The Failure of Recycling Christians
I live in Missouri, but I’m a Seattle-ite at heart. One of the big cultural differences between the two is their attitude toward recycling. I’m used to looking at every piece of trash and doing the gymnastics to see if there’s a new use for it. Failing that, I move on to deciding which recycling […]
Children in Adult-Targeted Worship – A Response
I hate writing this kind of blog post. Refuting someone else’s well-thought out opinions isn’t in my DNA. But the article “Sunday Schooling Our Kids out of Church” has been gaining some traction in mainline circles and I’m compelled to counter because if the conclusions it offers are taken seriously, the current declines in church will […]
The Three Most Important Rooms in a Church
I tell churches all the time that the three most important rooms in a church building are the worship center, restrooms, and nursery. Most churches don’t understand the importance of these rooms. How do I know this? By simply looking at the way most churches take care of these three rooms. In far too many […]
An Effective Bar Ministry
I got a note the other day asking about what a bar ministry might look like. There are a couple ways that churches are doing successful bar ministries. Here are the two dominant models: A church buys a bar and operates it as one of its outreach ministries. These bars are far from preachy and […]
Why Your Church Won’t Be the Exception
I just returned from a church growth training event at a local church where we reviewed and evaluated their vision. Their vision statement was a bit wordy, but overall it got high marks. However, this question arose from some of the members: “What about those in the congregation who don’t support the vision… those who don’t […]
Hiring and Firing Staff
Today, I had a conversation with one of the church planters I’m coaching. During the coaching call he asked me, “What are some ways to help staff be more productive?” I made several suggestions and then I told him that his question is not the most important question on this subject. The more important question […]