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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
Let’s Ask Better Questions About Church Size
Instead of asking “what’s the best church size?” we need to ask “what’s the best church size for a given situation?” The best size for one church may not be the best size for another church. Even the church right across the street.
Better questions might include
What’s the best church size for the people we’re called to reach?
What’s the best church size for this pastor’s leadership gifts and calling?
What’s the best church size for our church’s purpose and philosophy of ministry?
What’s the best church size for our church right now?
Living In the Dynamic Tension Between Pastor and Manager
I did not leverage my time well this week. It was wasted in personal pastoral care. Over a dozen hours were squandered in pastoral counseling – marriage, pre-marriage, divorce recovery, and some harrowing life challenges that they wouldn’t share with anyone but their pastor. I lost additional hours helping a new believer sort out the next steps in their spiritual life.
5 Principles to Consider Before Starting or Stopping a Ministry
Wouldn’t it be great if every local church and every ministry within each church was vital, valuable and meeting real needs? Certainly a 100% success record is not possible. It’s not even desirable, since we learn as much through our failures as our successes. But increasing our batting average on successful ministries is always a
The World’s Best Small Churches
No one will ever make a list of the greatest Small Churches in the world. And they shouldn’t. After all, a great urban Small Church looks very different from a great rural one. Same with a great Baptist and Methodist church. Or a great Small Church in Japan or Costa Rica, etc. Even if there
Jesus Never Told Us To Fill Church Buildings
Going to church has never been the point. Jesus didn’t tell us to “work really hard to gather people into large crowds to fill up your church buildings. Then I’ll know that you love me.” But when you look at how most pastors (including me) spend much of our time and energy, sometimes it feels like we
