From the Latest Net Results: Is Evangelism Dead?
Dr. Bruce Stevens reflects on a key reason many of our evangelism efforts are ineffective … and the reasons why might surprise you. (Get the newest issue of Net Results) In the Parable of the Sower (Matt 13:1–9) Jesus observed that the ground can be rock hard. Generations of preachers have concluded that the good […]
Disciple More by Leveraging What You’re Already Doing
Every week, thousands of pastors spend hours and hours creating a sermonic masterpiece that will be heard once by fewer than 60 people. Every week, tens of thousands of Sunday school classes will meet to educate and ostensibly disciple less than a dozen people. The same goes for Bible studies, small group studies, and so […]
Easter Sunday Checklist
It was over twenty-five years I walked into a tent that would revolutionize the way I would forever pastor a congregation. Soon after being called to the First Christian Church of Norwalk California, I began hearing about a church in Orange County that was doing big things. The church was Saddleback Valley Community Church and […]
Stop Sharing Your Church Newsletter with Visitors – and Other Follow-Up Gaffes
I had a rare Sunday off a couple weeks ago and decided to drop by a local church that I’d never visited. I’d discovered the church on my annual Christmas Light Tour (where I drive aimlessly through random neighborhoods looking for great light displays) and I discovered this church tucked deep inside a neighborhood I’d never driven […]
A Church OF Small Groups
Small groups are one of the most misunderstand ministries I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen them all. Most small groups are just one of many programs churches undertake in an attempt to either reach more people, keep more people, or provide a needed form of fellowship and perhaps some Bible study. And in every case […]
Too Late Warning Signs
One of the sad realities about being a church consultant is that too often, churches don’t realize they’re “in trouble” until it hits their bottom line. Their finances. It seems that no one seems to take too much notice when the congregation begins to age out. There’s an expectation that the older folks will relocate […]