Pocket Numbers
Back in the days when I was involved in Toastmasters, I used to carry a “pocket speech” with me to every meeting. A pocket speech was a pre-prepared three- to five-minute speech that I could present just in case the scheduled speaker didn’t show up. Every member of our club was encouraged to have a […]
Top Five Blog Posts of 2014
2014 was a banner year for The Effective Church Group at 21st Century Strategies. We provided church leader training resources to over 44,000 church leaders this year, including: Access to over 1500 blog posts on EffectiveChurch.com Over 200 training videos on Church-Talk Over 325 issues of Net Results magazine We worked in person with over 300 pastors and […]
The Effective Church Board in Action
We often get questions about what kind of decisions an effective policy/accountability board is responsible for. Below are a couple of brief scenarios that demonstrate decision-making processes a board should and should not engage in. (These are hypothetical examples that may or may not reflect issues facing your congregation.) Note that the board’s reluctance to […]
The Secret of Christmas Hospitality
More guests will show up at worship on Christmas Eve than at any other time of the year. Â This is a prime opportunity. So how does your church showcase hospitality for Christmas Eve? Â Are you intentional in your preparation? Â It is a lot tougher to identify and connect with guests on Christmas Eve due to […]
The Six Most Powerful Accountability Words
“This won’t happen again, will it?” There shouldn’t be question mark at the end of that question, because it’s not really a question. It’s a statement that should actually end with a period. In fact, it’s a statement that says much, much more than just those six little words. I first heard those words from a […]
The Small Church
I begin with a disclaimer – I don’t believe the size of a church has any merit in the Kingdom. Neither do I believe a small church (under 200 in worship) or a large church has any advantages over the other. They both are called of God to perform the same mission … to carry out […]