Smith Baptist Association Annual Meeting
Tyler, TX | February 4-5, 2024
Notes for Karl Vaters' Session
Post-Pandemic: What’s Working In Congregations That Are Thriving
Three keys to moving forward:
- Don’t try to go back to what was
- Build on what you’re learning
- Define your current reality
Congregations that are thriving in a post-pandemic world have:
- Resources in reserve
- Team-based leadership
- Adaptability
- Unity
- Humility
People in trauma they can’t hear explanations
- They need familiarity and stability
Everyone has a default reaction to trauma
Denial >> Anger >> Bargaining >> Depression >> Acceptance
Address the underlying fear, not the symptomatic behavior
Recognize your own trauma first
- Don’t let your trigger become your truth
Click here to support Karl and Shelley Vaters’ Europe Project
Conversations on Faith & Ministry
Every two weeks Karl interviews a church leader about the topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context.
Most of our real-life conversations about faith and ministry happen in church lobbies, both as a congregation and pastor-to-pastor. In The Church Lobby podcast, that’s what we do.
Available on all major platforms, including:
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Author
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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.
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