Those who’ve read any of my church renewal/small group books or who are familiar with my work with Easum, Bandy & Tenny-Brittian know that when I speak about DNA, I mean the six strands that answer the question “Who is this congregation?” A congregation’s DNA can be found in every part of the local […]
I recently completed teaching a college course on Evangelism In Your Context. I had students from all over (east of the Rockies) and a good time was had by all. The majority of the students were either pastors or staff members of churches and the sheer number of Ahas! was gratifying. Perhaps the most […]
Okay, over the years I’ve visited a LOT of churches. Lots of them. And I can’t help it, but when I visit, my consultant hat is always part of my couture. Normally this doesn’t cause me a lot of consternation … sadly, my expectations for most churches is pretty low. My hopes are high, […]
We’re celebrating T-B Day today, although the real date is August 21. T-B Day is the anniversary of the day the adoption for my three youngest children – Katrina, Shannon, and James (AKA Britt) – became final. It’s a special day in our lives and we always try to have a grand time. We’re […]
You may have noticed there’s a recession … or at least some sort of a downturn in the economy. The price of gas is up. The price of utilities is up, and they say it’s going to get worse. The price of food is up. And with all of that, giving isn’t all that […]
I’ve been working with churches and pastors now for more than two decades. During that time I’ve come to know a lot of churches and a lot of pastors. Recently, though, I’ve come to the conclusion that when a church is “looking” to call a pastor, or if a judicatory is looking for a […]
A couple posts back, I wrote a piece on the PS2 UTube video on training fleas and related it to the church. I spend most of my church consulting hours working with churches that have been banging their heads on an imaginary lid that has kept them stuck at some level. I was working […]
A week or so ago, my wife and I attended the World Convention of the Christian Church in Nashville, TN. It was a nice convention and we enjoyed Nashville. One evening we decided we wanted to eat something other than Tennessee barbecue, so we stopped in at the Stoney River restaurant.
It was a great […]
Stress and conflict will be inevitable, so wise leaders clarify in advance what they will, or will not, stake their life on. Your clarity can determine which issues will be negotiable and which decisions will be non-negotiable. Where will you stake “the parsonage and pension plan” … your life and career … and where […]