Make This Father’s Day Service Special

Let’s face it, Father’s Day is the Rodney Dangerfield of holidays. It’s the, “I get-no-respect” little brother to Mother’s Day. Interestingly, the American version of Father’s Day was first proposed in 1909 by a grateful daughter, Sonora Smart Dodd. Her father, a Civil War veteran, singlehandedly raised six children after his wife died in […]

A Hail Mary Strategy for Turnaround

The average church in the U.S. has fewer than a hundred in worship. Churches with fewer than 50 people in worship make up 40% of all churches in the U.S. The average age in these churches with fewer than 50 people in worship is over 65. Add to that the fact that less than 2% of these […]

Leadership Roles

Confusion frequently abounds regarding the functional role of the official Leadership Team of the congregation. Congregations and leaders themselves seldom seriously consider the diversity of expectations surrounding the roles of church leadership. Think about the different perspectives present within a congregation regarding how leaders, whether that be the elders, council, pastor, session, board, or […]

Eating Crow Over Mega Church

Bill Easum

I may have to eat some serious crow.

Several years ago I made the observation that we were entering a time when the rise of mega churches would begin to decline.  I have to back off of that observation. The picture is shaping up quit differently than I thought it would.  The mega church […]

Heresy Today and How to Respond

I was just getting ready to do a blog on the comparison of heresy in the first few centuries to that of today since today is so much like the 1st century, when I received a post from one of the members (Anne) of our Advanced Leadership Forum asking if our group had seen […]

National Outreach Convention

Since you’re one of my network and regular readers, I wanted to remind you about the National Outreach Convention in November in San Diego. It is one of the largest gatherings each year, with a single focus – how do we reach more with the message of the gospel? Now more than ever, outreach is a critical […]

Six Steps for Effective Follow Up on Easter Guests

Here are six steps to effectively follow up with Easter guests.

*Acknowledge your guest’s presence. Be sure to take time during the service to publicly acknowledge that there are guests in the service. Pointing out to your guests (in a non-threatening way) that you know they are with you is the start of effective follow […]

Five Syndromes of Staff

by Milton Lewis, Senior Pastor, Northern Hills Church San Antonio TX

syndrome n.   1. A group of signs and symptoms that collectively indicate or characterize a disease, psychological disorder, or other abnormal condition. 2. a. A complex of symptoms indicating the existence of an undesirable condition or quality.

1. The Star Syndrome

Symptoms:
Also known as “Tony Dorsett Disease,” this syndrome is characterized […]

Staff Syndromes by Milton Lewis

From Milton Lewis, Pastor of Northern Hills in San Antonio, TX

syndrome . 1. A group of signs and symptoms that collectively indicate or characterize a disease, psychological disorder, or other abnormal condition. 2. a. A complex of symptoms indicating the existence of an undesirable condition or quality.

1. The Star Syndrome

2. The Manageable Size Syndrome

3. […]