Make a To Don’t List
I’m a to-do list kind of guy. I’m writing this post on my “day off” and I still have a to-do list that I’m a “slave” to. Today my to-do’s are: Write a blog post Take my wife to a movie Check customer service issues Send happy-birthdays to social media contacts Write 1+ chapter in […]
Too Many Pastors Are Wasting Their Lives: Responses
My recent article “Too Many Pastors Are Wasting Their Lives” must have hit some raw nerves. We’ve had over 16,000 hits on the blog post. Most of them were supportive, but some were downright angry, and many of them missed the point of the article. It’s amazing to me how many people hear what they want […]
Extreme Makeover
The TV show Extreme Makeover follows the stories of the lucky individuals who are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be given a truly Cinderella-like experience: a real-life fairy tale in which their wishes come true, not just by changing their looks, but their lives and destinies. This magic is conjured through the skills of an “Extreme […]
Church Planting Isn’t the Goal: Interview with Wayne Cordeiro
Wayne Cordeiro is known for effectively planting hundreds of churches over a long period of years, but in a recent interview with me he said, “I’m learning that Church planting isn’t the goal; discipleship is! Church planting is actually a byproduct of biblical discipleship.” Everyone needs to let that statement soak in. Cordeiro has shifted […]
Transformational Small Groups
One of the key elements of most discipleship pipelines I’ve seen is what I call “transformational small groups.” The problem is, when most people hear “small groups,” they think of Bible studies, which is far from what is meant by a transformational small group. Let’s look at the difference. Most ineffective small groups are primarily […]
Too Many Pastors Are Wasting Their Lives
I love pastors. I was one for thirty years. But my heart goes out to them because most of them are wasting their lives. Let me tell you why. Statistics show that some 85% of the churches in the U.S. are either on a plateau or are declining. Some of these churches can be turned around, […]