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 […]
Why Are so Many Churches Mean-Spirited?
A pastor I’m coaching asked me “Why are there so many dysfunctional, mean-spirited people in the church?” His question is well founded. There are more dysfunctional churches in the U.S. than there are healthy churches. I would guess the percentage of unhealthy churches approaches 60% of all churches. And the smaller the church is, the […]
Charleston: Another Reason to Believe in Christ
On Sunday, we witnessed a glowing example of what faith in Christ can do to a person, family, and city. Following the killing of nine people in the Mother Emmanuel AME Church, including the pastor, Chuck Todd of “Meet the Press” did an interview with the family of the slain Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr. The […]