Children in Adult-Targeted Worship – A Response
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 will […]
The Difficulty of Making a Dream Come True
Over the 25 years that I’ve been a consultant and coach, I’ve noticed that one of the hardest actions facing a pastor is taking a dream and turning it into reality. Most pastors enter ministry dreaming about making a difference in people’s lives or changing the world or simply being part of a thriving church. […]
With Whose Reality are You Living?
But wait, pause, think for a moment before you answer that question with “Well, of course, with my own.” Many, many years ago one of my mentors was pastoring a very conflicted congregation in which several members had no filters when it came to telling him about how things ought to be and how they […]
The Fallacy of Outward-Focused Ministry
Whether we call it “Social Justice,” Social Action,” or “Mission-oriented” ministry, too many congregations are wearing themselves out and, worse, missioning themselves out of existence. What we need to do is find how we can start focusing our outward-focused ministries inside. I know, I know: we talk all the time about the dangers of navel-gazing […]
Creative and Effective Sermon Titles
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 of […]
The Three Most Important Rooms in a Church
I tell churches all the time that the three most important rooms in a church building are the worship center, restrooms, and nursery. Most churches don’t understand the importance of these rooms. How do I know this? By simply looking at the way most churches take care of these three rooms. In far too many […]