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How to Find, Train and Build a Great Small Church Leadership Team
The #1 calling of a pastor is not to do the work of the ministry. And it’s not to fill people’s heads with bible information. According to no less an authority than the Apostle Paul, it is “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”
Great Small Church Leadership Teams Aren’t Hired, They’re Built
People often ask me how I was able to hire such a great leadership team in our Small Church. My answer? We didn’t hire our team. We built it from the inside out. And we’re still building it. Not one of our staff members was hired from outside the church – other than me. They were all attenders and members
Church Members Aren’t Attending as Often – Are They Trying to Tell Us Something?
Church attendance is down in the western world. Why? Because church members don’t attend as consistently as they used to. That’s not the only reason church attendance is down, of course. It’s not even the main reason. But it’s definitely a trend I have seen as a pastor. And it needs to be addressed. But how?
There Are No “Right” People for Your Church, Just People
“Get the right people on the bus” has been one of the most popular sayings in church leadership circles over the last few years. It sounds right. But it’s not. At all. The phrase comes from the world of business. Specifically from Jim Collins and his very good business book, Good to Great. The idea is
Preaching to Newbies and Mature Christians at the Same Time
Every week, pastors all over the world are asked to do something that is almost impossible. Preach a message to a group of people that includes Teenagers to seniors Men and women Mature disciples and not-yet-believers The faithful and the skeptical Regular attenders and first-time guests Singles, married, divorced, and “it’s complicated” Those who need comfort
The 3 Best Seasons for Bringing Change to a Church
It’s not always easy to fix long-term problems and implement needed changes in a church – especially when old, dysfunctional ways have taken root. Sometimes we make our job harder than it needs to be, not by doing the wrong things, but by doing the right things at the wrong time. Solomon said it best, in what
OK… So, Yesterday’s Post Hit a Nerve Or Two
I’m a fan and supporter of Small Churches and their hard-working, dedicated leaders. After all, I’m one of you. You are my peers in ministry and my friends. In yesterday’s post, I told you about a conversation I had with a friend who was having a hard time finding a good Small Church in the
Big and Impersonal, Or Small and Pathetic: Are Those My Only Church Options?
Big churches have a reputation for being overly programmed and impersonal. Small Churches have a reputation for being backwards and lazy. I’ve always fought against those characterizations, believing them to be unfair caricatures. But a recent conversation made me realize that those stereotypes have their foundations in some sad realities. I was talking with a
Why I Stopped Taking Attendance at My Church for a While
Numbers matter. Because people matter. If we keep track of them correctly, the right numbers can give us a lot of helpful information about a church and its ministries. For many years, I kept track of church attendance numbers very carefully. As the church grew, I calculated growth patterns, percentages, demographics, you name it. I found that counting
