UMC Portal Report
My tribe just conducted a survey of 36,000 United Methodist Churches (UMCs) only to find what many of us have been teaching for over two decades. Here is a quote from the report from the UM Portal survey. “United Methodist congregations that are thriving have a few things in common—whether large or small, urban or […]
Responding to First-Time Visitors
There is an old myth that says it is best if lay people make the first call to first-time visitors. Well, that’s just what it is – a myth. Up until a church reaches 500 or 600 in worship, it should be the pastor. Many effective pastors like Adam Hamilton and yours truly made sure to […]
Why the Pastor Should Know What People Give
Recently I have been asked by a couple of people why a pastor should know what everyone gives. As one person said, “Doesn’t that cause you to play favorites?” It just so happened that the next day I was asked to read the galleys of J. Clif Christopher’s new book, titled Whose Offering Plate is It? This is […]
Heads Up about The Nines
This is a heads-up about a great event coming up on September 9 called The Nines. This is its second year. The only change is that every video will be under 6 minutes and they will be from some of the best church leaders in the country – and yes, I am one of the speakers. […]
Leadership Multiplication
I’m constantly asked what it takes to raise up more leaders or, to put it biblically, to make more mature disciples. And that’s good because leadership and discipleship multiplication are some of the most important ministries church leaders can undertake. So I’m going to brush stroke the basics of a leadership culture. If you want to […]
Six signs of a Spiritually Dead Church
For much of the past three decades, denominational officials have been promoting seminars and programs aimed at revitalizing the church. I know because I have been the speaker or consultant to many of these groups. For many of these leaders, their goal was to breathe new life into churches experiencing declining memberships and lack of […]