Leadership

The Growing Disconnect Between Spiritual Hunger and Church Attendance

/ 6 minutes of reading

Doing church together is an essential aspect of what it means to be a Christian. But church attendance rates keep dropping in most of the developed world.

Why? I often hear it’s because people aren’t as spiritually-minded as they used to be. After all, if it’s not their fault, then some of it might be our fault. And that can’t be.

But the evidence doesn’t support that. In fact, it suggests that people’s spiritual hunger may be growing, not shrinking. Spiritually-themed books, movies, TV shows and blogs are having a major resurgence. Alternative spirituality is booming.

Spiritual hunger isn’t a cultural thing. That God-shaped hole is hard-wired into every one of us. Church attendance isn’t down because people have stopped caring about spiritual things. It’s because we haven’t done such a great job at showing them how church attendance will help them answer that longing.

The Growing Disconnect Between Spiritual Hunger and Church Attendance Read More »

Let’s Ask Better Questions About Church Size

/ 3 minutes of reading

Instead of asking “what’s the best church size?” we need to ask “what’s the best church size for a given situation?” The best size for one church may not be the best size for another church. Even the church right across the street.

Better questions might include

What’s the best church size for the people we’re called to reach?
What’s the best church size for this pastor’s leadership gifts and calling?
What’s the best church size for our church’s purpose and philosophy of ministry?
What’s the best church size for our church right now?

Let’s Ask Better Questions About Church Size Read More »

Living In the Dynamic Tension Between Pastor and Manager

/ 4 minutes of reading

I did not leverage my time well this week. It was wasted in personal pastoral care. Over a dozen hours were squandered in pastoral counseling – marriage, pre-marriage, divorce recovery, and some harrowing life challenges that they wouldn’t share with anyone but their pastor. I lost additional hours helping a new believer sort out the next steps in their spiritual life.

Living In the Dynamic Tension Between Pastor and Manager Read More »

Megachurch Pastors: Heroes, Villains or Something Else?

/ 5 minutes of reading

Megachurch pastors are a step beneath used car salesmen and ambulance-chasing lawyers in the eyes of many people in our culture. On the other side, we have a church growth culture that idealizes megachurches almost to the point of idolatry.

So who are these megachurch pastors? Villains who have corrupted the Gospel? Or heroes of the faith?

Here are 5 principles that help me avoid either extreme in my attitude towards megachurches and their leaders.

Megachurch Pastors: Heroes, Villains or Something Else? Read More »

Bigger Is Not a Plan, a Goal Or a Solution for Your Church’s Struggles

/ 6 minutes of reading

Most church growth proponents agree and teach that church growth is not a plan or a solution. But too many of them see it as a goal.

And because of that bigger-is-our-goal mentality, too many struggling pastors leave their church growth conferences thinking bigger is a plan and a solution, too. And why wouldn’t they? They’ve spent several days in the awesome facilities of a booming church. The facility is proof that this stuff works. And they want that too.

The problem is, they’ve been wowed by the successes, but they haven’t been told about any of the churches that tried the same methods and failed.

Bigger Is Not a Plan, a Goal Or a Solution for Your Church’s Struggles Read More »

Pastors, We Don’t Expect a TED Talk, But We Need a God-and-You Talk

/ 5 minutes of reading

Pastors face a lot of pressure to perform. Some of it, admittedly, is self-imposed.

One of the main places this pressure is felt is in the demand to research, write and deliver a great sermon every week. In fact, several times in the last few months, I’ve read blog posts that have suggested that every Sunday sermon should be like a TED Talk.

In today’s post, I’d like to do two things that may seem impossible to accomplish simultaneously. Relieve some of the performance pressure and challenge us all towards something better.

Pastors, We Don’t Expect a TED Talk, But We Need a God-and-You Talk Read More »

Mark Driscoll and the Dangerous Pursuit of Big Ministry

/ 7 minutes of reading

Mark Driscoll’s sins aren’t any worse than mine. They’re just drawn on a bigger canvas, in broader strokes, with more vivid colors, under a brighter spotlight. (In case you think “sin” is too harsh a term, Driscoll himself referred to his recent behavior as “my sin during this season”.)

That makes him an easy target for some. But that’s not what I want to do. I’m using Driscoll’s current troubles as the basis for this post for one reason only. I hope this scandal will sound a warning for all of us. Pursuing big ministry for the sake of bigness is a dangerous game. A game with no winners, only losers.

Mark Driscoll and the Dangerous Pursuit of Big Ministry Read More »

I Support the “Son of God” Movie, So My Church Isn’t Buying Out a Theater

/ 4 minutes of reading

I have no idea if Son of God is a great, average or awful movie. Given the many public statements of faith made by its producers, I have no doubt it will be a sincere and devout one.

But Christian-themed media and art need to be more than sincere and devout. They should be able to stand on their own as legitimate works of cinematic art.

They need to be good.

Rather than being propped up by massive ticket buys from churches, Christian-themed movies need to take the same critical and box office heat that every other movie does. If it’s a good movie, it will survive and thrive. If it’s not a good movie, it won’t – and shouldn’t.

I Support the “Son of God” Movie, So My Church Isn’t Buying Out a Theater Read More »