I’ve been with a lot of people who do church very differently than what I’m used to or comfortable with. So I’ve had to either open up to what Jesus is doing through those varied methods, or close myself down and retreat back to the stability and safety of familiarity.
Opening up to different ways of doing church is scary. And exhilarating. And sometimes I get it wrong.
Closing down to different ways of doing church is easy. And boring. And sometimes I get it wrong.
I’d rather get it wrong while trying new things than get it wrong while staying comfortable.
Author
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Karl produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of four books on church leadership. His fifth book, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next, releases on April 2, 2024.
He also hosts a bi-weekly podcast,The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry. Episodes feature in-depth interviews about the topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context.
Karl has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience. He and his wife, Shelley have three children and two grandkids.