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. […]
Expanding the Sweet Spot for a Healthy Church Turnaround Read More »
It’s one of the toughest tasks in pastoral ministry. Leading an existing church through a turnaround from unhealthy to healthy. But it’s even harder when we’re trying to do so without understanding some basic principles needed for a successful turnaround to take place. Here are four common, fundamental principles that are regularly ignored or unknown
The 4 Most Overlooked Truths About Leading a Turnaround Church Read More »
Why do you want your church to turn around? There are a lot of good reasons to do so. Among them, you might want to see your church move from: Unhealthy to healthy Inward-obsessed to outward-focused Stuck in the past to excited about the future Unloving to loving Uninviting to inviting Legalistic to joyous Shallow
3 Surprising Misunderstandings About Church Turnarounds Read More »
We live in an increasingly post-denominational world. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, it’s just the way things are now. Years ago, virtually every friend I had in ministry was within my own denomination. Every program my church used came from our denominational headquarters. The idea of ministering in any significant way outside
How We Connect: The Decline of Denominations and the Rise of Size Read More »
Our church doesn’t participate in Easter Insanity any more. You know what I mean. Churches spend weeks of time and buckets of money for Easter Sunday services. Flyers go out to the neighborhood, ads runs in the “Easter ghetto” of the local newspaper (ask your parents). We hold extravagant musicals, add extra service times, perform
How to Free Yourself and Your Church from Easter Insanity Read More »
People can behave in ugly ways when we try to take the credit that should be God’s alone. This is a story of one of those times. It’s a story that might upset some people, because it airs some of our dirty laundry. (If the title hasn’t ticked you off already, that is.) But it’s also
The Day My Church Lost Hundreds of Converts – And I Learned to Be OK With It Read More »
Recruiting and keeping givers and volunteers is harder than it used to be. If I was ever tempted to tell Small Church pastors to quit whining about something, this would be it. It used to be fairly easy to get church members to commit to consistent giving and/or volunteering. Ask for a missions pledge, and
Grasshopper Myth: People Aren’t as Committed as They Used to Be Read More »
Just when you think you’re ahead of the curve, the curve moves. My parents gave me a Smith Corona typewriter when I went off to college in 1978. It was electric and portable. I was ahead of the curve. Then one day, I saw a crowd gathering outside a classroom. They were staring in amazement
Coasting is Compromise: Becoming a Proactive Small Church Read More »
Why do so many pastors not practice what we preach? Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a cynic. And I’m definitely not a pastor-basher. I have a great admiration for pastors and what they (we) do. Pastors may be the hardest-working, most undervalued members of our society. And that goes double for Small Church pastors.
Redefining Success Without Lowering Your Standards Read More »
Why do so many pastors not practice what we preach? Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a cynic. And I’m definitely not a pastor-basher. I have a great admiration for pastors and what they (we) do. Pastors may be the hardest-working, most undervalued members of our society. And that goes double for Small Church pastors.
Redefining Success Without Lowering Your Standards Read More »
