Conversations You Can’t Ignore
Over the next few days I will be exploring some of the key conversations occurring within Western Christianity. The Morphing Protestant Scene We all know our world has radically changed over the past few decades. I first wrote about this change in 1993 in my book Dancing with Dinosaurs[i]. In my book, I described the change as […]
Hospitality Is the Key
These are four of the most important questions you and your staff should be asking when it comes to visitor retention. What happens when a new person visits your church? Are they greeted in the parking lot, at the door, and at the information desk? What happens with the new person the week after their […]
For Long-Tenured Pastors
Anyone who has stayed at a growing church for more than 15 years knows that several things are inevitable. Sooner or later you will hit burnout. I did my 10th year. It was so severe that I told my board I wanted to quit. Instead they sent me off for a three-month sabbatical. It was […]
The Summer Express: What I’ve Learned from Locomotion
It’s always bothered me to spend months busting my backside to get an effective ministry launched in September/October only to have it roll to a virtual stop by mid-June. Sure, there are lots of excuses for the “summer slump,” but it turns out that most of these slumps happen because churches don’t just get “ready” […]
Summer Slump is Coming
The “summer slump” that many declining churches experience is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Most declining churches actually take actions that lead to a summer slump: they combine worship services and the choir takes the summer off. No wonder church attendance is down in the summer. Ever wonder what would happen if your church was a year-round […]
Do You Measure Up?
How you measure up as a leader is largely determined by what it is you measure. It turns out, one of the differences between an average leader and a great leader can be found by looking at what they put on their spreadsheets. Actually, that’s a bit misleading. Most of the important measurements don’t actually fit […]