Jim was right out of seminary and into his third year as pastor of his first church. He had worked hard all three years, but the church didn’t grow. In fact, if anything, it was smaller than when he arrived. His frustration level was high.
I ran into Jim at a seminar I was doing […]
We all know 85% of churches in the West are in decline, so I wont go into that other than to say I know the cause for this decline.[1]
The basic problem with Western Christianity rests on a misunderstanding of the Church Growth movement and the liberalization of the Western Church. Let me explain.
The Church […]
During my years of pastoral ministry I learned two very helpful tactics to raise needed funds. Keep in mind this tip is not for churches that have taught tithing for years and tie tithing to membership. But if you are still doing a year stewardship drive, then these two tips might bring in some […]
On the Leader Sharing Doubt
by Bill Easum
No one is ever totally beyond doubt. The issue with me is how much doubt can a leader share with the people and still be the leader. I have found it is easier to share doubt about issues than about one’s faith and still be able to effectively […]
I led my first person to Christ in 1956 on a street corner in Austin Texas. I was seventeen and on fire. I used the Four Spiritual Laws and asked him to let Christ into his heart and behold he was a new person. I met the person years later and he was still […]
A pastor I’m coaching asked me “Why are there so many dysfunctional, mean-spirited people in the church?” His question is well founded. There are more dysfunctional churches in the U.S. than there are healthy churches. I would guess the percentage of unhealthy churches approaches 60% of all churches. And the smaller the church is, […]
Although the nation isn’t quite shut down during this national health crisis, it looks like it’s slowly grinding to a near-halt. So far, churches still seem to have a choice about meeting live and in person or not, but it’s pretty clear there’s a lot of social pressure from both outside and inside the […]
The average Christian’s understanding of discipleship is incredibly inaccurate. Most Christians tend to think of it as something you learn from a course. But nothing could be further from the truth. Let me explain.
I’m a United Methodist. We have a program called Disciple Bible. The program was designed by a member of my staff, […]
We need a new understanding of what it means to be a disciple. I have goofed in the past trying to define a disciple by describing the attributes. But a much better way exists.
A disciple is two things ‚ a student and an apprentice of Jesus. The student studies Jesus to be knowledgeable about […]
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