At my final worship service from the church I planted, pastored and grew for over twenty years, two of the staff members I had discipled since they started attending, walked on to the platform each carrying a five foot tall, three feet wide cardboard poster of my head. From behind these giant facial facades, […]
There are lots of things that frustrate church consultants. For me, at least lately, the biggest bang-my-head-against-a-wall issue is denominational distractions.
Let me give you a real-world example. Last summer, my denomination (Disciples of Christ) took a historical vote on who’s welcome on which side of the Lord’s Table. We’re not the first mainline denomination […]
I was on a coaching call the other day talking with a pastor of a church of around 500 people in worship. This was the largest church he had ever led and he was frustrated with what he considered to be an ineffective staff. So I asked him to describe the problem. Here’s what […]
Postmodern Children’s MinistryIvy Beckwith
A more than interesting and controversial book on how to do “soul care” of children. Controversial because the author challenges most of today’s major ministries to children and offers us a skeleton outline of what ministry to children will look like in the 21st century. Perhaps the most controversial underlying assumption […]
Hey folks, I’m going to be at Exponential West, the largest gathering of church planters in the world, and I’d love to see you there. It’s that good, and its not just for planters. For example, I’m doing a pre-conference called “Giving New Life To A Stuck Church,” and then I will do two […]
We live in a culture where church membership is a moving target. Those considering the move from guest to member may join the church for any number of reasons. Before joining any church, there are some questions a prospective member needs to ask (and answer). For instance, it’s important they feel comfortable with and […]
Schaller, Lyle E.Discontinuity and Hope: Radical Change and the Path to the F
Discontinuity and Hope: Radical Change and the Path to the Future, by Lyle E. Schaller, (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1999), 231 pages, paperback, $16.00. Obtain from Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN 800-251-3320.
This book just joined my list of the top ten books of […]
One of my coaching clients called me the other day and asked if I’d read an article by Jonathan Aigner about the end of contemporary worship. I confessed I hadn’t. This particular coaching client is a church planter and the core congregation she’s working with are predominantly life-long mainliners who were raised in church back […]
During my 50 years of ministry (Yes, 50. That’s not a typo.), I’ve become convinced that most churches don’t put much value on soul. And that saddens me.
Why do I say this?
Far too often, more than anything else, money defines a person or organization. The old saying “show me your pocket book and I’ll […]
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