I just finished watching an episode of the new TV show Public Morals. The show is about the gangster world of the 1960’s in New York and how all the cops were on the take. Before saying any more, I want to quickly add that I don’t recommend this show to anyone. But I […]
A couple of days ago a longtime pastor friend of mine asked if I would re run an article I did several years ago. So here goes.
Too many of the pastors I meet these days look like they just stuck their finger in a light socket. They appear frazzled, dazed, and downright worn out. […]
For the week of February 07, 2005
Training
By: Tom Bandy
In most Congregational Mission Assessments, the most common failure in the system story of a growing, out-of-the-box church is that they are not rigorous and intentional enough training leaders. Perhaps they are too hasty to develop programs for increasing numbers of people; or perhaps they assume […]
Here are our reasons for believing that multiple site ministries will be one of the driving forces of the 21st century.
1. Many established churches are starting to grow when they get a young pastor with fire and they don’t have enough land to grow. Moving is too costly emotionally for the older crowd, so […]
Carol joined the church a month ago. She’d been attending worship for several weeks and liked what she heard and what she experienced. She’d even made a new friend or two. Joining the church seemed like a good thing to do.
But that was last month. Carol still liked worship, but she was a […]
…into congregations helping them to attract, connect and develop new members. In new church plants and turnaround settings, Kyle has poured his creative ideas, practical experiences and encouraging words into…
The Deepest Challenge
By: Tom Bandy
Behind and underneath all the other resistance or anxiety about change and growth, leaders have discovered the root cause of decline and plateau in the church. The real question is:
“With my (our) first breath and last penny, will it be “me” or “mission”?
This is true both for established churches and […]
I became a Methodist because I read John Wesley during one of my desert periods. As a result I decided to join the United Methodist Church. But over the years I’ve learned that United Methodists aren’t very Methodist, at least not by Wesley’s standards. We aren’t vile enough. Let me explain.
When Whitefield invited Wesley […]
There are two ways to approach a new calling to a declining church. (1) Start slowly, build relationships, get the lay of the land, and then slowly effect changes. Ready, Aim, Fire. Or (2) Assess quickly, make changes, and then make adjustments. Ready, Fire, Aim.
The first method is the most common approach in ministry. […]
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