When You Need a Church Consultant
By: Jeff Patton I often wonder why would any pastor or congregation ever think about inviting a church consultant to their congregation. In my travels I am often asked by people on the airplane what a do for a living. Most are usually amazed that this vocation exists. Some are simply dumbfounded, “you mean churches even […]
Matthew Parties: A Small Group Growth Tip
The Matthew Party is one of the small group’s best multiplication tools. Matthew Parties are named for the party Matthew threw for his tax-collector friends on the evening he met Jesus. Matthew held this party so his friends could meet the Lord in a safe, hospitable setting (Mark 2:14–17). The Matthew Party at a small […]
Breaking the barriers
Every church has natural barriers through which it must pass as it grows. The numbers go something like this (all refer to worship attendance) 200, 500, 900, 3,000 and up. These barriers are not hard and fast numbers, only approximate numbers. In other words you may have to grow to 500 to be totally free […]
Email Issue
One of the things I’ve noticed with many people sending emails is they don’t sign it with their name. Now this isn’t a problem if you do no receive many emails a day. But if you are in the thick of things and you get an email your do not recognize and the person acts […]
Older Adult Ministries
Did you know that there are more people over the age of 65 than under the age of 18 in the U.S.? Did you know that 50% of older Americans have no religious affiliation? Did you know in 1900 the average life expectancy for Americans was 47 and today it is 77? Did you know […]
What Small Groups Can Learn from the House Church Movement
If nominations were solicited for a single word that best described the North American house church and home fellowship movement, “potential” might be the one in the sealed envelope. David Garrison who has studied global church planting movements suggests that house church planting is one of the key factors for the growth of global Christianity. […]