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Kent Shaffer
Writer
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Oct 2, 2025
About
Kent guides the direction of Church Relevance, exploring the intersection of theology and methodology – what we do vs what Christ said.. He is a ministry organizational strategist who has spent the past few years working on tech startups and consulting for groups such as LifeChurch.tv, Saddleback Church, and Skylark Audio Video. While known most for his thoughts on design, marketing, and technology, Kent’s ministry roots began as a missionary’s kid in Peru and evolved into 10+ years of youth and children’s ministry at Church on the Move and LifeChurch.tv.
Currently, Kent spends most of his time laying the infrastructure for Open Church, a platform helping global Church leaders equip each other with ministry ideas and free downloadable resources.
Posts (8)
Jan 29, 2018 ∙ 8 min
Thirty Church Vision and Mission Statements
What is the difference between a mission statement and a vision statement? TopNonprofits.com distinguishes them this way: Mission Statement (What You Do): A one-sentence statement describing the reason an organization or program exists and used to help guide decisions about priorities, actions, and responsibilities. Vision Statement (Desired End-State): A one-sentence statement describing the clear and inspirational long-term desired change resulting from an organization or program’s work....
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May 11, 2017 ∙ 6 min
Learn the Key to Your Ministry's Success: Balance!
We need balance in our ministries. We need to be focused on our mission while at the same time constantly searching for ways to improve our methods. True Christianity is balanced ministry, a combination of trust in God and commitment to action.– George Barna YOU ARE IN 1 OF 3 SITUATIONS Balance (ideal situation) Balance is when you ministry is focused on improving its methods while still being laser-focused on its mission. Balance is when you allow the mission to guide the development...
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Jan 24, 2014 ∙ 2 min
Measuring Ministry Effectiveness
Church leaders want to be good stewards of what is entrusted to them, but each generation has struggled to find an appropriate way to measure their effectiveness. Businesses measure return on investment (ROI), but measuring return on ministry investment (ROM) is much trickier. Here’s a few reasons why: The Inputs Healthy ministry takes more than money and heavily relies on a mix of time, money, talent, and obedience to the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. These inputs are a difficult mix to...
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Aug 6, 2013 ∙ 5 min
How Consumerism and Objectifying People Kill Ministry
At the Global:Church Forum, Michael Ramsden of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries discussed how the global Church is changing. In Luke 14:12-33, Luke relates Jesus’ parable: “He said also to the man who had invited him, ‘When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers[b] or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be...
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Jul 15, 2013 ∙ 3 min
Are You Productive? How to Get Things Done!
There are a lot of books, articles, and stage talks on how to get things done. In some ways, the topic has become so romanticized in Western culture that some love the pursuit of learning about it to the extent of not having time for real productivity. There are a slew of tips and research worth paying attention to: Start things (that’s the hardest part). Don’t multi-task. Pick one task and focus on it for a long, uninterrupted stretch of time. Be deliberate. Break large tasks into smaller...
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Apr 2, 2013 ∙ 2 min
How to Maximize Church Volunteers
As a community of believers grows, its needs new leaders raised up to handle the increased ministry needs. This is true for churches that handle growth by multiplying into new locations and for churches that keep their growth in one location. It is the story of Acts 6:1-7. The early church was a time of growth where 5,000 men could find Christ from just one sermon (Acts 4:4). Yet we see in chapter 6, that the Greek-speaking Jewish widows became lost in the bustle of growth and were neglected....
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Mar 11, 2013 ∙ 3 min
Hispanic Christians and Their Dynamic Impact Today
Here are some amazing statistics that re-shape the stereotypes of faith among Hispanic Americans. George Barna gives us a glimpse of the paradigm shifts we are now experiencing. Hispanic Statistics in the United States Earlier this fall we celebrated National Hispanic Heritage Month (mid-Sept through mid-Oct). How familiar are you with the hispanic cultures and traditions of the U.S. residents whose heritage came from Spain, Mexico, and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South...
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Mar 3, 2013 ∙ 4 min
Successful Mentoring in Four Stages
One thing I love about the automobile industry is their solution to problem solving. Faulty parts do not have to undergo painstaking surgery. They are simply replaced with a duplicate part that works. Imagine if God suddenly called you to a different role in ministry, would there be someone that could fulfill the responsibilities of your current position? Would there be a replacement that could do the same job? Learning the principle of duplication is an important key to being able to grow a...
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