George Barna recently came out with a poll reporting that the majority of Christians don’t believe in either Satan or the Holy Spirit. Since then, I have received a small mountain of emails with Christian leaders crying “Where did the church go wrong?” I suppose these questions probably deserve and answer, but I’m not […]
Without apologies, I’m a bit of a Trek fan … both the bicycle kind and the sci-fi kind. Most of the time I indulge my Trekness for pure fun and escape; however, I’m a believer that if you keep your eyes open there’s something to be learned in and from almost everything.
And so, it […]
The other day I wrote a blog on preaching memorable, life changing sermons that drew a slew of controversy. It wasn’t about the preaching that was at odds, but a passing statement I made on my way to teaching how to make a sermon life changing. That statement was this:
One might have thought I’d […]
These verses, 6 and 15, frame a directive of what to do with those who are literally busybodies, people who have nothing better to do than make trouble. Apparently, the Thessalonian church had as high of a mercy gift as churches today. They were tolerating bad behaviors from their members and Paul says, “Stop it!”
There […]
As each New Year approaches, I take a day to get away to pray and ask God to put on my heart a Biblical verse that is to be my personal scripture verse of the year. I memorize it, meditate on it, preach on it, and seek to live it out in practice throughout […]
When I get called in as a consultant to work with stuck, plateaued, or declining churches I have a couple of things I look for right off the bat. In the vast majority of the cases I discover that their inability to grow, let alone sustain, their membership is caused by one of six […]
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 […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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