A New Scorecard for Churches in Any Age

Scorecards are valuable in any game because they tell you whether or not you’re winning. If it is important to know if you’re winning in a game, how much more important is it to know if you are “winning” as a church? It eternally matters!

I’m one of those people who believes that if you […]

Is the Church of Yesterday Really the Church of Tomorrow?

Maybe it’s the circles I’m hanging with lately, but suddenly there’s a jump in the interest on house church. Bill Easum’s article in On Track (the 21st Century Strategies monthly E-zine) reviewed Frank Viola’s Reimagining the Church because of “the importance of the book.” And I agree, it’s an important book, just as Viola’s […]

Don’t Let Your Bullies (or Terrorists) Get the Upper Hand

Too many church leaders put up with nonsense from poorly behaved people in their churches. I’m not talking about non-believers who haven’t yet found their way into the kingdom. And I don’t mean new-born Christians who have just taken their few steps as followers of Jesus. I’m talking about people who know better. People […]

Christmas Ideas

It’s not too early to begin thinking about what you’re going to do to capitalize on the pagan holiday known as Christmas. Yes, you heard me correctly – Christmas is a pagan holiday. But contrary to what you might think, its status as a pagan holiday makes it an even more valuable evangelism tool than you […]

Who’s Your Nominating Chair?

I was reading Luke 6 this morning and was struck by verse 12:
One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
This passage immediately precedes the calling of the twelve apostles and it is one of only two times the Gospels mention Jesus going away […]

Taking Hospitality from Good to Great

What is church hospitality?  Is it unique from other hospitality?  What about the rather significant emphasis on hospitality in the Bible?  Let’s be honest, most churches are fortunate to have good hospitality, not great.  Okay, most congregations have poor hospitality when it comes to loving the stranger, the first time guest.

For me, the pivotal […]

How to Increase and Respond to First-Time Visitors

We’re constantly looking for ways to increase the number of first-timers coming to church and to encourage the congregation to invite their friends.  Here are four goodies.

 

At the end of worship, take a moment to say, “Let’s take a moment to center our thoughts on who we can invite to church next Sunday.”
[…]

Was Your Father’s Day Service Special?

Let’s face it, guys. 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 […]

Reality Check

Truth be known, most church leaders don’t hit the Church Growth Panic Button until the money hits the fan. At the moment it becomes clear that the endowments aren’t going to last forever and the only remaining line item in the budget left to slash is the part-time salary of the beloved eighty-two year […]