Leadership

Jesus and Crowds – An Unhappy Marriage

/ 5 minutes of reading

When you’re in business to make widgets, you live and die by the numbers. But we’re pastors. We’re not in business. And we’re not making widgets. As John Piper reminds us, “Brothers, We Are Not Professionals”.

So yes, we need to count people. Because people count. But people aren’t numbers. And numbers aren’t people. People matter more than numbers.

When we overemphasize how many people came to church, we run the risk of devaluing the unique gifts and needs of the individuals who make up the crowd. Jesus never did that.

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Saying “I Can’t” May Be Your Missing Key to Success

/ 5 minutes of reading

“I can’t” may be the two most liberating words missing from your leadership lexicon.

For years I’ve been told by well-meaning preachers and teachers that if I have enough faith, I can do anything I want to do.

But it’s not true. I can’t do anything I want to do. Neither can you. Knowing and embracing that truth has freed me. And it can free you, too.

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Two More Church Growth & Leadership Lies: The Church is American and White

/ 6 minutes of reading

I am a proud American. But Jesus wasn’t. The church isn’t. And my faith isn’t.

I’m also white and English-speaking. But Jesus wasn’t those either. And neither is the vast majority of his church.

Yet, if you pay attention to the church stats cited by most bloggers, speakers and authors, they tend to be very heavily slanted towards white, English-speaking Americans. Often exclusively so.

This slanted view gives us an inaccurate picture of who and what the 21st century church looks like.

It’s a big world out there. Jesus cares about all of it.

So should we.

In today’s post I’m going to take a hard, possibly uncomfortable look at two lies we end up believing when we pay almost exclusive attention to the white, English-speaking, American church.

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14 Church Growth and Leadership Lies We Need to Stop Believing

/ 4 minutes of reading

People have frustrating tendency to believe statements that reinforce our previous opinions, even if those statements are obviously false. Christians are not immune to this. Neither are Christian leaders. And we seem to be especially susceptible to this when it comes to church growth. We believe what we want to believe. Facts are secondary.

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Know Your Audience: 8 Principles for Speaking Effectively in Almost Any Situation

/ 6 minutes of reading

“You knew your audience.” That was one of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received in ministry. It happened after speaking at a Prayer Breakfast at a US Army base in Germany. One of the military chaplains pulled me aside. “Thank you for that talk,” he said. “You knew your audience. It’s unusual for a civilian

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Bungee Cord Leadership: Using Tension to Guide Your Church Through Change

/ 4 minutes of reading

“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

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Why Hasn’t Church Growth Elevated Our Communities? (A Sincere Question Seeking Honest Feedback)

/ 5 minutes of reading

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

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The Elements of a Healthy Small Church – And the Hidden Agenda that Can Kill It

/ 4 minutes of reading

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

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