The Rule of One
The other day I had an inquiry from a pastor I am coaching. Her question was “You said we need to move our 8:30 contemporary service to 9:45 because it is too early to reach young adults. But we have one family who refuses to move. What should we do?” The Rule of One answers […]
Doctrine is Ruining Christianity
In the first and second centuries, the leadership capacity of a Christian was seen in whether they had been with Jesus or had been associated with one of the original disciples rather than what they believed. What they taught or believed was overshadowed by whom they had been with. Relationship with Jesus or his disciples, […]
Who’s Your Nominating Chair?
I was reading Luke 6 this morning and was struck by verse 12: One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. This passage immediately precedes the calling of the twelve apostles and it is one of only two times the Gospels mention Jesus going […]
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Work
I received a couple of emails this weeks inquiring about an onsite consultation. They told me their sad story (and believe me, it was sad and detailed) and then asked if I could help. I gave them a quick overview of what issues I saw in what they said and then said one of our […]
The Two Things Church Offers
I am so tired of fights about church. We laud spirituality over “religion.” Face it, Christianity is a religion. Nothing wrong with religion. What’s wrong is when we get lost, when the world only sees hypocrisy and a disconnect with daily life. I was recently at a meeting where we talked about conflict in the […]
The Only Goal for Church Success
There are some churches with great vitality in our nation. That is awesome. But most of you who read this, if you happen to go to church, are a part of a congregation that struggles. Welcome to the 21st century American religious reality. It is mind boggling how quickly the spiritual climate has changed. Fifty […]