Many pastors wouldn’t attend their own church if they weren’t the pastor.
How do I know? I’ve talked with a lot of them.
Sometimes it’s because the church is unhealthy, dysfunctional, even toxic. But many times it’s because of something far less problematic.
The church isn’t as big, or isn’t growing as fast as the pastor, the members or the denomination thinks it should be.
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.