I want to write about something this month that no one wants to talk openly about (people talk to me privately, as you will see later). I know some of my readers will want to de-frock me, string me up, and pour hot tar mixed with feathers all over me, but I got to […]
By Bill Easum
Whereas Easter is the most important day of the year for Christians, Christmas Eve is the most important night of the year for the unchurched and non-believer ( I’ll call them the “unconnected” from here on). I’m amazed at how many dying churches have Christmas Eve services designed mostly for their own […]
I’m sure some of my acquaintances will tell me I shouldn’t have written this article. They may be right but I feel compelled to share it because it might help someone. Isn’t that what Christians are supposed to do? I want to help anyone who has a relationship with a spouse who has had a […]
I just heard some reports that attendance at most of this year’s MLK rallies and marches was way down. While in the restroom at the hospital this week I heard a man say to another man, “I don’t understand what this Martin Luther King Day is all about. Why do we have it?”
King started […]
Dan Kimball just finished his coaching session for 21st Century Strategies. His message- We shouldnt ask people to join the church; we should ask them to join a mission. His membership class teaches what does it mean to be serving on mission. He then lays hands on every new participant who has gone through […]
The secret to church growth is that there really isn’t any mystery to growing a church. The principles and practices for how to grow a church are the same ones that have been used since the beginning of the church. The problem isn’t so much about knowing how to grow churches as it is rolling […]
This post is reprinted from friend and colleague Clif Christopher. It ran on his blog last year, but as you plan for your Christmas Eve service, be thinking about these points.
A Very Smart Church
J. Clif Christopher
Quite frequently in this newsletter I write about something that I witnessed a church do that was “stupid” (my […]
For the week of February 14, 2005
The Four Key Spaces
By: Tom Bandy
Many church leaders feel the need to evaluate their facilities, but don’t know where to start. Here is where you start. Understand effective church facilities should fit the core process of the church.
Traditional established churches rely on a core process of membership assimilation […]
For the week of January 17, 2005
From Program Manager to Transformational Leader
By: Tom Bandy
One of the hardest shifts for clergy to make is the shift from program manager to transformational leader. This is a shift from program development to leader development, or, a shift from “shepherding” to “midwifing”. The key is to develop an […]
Gallery