2016
When did all the preachers become statistics junkies?
I can’t remember the last church leadership book or seminar that didn’t emphasize the value of setting goals for your church, then using some kind of metric to determine whether-or-not we are succeeding at reaching ...
Most small church pastors are shepherds.
It’s not our choice, it’s our calling.
There are good reasons for pastors of large churches to move from the shepherding/pastoring model to the ranching/management model. But most pastors aren’t called to be ranchers or ...
Small churches are not scaled-down versions of megachurches.
We’re different, not just in size, but in methodology. A lot of what works in big churches just won’t work in smaller ones. And vice versa.
But there are some overlapping principles. Starting with the scriptural ...
Small churches receive a lot from our megachurch friends. We read their books, sing their songs, use their curriculum and attend their seminars. And we’re grateful.
But the benefits don’t have to flow only one way. There are important, though less obvious principles ...
I had another one of those Sundays, recently. We started church with more people on the platform than in the congregation. Well, almost.
Sure, it’s summer. People have good reasons to be gone. But it still feels awful.
But why? I’m the small church guy, after all. ...
No church is automatically friendly. Especially not to outsiders coming in.
In some places, friendliness is harder than others. Like where I live, in Orange County California.
The Orange County population is so varied, so new and so busy, we don't develop relationships without ...
I don’t want to pile on. Honest I don’t. So I pray this post doesn’t come across that way.
I was sad when I read the news about Perry Noble being asked to step down from NewSpring church this past weekend. I still am. (If you haven’t heard about it, catch ...
In my last post, Grow It or Close It? Is there a Third Option for Struggling Small Churches?, we established that a struggling small church can become a healthy small church.
But there’s an inevitable question that follows. Namely, how?
How do we help a church move from ...
What are we going to do about all those struggling small churches?
That question has been the subject of endless hand-wringing in the last several decades. A lot of time and money has been invested in conversations, books, seminars and classes attempting to fix this problem.
Struggling ...
Friendliness is more important in a small church than in a big church.
Not more likely, but more important. Here’s why.
People are only capable of having relationships with so many people. So we behave differently in a large crowd than we do in a small group.
When there are ...
I spent too many years feeling embarrassed by my church.
Sure, there was a time when the embarrassment was well earned. For a few years, we were unhealthy, dysfunctional and hurting.
But even after we got healthy, I stayed embarrassed. Not because it wasn’t a good church ...
The smaller the church, the harder it is to incorporate new people.
The same dynamic applies to older and more established churches. Here's why.
Everyone who comes into your life changes your life.
The fewer people you know, the greater impact each person has. And the longer ...
In case you were wondering, church growth is a good thing.
Because of The Grasshopper Myth and this blog, I’ve had so many conversations that range from fantastic to heartbreaking in the last few years. I’ve met and heard stories from hundreds of small church pastors ...
If you were trying to help someone, would you want to know if you were unintentionally hurting them?
Of course.
Sometimes that's what happens when big churches try to help small churches.
Not every time. Not even most of the time. But often enough that many small church pastors ...
If you’re a pastor and you’re not using social media, you’re not pastoring your church as well as you could.
Whenever I say that in a minister’s conference I make some pastors mad.
I’m okay with that. Because I also get looks of relief and whispers ...
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