Innovative Ministry Archives - Page 6 of 8

Grow It or Close It? Is There a Third Option for Struggling Small Churches?

July 8, 2013 / 5 minutes of reading

What are we going to do about all those struggling Small Churches? That question has been the subject of endless ministerial (especially denominational) hand-wringing in the last several decades. A lot of time and money has been invested in conversations, books, seminars and classes attempting to fix this problem. Struggling Small churches are usually given […]

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Does Jesus Want Every Church to Be a Big Church?

June 14, 2013 / 4 minutes of reading

“Jesus wants the church to grow!” I agree. How can I not? Jesus was the one who said, “I will build my church,” and I’ve found that arguing with him is not a recipe for health or happiness. “Jesus wants your church to grow!” Wait just a second. We often make that second statement as

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It’s Time for Small Churches to Become Great Churches

June 10, 2013 / 8 minutes of reading

Where are all the great Small Churches? Would you know one if you saw one? They exist. There’s no doubt about that. There are great Small Churches in every country, serving every ethnic group and virtually every language. They worship in every imaginable style of music, and they meet in every type of building – including

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It’s Time for Small Churches to Become Great Churches

June 10, 2013 / 8 minutes of reading

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Size ≠ Health: My Friendly Critique of a Rick Warren Interview

May 29, 2013 / 6 minutes of reading

I like Rick Warren. A lot. I’ve never met him, but I’ve learned a lot from him. And we both live in Orange County, California, so we have several friends in common. They all speak very highly of his kindness, integrity and generous spirit. “Genuine” is the word they use most often. As much as I

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Between Substance & Style: Innovation Happens in the Middle

April 19, 2013 / 5 minutes of reading

Innovation may not be what we’ve been told. It isn’t about being the coolest kid in the room. That’s just style. And it doesn’t come from tearing down the things that matter. That’s our substance. Innovation happens in the space between style and substance. I’ve spent the last two days at Catalyst West Coast. It was

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27 Advantages of Putting an Expiration Date on New Ministries

April 12, 2013 / 4 minutes of reading

It’s been over a decade since our church started a ministry that failed. Are we that brilliant? No. We just don’t start new ministries any more. We try experiments, instead. If I were to start the turnaround process in a church again, this is the #1 rule I would follow from Day 1 – outside

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The 4 Most Overlooked Truths About Leading a Turnaround Church

April 9, 2013 / 4 minutes of reading

It’s one of the toughest tasks in pastoral ministry. Leading an existing church through a turnaround from unhealthy to healthy. But it’s even harder when we’re trying to do so without understanding some basic principles needed for a successful turnaround to take place. Here are four common, fundamental principles that are regularly ignored or unknown

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3 Surprising Misunderstandings About Church Turnarounds

April 8, 2013 / 4 minutes of reading

Why do you want your church to turn around? There are a lot of good reasons to do so. Among them, you might want to see your church move from: Unhealthy to healthy Inward-obsessed to outward-focused Stuck in the past to excited about the future Unloving to loving Uninviting to inviting Legalistic to joyous Shallow

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Coasting is Compromise: Becoming a Proactive Small Church

March 14, 2013 / 5 minutes of reading

Just when you think you’re ahead of the curve, the curve moves. My parents gave me a Smith Corona typewriter when I went off to college in 1978. It was electric and portable. I was ahead of the curve. Then one day, I saw a crowd gathering outside a classroom. They were staring in amazement

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