I hate bandwagons. Writing about something because everyone else is writing about it is repulsive to me. But not writing something that matters just because everyone else is writing about it is equally problematic. So back that bandwagon up, open the door and drop the rope-ladder. I’m climbing aboard. There was no bigger bandwagon on […]
I Don’t Want To Write This Post: Miley, Robin and the Lure of Numbers Read More »
Are Pastors supposed to be Shepherds any more? Or is that idea long-gone? If so, have we replaced it with something better? Or worse? Pastors have long debates about this. What if we had some raw, unsolicited, honest opinions from the people who matter? Namely, the people in our churches – maybe even the people
My Pastor As Coach and Shepherd? Yeah, Right. (From an Actual Facebook Conversation) Read More »
“How do you stay fresh and open to innovation after more than 20 years leading the same small church?” I get asked that a lot. There are a variety of factors of course, but today I want to tell you about one that has functioned almost subconsciously for me. When leading, especially when leading for
Bungee Cord Leadership: Using Tension to Guide Your Church Through Change Read More »
Your MegaChurch Is Growing? That’s Cute. Cause The Church At Large Is Shrinking. That’s the title of a post that came across my Twitter feed on Monday. How could I not read it? Resistance is futile. So I clicked it and read a pithy post that Carlos Whittaker had written on June 7 at RagamuffinSoul.com. My
Today’s post is filled with questions I don’t have answers for. That’s where you come in. Warm up your typing fingers to add feedback in the comment section. But first, a little background. For the past 20 years I’ve pastored a Small Church in Orange County, California. In the past 50-plus years this county has given birth
What does a healthy Small Church look like? It looks like a healthy big church – in all the ways that matter, anyway. No, a healthy Small Church is not just a miniaturized version of a healthy big church. Pastors who try to do that are usually concentrating on the externals. And it never works
The Elements of a Healthy Small Church – And the Hidden Agenda that Can Kill It Read More »
“If it’s OK for a church to be small, how do you suggest we measure a church’s success?” Since starting the ministry of New Small Church, I’ve been asked that question more than any other. Maybe more than all other questions combined. At first I didn’t know how to answer it. Now I answer that
“How Will We Measure Our Success?” – The Question the Disciples Forgot to Ask Jesus Read More »
We learn more through our failures than our successes. I don’t want that to be true. But it is. Today’s post was written by a long-time friend who, like me, has had his share of frustrations in ministry. Lee Fruh (pronounced Free) has the rare gift of taking those frustrations, hurts and downright failures and,
Three Self-Evident Principles of Christian Leadership (A Guest Post) Read More »
Most Small Church pastors are shepherds. It’s not our choice, it’s our calling. There are good reasons for pastors of large churches to move from the shepherding/pastoring model to the ranching/management model. But most pastors aren’t called to be ranchers or to manage systems. Most of us are called to pastor people. In the first
How to Shepherd a 100+ Member Church Without Losing Your Sanity Read More »
What makes a great pastor? The bad news is, it’s not easy. The good news is, you’re probably doing it already. Great coaches and great pastors some from the same place. And no, you don’t have to be a sports fan to get something from this analogy. Have you ever wondered where all the superstar
It’s Not Magic: Great Pastors Come from Great Struggles Read More »
