Make This Father’s Day Service Special
Let’s face it, Father’s Day is the Rodney Dangerfield of holidays. It’s the, “I get-no-respect” little brother to Mother’s Day. Interestingly, the American version of Father’s Day was first proposed in 1909 by a grateful daughter, Sonora Smart Dodd. Her father, a Civil War veteran, singlehandedly raised six children after his wife died in childbirth. […]
Making Mother’s Day Special In Your Church
I saw a post on Facebook this week that reminded me of a very practical church growth principle. The image said, ’The best gift you can give your Mother for Mother’s Day is to sit with her in church.” Behind only Christmas and Easter, Mother’s Day brings the third highest attendance each year. People who […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]