
Subscribe to our newsletter

Failure, Part 2: When Pastors Fail
“How do we take the message of the resurrection seriously when the things we put our time, effort, and energy into don’t pan out?”

Caring Or Counting? The Pastoral Dilemma
When I’m pushing for numerical growth, I minister differently than when I’m caring for people. And not in a good way.

Segregation, Affinity Spaces, and How the Gospel Defeats Racism, with Mika Edmondson (Ep 106)
A hopeful conversation about racial issues that aims to bring clarity and unity into an arena that’s often dominated by confusion and division.

We Need To Dump Some Church Buildings — Now
The people and ministry in small congregations are always worth fighting for. But the buildings? Not so much.

Failure, Part 1: When Jesus “Failed”
“God continues to rewrite the story by redefining what failure and success look like.”

Pastor, Stop Attendance-Shaming
Attendance-shaming reinforces the false premise that sitting in church is the primary obligation of a committed Christian.

Recovering from Sexually Related Trauma, with Rachel Bren (Ep 105)
About half of your congregation has been exposed to sexually related trauma, and almost everyone is dealing with its effects.

The Beach Boys, The Beatles, And The Battle of Quality v Cool
It can be tempting to pursue cool over quality. But doing good work is what lasts.

Stop Worrying About Who’s Leaving The Church
Imagine what your life and daily work would be like if you had no reason to worry over who might leave.
Follow, Contact or Subscribe
Author
-
Karl Vaters produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of five books on church leadership, including his newest, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next. His other books include The Grasshopper Myth and Small Church Essentials.
Karl also hosts a bi-weekly podcast, The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry, featuring in-depth interviews about topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context. He has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience.
You can follow Karl on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn, or Contact Karl to inquire about speaking, writing, and consultation.
View all posts