I have the good fortune to be working with a mainline pastor who gets it and is working hard on the transformation process at his church. After he read my blog on my frustrations as a consultant, he wrote me an email that contains the following questions (reprinted here with his express permission).
“I was […]
As a former college basketball team chaplain, I along with most of the country, was enamored with Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt, the 98-year-old nun who serves the Loyola-Chicago basketball team as their team chaplain. She became this year’s feel-good story of the NCAA Final Four tournament. Sister Jean wearing her team’s colors would be rolled […]
Churches doing small groups as the lifeblood of the church need to consider the following key issues. To overlook any one of these is to lay the foundation for failure.
1. Leadership training must occupy a priority place in your ministry. Studies show now that leadership training is the most essential part of small group […]
One of the most disconcerting practices I find in the church is the near obsession we have with our faults and our weaknesses. I’m not sure who to blame for what amounts to bad theology, but it seems that Augustine, Calvin, Luther, and Wesley may all share some of it. Or perhaps it’s the […]
… and a quick reminder on numbers two, three, and four. Take a look at these pictures. These are screenshots of the main front pages for two random church websites I took a look at.
Notice anything? It’s more than an elephant in the room… it’s the elephant in the picture. The big, beautiful picture […]
According to Forbes Magazine, new businesses starting with partners were four times more likely to succeed than those who started with solo entrepreneurs. Do not start alone.
A suggested planting team consists of the following members:
Team leader (Pastor):
Full-time, paid.
A magnetic personality, networker, entrepreneur, who attracts a diversity of people.
Worship leader:
Full-time, paid.
Recruiter of various types of […]
In most churches, Easter is their High Attendance Sunday – and, in spite of the March Madness games that will be played that weekend, there will still be plenty of Christian Alumnus showing up for services.
A church full of visitors should be a premonition for every church’s future growth, but sadly, most churches will […]
This is a VERY brief excerpt from my upcoming book, 21st Century Strategies for Church Growth.
A Note to Church Leaders: Church leaders have a different mandate than the average church member. At-large church members are charged with the care of one another (other Christians and fellow church members in particular). Church leaders, however, are charged […]
I’ve always been a voracious reader, so I encourage pastors to read a minimum of ten books a month. I was glad to read a blog from Rick Warren titled “To Be a Great Leader You Absolutely Must Be a Reader.” You can see the article here.
However, I remember when I was a pastor […]
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