinking of themselves first, never esteeming others better, and building unhealthy alliances. Then he explains how to respond: stay in the light (1 John 1:5), admonish them, and if they persist in causing division, reject them as Titus 3:10 instructs, stand firm, and don't waste energy defending yourself.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Would you know how to handle a manipulator on your team before they split it? Most leaders learn this the hard way, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you give in to pressure from difficult people instead of standing firm? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

040 Special Guest: Marc McSweeny

Tue, 20 Sep 2016 12:00:00 +0000

What does it look like when God calls a busy, happy staff pastor to the mission field? Pastor Scott Thom catches up with Pastor Marc McSweeny, whom he first spotted working in the church bookstore in California and who went on to teach some of the hardest Bible college classes, then planted Main Chapel in Frankfurt, Germany. Marc describes the strange season when God's grace on his ministry seemed to lift overnight, until a friend's mother suggested the Lord might be calling him out. Then it clicked: the German car, the German classes, the prayers for Germany. One email to a German pastor led to a lunch two weeks later and a free room at a church in Germany, the Lord moving him like the cloud in the wilderness. He talks about fear and doubt being normal, courage being moving on anyway, the response of family and church leadership, and what it takes to plant a church outside the United States. The church name is a play on words: the Main is the river that runs through Frankfurt.

Please note: the College offer heard in this episode, texting CCF College to 33444, has ended. For CCF Bible College today, text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Could God be calling you somewhere you never planned to go? Most men never get the training to be ready when He does, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Does fear or doubt keep you from stepping out when God says go? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

039 What to do When You Have Made a Bad Decision

Mon, 12 Sep 2016 12:00:00 +0000

You hired the wrong person, launched a ministry that is failing or overcommitted yourself. What now? Pastor Scott Thom walks through what he has learned from his own bad decisions. First, identify the problem, which is harder than it sounds: walk through your ministry with new eyes like a first time customer, ask people for honest suggestions and let the awkward silence work, and don't ignore problems just because "that's the way we've always done it," like a dying church still wondering why its organ draws no young people. Second, see whether the situation can be remedied or redeemed, because God's first step is to restore. Sometimes it is resources, like the custom inventory system that rescued a radio ministry's orders; sometimes it is training, like the flaky youth pastor who, with help on the details, became one of the best. Third, when it can't be fixed, close it. The sunk cost fallacy keeps us holding onto failing ministries the way we keep a suit we'll never wear; selling a slow $20 book for $10 frees money that turns over many times. Debrief, learn and teach your team the process.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Is there a ministry decision you know isn't working but can't bring yourself to change? Most leaders were never trained for moments like that, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you hold onto what isn't working because you've already invested so much? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

038 Discipleship ABC's

Mon, 05 Sep 2016 12:00:00 +0000

"Thou shall not steal" means more than not taking. Pastor Scott Thom shows from Malachi and the rest of Scripture that we also steal by withholding, and that the positive side of the command is generosity: give and it will be given to you, pressed down and running over (Luke 6:38). A leader who hoards knowledge so no one passes him up is lording it over people like the Gentiles; in God's kingdom we serve by training others, as Barnabas did. If you are not mentoring someone for your position, you are shortchanging the ministry; if you are not discipling your children, you are shortchanging them. Be a player coach, not just a fan in the stands. Train little by little, the way you rehab a knee, the way Jesus built character in His disciples over time, and as Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says, teach when you sit, walk, lie down and rise, with reminders on the doorposts, today maybe an email or a sticky note. Choose people who are coachable and correctable (2 Timothy 3:16-17); if someone won't take correction after two or three tries, move on. God wants to flow through you to others, not into a storehouse.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Are you pouring what you know into someone, or keeping it to yourself? Most believers were never trained to disciple others, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you mean to disciple your kids or a younger believer but never quite make the time? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

037 How to Handle Difficult Conversations

Mon, 29 Aug 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Ministry is messy, and sooner or later you have to tell a leader that what they are doing isn't working, or that their behavior is hurting others. Most of us hate confrontation, so we put it off and the conflict grows. Pastor Scott Thom gives the steps he wishes someone had taught him. Pray first, specifically for understanding, impartiality and wisdom, because answering a matter before you hear it is folly (Proverbs 18:13); the person may be grieving, sick or struggling at home. Search out the matter as kings do (Proverbs 25:2): thank them, ask questions and listen before you say anything about the problem, since pride brings only strife (Proverbs 13:10). Seek counsel, but only from reputable, faithful people who can keep a confidence. Write down the main points so emotions don't take over the conversation. Then take action rather than letting it linger, and if someone with a hidden agenda refuses correction after two or three admonitions, let them go. Most of the time the conversation goes far better than you feared, and you win a brother or sister.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Is there a hard conversation you have been putting off for weeks? Most leaders were never trained to handle conflict well, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you react first and listen later when tension rises? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

036 Counting the Cost of Your Vision

Mon, 22 Aug 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Pastor Scott Thom tells the real story of planting Cross Christian Fellowship. Thirty-four people came to the first service and attendance passed a hundred within a year. Then a move into a movie theater cost 70 percent of the congregation, followed by a year in a hotel conference center and long nights building out an empty warehouse by hand. Plenty of people offered criticism and solutions; few offered help. The lesson for anyone with a God-given vision, whether a church, a ministry, a family or a business: the vision is the easy part, and the journey will cost you. You always pay sooner and more than you think. The bigger the dream, the greater the cost. You must be willing to pay any reasonable, biblical price, including facing your fears, and to make trade-offs. Most people stop at their pain threshold; the ones who achieve God's vision push through. You don't have to be the smartest, bravest or richest, just the one who doesn't give up, and God rewards that tenacity. Dream big, then buy in.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Has God given you a vision you are not yet equipped to carry? Most leaders start with the dream and no training, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you quit at the first real pain point? Tenacity is a habit you can build. Wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

035 All Great Leaders Did Not Start Great

Mon, 15 Aug 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Are leaders born or made? Pastor Scott Thom, after three decades of training leaders, puts natural talent at about 10 percent, 25 at most. Being personable can be learned, mental sharpness can come from over-preparing, and even charisma, from the root charis, grows out of genuinely loving people until you captivate their hearts, minds and loyalty. He gives three keys to growing as a leader and speaker. First, success does not come by luck or as a spiritual gift handed down complete; it is a process of knowledge, understanding and practical application, just as Jesus in His humanity grew in wisdom. Second, the influence of great leaders shortens the learning curve, as his own mentors did when they put young, untrained men into ministry and developed them. Third, don't be in a hurry: wait on the Lord, keep developing yourself and others, and be thankful for the instruction, the people, the opportunities and the path, because in due time you will reap.

Please note: the College offer heard in this episode, texting CCF College to 33444, has ended. For CCF Bible College today, text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you think you are just not a "born leader"? Most great leaders weren't; they were trained. Between work, family and cost, Bible school can feel out of reach, but CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Growth happens one small habit at a time. Is impatience making you quit before you see results? Wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

034 Working the Vision

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 12:00:00 +0000

"I want to plant a church" is a desire, not a vision. A vision is measurable: how, where, when, who and with what. Pastor Scott Thom walks through how to work a vision until God's burden on your heart becomes reality. First, define it and get it out of your head and onto paper, as specific as you can, knowing it will change. Revisit it every six months, because our first vision rarely matches God's perfectly, and stay in the Word and in prayer (Proverbs 29:18), praying specifically for the people and the exact amount of money you need, then watching Him provide. Second, take the vision and work it, using the experience God has already given you, as his years in retail suddenly mattered when the first thing he was handed in ministry was a bookstore. Third, look honestly at where you are right now compared to where the vision says you should be, and take the next small step. Sacrifice a little time, money and effort every day over a long period, and you accomplish much; people will see it working and buy in with you.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Is the vision God gave you still just a desire in your head? Most leaders were never trained to turn burden into plan, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Big visions are built from small daily sacrifices. Do your days drift by without that next step? Wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

033 Those That Achieve Biblical Success

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Why do some leaders take off while others plod along or die on the vine, even when they had the same opportunities? Pastor Scott Thom says it is rarely raw talent; plenty of smart people only get smart at shortcuts. He compares high, average and low achievers in three areas. First, successful leaders make people the priority: they build people while building the vision, while average achievers care about people only as far as they produce, and people buy in for a while and then drift away. Second, successful leaders keep good relationships with other leaders instead of competing with them or isolating themselves. Third, successful leaders seek counsel and wisdom. Rehoboam rejected the elders' advice and lost most of his kingdom; the apostles stayed close to Jesus, attentive and eager to learn, then learned to pass it on, while the religious leaders clung to the old rabbis, rejected His wisdom and lost their place. Jesus Himself is the model high achiever in every one of these.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you want to be a high achiever in ministry, not just get by? Most leaders never get the training and counsel that make the difference, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Are you so busy doing what you've always done that you never stop to grow? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

032 Leading by Relating

Mon, 25 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Everything rises and falls on leadership, as the good and bad kings of Israel show, but leadership is more an attitude than a skill: it is about relating to people. Pastor Scott Thom explains that people will not stay passionate about your vision alone; they give their all when they sense you sincerely care about them and that the vision blesses their lives too. Leaders who sow into people only to get something back may be charismatic, but people eventually see the vision is all about the leader and drop away. Jesus spent His most valuable time building and developing leaders, not just teaching a class. Pastor Scott offers questions followers quietly ask: does this leader care for me, and will he help me reach my own goals within the greater vision? Drop the "me good, you bad, me top, you bottom" attitude and invest in people. If that seems far off, remember the French general who, told an oak would take a century to mature, said there was no time to lose and to plant it that afternoon.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do the people you lead follow your vision, or just your title? Most leaders were never trained to lead by relating, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Growing as a leader is like planting an oak: start today. Do you keep putting off the first small step? Wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

031 Discerning Doctrine Example: To Sabbath or Not

Mon, 18 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Has someone told you that you are not really saved, or at least not obedient, unless you keep the Sabbath? Following last week's lesson on discerning doctrine, Pastor Scott Thom puts those tools to work on Hebrews 4:1-10, written to Sabbath keeping Hebrews. The Sabbath was a sign between God and Israel (Exodus 31:16), never imposed on the Gentile nations, and Israel looked for rest in three places: the seventh day, a deliverer like Moses, and the promised land. None gave true rest; Joshua did not, or God would not have spoken of "another day." Romans 7:6-12 shows we have died to the law, which exposes sin rather than saving us. The rest that remains for the people of God is entering Christ's finished work by faith and ceasing from our own works as God ceased from His. So every day is Sabbath for the believer. And because our High Priest sympathizes with our weakness and has already paid the price, we can come boldly to the throne of grace and find rest from trying to earn God's favor (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Please note: the College offer heard in this episode, texting CCF College to 33444, has ended. For CCF Bible College today, text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

When someone tries to load you with rules Scripture never gave you, could you answer from the text? Most believers were never trained to, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do guilt and striving keep you from resting in what Christ has done? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

030 Discerning Doctrine

Mon, 11 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

In an online group of thousands of pastors, someone asked whether Christians can cremate their loved ones. More than a hundred replies came in, and almost none answered from Scripture; most gave opinions or what pagans do. That moved Pastor Scott Thom to teach how a leader sets sound doctrine. Start with a sound method of interpretation, the inductive Bible study method with the historical grammatical method, asking what the words meant to the original author, in his culture and in context, since language changes so quickly. "You shall not kill," for example, means murder, as its use in the rest of the law shows. Then three reliable ways Scripture establishes doctrine: prescription, where God plainly commands how to live, like the Ten Commandments; principle, drawn from how God works throughout Scripture; and precedent, from what God approved in a recorded example, which is how the cremation question is actually answered. A leader must be equipped to give sound, consistent, loving answers, so get trained and get mentored.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

When someone asks you a hard question, do you answer with Scripture or with opinion? Most leaders were never trained to tell sound doctrine from personal preference, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you mean to study the Word deeply but rarely get past a quick read? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

029 Things Highly Successful People Do

Mon, 04 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

What do highly effective pastors, business leaders and parents do differently? Drawing on years around leaders who ran stadium crusades and planted churches, Pastor Scott Thom gives eight habits that let you get the right things done, not just a lot done. Successful people plan in hours and even minutes, not days, often weeks ahead, valuing time above money. They focus intently on one thing in uninterrupted 30 to 90 minute bursts. They manage their to-do list by asking what can be automated, delegated or dropped, since a quarter of most lists never gets done anyway. They make it home for dinner. They carry a notepad or journal to capture ideas instead of being derailed by them. They limit meetings and stick to the agenda. They say no to more things than they say yes to. And they never stop learning: Pastor Scott still listens to one or two teaching files a day, and over 30 years that makes you an expert. Start implementing even one and your ministry, business and family will go to the next level.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Are you busy all day but not getting the important things done? Most leaders were never trained to manage time and priorities, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Success comes down to daily habits. Which of these eight do you need to build first? Wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

028 Special Guest: Mark Grothe

Mon, 27 Jun 2016 12:00:00 +0000

What gives a man the courage to plant a church from scratch after watching church plants struggle from the inside? Pastor Scott Thom sits down with Pastor Mark Grothe of Cross Fellowship Route 66 in Albuquerque, one of Cross Christian Fellowship's church plants and an early Shepherd School student whom Pastor Scott ordained and sent out. Mark tells how he served as associate pastor in a plant that dissolved when its pastor stepped down, then helped carry other churches until he burned out. He and his wife listened to Pastor Scott's recorded messages, showed up a week late after missing the service time, and heard a vision for the church and Shepherd School that matched what Mark had described to his wife in the parking lot that morning. He shares why he believes we can't do church "in the box" anymore, launching downtown in a building shared with a ministry to the hurting, and his vision for a hip-hop ministry and recovery outreach that takes church into the streets, because people no longer come knocking on church doors. Pastor Scott adds why having a professor who truly invests in your life is the heart of the school.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you have a vision to reach people the church is missing, but no one to help you get there? Most men never find that kind of mentor, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Are you running on empty, carrying a load God never asked you to carry alone? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

027 Three Words Leaders Should Avoid Using

Mon, 20 Jun 2016 12:00:00 +0000

A leader's words become everyone's marching orders, so vague words leave a team confused and frustrated. Pastor Scott Thom names three words to banish from your leadership vocabulary. "Someone": "someone should fix that" really means no one, and then the leader blames the team while the team feels blamed for something nobody was assigned. Say "I will do it today" or "Jerry, I'm asking you to complete this," so someone is accountable. "Something": "we need to do something about that" usually means we haven't diagnosed the problem, or don't want to. Define what needs to be done, or ask someone to research two or three solutions, because a problem without a plan just sits there until a Nehemiah assigns each family a section of the wall. "Someday": someday is the graveyard where ideas go to die. Write out what the finished vision looks like, reverse engineer it into big pieces and then small ones, estimate the time and money for each (then double it), and put a real date on it, the way the Bible college itself was built. Specific leaders become decisive leaders people want to follow.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do your meetings end with good ideas that nobody ever acts on? Most leaders were never trained to turn vision into clear assignments, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Is "someday" the word that keeps your best intentions from ever starting? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

026 Special Guest: Rick Sena

Mon, 13 Jun 2016 12:00:00 +0000

What does stepping out in faith really look like? Pastor Scott Thom talks with Pastor Rick Sena, a Shepherd School graduate who went on to plant Extol Church in Albuquerque. Rick tells the story that first impressed Pastor Scott: while he was art director at a local church, a friend dreamed the two of them spent a month in Hawaii. After prayer, an old unpaid project paid exactly the cost of a round trip ticket, so they flew out with camping gear, no plan and no car, ended up homeless and ministering on the beach, and watched God provide a place to stay through a man they had once helped feed at a homeless outreach. Rick shares how he applied to Shepherd School past the deadline and was surprised that a pastor of a large church answered his own phone, how the audio based training and the brothers he studied with fit a man who didn't love reading, and how the mentorship shaped him. Pastor Scott reflects on the joy, and the hard part, of raising men up and sending them out, because they belong to God, not to us.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you feel called to ministry but think school isn't for you? Rick felt the same way. Between work, family and cost, Bible school can feel out of reach, but CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Faith grows when we act on what God says. Is there a daily step of obedience you keep putting off? Wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

025 The Power Every Leader Has, But Few Use

Mon, 06 Jun 2016 12:00:00 +0000

When ministry is flat, the vision isn't happening and you feel like you're pulling the whole load, it is usually because you've neglected one power every leader has: intentionally and intensely training a few to impact all. Pastor Scott Thom points out that Jesus trained His disciples, sent them out, then brought them back and debriefed them when they focused on the wrong things. Sending an email is not training. Discipleship is not an option but the pattern Christ set: a disciple, when fully trained, will be like his teacher (Luke 6:40), and Paul said to imitate him as he imitated Christ. Training must be concrete, part of the leader's overall plan, and full of passion, because people follow a fiery, radical faith (Luke 14:33) and will step up when they are challenged and held accountable. Commit what you have learned to faithful men who will teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2). It takes time at first, but you'll multiply your ministry instead of running on four cylinders when you have eight.

Please note: the College offer heard in this episode, texting CCF College to 33444, has ended. For CCF Bible College today, text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Are you carrying the ministry alone because no one has been trained to carry it with you? Most leaders were never trained to multiply themselves, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Is mentoring someone always on next week's list? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

024 Special Guest: Jim Stewart

Mon, 30 May 2016 12:00:00 +0000

How do you know you are called, and where? Pastor Scott Thom catches up with Pastor Jim Stewart, a friend from their late 1980s training days at Calvary Chapel West Covina (later Golden Springs), who went out in 1989 to plant a church in Joplin, Missouri, later helped plant churches on the West Coast, and now pastors Calvary Chapel Kansas City. Jim shares Chuck Smith's principle that a church must fill a real need in its community, and his own burden to go where verse by verse teaching wasn't happening. Driving away from visiting a high school friend he had led to the Lord over the phone, he sensed God telling him to build a house on a lot in Joplin and plant a church there, while his wife, with three little boys in the minivan, said she could never live in a place like that. Rather than push, he left it with the Lord to tell her, and God did. He talks about family, timing, and why he is still helping men plant churches in the United States and in central and eastern Africa.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you sense God calling you somewhere but aren't sure how to prepare? Most men never get the training to be ready, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you try to force what God has asked you to leave in His hands? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

023 What is the Disconnect in Churches

Mon, 23 May 2016 12:00:00 +0000

We have more Bible teaching, books, seminaries and online resources than ever, yet the statistics Pastor Scott Thom cites show the Western church shrinking, many churches seeing no conversions in a year, and pastors leaving ministry by the thousands. Why the disconnect between knowledge and practice? In this second study from his book Discipleship on Fire, he shows that we have been making converts and handing out information instead of making disciples. Discipleship in its simplest form is personally showing others how to use what they know in a godly, practical way, and then finding out what God wants to do in a person's life and helping them get there. That takes the mindset of Philippians 2:3-4: esteeming others better than yourself and looking out for their interests, not only your own. It is easier in a small church where everyone is together, harder as a church grows, which is why it must be planned. Like Jesus, who taught the crowds, then the Twelve, then the three, a church needs a systematic path from the pulpit down to small, intimate groups where people are truly mentored.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you know a lot of Bible but have never been shown how to live it or pass it on? Most believers were never discipled that way, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Is there a gap between what you know and what you actually do each day? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

022 Special Guest: Mario Medrano

Mon, 16 May 2016 12:00:00 +0000

What does it take to leave a high paying job and trust God completely? Pastor Scott Thom reconnects with Pastor Mario Medrano, a former Bible college student from their days at Calvary Chapel West Covina, who went on to serve as a missionary and plant Calvary Chapel La Paz in Mexico. Mario was led to Christ by a persistent coworker named Joe, cried through the first sermon he heard, and was soon spending nearly every weekend at an orphanage in Mexico while working as a well paid Nissan master technician. After four years of praying "if this is all You have for me, take me home," he moved to Mexico full time, and God stripped away his car and savings until he had just 50 pesos left. When a father outside a store asked him to buy milk for his baby, he gave his last pesos, and soon after a pastor called to say God had told him to start supporting Mario that very morning. "God is never late." His closing encouragement: get trained, so you are equipped instead of learning everything the hard way.

Please note: the College offer heard in this episode, texting CCF College to 33444, has ended. For CCF Bible College today, text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Is God stirring you toward ministry, maybe even missions, but you feel unprepared? Most never get the training to be ready, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you lean on your own resources instead of trusting God day by day? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

021 What God Wants To Do With Your Greatest Asset

Mon, 09 May 2016 12:00:00 +0000

An army looks to its best assets to win, and a business to its best people or products. What is the church's greatest asset? Pastor Scott Thom says it is the power of God working through His people, yet too many churches entertain or educate people who never get to use what they learn, like a student who never graduates. Many believers are hungry to engage, not just attend. Jesus trained men, then scattered them, and the church exploded. Large churches are not wrong, and he served in one that sent many out, but we must watch for a warehouse mentality. The rich man in Luke 12:16-21 built bigger barns to store his harvest and take his ease, and God called him a fool; a church can do the same with people, holding onto them for reputation's sake instead of releasing them. Free people from the cultural and church culture limits that keep them in the seats, help them put their knowledge to work, and position them to make an impact far beyond your walls, as he describes in the first chapter of his book Discipleship on Fire.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Have you been sitting in the pews for years, wanting to do more than listen? Most believers are never released or trained to minister, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Is what you learn on Sunday changing how you live on Monday? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

020 Special Guest: Corry Pensabene

Mon, 02 May 2016 12:00:00 +0000

How do you know God has His hand on your life for ministry? Pastor Scott Thom welcomes Pastor Corry Pensabene, a Shepherd School graduate who now pastors United Bible Fellowship in Albuquerque as a bivocational pastor. Corry grew up watching his father, saved when Corry was five, burn with love for the Lord, and by age 12 he was hungry for the Word and listening to pastors' teachings on his own. Other adults noticed and said he would be in ministry, and part of him resented the pressure, wanting to know whether it was God or people calling him. He studied sports in college while sensing he belonged elsewhere, and his wife kept saying she would never marry a pastor before he had even mentioned it. Ministry, he says, is life, not just a position; like a pro athlete, you do at a higher level what you were already living. God first moved them to Cross Fellowship, then into Shepherd School, where the rough edges came off. His encouragement: God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called, and you can impress people from a distance but only impact them up close, so get as close as you can to someone more godly than you.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Have you sensed a call on your life for years without ever pursuing it? Most never get the mentoring to take the next step, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Character is built in the daily habits no one sees. Which rough edges is God working on in you? Wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

019 What Most Say They Value But Do Not

Mon, 25 Apr 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Where your treasure is, there your heart is, and what we truly value shows in what we invest in. Pastor Scott Thom names three things nearly everyone says they value but few invest in. First, yourself: not selfishness, but believing you are worth the time and effort to develop, seeking wisdom diligently (Proverbs 8:17) so you can become the husband, wife, parent or leader God made you to be. Timothy became like-minded with Paul in proven character (Philippians 2:22) because he applied himself; running on empty all the time is sacrificial but short-sighted. Build in self-evaluation and a circle of wise counsel. Second, time: we all get the same seconds in a day, so ask how you can make yourself, your team or family, your organization and your vision better, and spend your time there. Third, planning: set goals that are specific and measurable, and plan the steps to reach them. Value these three and you will be more confident, better equipped, and ready for what God has called you to do.

Please note: the College offer heard in this episode, texting CCF College to 33444, has ended. For CCF Bible College today, text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

When did you last invest in your own growth instead of just running on empty? Most leaders never make time to be trained, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do your days show what you say you value, or just what is urgent? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

018 What Many Leaders Lack but Great Ones Have

Mon, 18 Apr 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Your team, family or church can only grow to the level of its leaders. Pastor Scott Thom contrasts what many leaders lack with what great leaders have. First, poor leaders think the position makes them a leader and pull the authority card: a store manager who would not explain why the forklift shortcut was unsafe nearly cost a child his life. Great leaders lead by productivity and persuasion, like the Texas pastor who greeted visitors at the door wearing an usher's badge. A title is only the first rung, and positional leaders protect themselves by criticizing others, which is just gossip. Second, poor leaders are lone wolves who never ask questions, while great leaders seek wise counsel, because there is wisdom in many counselors. Saul clung to his position and threw spears at David; David, with no title but a cave, drew a motley crew who became mighty men. Don't think you have arrived, and don't lead alone.

Please note: the College offer heard in this episode, texting CCF College to 33444, has ended. For CCF Bible College today, text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Are you waiting for a title before you start to lead? Most leaders never get trained in both doctrine and character, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you try to grow alone instead of seeking counsel? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

017 Special Guest: Dave Pierce

Mon, 11 Apr 2016 12:00:00 +0000

How do you know when God is sending you out to plant a church? Pastor Scott Thom talks with Pastor Dave Pierce of Calvary Chapel Fort Collins, a former student and Bible college teacher from their days at Calvary Chapel Golden Springs. A prayer request for three young men killed while serving a Colorado church plant put a burden on Dave's heart, and he began praying for a college town with no Calvary. The confirmations piled up: a pastor who said "there's a great need in Fort Collins" before Dave named the city, Isaiah 40:9, a FedEx transfer, and a lump sum raise that paid for the move with his wife eight months pregnant. The church grew from a home Bible study to a living room, a basement, a storefront and a warehouse, while he drove for FedEx for 17 of those years and studied sermons on the road. His counsel to church planters: be secure in a biblical calling, be faithful rather than chasing success, keep a journal, and above all, be a man of private prayer, not just a student of the Word. Learn more at CalvaryFortCollins.org.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you sense God calling you to plant or pastor, but wonder whether you are ready? Most planters never get the training and mentoring to go out well, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Is your private prayer life as strong as your study of the Word? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

016 Teachability

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 12:00:00 +0000

After 30 years of mentoring men and women in ministry, Pastor Scott Thom has noticed one life skill that predicts success better than IQ or emotional intelligence: teachability, an open heart that is willing to learn. "Fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7), but "listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days" (Proverbs 19:20). Two things make us unteachable. Pride shows up when we won't ask questions for fear of looking ignorant, blame others for our failures, talk instead of listen, and resent correction (Proverbs 9:8). One prideful student teacher refused correction, split the next church he joined, and apologized a decade later. Laziness shows up when we won't take notes or read, avoid one-on-one mentoring, stay in our comfort zone, and cling to old assumptions without thinking them through. No matter how gifted you are, if you are unteachable you will never reach your full potential, so stay open to every concept that is true and proven.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Are you still learning, or have you settled for what you already know? Most believers never put themselves under steady training, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Is laziness or comfort keeping you from growing? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

015 Special Guest: Chris Torres

Mon, 28 Mar 2016 12:00:00 +0000

What does it take to answer a call you have been running from for nearly 20 years? Pastor Scott Thom interviews Pastor Chris Torres, a Shepherd School student who drove from Red River to Albuquerque, three hours or more each way, almost every week for two years. Chris felt the desire to teach and preach in 1997 but always had the excuses of no time and no money. After moving to Red River, a ski town of about 500 people, to open a coffee shop with his wife, a stranger walked in and told him God wanted him to start a Bible study, and months later another customer suggested he start a church. Through a blown car engine and hospital stays for a daughter with spinal muscular atrophy, the family kept him in class. He launched Cross Christian Fellowship Standing in the Gap in his coffee shop, not to take sheep from the town's two churches but to stand in the gap for believers who attend neither and for people on the verge of faith. His counsel: get confirmation, make sure your wife is with you, and persevere.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Have you been running from God's call because of time or money? Most never take the step, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Endurance, perseverance and determination are built one day at a time. Where do you keep quitting? Wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

014 Teaching as a Priority

Mon, 21 Mar 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Do you ever wonder whether you are really called to teach? Pastor Scott Thom looks at Ephesians 4:11-16, where Jesus Himself gives teachers to the church as gifts to build up the body. An under-sink hot water tank that delivered bad tasting water shows the danger: a teacher can deliver the Word, but if his character is contaminated, it leaves a bad taste. D. L. Moody lacked polished grammar, and Paul's speech was called contemptible (2 Corinthians 10:10), yet God used both mightily because of what was inside them. So get off the bench and teach with passion and character. Keep it practical, as Jesus did when the common people heard Him gladly, and well rounded rather than always preaching evangelism to people who are already saved. Guard unity by teaching shared core principles, and gently move teachers who keep teaching contrary to the church. Keep Christ at the center, aim for maturity, and stay grounded in sound doctrine that shapes a true worldview. Teaching is a primary gift Jesus gave the church: don't run from it, run in it.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you feel called to teach God's Word but unsure you are equipped? Most teachers never get trained in sound doctrine and delivery, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

What flows out of you depends on what is inside. What habits are shaping your character? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

013 Dealing With Doubt

Mon, 14 Mar 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Even leaders doubt: their salvation, their calling, whether God hears them at all. Pastor Scott Thom names three kinds of doubt. Factual doubt, like Thomas, is the easiest to overcome with evidence. Willful doubt refuses to believe despite the evidence, often because of anger or a sin we won't let go. Emotional doubt is the one most believers face, like the father in Mark 9 who cried, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief." It grows from unanswered prayer, unexplained pain, questions about our own faith, and exhaustion. Pastor Scott gives four ways out. Stop lying to yourself and bring every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:4-5), because God has given us a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Get active in prolonged worship, the Word and prayer, giving thanks for what God has already done. Chart the truth on paper, as a young man did whose prayer journal filled with answers in two and a half weeks. And practice these again and again, because doubt returns. As D. L. Moody asked, was Noah safe because of his feelings, or because of the ark?

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do doubts about your calling keep you on the sidelines? Most leaders never get the grounding in truth that settles those doubts, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

What lies do you keep telling yourself? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

012 Myths of Leadership

Mon, 07 Mar 2016 13:00:00 +0000

An engine built without gaskets will start, but it won't run for long. Pastor Scott Thom warns that when we launch a church, ministry or business by copying someone else's model, we often pick up a myth that leaves a gasket missing. He walks through ten of them. You need a plan, but not a trendy, niche plan that limits the Holy Spirit. A great ministry does not need a charismatic leader: God chose David over Saul, and Paul's speech was called contemptible. Winning souls matters, but the Great Commission is to make disciples, so evangelism should be a small part of the effort, not every message. A catchphrase and real steps beat a long mission statement. Narrowing a whole church to one niche limits its reach. Successful ministries step out in faith instead of playing it safe. Make ministry possible for everyone without forcing it. Don't micromanage people who blossom outside the box. Hold strategic plans loosely, as Paul did when the Spirit redirected him to Macedonia (Acts 16). And don't compare yourself with the fastest growing churches (2 Corinthians 10:12). Take the truth in each myth, and let God lead.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Are you building a ministry by copying someone else's model? Most leaders never get trained to build on biblical foundations, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you plan big but never take the next step? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

011 Depression & Discouragement

Mon, 29 Feb 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Can a faithful Christian leader get discouraged? Pastor Scott Thom says yes. Spurgeon did, C. S. Lewis did, and so did Elijah. Right after his victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah ran from Jezebel, sat under a broom tree and asked God to take his life (1 Kings 19). Discouragement has four main causes: mental (fear), emotional (unmet expectations), physical (exhaustion and hunger) and spiritual (the letdown after a spiritual high, the pastor's "Blue Monday"). God's prescription starts with the body: sleep, food and water. Then God asked, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" and let him vent. He showed Elijah His power and His still small voice, and corrected the worst case thinking: 7,000 had not bowed to Baal. He gave Elijah new assignments and a faithful friend in Elisha to share the load, and He was already handling the threat from Jezebel. Never make a permanent choice on a temporary feeling. You are worth more than many sparrows (Luke 12:6-7), and God will see you through.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Is leadership feeling lonely and heavy right now? Most leaders carry the load without training or a mentor, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Are you running on no sleep, poor food and no rest? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

010 Blossoming Relationships

Mon, 22 Feb 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Expectations change how people think and live. When a crowd mistook Pastor Scott Thom for a well known radio pastor, they praised an ordinary study; when a father told his daughter she would end up as nothing, she lived down to it. Scripture calls us to "consider one another in order to stir up love and good works" (Hebrews 10:24) and to "exhort one another daily" (Hebrews 3:13), just as Jesus told a sinful Peter, "I will make you a fisher of men." Pastor Scott gives five steps to blossom someone. Consider them: read their body language and words. Describe something good you saw them do, then pause. Add emotion: "I am so thankful for you," with a smile and eye contact. Give them a future: "I believe you are becoming..." something desirable and believable, as God does in Jeremiah 29:11. Then show warm, appropriate affection, a handshake or a hand on the shoulder. A coach who drafted a boy with one hand and kept telling him "I'm counting on you" showed what this can do. Leaders who succeed most make those around them better.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you want to build people up, but never learned how? Most leaders are never trained to mentor others, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

What if encouraging someone every day became a habit? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

009 Follow Me As I Follow Christ

Mon, 15 Feb 2016 13:00:00 +0000

The best leaders learn to lead by first being great followers. Pastor Scott Thom gives three keys. First, you must decrease so your leader can increase, as John the Baptist pointed his own disciples to Jesus. Leaders who serve together tend to butt heads, so know your place, offer solutions without openly challenging authority, have your leader's back as Joshua and Caleb had Moses' back, explain the vision to others when the leader leaves gaps, and show real enthusiasm. Even a harsh boss teaches you what kind of leader not to become. Second, be a faithful servant who esteems others better than yourself. Like Barnabas, notice what needs doing and do it without being asked, let others praise you (Proverbs 27:2), admit and correct mistakes quickly, and stay loyal, choosing to notice the good in your leader instead of criticizing behind their back. Third, don't be afraid to follow when you are eager to lead. God uses the season of following to prepare you for the place He is leading you.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Are you eager to lead but stuck in a season of following? Most future leaders never get the training to make that season count, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you see what needs doing, or wait to be told? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

008 Three Keys to Ministry

Mon, 08 Feb 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Before you can lead well, you have to follow well. Looking back on nearly 30 years of ministry, Pastor Scott Thom shares three keys he learned early from great teachers. First, honor those in authority over you. Jesus submitted to His parents at 12, Paul told believers under Rome to give honor to whom honor is due (Romans 13:7), and Hebrews 13:17 says to obey your leaders. Daniel served a pagan king, yet found a godly solution instead of rebelling, while Korah's rebellion ended in judgment. Second, sustain your faith in difficult times. When a large church spent nine months holding services outside and some staff went without paychecks, those who grumbled missed what God was doing, and the church went on to flourish. Faith grows when you go beyond what is required (Luke 17). Third, stay committed to your call until God sends you out. Nehemiah served a pagan king for years and was trained for the day he would rebuild Jerusalem's walls. Pastor Scott stayed 14 years before being sent to plant, and every assignment, even children's ministry, made him a better teacher.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Are you ready to lead, but not sure you have learned to follow? Most future leaders never get the training and mentoring to prepare well, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you quit when things get hard? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

007 Better Before Bigger

Mon, 01 Feb 2016 13:00:00 +0000

We always want our ministry bigger and faster, but bigger isn't always better. Pastor Scott Thom uses Jesus' parable of the house built on the rock (Matthew 7) to show why you must improve before you expand. Building takes hard work, time and intention. Cross Fellowship took three and a half years just to get stable, then a year and a half of training five men, before Shepherd School launched; in the next five years seven churches were planted. The foundation is people: invest in them and they will trust your vision. The infrastructure is a system of improvement: train people to train others, let them innovate without being micromanaged, and keep examining your ministry from the inside and with fresh eyes from the outside (Galatians 6:3-4). Offer real value instead of chasing numbers. Clarify the vision purposefully and repeatedly, share your expectations and practical steps, stay consistent, and meet regularly for feedback and problem solving. If people aren't doing what you hoped, first ask whether you ever told them.

Please note: the College offer heard in this episode, texting CCF College to 33444, has ended. For CCF Bible College today, text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Are you trying to grow a ministry without a solid foundation? Most leaders never get trained to build people who build people, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Lasting change is built one brick at a time. What daily habit would strengthen your foundation? Wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

006 Core Values (Without Them You Fail)

Mon, 25 Jan 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Vision is the direction; values are the principles you use to get there. Rules are outward restrictions, but values are convictions from the inside, which is what the Pharisees lacked when they kept the Sabbath rules and missed God's mercy. From Ephesians 4:11-16, Pastor Scott Thom draws five core values for any ministry, family or business. Where God guides, God provides: never manipulate or guilt people, and step out in faith without waiting for every dollar. Replicate yourself: equip others to do the work, give away what you have received, and promote from within where you can. Nurture people's spiritual gifts and natural talents: teach instead of micromanaging, and watch what God does, like a member who raised real support for the church selling donated comic books on eBay, or a quilting group that stitched the women of the Bible into a quilt. Be passionate about practical Christianity that changes how people live. And be committed to change: hold on to people, not programs, and stay open to the Spirit's leading. Teach these values again and again, as Jesus taught the kingdom of God.

Please note: the College offer heard in this episode, texting CCF College to 33444, has ended. For CCF Bible College today, text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you know where you are going, but not the values that will get you there? Most leaders are never trained in the principles that keep a ministry on course, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do your daily habits line up with the values you say you hold? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

005 Three Secrets of Successful Leadership Training as a Follower

Mon, 18 Jan 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Great leaders aren't born; they are grown, usually while serving under someone else. Joshua learned under Moses, Elisha under Elijah, and David even learned from Saul's bad example. Pastor Scott Thom shares three secrets of learning to lead while you follow. First, take risks and be a dynamic leader, not a static one. Static leaders fear failure or think they aren't smart enough, while others are so capable they never delegate, as Moses tried to judge every case until Jethro told him to raise up leaders over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Learn a little every day and in two years you can become an expert. Second, seek alignment, not agreement. You will never agree with any leader 100 percent, so offer your suggestions, then align your heart with the shared goal instead of grumbling, as Joshua and Caleb did when ten spies doubted. Third, lift the leader's arms, as Aaron and Hur held up Moses' hands in battle. Don't just dump problems on your leader; bring solutions. Problem solvers always end up leading.

Please note: the College offer heard in this episode, texting CCF College to 33444, has ended. For CCF Bible College today, text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Are you serving under a leader and wondering when your turn will come? Most future leaders never get the training to grow in that season, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Learning a little every day can make you an expert in two years. What will you start today? Wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

004 How to Acquire, Develop and Cast Your Vision

Mon, 11 Jan 2016 21:21:06 +0000

Every leader needs a vision, whether you lead a family, a team, a business or a church. Pastor Scott Thom explains that a vision is not a long mission statement nobody reads; it is a God given burden, a principle from His Word that people can put hands and feet to. Cross Fellowship's is simply "leading people to the cross." Vision comes from your calling and fits your gifts, the way Nehemiah's years beside the king prepared him to rebuild Jerusalem's walls. Develop it by asking who is needed, what materials, and how much time, and once the big things are in place, go, because the small things will always keep changing. Cast the vision by showing its significance (nursery workers aren't just changing diapers, they're changing lives), stressing the need, showing how God is in it, and breaking it into clear steps, as Nehemiah did (Nehemiah 2:17-18). Say it many ways until people almost tire of it. Give ministry away, treat people as blessings rather than numbers, and lead with an open hand. And be ready: sometimes God lets a vision die, as with Abraham, Joseph and David, before He fulfills it.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Has God put a burden on your heart that you don't know how to carry out? Most leaders never get trained to turn a vision into a plan, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Are you waiting for everything to be perfect before you start? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

003 Red or Green? Finding God's Will

Sat, 02 Jan 2016 23:26:20 +0000

Red or green? Not the chile, though Pastor Scott Thom recommends it. Leaders influence people, so they need to make sound, godly decisions, and he shares the "red light, green light" method he uses to discern God's will from James 3. The more you know God's nature, the better you can recognize His will, and that discernment grows with practice (Hebrews 5:14). James 3:14-16 lists the red lights: bitter envy, selfish ambition, boasting, deceit and hiding facts, and choices that cater to the flesh. Never make a permanent decision on a temporary feeling. James 3:17-18 gives the green lights of wisdom from above: pure motives, peace rather than confusion, gentleness instead of pressure, a willingness to yield to counsel and authority, mercy and good fruit for those around you, no partiality, and no hypocrisy. A simple pros and cons chart can help you reach neutral ground. Go through each one: many red lights mean stop and pray, yellow means wait, and when the lights line up like harbor lights, you can move ahead with confidence.

Please note: the checklist offer heard in this episode, texting KNOWING to 33444, has ended. For Pastor Scott's red light, green light resource today, text WILL to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you struggle to know God's will for your life and ministry? Most believers are never trained to discern it from Scripture, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Do you make big decisions on temporary feelings? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

002 What Every Leader Must Work On to Succeed

Sat, 02 Jan 2016 22:34:50 +0000

Is there a secret to ministry and leadership? Pastor Scott Thom says what every good leader has in common is character. In 2 Peter 1, God has given us everything we need for life and godliness, and our part is to add virtue to our faith with all diligence. Character is God's own nature, the only true measure of it. Your ideal is what you wish you were, your reputation is what people say you are, but your character is what you really are compared to Jesus Christ. Character is not tolerating everything, and it doesn't always bring worldly success, as Joseph learned in prison. It is proactive, like the man who held the door "because I'm a gentleman," and what a leader does in moderation, those who follow often do in excess, as Solomon multiplied David's wives. Build character in two ways: learn it through teaching (Titus 2:3-5), then train it through testing and fiery trials (1 Peter 4:12), the way a police simulator taught Pastor Scott about tunnel vision. Leadership built on character lasts through hard times, honors God, and bears lasting fruit.

Please note: the free book list offer heard in this episode, texting BOOKLIST to 33444, has ended.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Have you learned about character but never been trained in it? Most leaders get teaching without the mentoring and testing that build lasting character, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Sow a habit and you reap character. What habits are you sowing? Wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

001 The Treasure You Are Missing Out On

Sat, 02 Jan 2016 22:00:43 +0000

Welcome to the first episode of Leadership from the Cross. Pastor Scott Thom shares his story: saved at 20 in Albuquerque, then Houston, Bible college and 14 years on staff at Calvary Chapel Golden Springs, where mentoring five men on Friday nights showed him the power of mentorship. In 2004 he planted Cross Christian Fellowship, and in 2010 he launched Shepherd School, which in its first five years raised up 15 pastors and planted a church about every 11 months. Then he turns to a treasure most of us ignore: the power of incremental change. On a steep mountain trail, a friend told him to take baby steps, and he made it to the lake at the top. Fifteen minutes of prayer and fifteen of study before TV, five nights a week, adds up to over a hundred hours of growth a year. Don't try to be everything at once; focus on your own square, as a football coach once marked out for his lineman. And like the householder in Matthew 13:52, bring out treasures new and old: go back to the fundamentals, old books and journals, and you will keep finding new gems.

Please note: the free book list offer heard in this episode, texting BOOKLIST to 33444, has ended.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Have you wanted to grow as a leader but never had someone mentor you? Most leaders learn everything the hard way, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Small steps every day add up to big change. Which baby step will you take today? Wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom