2015
Church growth is not a steady line.
Not only does it have ups and downs, it also has gaps. Some bigger than others.
In my church, for example, the growth from 35 to 200 has been an up-and-down, step-by-step, decades-long growth curve. But the next level of growth beyond ...
There is no right format for worship.
This week I spoke at a ministers’ conference. In the closing commissioning service, most of the new ministers who came forward were wearing jeans and short-sleeved shirts. Those commissioning them were dressed the same.
As they ...
Why are you doing this alone?
That question is printed on a card that sits on my desk every day. It reminds me not to fall into the trap that too many small church pastors get caught in. That I tend to get trapped in.
Being a small church pastor is one of the loneliest, ...
"So, what do you do for fun outside of pastoring?"
Someone asked me that question many years ago and it stumped me.
I didn't know what to say, because the truth was, I didn't do anything for fun.
What I wanted to tell them was "what do you mean, ...
Helping people come to faith in Jesus used to be as easy as 1-2-3.
1. Invite a friend to church.
2. The friend comes to church.
3. The preacher closes the deal.
(That’s New Testament evangelism, right? Uh, maybe not.)
It’s harder today.
In my previous ...
There are two groups of people who don’t attend church.
Those who used to attend, but have left. And those who have never attended.
Both segments are growing in western society, but the largest segment has always been those who have never been regular attenders. ...
I’ve pastored three small churches in 30 years of pastoral ministry.
Five years at a tiny chapel in the redwoods that grew from a dozen to 50.
Less than two years at a church of around 120.
Twenty-three years and counting at a church that grew from less than 35 ...
Are you a small church pastor?
Seems like an easy question, right? But it doesn’t have an easy answer.
Many small church pastors don’t know they’re small church pastors. I’ll tell you why in a minute.
But first, here’s a short quiz you ...
When you hear the word “men” in a news story, what comes to mind? I picture the male half of the population. I think we all do, because that’s what it means.
It’s the same in a sermon. When we hear the word “men,” most people think "male." ...
The gospel is enough.
It has always been enough. It will always be enough.
If we remove anything from it, it's not the gospel any more. If we add anything to it, we don't enhance it, we dilute it.
That’s why almost every young minister has been implored by an older ...
I wish there were more artists in the church.
No, not painters and sculptors. Actually, yes, those too.
Mostly I wish there were more church leaders who saw the art in their ministry.
Church leaders who put the same kind of passion and creativity into their calling ...
Do all healthy things grow? Yes.
Do all healthy churches become big churches? No.
But many of us have been ministering under that false assumption. We've been told there’s one set of ingredients. Use them to become a healthy church and it will inevitably become ...
“Most churches will never be mega, because you can't build megachurches on regular givers alone. You need some huge donors. And there’s not one pastor in a million who can successfully do The Big Ask. Who can put their arm around the shoulder of a wealthy donor ...
There's a disease infecting many of our churches. I call it Cool Church Cancer.
It's a progressive disease that happens in three steps:
Step 1: A cool, new church comes to town. Or a cool, new pastor. Step 2: Some people leave our church for the cool church. Step ...
When did you first hear about Ashley Madison?
If you're like most people, it was in the past month as the email hacking scandal was breaking.
Not me. I’ve known about Ashley Madison for a couple of years. Where did I learn about the notorious website for people ...
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