Make This Father’s Day Service Special
Let’s face it, Father’s Day is the Rodney Dangerfield of holidays. It’s the, “I get-no-respect” little brother to Mother’s Day. Interestingly, the American version of Father’s Day was first proposed in 1909 by a grateful daughter, Sonora Smart Dodd. Her father, a Civil War veteran, singlehandedly raised six children after his wife died in childbirth. […]
Making Mother’s Day Special In Your Church
I saw a post on Facebook this week that reminded me of a very practical church growth principle. The image said, ’The best gift you can give your Mother for Mother’s Day is to sit with her in church.” Behind only Christmas and Easter, Mother’s Day brings the third highest attendance each year. People who […]
Disciple More by Leveraging What You’re Already Doing
Every week, thousands of pastors spend hours and hours creating a sermonic masterpiece that will be heard once by fewer than 60 people. Every week, tens of thousands of Sunday school classes will meet to educate and ostensibly disciple less than a dozen people. The same goes for Bible studies, small group studies, and so […]
Easter Sunday Checklist
It was over twenty-five years I walked into a tent that would revolutionize the way I would forever pastor a congregation. Soon after being called to the First Christian Church of Norwalk California, I began hearing about a church in Orange County that was doing big things. The church was Saddleback Valley Community Church and […]
A Church OF Small Groups
Small groups are one of the most misunderstand ministries I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen them all. Most small groups are just one of many programs churches undertake in an attempt to either reach more people, keep more people, or provide a needed form of fellowship and perhaps some Bible study. And in every case […]
Change is Hard … Even for Me
I’ve been working in the church planting and church turnaround business since I was twenty-six years old. Let’s just say that was awhile ago [my wife just whispered “A LONG while ago.”]. One might think that I’m immune from the allergy to change. But, sadly, I’m not. It was Grandparent Church Camp. Three days, two […]