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To My Friends Who Pastor Big Churches
We are on the same team. I’m grateful when you are there to help me and other Small Church pastors. But I also want you to know that we are here to help you too. There is a lot we can learn from each other. When megachurch pastors hold conferences, I know they do it
Finding Buried Treasure in the Christmas Story
Preacher’s Block is a challenge during the best of times. But coming up with something fresh to say from the 39 verses the bible gives us about the birth of Jesus can be very difficult – even discouraging. Here are five principles to help pastors keep the story – and their preaching – fresh this Christmas.
The Surprising Reason 80% of Churches Will Never Break the 200 Barrier
Breaking through the 200 barrier. Sometimes it feels like the only pastoring principle anyone has talked about for the past 30 years. In case you haven’t heard of it, the 200 barrier is the invisible ceiling a church must break through if it doesn’t want to be a Small Church any more. Do a Google
Hey! Small Church Pastors! Stop Doing This Alone!
Why are you doing this alone? That question is printed on a card that sits on my desk every day. It reminds me not to fall into the trap that too many Small Church pastors get caught in. Being a Small Church pastor is one of the loneliest, most stress-filled positions in the world. We have
Chronic Complainers, Part 2 – When Win-Win is a No-Go
In a strong, healthy Small Church, chronic complainers can cause a lot of stress on the pastor and other leaders. If the Small Church is weak and/or unhealthy, complainers can kill a pastor’s and church’s spirit, sometimes without intending to. In Part 1 of this series, we saw some things we can do to move
Chronic Complainers, Part 1 – Creating a Win-Win
Chronic complainers aren’t a huge issue in a big church. Very few congregation members will know them, and even the pastor may only be aware of them by email (but so many emails!). In a Small Church their voice is loud. They know everyone – and everyone knows them. The challenge for Small Church pastors
My Church IS Growing, It’s Just Not Getting Bigger
Bigger isn’t always better. When pastors ask each other if our churches are growing, the question we’re always – and I mean always – asking is are we getting bigger? Every year our church fills out a report on the vital statistics of the congregation. If the only thing you knew about our church was
The Gatekeepers are Gone: Unlikely Wisdom for Pastors from a Stand-Up Comic
“The gatekeepers are gone”, said stand-up comic Patton Oswalt in a talk that has huge implications for pastors and other communicators. Oswalt continued as he held up his iPhone to a crowd of comedy bigwigs. “In my hand right now I’m holding more filmmaking technology than Orson Welles had when he filmed Citizen Kane. I’m
4 Ways Your Church Can Help People Simplify Christmas
It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but Christmas is also the busiest. A few years ago, our Small Church staff decided we weren’t going to compete with all the shopping, school plays, office parties and visits to Santa that were filling people’s calendars. We weren’t able to keep up, so we
