Learning to be an effective listener

There are two sides of the communication coin. Asking good questions is on one side of the coin, on the other is being a good listener. Effective listening will earn the trust of those you engage and will convey your respect for the other who is speaking. Everyone wants to be heard, and we […]

Find an Accountability Partner

Throughout the 30+ years I served in pastoral ministry I have witnessed too many church pastors in America lose their positions of church leadership because of financial or sexual indiscretions coming to the light of day. This long list of ministry tragedies might have been avoided had there been accountability relationships in place.

Accountability can […]

Start a New Message Series on Easter

For most churches, Easter is the best-attended Sunday of the year and many of those in attendance will be those who only attend on Christmas and Easter. Each year at this time I would ask myself what kind of series should I begin on Easter Sunday that would hopefully make everyone present make spiritual […]

Say NO to what will not grow your church.

If your church, through the vision God has given you to serve is beginning to effectively grow, you will inevitably be approached by leaders within your denomination or community to serve in some capacity.

Local civic organizations like Kiwanis, Lions Club or Rotary are good groups to help you connect with other community leaders.  Being […]

Meet Ray

Ray is twenty-seven years old and works in IT at the local university. He’s been married for three years and he and Jessica just had a baby girl a couple of months ago. Life is pretty good for Ray and Jessica. They own their home – well, the bank owns it, but they bought […]

What Do You Say After “Hello”?

As a church pastor, training your hospitality team to hone their greeting and engagement skills will help grow your congregation. Seeing that your guests are warmly welcomed by many of your members and engaged in conversation by a few will help bring back your first time visitors by treating them as V.I.P. guests.

We trained […]

Your First Impression Greeters

This is Part Two of a Three Part series on effective hospitality. (Part 1)

Help your greeting team to understand the importance of the first impression that they make on your guests. These non-paid ministers on your greeting team are at the heart of your church’s growth. Invest time in training them to offer appropriate […]

Welcoming Your Guests (Part 1)

Every church thinks they are the friendliest church in town.

If your church is like the one I last pastored, it still uses a “Welcome” time in the service.” In this part of the service the expectation is that the people stand and greet those around them. This usually involves people tossing a quick […]

Be a Mentor and Be Mentored

The word “mentor” is defined as “a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.” Throughout my over 30 years of pastoral ministry, I have had many trusted teachers who have counseled me, encouraged me, corrected me and redirected when I had made some poor decisions. In similar fashion I have made it a point […]