August 2017
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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.”
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 ...
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
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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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