Church health and church growth are not mutually exclusive. There are plenty of large, healthy churches that do both – and way too many unhealthy small ones that do neither. But one doesn’t necessarily lead to the other. Not all healthy churches grow big. And not all big churches are healthy. In more than 30 […]
Big? Or Healthy? If You HAD to Choose… Read More »
Three facts sit atop my “things I wish someone had told me in bible college” list. Fact #1: 80-90% of pastoral ministry students will never pastor a church larger than 250 people. Fact #2: 99.9% of us will pastor a Small Church for at least some time in our ministry. Fact #3: You can pastor
Ministry Reality Check: We’re All Gonna Pastor a Small Church Read More »
People can behave in ugly ways when we try to take the credit that should be God’s alone. This is a story of one of those times. It’s a story that might upset some people, because it airs some of our dirty laundry. (If the title hasn’t ticked you off already, that is.) But it’s also
The Day My Church Lost Hundreds of Converts – And I Learned to Be OK With It Read More »
Why does everyone want to be like the first century church? From what I can tell, it wasn’t that much different from today’s church. They had large and small churches. Healthy, sick and dead churches. Churches with strong leaders, weak leaders and sinful leaders. They worshiped God imperfectly and fought over theology. Some churches gave
If the Apostles Didn’t Teach Church Growth, Why Do We? Read More »
Recruiting and keeping givers and volunteers is harder than it used to be. If I was ever tempted to tell Small Church pastors to quit whining about something, this would be it. It used to be fairly easy to get church members to commit to consistent giving and/or volunteering. Ask for a missions pledge, and
Grasshopper Myth: People Aren’t as Committed as They Used to Be Read More »
Why do so many pastors not practice what we preach? Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a cynic. And I’m definitely not a pastor-basher. I have a great admiration for pastors and what they (we) do. Pastors may be the hardest-working, most undervalued members of our society. And that goes double for Small Church pastors.
Redefining Success Without Lowering Your Standards Read More »
Small Churches receive a lot from our megachurch friends. We read their books, sing their songs, use their curriculum and attend their seminars. And we’re grateful. But the benefits don’t have to flow only one way. There are some very important, though less obvious things that megachurches can learn from Small Churches. Not necessarily books
5 Principles Megachurches Can Learn From Small Churches Read More »
“I left my Small Church because the quality of worship, programs and preaching wasn’t great. Then I came back to my Small Church because the quality of worship, programs and preaching in the megachurch was so high, it made me passive. “The big church didn’t need me. My Small Church does. And I need to be
Could Excellence Be Killing the Church? Read More »
I wanted to be DC Talk’s chaplain. In the 1990s, DC Talk hired a pastor to travel with them when they went on tour. He led a daily bible study for the band and crew, held them spiritually and morally accountable, and was available for pastoral counseling when needed. I congratulate any band or sports
What Will People Think? The Truth About Numbers, Status and What Really Matters Read More »
“The reason your church stays small is because you’re making Small Church choices.” That quote has been repeated many times as an undisputed Church Growth Movement truism. But it’s inside-out. My church isn’t small because I make Small Church choices. I make Small Church choices because my church is small. And I plan to keep
Small Church Choices – Make More of Them Read More »
