As church leaders there are a few holidays that must be observed faithfully and treated with the utmost respect they deserve. There is Christmas, the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Then there is Easter, the day we recognize Jesus’ resurrection three days after being crucified. These are momentous […]
From a participant on the Advanced forum (To join click here
Dear Forum Colleagues:
At Trinity Lutheran Church in west suburban St. Louis (Track 1), we are coming to the climax of the “visioning” or DNA formation process. We have our Core Values and Bedrock Beliefs solidly in place. In fact, they helped us weather a […]
One of the things The Effective Church has been known for is our attempts to take a peek into what the future might hold. Bill Easum was a master of the art and, as time has shown, he was right more often than he was wrong (okay, to be fair, mega churches are still […]
In my last blog post I addressed the story of a woman in Old Testament times by the name of Naomi who through her encouraging ministry secured a prosperous life for her daughter in law Ruth. Despite some of life’s most difficult circumstances, Godly leaders are able to help encourage others to achieve great […]
Break Out of Program “Silos”
By: Tom Bandy
Most church staff leaders find themselves trapped in management roles for programs. Growing churches break their staff out of management by deploying them at the “intersections” of the disciple-making process. In other words, their job is not to manage programs but develop leaders. They prioritize one-to-one time with […]
I was recently asked what advice I’d give to a pastor getting ready to start a new transformation effort in a small church that’s been in decline for years. Here are the top 10 things I recommended.
Hand off everything you possibly can. Hand off regular hospital visitation, shut-in visitation, member care, etc. Instead, […]
We live in a world that is torn apart by discord between nations, between political parties, between and within churches, within families… As a follower of Jesus, I look to find how God wants me to speak to and live in the world. I submit five ways for you to consider as you seek […]
Over the years, I’ve come to understand that when we talk about making plans in the church, we may not be speaking the same language. What I call mission may or may not be what you call mission. And the same goes for vision, strategies, tactics, and goals. the definitions for these terms are […]
“But that’s not fair!”
These are words I expect to hear from my young grandchildren … not words I expect to hear from adults, let alone mature Christians. But I hear them nonetheless.
“We can’t appoint Frank to an elder’s position … he doesn’t participate in any adult faith formation groups.”
“But that’s not fair …”
“We have […]
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