Of Coaches, Consultants, and Pooled Ignorance
It happened again recently. I was in a large group of mainline church leaders who professed their interest in church transformation. We were all milling around the room waiting for the convener to launch the meeting, and the conversation was pensive. Then the “transformational church leader” stood up, thanked us for coming, and said, “We’re […]
Why I Needed a Consultant, Twice
I think most people would say I was a good leader while pastoring. All three of my churches grew while I was there. Still, twice I needed to bring in a consultant. Lyle Schaller was the first consultant. I had been at the church for eleven or twelve years after restarting the church and some […]
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 […]