Long Pastoral Tenures Are Best
History has shown that long-term pastoral tenures are better than short-term tenures because they produce more effective churches. By long-term we mean 20+ years. Yet the average pastoral tenure is only between four and five years. So what needs to happen so that we have more long-term tenures of over 20+ years? Bloom Where […]
Try This for Finding Church Visitors
Last weekend, about 15% of Americans were a part of Christian worship. Â If you are a Christian leader, that should be enough to get you motivated. Many church leaders weren’t trained for what ministry looks like today. Â The bottom line: Could you use more visitors in your church? Â If so, let’s get started. Some years […]
Bad Information for a Young Pastor
Jim was right out of seminary and into his third year as pastor of his first church. He had worked hard all three years, but the church didn’t grow. In fact, if anything, it was smaller than when he arrived. His frustration level was high. I ran into Jim at a seminar I was doing […]
Bad Information for a Young Pastor
Jim was right out of seminary and into his third year as pastor of his first church. He had worked hard all three years, but the church didn’t grow. In fact, if anything, it was smaller than when he arrived. His frustration level was high. I ran into Jim at a seminar I was doing […]
Turning a Church Around
I will never forget that day. It was my first Sunday at a church that only five years earlier ran 249 in worship. But as I stood to teach I was greeted by only 37 people. You read that correctly. In five years the church declined from 249 to 37 people. I later found out […]
The Biggest Lesson I Ever Learned
One of the best things about getting older is the lessons learned along the way. Let me share the biggest lesson I learned. It’s so simple but it’s what makes life exciting and productive. Here it is: “The more you risk, the greater the possible return.” I’m convinced that the main reason so many churches are […]