Five Things Every Practicing Church Leader Must Do

Five Things Every Practicing Church Leader Must Do

Church transformation, church planting, and church growth are all built on the same foundation. I suspect most of you reading this have a pretty good idea what that foundation is. If you said “Jesus Christ” you’d be right. Sort of. It’s absolutely true that the church is […]

Transformational Small Groups

One of the key elements of most discipleship pipelines I’ve seen is what I call “transformational small groups.” The problem is, when most people hear “small groups,” they think of Bible studies, which is far from what is meant by a transformational small group. Let’s look at the difference.

Most ineffective small groups are primarily […]

Steps to Revitalization

For the life of me I don’t understand why anyone would try to turn a church around. I did and I’m glad I did. Still, when I consider that the vast majority of pastors who try either fail or lose their job, I have to wonder why they would try… or why I tried. […]

Back To School

What is your favorite time of year? I’m not necessarily talking about climate like Spring or Summer but rather activities that are going on. As a pastor, certainly Christmas and Easter were always at the top of my list because of their significance as the birth, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. […]

His Mercies are New Every Morning

By: Jeff Patton

God’s mercies….God’s tenderness to us is known, it is all through the pages of the Bible. The life of Jesus is the example. God cares for us. Think about that. The God who created the universe and all that is in it, who made you and me, loves you! I know you […]

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 […]

On the Verge Update

Well, I finally found time to finish On the Verge by Alan Hirsch and Dave Ferguson.  So I thought I would update my earlier post.

This book is a jewel. By the title one can assume the authors sense that Western Christianity is on the verge of something big – an apostolic movement of gigantic potential for […]

Cultural Tips

In my book Ministry in Hard Times, I contrast the past world with the emerging world by contrasting the metaphors of a national park and a jungle.  The world I was born into was like a national park with lots of rules.  The world we live in today is more like a jungle with only […]

Blended Services… or Not

The following is an excerpt from our upcoming book, 21st Century Strategies for Church Growth.

One of the consistent messages we hear during onsite consultations is that the church is committed to reach those beyond the church walls. One of the realities these churches have to face is that there are a limited number of non-active […]