All of us know that 80% of the churches in the U.S. are either in decline or on a plateau, with the congregation getting older each year. This trend has been going on since the mid 1960’s in every denomination with nothing in site to suggest it will change. At this pace traditional Christianity […]
The Sunday morning worship service – it’s a cornerstone of church life, yet it’s a real juggling act. Trying to keep a multigenerational congregation engaged is no small feat. It’s like preparing a banquet for a room full of people, each with their own unique tastes and dietary restrictions. So, how do we create […]
Valentine Day is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. For many people it is merely a time to exchange cards, and if a guy is especially smart he gets flowers for his girl or lady. The practice began in the 6th century and continues to this day. […]
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 […]
The other day I got a Twitter question from Phil Longmire, a church planter in Richmond, TX. We were talking about church planting priorities and I was saying how important it is for planters to be out of the office, away from the computer, and out in the public’s eye. So he Tweeted me […]
I got an email from a faithful blog reader last week who mentioned I did a good job pointing out the shortcomings of the church, but that there wasn’t much there in terms of what a healthy, functional, faithful, effective congregation looks like. The fact is, it’s a lot easier to find fault with […]
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 […]
My tribe just conducted a survey of 36,000 United Methodist Churches (UMCs) only to find what many of us have been teaching for over two decades. Here is a quote from the report from the UM Portal survey.
“United Methodist congregations that are thriving have a few things in common—whether large or small, urban or […]
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 […]
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