Two More Weeks!
By Jeff Patton I heard it again today. Dramatic turnaround in congregations occurs about two weeks after you have decided to throw in the towel. Two weeks. Two weeks. I remember years ago when that was true for me. I was stymied by the controllers who were hindering every new project, each new idea being […]
When You Need a Church Consultant
By: Jeff Patton I often wonder why would any pastor or congregation ever think about inviting a church consultant to their congregation. In my travels I am often asked by people on the airplane what a do for a living. Most are usually amazed that this vocation exists. Some are simply dumbfounded, “you mean churches even […]
Breaking the barriers
Every church has natural barriers through which it must pass as it grows. The numbers go something like this (all refer to worship attendance) 200, 500, 900, 3,000 and up. These barriers are not hard and fast numbers, only approximate numbers. In other words you may have to grow to 500 to be totally free […]
Email Issue
One of the things I’ve noticed with many people sending emails is they don’t sign it with their name. Now this isn’t a problem if you do no receive many emails a day. But if you are in the thick of things and you get an email your do not recognize and the person acts […]
Older Adult Ministries
Did you know that there are more people over the age of 65 than under the age of 18 in the U.S.? Did you know that 50% of older Americans have no religious affiliation? Did you know in 1900 the average life expectancy for Americans was 47 and today it is 77? Did you know […]
Teaching Your Parish to Pray
Most Christians learn to pray from two sources. First, those who were raised by Christian parents may have learned from them. Sadly, many Christian parents simply don’t have a good handle on prayer themselves, so after their children memorized “God is great, God is good” and “Jesus tender, Shepherd hear me, bless this little lamb […]