2017

Church & Culture
Joel Osteen, Houston Relief, And The Downside Of The Megachurch Spotlight
Not everyone is required to be a first responder. Or even to respond to every crisis. That’s simply not possible. But, as the body of Christ, we’re all called to respond.
Joel Osteen, Houston Relief, And The Downside Of The Megachurch Spotlight
Image: convoyofhope.org

Houston is devastated. But, even as the flood waters recede, the crisis is far from over. The people of Houston need our help, prayers and material assistance.

So, before I get to the subject of this post, here’s a link to the best relief organization I know. Convoy of ...

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Church Growth
Real Church Growth Doesn’t Just Make Bigger Churches, It Heals Hurting Ones
It’s hard to say we love the church when we ignore, discourage or belittle its weakest members.

How did the church of Jesus grow for the first 1900+ years of its existence without any megachurches around?

That’s how long it took for the first megachurches to appear on the landscape. They’re the new kid on the church block. Until the middle of the 20th century, ...

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Church Growth
Is It Wrong If I Don’t Want My Church to Grow?
If you are intentionally or unintentionally putting up roadblocks that hinder your church from growing, remove them. Now.

One of the foundational beliefs of the church growth movement is that every church should desire to grow. And if you don’t want your church to grow, there’s something wrong. Probably something wrong with you.

So let me get right to it and answer the question in today’s ...

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Church Leadership
Church Turnarounds Are About Direction And Consistency, Not Speed Or Size
It's called a turnaround for a reason. It's more about the direction you’re heading than the speed you’re going.

Church turnarounds are hard, but so rewarding.

When a church that was sick and dying goes through a revitalization that puts them back on the path of effective mission, it’s something we ought to celebrate and learn from.

And it can act as a huge encouragement to other churches ...

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Church Leadership
Avoiding The Trap Of A Punch-The-Clock Mentality In Ministry
It’s too easy to define our ministry by how many hours we put in. Then it's very easy to slip into the trap of defining our value by those hours.

Too many pastors suffer from PCM. Punch-the-clock mentality. And if you don't, you may be struggling to work with church leaders who do.

PCM usually develops in people who have spent their entire working lives in jobs where they get paid hourly. Every work day they punch ...

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Innovative Ministry
Adding A Second Church Service Without Killing Your Momentum
Taking an almost-full room and dividing into two less-than-half-full rooms can be a psychological blow. Here's how one church overcame it.

Has your church ever tried to add a second weekend worship service, only to have it flame out? This was the question that was asked on a small church pastors’ discussion board recently.

Several of the responses were, understandably, along these two lines:

  • “That’s a ‘problem’ I’d love to have.”
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Church & Culture
Evil Is Real, But Love Is Stronger
We don’t need a weak, shallow, moderated response right now. We need a strong, deep and clear response. That’s why we need Christ's love.

Evil is not a theory.

It’s not a concept created by angry, red-face preachers trying to stop people from having a good time.

Evil is what flies airplanes into buildings and drives an automobile into pedestrians.

But evil doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

No one wakes up one ...

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Innovative Ministry
Adapt, Adjust And Diversify: Some Of Our Differences Make The Church Stronger
As long as the center holds, our differences won’t make the church weaker. They’re an essential element for making us stronger.

Christians worship and serve Jesus in so many different ways.

Sure, there’s a foundation of correct theology and behavior that needs to exist for any group to legitimately call themselves a church. Among them are:

  • The divinity of Jesus
  • Salvation through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus
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Christian Unity
Church Size Is About Personal Preference, Nothing More
As long as your preferences are about positive opportunities, not negative excuses, it doesn't matter what size of church you go to.

Let's admit something to ourselves. All the arguments we have over church size are about our personal preferences, nothing more. Apples and oranges.

There is zero evidence to suggest that big or small churches are more biblical or more effective, no matter how much we want ...

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Christian Unity
5 Ways Small Churches Help Big Churches Without Getting (Or Asking For) Credit
Sometimes, when small churches contribute to the body of Christ, we're blessing our big church friends in ways that no one else sees.

Big churches and small churches all have something to contribute to the body of Christ.

But, because of their size, the contributions of big churches tend to get noticed more. That’s okay. We don’t do this to be seen. (At least we shouldn’t).

And sometimes the ...

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Innovative Ministry
Pastor, Don't Neglect Your Current Members To Reach New Ones
The great churches of tomorrow will be built on the foundations that were established yesterday and affirmed today. 

Every church needs to be more missional. More outward-reaching. More evangelistic. More outside-the-walls.

One of the best indicators of whether-or-not a church is healthy is how much they're reaching people who aren't already in the congregation. The more outward-looking, ...

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Church Leadership
Church Turnaround Is An Attitude, Not An Event
Turnarounds require rebuilding of broken trust, reestablishing of eternal principles and repairing of damaged relationships.

You can't program a church from unhealthy to healthy.

No amount of special events, Big Days or new ideas can cause a broken church to become whole.

There is no book, no conference, no blog post or podcast that will give you the key to church renewal or revival.

Sure, those ...

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Church & Culture
Backyard BBQ Evangelism: A New, True Parable Of Outside-The-Church-Walls Ministry
Don't force people to do ministry your way. Help them with the ministry they're already passionate about.

We have to start letting go of some of our long-held ideas about church and ministry. Especially when it comes to evangelism and outreach.

But it’s not always easy.

Here’s a true story that illustrates that reality. (I’ve kept some details vague, and adjusted ...

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Christian Unity
Big Churches And Small Churches: Contrast Without Criticism
Church leaders need to understand the differences between churches of various sizes. So we can work together, not tear ourselves apart.

Big churches and small churches are very different.

Not in their mission, their doctrine or their value to the kingdom of God, but in many of the ways they fulfill that mission.

They're pastored differently, they utilize people's gifts differently, they reach their communities ...

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Innovative Ministry
Why I’m Not Worried About The Future Of The Church – Or The Church Of The Future
Churches that adapt their methods to advance Jesus’ mission will struggle, but survive and thrive.

There’s a lot of upheaval going on in the church right now. And it’s not even close to being over.

There will be a great many local congregations and denominations that will not survive into the next generation or two. But that doesn't mean the church is dying. ...

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