The following is one of our most asked-for blog posts. It was written two decades ago, but it is still as relevant today as it was then.
Throughout all my consulting ministry, I have seen a disturbing pattern: most established churches are held hostage by one or two bullies. Either one individual or a small group […]
The United Methodist Church is on the verge of schism. No one wants to call it that, but that’s the direction we’re going. At the moment, three “ways forward” are being presented. Option One is essentially to stay the course and hold those accountable who do not follow the constitution. Option Two, rewrites the […]
In my last post, I made a comment about being in a crazy world. But it’s more than just a crazy world. It’s a changing world, at the most fundamental level From the unprecedented election of Barack Obama, the first African American, to the unprecedented election of Donald Trump, the first non-politician, one can’t […]
We live in a crazy world. It seems everything has been turned upside down since the election of Donald Trump. Truthfully, I don’t know if this is good or bad. I guess we will have to wait and see. What I do know is I have come to distrust what I read or see […]
Now that the election is over, it’s time for healing. The odds are 50/50 that no matter who you voted for in the election you’re not happy. In fact you may be mad as Hell. Or you may just have given up and not voted. Either way, our country has just experienced the most […]
Casting a vision that produces an effective culture is one of the most important things a pastor can do because culture trumps everything. An unhealthy culture results in an unhealthy church. So I want to think a moment about the threats that keep vision from creating a healthy culture.
Lets start with the current reality. […]
According to Scripture, you are the next chapter in the life and ministry of Jesus. You were created to finish what Jesus “began to do and teach.” (Acts 1:1) And here is the kicker – what God achieves through you will be greater than what Jesus did. (John 14:12)
I want you to give these two […]
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, […]
I tell church planters, “If you can’t show someone the door and go home and sleep well that night, you shouldn’t plant.”
One of the things we’ve learned over the years is that planting a church is hard, lonely work. If you can’t let criticism run off your back like water off a duck and […]
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