by Eddie Pipkin

Image by Nina Garman from Pixabay

If you have been a fan of this ministry blog, thanks.  I wrote an entry back in March about the passing of the founder and leader of Excellence in Ministry, Dr. Phil Maynard.  We had been professional partners for more than a quarter century, and he had built an inspirational church leadership and development ministry from scratch after his retirement from the United Methodist Church.  He had coached hundreds of individual leaders and countless churches in discipleship development and church growth strategies.  We co-authored books and curriculum together, and I began the work of this blog more than a decade ago.  Phil was a dynamo who never tired of the important work he was doing.  But with his loss, the business of maintaining the Excellence in Ministry (EMC3) organization is now coming to a close.  This blog will continue, but it will do so in a new form (as all things eventually must do if they are to adapt and thrive).  I hope you join me.

I will be moving the Excellence in Ministry blog to Substack, contributing entries on a weekly basis that continue our themes of ministry leadership, discipleship training, communications strategies, trends in local church programming, and answers to questions about what keeps churches healthy and growing.  If you are receiving this email, beginning next week you will receive an email from me linking to the Substack blog.  It will be a simple process to opt out if you don’t want to continue.  I hope you do, though.  This will be a period of new excitement and exploration, and I’d love for you to be a part of it.  (If you want to skip the passive process and express your enthusiasm by subscribing yourself right now, HERE’S THE LINK.)

Saying goodbye is bittersweet, as always.  Phil’s mission (as stated on the EMC3 website) was always to give church’s options that fit their specific identity and context.  He believed strongly that “one size fits all” was not what the Gospel intended, so he concentrated on helping leaders think deeply about guiding principles that could be tailored to the unique circumstances in which each local church finds itself.  I hope to carry on that legacy by continuing that discussion and offering useful insights and perspectives based on my 40 years in ministry.

Link here to my previous blog celebrating Phil’s life and work.  I would like to also thank Becky, Phil’s wife, and Amanda, Phil’s daughter and hardworking administrative assistant, both of whom supported him in everything he did and made a valiant effort to keep the EMC3 brand going.  It wasn’t meant to be, but the resources he crafted and the transmitted wisdom he shared will still be accessible.  I’ll try to keep those ideas alive and carry that mission forward in support of leaders and churches who share our values and priorities.

Jesus calls us to discipleship, to lives filled with passion and purpose.  A dialogue in which we explore the ways that our core ideals can be actively employed in practical ways is a sturdy framework for strengthening our skillset for being better disciples together.  I hope you join me on that continuing journey.

I’d love to hear your feedback on the blog, as well as any well-wishes you’d like to share about ways Phil and his ministry have touched your life.  I know it’s cumbersome to have to log in to share in the comments section on this current platform (sorry, I had no control over that), but feel free to email me directly at [email protected].

Blessings, and we’ll see you next week from our new address.

Eddie Pipkin