2017
I love my church. I want it to be strong, healthy and growing.
That’s why I read church ministry blogs and books, go to conferences and seminars, listen to podcasts… whatever I can get my hands on. I’m always looking for the best advice I can find.
But I’m ...
Historically, whenever the church of Jesus is dynamic and healthy, it grows.
But healthy, missional Christians don’t just clump together in larger and larger groups.
The healthier the church is, the more Christians mobilize into outward-looking teams to start new groups. ...
Life is filled with problems.
Some big, some small. Some emergencies, some petty.
When a big problem presents itself, we want somebody to do something about it. Problem-solving is one of the prime roles of a leader, after all.
So, whether it’s in our families, our churches ...
I’m a pastor.
It’s becoming harder to say that lately.
Sure, there are the usual pressures.
- Dealing with congregation members and their expectations
- Trying to stay ahead of the change curve
- Combatting theological and moral compromise
- Managing a mostly volunteer staff
- Figuring out how to pay for it all on a small, sometimes shrinking budget
Our church used to partner exclusively with other Christian ministries. For everything from missions to community service.
Before that, we would only partner with ministries in our denomination.
Today, while we still only partner with Christian groups for missions (can’t ...
Recently, I was in a roomful of pastors when one of them said “Pastoral ministry can be harder on our spouses than on us.”
Every head in the room nodded in silent agreement.
Then someone asked “why”?
Here are some of the reasons we discovered that evening. ...
Small church internships have a lot to offer both the intern and the church.
But they have to be done right. If not, they’re a nightmare.
For over a dozen years, our small church has operated a successful internship ministry. Here are ten essential lessons we’ve learned, ...
We don’t measure the things that matter.
We measure the things we manage.
One of the unquestioned premises of the church growth movement is that when something matters to us, we measure it. So we count things like church attendance in an attempt to measure a church’s ...
Why don’t people wear their Sunday Best for church any more?
A lot of older churchgoers (that is, my generation) seem to be worried about that lately.
I’d like to respond to that question with a couple of my own.
When did the members of my generation become such old ...
We’ve invested a lot into the art and science of church growth in the last 50 years.
It makes me wonder. After such a massive output of time, energy, research and money, have we become like the proverbial man with a hammer who sees everything as a nail?
Is that why church ...
Was yesterday a tough Sunday, pastor?
Again?
You did everything you know to do.
You prepared, prayed and studied all week long.
A couple days ahead of time, you got in touch with volunteers to remind them this was their Sunday to teach, sing, usher, and so on.
You arrived early, ...
Interning at a church is one of the best ways to prepare for pastoral ministry. Or to determine that pastoral ministry is not your calling (a distinction that is essential to know - and the sooner, the better.)
It’s also a wonderful opportunity for a church to expand its ...
People use a lot of excuses for not putting their best foot forward in pastoral ministry.
- “I love preaching, but I hate studying”
- “Teamwork isn't my strong suit – I’m an introvert”
- “I get impatient when things don't change fast enough”
People who don’t go to church, don’t want to go to church. They’re not rolling out of bed late on Sunday morning wishing they had somewhere more churchy to be.
In fact, a growing number of people who do go to church don’t want to go, either. If we don’t ...
Brand loyalty is dead.
Good riddance.
The so-called good-old-days when a person committed to a church, then stuck with it no matter what, have come to an end. But many churches don’t know it yet.
The same goes for denominations. Today, even fully committed believers are unlikely ...
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