July 2018

Because I minister to small churches, I’m often asked, “aren’t you worried, that by supporting small churches you’ll be encouraging churches that could grow, to stay small instead?”
Yes. That is a concern. One that I’ve addressed in Small Church ...
Does your small church have an Organizational (Org) Chart?
If you don’t, relax. You probably don’t need one.
If you do, brace yourself. You may want to get rid of it because they tend not to work in small churches like they work in large churches. In fact, some of ...

Churches have to do more ministry with less money.
That’s becoming truer with every passing year, and it will increase for at least another generation.
For example, 15 years ago, the church I serve was smaller and less healthy than it is right now. By every indication of ...

Getting more people to go to church has never been the point of church growth.
Jesus didn’t tell us to “work really hard to gather people into large crowds to fill up your church buildings. Then I’ll know that you love me.” But when you look at how most ...

What‘s the best church size?
Some church growth proponents might argue that, whatever your size, “just a little bigger” would be better.
Many house church attenders would propose that smaller is better.
There are followers of John Wesley’s Rule of 150 who ...
This generation wants to honor its elders and be mentored by them.
That may not feel like it’s true – especially if you, like me, are old enough to qualify for AARP membership. But I assure you it is.
I know this because I see it all the time. Youth, both in and outside ...

The title of today’s post is based on a question that I read in a Facebook group for pastors.
While I seldom take such discussions into a public forum like this, I think this question is important enough to answer here. So here’s the longer version of what was asked: ...
This summer, in county fairs all over America, people will flock to see tribute bands.
With names like Unforgettable Fire (U2), The Fab Four (Beatles), Heartache Tonight (Eagles), and Simple Man (Lynyrd Skynyrd), they can give us a fun evening, seeing a band that looks and plays ...

The church belongs to Jesus.
It is not owned by its denomination, its donors, its members, its staff or its lead pastor.
Jesus said he would build his church – and he’s not about to give up that ownership to us or our ideas.
As a pastor, this is a lesson I need to remind ...

Conflict is inevitable. Even in a healthy marriage, family and church.
Like healthy marriages and families, healthy churches don’t avoid conflict, but they deal with it well.
I’ve been in pastoral ministry for more than 35 years. In the early days, I dealt with more ...

If you’re a control freak, I have one word of advice.
Don’t become the pastor of a small church. (Actually, I’d advise you not to pastor any church. We have enough control freaks in the pulpit already.)
It’s a common misperception that the smaller a church ...
What’s wrong with today’s younger generations?
I hear that question all the time. Especially from my fellow Baby Boomers.
The quick answer?
Nothing.
Nothing is wrong with the current and upcoming generations that hasn’t been wrong with every previous generation. ...
Read More from Karl
