Living in a Wildcard World
The world I was born into was a world of probabilities. You could predict with some certainty the direction the world was heading. Today you can’t because of probabilities our world is filled with wildcards. What’s a wildcard? Here’s a quick list: Terrorism Global warming Extreme global climate change Nuclear war U.S. decline as a […]
What Does Your Newsletter Really Say?
I get to see a lot of church newsletters pretty regularly. Some come by email, some with a stamp, but what they all have in common is that I get them. Since I’m not a member of most of these churches, I have to surmise that I’m not the only non-member who’s getting their news. […]
My Blog: Now You See It; Now You Don’t
For some reason recent articles on my blog have disappeared. I know that because several of you have emailed me asking where to find certain posts that are no longer on the blog. We had a worm in the transferring of our servers from one location to another so we guess that is what happened. […]
Growing a Church from 0 to 500 in Worship
1. The pastor never loses focus on evangelism. 2. The pastor responds personally to every signed in visitor. 3. The pastor hands–off as many ministries as possible and as soon as possible. 4. The pastor learns how to hire, grow, and fire staff the first of which is a worship pastor. Up till 500 it […]
Two Types of Thriving Churches Emerging
Two Types of Thriving Churches Emerging Over the past few years I’ve noticed a growing trend amoung thriving churches- they are either simple or Permission-Giving. Let me give two examples of what I am seeing a lot these days. Bay Area Fellowship in Corpus Christi, Tx is an example of a simple church. It focuses […]
Robert Withnow, After Heaven
Wuthnow, Robert After Heaven: Spirituality in America Since the 1950’s (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1998), 290 pages, hardcover, $29.95. Obtain from University of California Press, 510-642-4999. Wuthnow chronicles the changing pattern of spirituality in the U.S. that began in the 1950’s and was nurtured in the 1960’s. He sees two very different forms […]