November 2017
Have you ever had a chat with someone who was constantly looking over your shoulder to see if there’s someone better to talk to?
A lot of us may be doing that to the church we’re pastoring.
One of the main reasons many churches stay unhealthy is that too many pastors ...
Effective leaders always seek wise advice and counsel.
If you, like me, are a small church pastor, you know there’s a huge expectation for us to treat everyone’s advice as though they all have equal value.
We’re often told that getting everyone’s input ...
I had another one of those “only in a small church” moments last Sunday.
The positive kind.
As I was shaking hands at the door after the service, I chatted with a man who’s been attending for a few weeks. He told me he was thinking about making us his permanent ...
If numbers aren’t the only way to tell if a church is healthy, what else is there?
I get that question a lot. Mostly from other pastors.
And no, they’re not being facetious when they ask it. They truly don’t know the answer.
Isn’t that … I don’t ...
Christians love playing the “blame the media” game.
Not long ago, we might have had a legitimate claim that our reputation was bad because the media was against us. That’s not the case anymore.
Oh sure, the media in general may still think negatively about Christians, ...
Too many church leaders spend unnecessary time on a stack of things that aren’t essential for an effective church.
But what are the essentials?
Good news. I’ve found the definitive list and today I’m going to share it with you.
But first, a few things that aren’t ...
I don’t like the way you do church.
- The music is too loud or too soft
- The clothes are too casual or too formal
- The preaching is too emotional or too academic
- The pastor is too unavailable or too hands-on
- The building is too ornate or too bland
- The liturgy is too old or too new
A lot of people would like to worship in a small church if they could find a good one.
That’s what I keep hearing, anyway.
So, with all the small churches around, why do so many people seem to have a hard time finding a good one? It’s not because they don’t exist. ...
I love keeping to-do lists. They help me stay on task, keep track of my progress, determine who should be doing what, and so much more.
But I have to constantly remind myself that a to-do list is not a plan.
Starting a to-do list isn’t the creation of a plan, and crossing ...
It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but Christmas is also the busiest.
A few years ago, our small church decided we weren’t going to compete with all the shopping, school plays, office parties and visits to Santa that were filling people’s calendars. We ...