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If Numbers Are Not Important, Then Why Are They So Important? (A Poignant Guest Post)
The evidence keeps piling up. Mondays can be very hard on Small Church pastors. This past Monday, I received one of the most truthful, passionately written expressions of pastoral pain that I’ve ever read. It was written by the wife of a Small Church pastor in the comment section following one of my most widely
One Reason Our Church Stays Small: The Slow Spiritual Simmer
There aren’t a lot of first-time conversions in our congregation. At least not among adults. What we have instead, are de-churched people becoming re-churched. And it usually takes a while. After all, people become de-churched for a reason. So they often need some time to let things simmer in their spirits in order for trust
A Sincere Heart Trumps a Spectacular Ministry
“Your responsibility is not to have a spectacular ministry, but to have a sincere heart.” No, that quote isn’t from The Grasshopper Myth. It’s not even from another Small Church writer or pastor. It’s the key quote from a great talk given by Jud Wilhite to over 3,500 ministers at the Catalyst conference in Irvine
Big? Or Healthy? If You HAD to Choose…
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
Between Substance & Style: Innovation Happens in the Middle
Innovation may not be what we’ve been told. It isn’t about being the coolest kid in the room. That’s just style. And it doesn’t come from tearing down the things that matter. That’s our substance. Innovation happens in the space between style and substance. I’ve spent the last two days at Catalyst West Coast. It was
Small Churches Are a Big Deal (A Review of “The Grasshopper Myth”)
Last month, Dixie Phillips, from “SGN Scoops” magazine, interviewed Karl Vaters about the origins of The Grasshopper Myth and NewSmallChurch.com. That interview, and Phillips’ review of the book, were combined into an article entitled “Small Churches Are a Big Deal”, which was printed on pages 25-26 of the April 2013 edition of SGN Scoops. Today’s post is a reprint of that review/interview.
Only In a Small Church: You May Not Need a Mission Statement
I know it’s practically heresy to propose this. But your church may not need a mission statement. Since the 1990s, there may be no more widely accepted rule in church growth circles than the expectation that every church needs a mission statement. It was taught in seminars and written in books. I remember at least
27 Advantages of Putting an Expiration Date on New Ministries
It’s been over a decade since our church started a ministry that failed. Are we that brilliant? No. We just don’t start new ministries any more. We try experiments, instead. If I were to start the turnaround process in a church again, this is the #1 rule I would follow from Day 1 – outside
Expanding the Sweet Spot for a Healthy Church Turnaround
There are three participants in any healthy church. The pastor, the congregation and God. Knowing and coordinating the zone where their hearts intersect is the most important task a pastor can do. And it’s critical to understand and do well if you want a successful church turnaround. This is especially important in a Small Church.
