2013 Ministry Report

From Jim Buchan and Crosslink Ministries

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Dear Friends:

Here are some highlights of our ministry ventures in 2013:

  • Inspiration magazine. As the senior staff writer at Inspiration Ministries, I continue to help produce monthly devotional magazines sent to more than 70,000 households around the world each month, with an additional 30,000 daily devotionals sent via e-mail. You can sign up for the free devotionals at www.inspiration.org/dailydevotions.
  • New books and booklets. This year I’ve worked on various new book projects at Inspiration Ministries and through my outside work as a ghostwriter and literary adviser.
  • Social media. At the end of last year, I had 5,000 followers on my Twitter feed @BestBibleTweets, and I thought this growth was pretty exciting after less than a year. However, now this has grown to more than 27,000 followers! I’ve enjoyed tweeting through highlights of the Bible, I’m also dialoging with people through Facebook and LinkedIn.
  • Blogs. You can see the many blogs I’ve posted on my website www.JimBuchan.com. My articles have also been picked up by other bloggers and by a worldwide magazine that has over 100,000 subscribers.
  • ChurchSplits.com. In 2014 I hope to upgrade my website and eBook at www.ChurchSplits.com. More than 8,000 people a month do Google searches for information on the topic of church splits, and my material is meeting a huge need among pastors and churches facing this unpleasant situation.
  • Mentoring young pastors and entrepreneurs. This year God gave me a renewed vision to have an impact on young leaders. While I love my Baby Boomer friends, the future will increasingly be dependent on the success of a new generation of Christians to impact the world—not only the church world, but also the marketplace, government, and culture.
  • Mary’s new book. Ten years in the making, Mary launched her first book this year: Over It—How to Live Above Your Over It coverCircumstances and Beyond Yourself. You can order the book or find out about Mary’s health coaching services at www.MaryBuchan.com.
  • Lingering impact from my old books. I continue to receive gratifying comments from people who have read my books: Walking the Leadership Highway—Without Becoming Roadkill!, Apostolic Evangelism, and So, You Want to Be a Best-Selling Author? For example, I was unexpectedly contacted this year by a man named Aaron who wrote:

“Jim’s Apostolic Evangelism book came into my hands several years ago, and it has been a tremendously insightful resource, assisting us in our first church plant. This tool helped me understand the importance of seeking the place of prayer in my evangelistic efforts. Now the Lord has led me to start a new work in Chicago, and the principles in Jim’s book have bubbled up in my spirit once again. The revelation contained in Apostolic Evangelism lives inside me and will help me serve the Lord’s purposes and complete my kingdom assignment once again.”

I’ll close with this prayer of Moses, found in Psalm 90:16-17 (NIV):

May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.

While I love the emphasis on “the favor of the Lord” in this NIV rendering, the NLT also brings out some important aspects of this passage:

Let us, your servants, see you work again;
let our children see your glory.
And may the Lord our God show us his approval
and make our efforts successful.
Yes, make our efforts successful!

This is very good news: No matter how old we are, it’s never too late to “see God work again.” And we must cry out as never before for our children and grandchildren to see His glory and find His blessing on their work for His kingdom.

God bless you in 2014! Let us know how we can pray for you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible financial contributions to our Crosslink Ministries outreaches.

Crosslink Ministries, 11927 Royal Castle Ct

Charlotte, NC 28277

Cell: 704-770-5200, Jim@JimBuchan.com

www.JimBuchan.com @BestBibleTweets