The Success Factor
When it comes to church leadership, there seems to be a word that sends more shivers of horror down their spines than the combination of Stephen King, M. Night Shyamalan, and Boris Karloff could ever pull off. Indeed, this word evokes a fear is so insidious that it’s paralyzing and many church leaders run for […]
Diversity
Diversity is a loaded word in the church … especially in the Mainline. A church that can claim to embrace diversity immediately gets warm smiles from judicatory officials and others “in the know.” Indeed, diversity is seen by many, if not most, to be one of the most desirable characteristics of a faithful church. Whether […]
The Effective Mission Statement
A mission statement is the rudder that points the ship in the direction it’s called to go, and therefore must be sure, strong, and clear so that there is no doubt by anyone where the ship is going. The purpose (mission) of the church is to make disciples. Each church must wrestle with its setting […]
The Two Deadly Sins of Omission
There are two primary mistakes church leaders make that keep their church’s DNA* from being embedded/replicated in their congregation. Both are deadly, in terms of mission focus, alignment, and excitement, and both are equal in their devastating affects. *(DNA = Mission, Values, Vision, Strategy, Beliefs, and Behaviors) The first mistake can be summed up in […]
How to Get to Know Unchurched People
Over the years, I’ve noticed there’s some significant confusion about the Great Commission. For several centuries, the church has interpreted it as “Go ye into all the world,” which of course is a translation for the more appropriate term ethnic groups (lit. ethnos). In today’s language, we would accurately say, “Go and make disciples of all […]
Seven Clues You’re On the Right Track
I had a conversation with a pastor in the midst of a church turnaround/transformation the other day. During that conversation he asked what behaviors should a church leader be looking for that would give her/him clues as to whether the congregation was effectively transforming. I thought about it and here’s my list of the top […]