Why New Plants Start Declining Early
I’m working with a church established in the 1990s that grew up to 200 the year it moved into its permanent building in the late 90’s. Then it began to decline and has been declining every year since and is now down in the low 100’s. We see this kind of decline often in new […]
Why Churches Don’t Break the 200 Barrier
Earlier I blogged about what it takes to grow a church from 0-500. Now here are my thoughts about why churches fail to break the 200 in worship barrier. The church loses its focus on evangelism and turns inward on itself The laity starts running the church instead of inviting their networks. The pastor does not respond personally to […]
Rethink Church
It just may be that my ranting for the past 20 years or more is finally paying off. Parts of the recent Rethink Church campaign of the UMC shows signs of a biblical understanding of the role of the church. What I like about it are the words they use Their focus on the Great Commission […]
Growing a Church from 500-900
I’m constantly asked about the keys to moving through the various barriers churches face. Over the years I compiled my list. Since this post was lost in the transfer of our site, I’m reposting it. Staff becomes far more essential to the journey. Pastor has to hone his or her hiring skills. All staff has […]
Three Great Books this Summer
My reading this summer hasn’t produced a lot of excellent books, but it has produced three excellent books that are worth purchasing. Perhaps the best book of this summer and perhaps this year is The Age of the Unthinkable, By Joshua Cooper Ramo If you’re ready to stretch your brain and learn from a wide […]
The Future of Church Consulting
I began consulting with churches part time in 1987. I’ve been a full time consultant to churches since 1990. My consulting firm, 21st Century Strategies, Inc. has been around for twenty-two years. So I’ve had time to see a lot of changes in church consulting over the years- some good and some not so good. […]