10 Things We Wish We’d Learned in Seminary

This brief list was inspired by a blog post by Ben Reed at http://www.benreed.net/.

Once I read it, I thought I’d jot down my own top ten list and I asked Bill Easum to do the same. I found it interesting to see what we identified.

Bill T-B’s List

That today’s churches need leaders more than they […]

Turning First-Time Visitors into Returning Guests [Connections Part 1]

According to our research, it appears that in North America less than 15 percent of first time church visitors return for a second visit. I’m sure it doesn’t follow denominational lines exactly, but it appears that in mainline denominations that number actually hovers nearer to 11 percent. That means that if 100 visitors graced your […]

How to Grow a Small Church Part II

by Bill Easum

In part one of this series on How to Grow A Small Church I said the following: “You want to know the most important ingredient for growing a small church?   It’s a pastor who has one-on-one conversations with non-Christians that leads to their conversion to Christ.”  In part two I want to elaborate on […]

Four Things that Keep People Out of Your Church

I suspect no church intentionally goes about barring their doors to keep new people out, but given the poor first-time visitor numbers in most churches, it sometimes seems like that might be the case. A healthy, growing church should be seeing enough first-time visitors each week that they make up 3 percent or more […]

Why Don’t More People Attend Small Groups

By Steve Cordle

“We are committed to becoming a church of small groups.”
“Life-change happens best in small groups.”
“Everyone needs authentic community.”

These statements, and others like them, are heard often in churches around the country. Small groups have become a big deal.
Churches desiring to help members connect relationally and to grow in discipleship have turned to […]

Growing Momentum

How does a church get momentum for transformation? There are four steps to gaining momentum for church transformation.

First, in addition to preaching from the “vision lectionary” (see our EBA resources), encourage lay leaders from your team to share their stories of personal transformation in worship. The more individuals talk about how God is reshaping […]

The Four Pillars of Church Growth: A Strategic Blueprint for Transformation

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast and lunch,” says business thinker Jim Collins. But when it comes to church growth, strategy shouldn’t be left off the dinner table. Here’s how to strategically implement the four pillars—Invite, Connect, Disciple, and Send—to transform your church into a thriving community.

Invite: The Strategic Art of Outreach

Inviting isn’t just about opening […]

5 Ways to Leverage Your Church Music Ministry

Perhaps you’ve noticed, people aren’t clamoring to go to church these days.  On any given weekend, about 15% of Americans worship as Christians.  But do not despair, your church music ministry can be a great resource for contemporary evangelism.

At The Effective Church Group, we feel keenly that pastors of churches under 500 at worship […]

Why Don’t More People Attend Small Groups?

“We are committed to becoming a church of small groups.”
“Life-change happens best in small groups.”
“Everyone needs authentic community.”

These statements, and others like them, are heard often in churches around the country. Small groups have become a big deal.

Churches desiring to help members connect relationally and to grow in discipleship have turned to the small […]