You probably hear it as often as I do. “Trying to get them organized is like herding cats.” Whether it’s being applied to the stewardship committee, the congregational council, or the local minister’s alliance, it’s an apt simile whenever you come across a pack of individuals who are more interested in getting what they […]
A study by the Wall Street Journal discovered that larger corporations with smaller boards outperformed their counterparts with larger boards by a significant margin. In fact, as few as 3-5 extra people made a difference in profit margins by up to 18 percent.
Churches of every size have similar issues. The larger the board, the less efficient […]
“Good morning, Mrs. Dalton. Do you have a seating preference?”
“Oh, Sheila, you ask me every week. You know I always sit in the same place.”
The usher smiled. “Yes, but you never know!” Then she turned to a couple who was just then coming through the door. “Good morning! Do you have a seating preference?”
“Well, we […]
It’s almost nominating time, and with nominations come the reconstitution of teams. But will they just do business as usual, or will they make a serious difference in your congregation? Much depends on what happens at their very first meeting.
When a team comes together for the first time, typically the pecking order gets quickly […]
I live in Missouri, but I’m a Seattle-ite at heart. One of the big cultural differences between the two is their attitude toward recycling. I’m used to looking at every piece of trash and doing the gymnastics to see if there’s a new use for it. Failing that, I move on to deciding which […]
I hate writing this kind of blog post. Refuting someone else’s well-thought out opinions isn’t in my DNA. But the article “Sunday Schooling Our Kids out of Church” has been gaining some traction in mainline circles and I’m compelled to counter because if the conclusions it offers are taken seriously, the current declines in church […]
I think I’ve convinced myself that the most difficult sermon preparation task (and one of the most important) is coming up with great sermon titles (and sermon series titles). Your sermon’s title is of critical importance if you’re depending on word of mouth marketing, using your outdoor church announcement sign, or planning to run any sort […]
I’ve written posts and articles on how to grow your church… here’s a quick checklist you can use to find out why your church isn’t growing – complete with links to articles and resources to help.
Unresolved conflict
Limited or poor marketing (no one has heard of you)
No emphasis on growth programming
Congregational low self-esteem […]
I got a note the other day asking about what a bar ministry might look like. There are a couple ways that churches are doing successful bar ministries. Here are the two dominant models:
A church buys a bar and operates it as one of its outreach ministries. These bars are far from preachy […]
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