When we narrow our focus, we’re taking a page from the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul who narrowed his focus to a laser point, as evidenced in verses like “this one thing I do…” and “I have resolved to know nothing except Christ and him crucified.” (Philippians 3:13 & 1 Corinthians 2:2) When […]
Narrow Your Focus, Widen Your Scope, And Increase Your Ministry Effectiveness Read More »
The mission comes first. Always. Because of that, whenever an extra-biblical idea or turn of phrase is anything but clear in the way it advances the message, we need to find and use a better manner of communication. In the church, we’ve been using some terms in ways that not only aren’t helpful to newcomers and
5 Terms Christians Need To Stop Misusing Read More »
There are thousands of conferences, books, podcasts, magazines and blogs dedicated to the study of church growth. What causes it? What hinders it? What can I do to make it happen in my church? I’m a big fan of studying this kind of phenomenon. If there are principles we can discover that will help us
Think Bigger: Why “How Do I Get Our Church To Grow?” Is The Wrong Question Read More »
The world is changing. In good ways and bad. If you live in America’s Bible Belt (predominantly the Midwest and South) you are probably feeling the impact of these changes to a greater degree than those of us who live outside it. And those feelings are likely to grow for at least another generation. If
When people read books, they tend to underline or highlight the sentences they agree with. This is true in our reading of scripture as well. We tend to underline the ideas we’ve already become familiar with. What if we decided to underline the ideas that stand out in a new way? The concepts that are
Want To Go Deeper And Wider? Underline New Stuff Read More »
Preaching matters. According to no less an authority than the Apostle Paul, the spoken message of Christ crucified is one the ways God has chosen to bring his message of salvation to the world (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). Because preaching matters, those of us who are entrusted to do so need to engage in it with
5 Preaching Styles In 25 Years (Here’s What I Changed And Why) Read More »
Are you a pastor trying to make needed changes in the church, but meeting a lot of resistance every time you introduce something new, like a worship song, curriculum or order of service? Here’s a universal truth that I discovered through decades of experience trying to bring needed change in a church: New music is
New Music Is Not Worth Fighting For – So What Is? Read More »
Are you a pastor trying to make needed changes in the church, but meeting a lot of resistance every time you introduce something new, like a worship song, curriculum or order of service? Here’s a universal truth that I discovered through decades of experience trying to bring needed change in a church: New music is
New Music Is Not Worth Fighting For – So What Is? Read More »
How was church attendance yesterday?
In our church, we started the first service with more people on stage than in the audience.
It filled in to a normal summer crowd later, but for a while it was looking rough.
That’s the way attendance is in a small church. You can have a 50 percent drop one Sunday, then a 100 percent increase the next for almost any or no reason.
The smaller the church, the bigger attendance swings are. That makes events harder to plan, conduct and assess.
Why There’s No “Typical” Sunday In A Small Church – And 5 Ways To Adapt To It Read More »
There are two different types of churches, organizationally.
Static and dynamic.
As we saw in a previous article, Why Most Small Churches Don’t Use (Or Need) An Organizational Chart, the smaller the church, the less necessary it is to use a static organizational system.
Static churches have a thorough Org Chart, with positions that need to be filled, and each position is arranged in some sort of hierarchy. Everyone knows what they’re supposed to do and who reports to whom based on the Org Chart.
Some statically–organized churches have a physical chart on display, while others operate by an unseen, but just as strongly defined system.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with having and/or using an Org Chart. In fact, the bigger the church, the more essential it becomes. When you’re trying to coordinate dozens, even hundreds of leadership positions, the Org Chart reduces chaos and helps create stability.
But if you’re pastoring a small church and you want to move from static to dynamic, how do you do that?
Here are 5 starter steps:
5 Steps To Move A Church From A Static To Dynamic Organizational Style Read More »
