“Blame the media” has always been a popular game for Christians to play. Not long ago, Christians had a legitimate claim that our reputation was bad because the media was against us. That’s not the case anymore. Oh sure, the media in general may still think negatively about Christians, if they think about us at all. […]
Sorry Christians, We Can’t Blame the Media Any More Read More »
No, I don’t actually have a note on my desk reminding me that the size of my church isn’t up to me. But maybe I should. Maybe a lot of us should. I know one thing for sure. If the size of my church was up to me, it would have been a lot bigger a long
Note to Pastors: The Size and Growth of the Church is Not Up to Us Read More »
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 »
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 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’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 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 »
In a big church, the ranching/spiritual triage model makes sense. There’s no way one person can care for thousands of people individually. A well-trained team of staff and volunteers is essential to every aspect of ministry.
In a Small Church, when the pastor stops doing hospital visits, ceases having an open door policy and starts delegating those responsibilities to others, the congregation members feel neglected and unimportant.
Then they start looking for another church. I know. I’ve experienced it first-hand.
I’m not the only one with this experience. I’ve talked to many discouraged pastors with stories just like mine, who tried the rancher model only to find their congregation members feeling neglected.
That neglected feeling is understandable. After all, when Jesus commissioned Peter, he told him, “feed my sheep” not “tend my ranch”. The ranching model tells us that our primary focus needs to move from “doing the caring” to “develop and manage a system of care” for the body we serve. There’s just one problem with that. As a pastor friend of mine says, “People want to be pastored, not spiritually managed.”
Stop Thinking Like a Big Church Read More »
There are some bullies in the church growth movement. No, not most of them. And even those who are bullies probably don’t realize it. But they’re bullies, just the same.
It’s because I don’t think they intend to be bullies that I’m using such a strong term – to help them see the hurt they’ve been causing to their fellow Christians and church leaders.
Small Churches and their leaders have suffered under this problem for years. But no one has dared say it out loud. So I’m saying it today, because we can’t fix a problem until we acknowledge it.
Small Church pastors often feel bullied and insulted by the very church leaders we go to for help.
This problem is real. It’s hurtful. And it needs to stop.
I Am a Small Church Pastor and I’m Calling Out the Church Leadership Bullies Read More »
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.
Jesus and Crowds – An Unhappy Marriage Read More »
