The past several years a lot of books have been written on what it is that makes churches grow. The key seems to be that growing churches have congregations with great dreams. Their philosophy is that it is better to attempt something great and fail than to seek to achieve nothing and succeed.

On this Pentecost Sunday, as we remember how God's Spirit swept into the lives of those earlier disciples and transformed them into dynamic ambassadors of the Good News of Jesus Christ, let us ask ourselves whether our witness today is just as vibrant and alive.

In Nottingham, England, there is a Wesleyan chapel. William Booth, who founded the Salvation Army, was converted in this chapel. Naturally, the chapel has become a shrine of pilgrimage for Salvation Army leaders from around the world. One d…