Pastoring

14 Church Growth and Leadership Lies We Need to Stop Believing

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.

14 Church Growth and Leadership Lies We Need to Stop Believing Read More »

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

“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

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

I Don’t Want To Write This Post: Miley, Robin and the Lure of Numbers

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 »

My Pastor As Coach and Shepherd? Yeah, Right. (From an Actual Facebook Conversation)

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 »

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

“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 »

Why is Carlos Whittaker Rethinking Megachurches, Church Growth and Alpha Male Pastors? And Why Should I Care?

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

Why is Carlos Whittaker Rethinking Megachurches, Church Growth and Alpha Male Pastors? And Why Should I Care? Read More »

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

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

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

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

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 »