October 2015
A lot of people don't like the term 'small church'. Including many small church pastors.
Before I wrote The Grasshopper Myth and started working with other small church pastors, I debated using a different term for churches like ours. After all, I wanted to help small ...
It’s one of the mantras of the church growth movement. "We count people because people count."
It also happens to be true. Most of the time.
But that that’s not the only reason pastors count people.
As I wrote in The Grasshopper Myth, some pastors ...
Being small does not mean that something is broken. But if something is broken, you can’t fix it by making it bigger.
Those principles were reinforced for me recently in a surprisingly unlikely place. Reality TV.
On their TV shows, Kitchen Nightmares and Restaurant: Impossible, ...
I reached my limit last week.
It was a recent Facebook post that did it. A pastor wrote that "today’s church has turned its back on God", then went on yet another indiscriminate rant about what’s wrong with all of us – except him and his church, ...
“There are no small churches.”
I've heard that all my life.
But it's not true.
Of course there are small churches. Lots of them. And it's okay, not just to acknowledge that reality, but to celebrate it.
Here’s why.
Well, that was ironic.
Last week I wrote a post, Six Church-Insider Issues I Don't Care About Any More. It resulted in more readers than any previous week this blog has ever had.
Apparently, being passionately apathetic is contagious.
As promised, today's post ...
The gatekeepers are gone.
Just a couple decades ago, if you wanted to get your message to a massive audience, you had to work your way up a very hard, long ladder.
And every step on that ladder had a media gatekeeper who could stop your progress.
Publishers said “no” ...
People become pastors for so many wrong reasons.
They like the status. They like speaking in public. They like arguing theology. They come from a long line of ministers. The list goes on.
If you’re debating becoming a pastor, here's a list of wrong reasons to ...
Is it possible to be passionately apathetic?
If so, count me in.
I grew up in the church. But in recent years I've found myself caring less about many of the issues I used to think mattered so much. I’m not just apathetic about them, I’m passionately apathetic. ...
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 ...
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