Plain English Academy exists to help people build Strong Marriages, Strong Leaders, and a Strong Church. Whether you're taking one of our courses, attending a live cohort, or simply looking to grow in your faith and leadership, you've found your community. This is where we continue the conversation beyond the classroom. Here, we learn together, encourage one another, ask honest questions, and apply God's Word to everyday life. Our Values - We protect marriage. - We lead with ownership. - We believe every believer has a role to play in God's Kingdom. - We pursue practical, biblical truth that transforms the way we live. What You'll Find Here - Practical biblical teaching - Leadership conversations - Live mentoring & Q&A - Course discussions and application - Resources to help you grow - A Christ-centered community committed to building one another up A Few Community Expectations - Encourage one another. - Be respectful, even when you disagree. - Ask questions and share your experiences. - Protect the privacy of others. - Keep Christ at the center of every conversation. This isn't a content dumping ground, and it isn't a debate arena. It's a community of people committed to growing together. If you haven't already, be sure to visit the 👋 Introduce Yourself post and let us know who you are. We'd love to meet you! We're excited to grow alongside you. Welcome to Plain English Academy! — Pastor Jay & Pastor Sonia English

I recently had a conversation with someone who expressed interest in joining our church staff after transitioning from their previous church. It reminded me of something I believe every leader needs to understand when it comes to protecting the culture of an organization. Just because someone is qualified for a position doesn't mean they're the right fit for your organization. You can have someone who is incredibly gifted, experienced, and even successful in their previous environment, but that doesn't automatically mean they'll thrive in yours. One of the greatest responsibilities we have as leaders is to protect the culture we're building. And that means making sure people fit the culture before we give them a title, position, or leadership responsibility. There are several ways that can happen: Sometimes you develop people from within. They've been serving, growing, and demonstrating the values of your organization long before a position ever becomes available. Sometimes it happens through referrals from people who know you, understand your culture, and can confidently recommend someone they believe would be a great fit. And sometimes it happens through divine connections, where God brings someone into your life at just the right season because what they carry is exactly what's needed for the next level of advancement. But regardless of how someone arrives, the responsibility to examine their fruit doesn't change. Jesus said in Matthew 7:16 that we would recognize people by their fruit. Not their résumé. Not their reputation. Not their previous title. Their fruit! And here's something else worth considering. A person can be a great fit for one organization and a terrible fit for another without necessarily being a bad person. This is why discernment matters so much in leadership. I need you to understand that you aren't just filling a vacancy. You're introducing someone into an environment that you've spent time, energy, prayer, and sacrifice developing. And the people you've been entrusted to lead deserve more than someone who simply looks good on paper.

And it might have absolutely nothing to do with the preaching, worship, or children's ministry. It might be simply because nobody bothered to acknowledge they were there! Sonia and I were talking about this during our PE Live, and it's something I believe every church leader and volunteer needs to understand. Nobody has to come to your church. They're choosing to be there! Think about that for a moment. Someone has made the decision to walk into a building they've never been in, surrounded by people they don't know, unsure of where to go, where to take their children, or even where the bathroom is! 🤣 And the last thing they should experience is a room full of people who are too busy talking to their friends or looking at their phones to acknowledge them. Every person who walks through your doors is an opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ! You don't know what they've been through that week. You don't know what they left at home. And you certainly don't know what they're going back to. That smile, handshake, conversation, or simple act of kindness might mean more than you'll ever realize. Hospitality isn't just the responsibility of your greeters and ushers. It's the responsibility of everyone who calls that church home! We aren't just gathering to experience God's love. We're gathering to demonstrate it to others! Let me ask you something: 👇🏾 Have you ever visited a church where nobody acknowledged you? How did that experience make you feel?

Happy Saturday, Plain English Academy Family! I've been thinking about David this morning and how fascinating it is that before he ever stood in front of Goliath, he spent years tending sheep in a field where hardly anybody was paying attention. during that season, there was no audience. No applause. No impressive title. Just David, some sheep, and the responsibility he'd been given. And yet, when the opportunity came to face Goliath, David wasn't starting from scratch. He had already developed confidence in God's faithfulness through the experiences he'd had while protecting those sheep. I say this because I need you to see that THE BATTLE WITH GOLIATH REVEALED WHAT THE FIELD HAD ALREADY DEVELOPED! And here's what I really want you to understand. Sometimes we're so focused on getting to the next level of leadership that we overlook what God is trying to develop in us RIGHT NOW. We want the platform, but God is developing our character. We want the responsibility, but God is teaching us faithfulness. We want people to recognize our gifting, but God is giving us opportunities to exercise that gifting when nobody is watching. And I think this is especially important in ministry because I've watched people become so consumed with getting a title that they overlook the opportunity to actually produce fruit. And one of my leadership boundaries that has served me well over the years is sticking with the idea of NO FRUIT, NO TITLE! 😂 David didn't need a crown to demonstrate that he was a leader. His willingness to protect what had been entrusted to him was already revealing the kind of leader he was becoming. So don't underestimate the season you're in just because it doesn't look impressive to everybody else. Remember that God can do some incredible development in places that nobody else is paying attention to. Here's my Saturday morning question for you: 👇🏾 What's something God developed in you during a season when you felt overlooked, underestimated, or unseen?

One of the hardest lessons I've learned in ministry is that just because two organizations share the same faith doesn't necessarily mean they share the same priorities. As a pastor who genuinely loves the people I'm blessed to serve and the community we're called to care for, it's heartbreaking when something you believed was rooted in advancing the Kingdom begins to feel more like a business transaction than a Kingdom partnership. Now, don't misunderstand me. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being financially responsible. Churches have bills to pay, properties to maintain, and obligations to fulfill. Stewardship matters! But, at the same time, you've gotta understand that Money is supposed to serve the mission. The mission was never supposed to serve the money. And when we begin making decisions that prioritize financial interests without considering the people and ministries those decisions affect, we have to ask ourselves whether we've lost sight of what we're actually called to do. I'm walking through a season right now where I'm having to navigate some very real anger, frustration, and disappointment. And I won't pretend like I'm not feeling what I'm feeling. But here's something I've learned over the years: Faith doesn't mean you won't get frustrated. Faith means you refuse to allow your frustration to determine your future. I still believe God is going to provide, just as He always has. I still believe He's directing our steps. And I still believe that what He's called us to do is bigger than any obstacle we might encounter along the way. However, that doesn't mean I have to pretend everything is okay. It doesn't mean I can't acknowledge when something is wrong. And it certainly doesn't mean I have to continue participating in partnerships that are no longer healthy. It simply means that even while I'm processing what I feel, I'm choosing to remain faithful to what God has called me to do. Which means that now isn't the time to give up. Instead, it's time to lean even further into the One who has all things under His control.