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20 Years Pastoring My Small Church: The Keys
The average length of a pastorate isn’t much over 2 years. In Small Churches, it’s lower. It’s a high-stress job, with long hours, high demands, emotional extremes and little (sometimes no) monetary compensation. But last month was my 20th year at Cornerstone Christian Fellowship. And last night my Small Church threw a party for me
Grasshopper Myth: My Church Can’t Compete With Megachurches
OK, so technically, this one’s true. My church can’t compete with megachurches. Trying to do what they do on a Small Church scale would, did, and does lead to disaster and burnout. What makes the statement a myth is that it’s built on a faulty premise. The premise that we’re supposed to be like megachurches,
Surprising Insights About Church Growth from Small Church Members
People love Small Churches. It’s pastors who have a problem with them. The Grasshopper Myth book has been in the hands of the members of my church for about a month. And I’m currently teaching through the principles of it on Sunday mornings. (They’re being recorded and will be podcast here soon.) So the feedback
The 11th Reason Pastors Quit Too Soon
Pastoral ministry is hazardous work. Study after study shows the burnout rate for people in full-time ministry is high and growing. Tim Peters tackled this issue with a very helpful post, 10 Real Reasons Pastors Quit Too Soon. As I read it, I noticed something missing from his list. And it may be the most
We’re Small Church Pastors – Let’s Wear it Well
Hi, I’m Karl and I’m a Small Church pastor. Do you wonder why I keep saying that? Maybe it was something I learned in a marketing class about branding my message? If so, I should get my tuition refunded. “Small”, “Church” and “Pastor” are three of the least marketable words there are. I say it
Be First In Line for the New Small Church Nametag Wall
Welcome to the New Small Church Nametag Wall. That is, welcome to where the wall is going to be very soon. The plan is to have it up and running by Tuesday, January 14, 2013. (Since writing this, the Nametag Wall is now up! Click here to check it out.) Here’s the idea. As a way to
Hi, I’m Karl and I’m NOT a Megachurch Basher
I like megachurches. I wish there were more of them. I like Small Churches even more. I wish there were a lot more of them. The ministry of New Small Church is less than two months old, but I’m already noticing a disturbing mini-trend that I want to opt out of. It’s the tendency in
How Your Small Church Can Do a Great Community Service Day (Video)
Serve Day. Share Day. Community Service Day. Whatever you call it, getting your congregation to take a Sunday afternoon to go out into the community to serve people in practical, agenda-free ways is valuable to your church and your community. This video was recorded at a recent Share Day at our church, and it can
Small Churches REALLY ARE the Next Big Thing
More evidence has just come in. Small Churches are the next big thing. I wasn’t planning to revisit this idea for a while, but a couple days ago I read a post by Thom Rainer, with the curious title “The Death of the Mall and the Future of Church Buildings.” In it, Thom made some
