Church Abuser
“She’s at it again,” the church secretary sighed. “Yesterday she called me on the phone and laid into me about the font size we use on the bulletin. She said no one could read it and that I needed to change it by Sunday. And then this morning she called me again and apologized.” “So, […]
A Prayer for Sanity
My denomination, The United Methodist Church, has just initiated a program called “Praying Our Way Forward.” This is a denomination wide program that begins with Phase One, which is encouraging all the Bishops to agree to spend 15 minutes a day between now and mid-November. So far 84 Bishops are signed up. Now calling for […]
Missional Small Groups
One of the key elements of most discipleship pipelines I’ve seen is what I call missional small groups. The problem is, when most people hear “small groups” they think of Bible studies, which is far from what is meant by missional small groups. So let’s look at the difference. Most ineffective small groups are primarily […]
Paradigm Factors
A paradigm is a framework containing the basic assumptions, ways of thinking, and methodologies that are commonly accepted and shared by members of any discipline or group. As such paradigms determine how we interpret life. Here are some of the factors you will need to be aware of when you attempt any kind of significant […]
Does Your Church Embrace Systemic Mediocrity?
I was having a conversation with a church’s staff members the other day and mentioned that the six words church leaders should dread are, “That won’t happen again, will it?” As in, if that continues then we’re going to have to make a change by getting someone who will ensure “that” doesn’t happen again. Related: […]
The Missing Piece to Spiritual Maturity
The fall is the traditional time for many churches to do their annual stewardship drive, if they still do them. So during this time of the year churches are searching for an effective stewardship program. But we know from experience that most stewardship programs lose their effect after two or three years, so the search […]