Trying to Break the 1,000 Barrier?
More and more churches are asking me how to break the barrier of 1,000 in worship. At present, I’m coaching 14 such churches. Here are a handful of the basic questions I ask the pastor to consider. Have you indentified your three or four key staff who will become the coaches of leaders? What systems do you […]
Key Questions for Our Time
In 2000, I prepared a presentation for the Society for Church Growth in which I asked what I then considered to be some of the key questions of our time. In looking back over these questions I find they are still the key questions with which Western Christianity is wrestling. You be the judge if they […]
Email: Friend or Foe
One of my most common ongoing battles with congregational leaders I work with is the effective use of emails/Facebook messages, etc. The age of less-is-more, microwaves, and 140-character communication hasn’t just arrived; it’s made itself at home in the church. And though it might be rather convenient, I’m seeing an alarming rise in misunderstandings and […]
How Good Is Your “To Be” List?
Over the years I have taught that it is more important to have a “to be” list than a “to do” list. A “to be” list is a list of people you are mentoring to be more than they are at the moment. I’ve found that it is best to keep the list to 10 […]
Your Investment Portfolio
Take the next couple of minutes and peruse your investment portfolio. How are things going? Is your stock going up or down, or is it stagnant? In your whole portfolio, which is the most important investment you’re making? Oh, wait. I’ll bet you’re thinking I’m talking about Dow Jones and the S&P 500. Nope. I’m […]
UMC Portal Report
My tribe just conducted a survey of 36,000 United Methodist Churches (UMCs) only to find what many of us have been teaching for over two decades. Here is a quote from the report from the UM Portal survey. “United Methodist congregations that are thriving have a few things in common—whether large or small, urban or […]