Dinosaurs to Rabbits: Turning Mainline Decline into a Multiplication Movement
Mainline Christianity has been in a free fall decline since the mid 1960s. Some want to blame it on a changing culture; others say it’s the way all organizations go sooner or later; while others just throw up their hands and give up the ghost. The truth is, we don’t believe any of these excuses […]
Turnaround Is Messy and Lonely
Turning a church around is a messy and lonely responsibility. I know because I did it three times and each time the early years were depressing enough to damped even the strongest spirit. When you consider where the church is and where it needs to go, attempting a turn around appears to be an impossible […]
What Will It Take For Mainline Denominations To Grow Again?
Nobody will argue that mainline denominations are in decline. It doesn’t matter if the decline is 80 percent or 65 percent as suggested by a recent Barna study, mainline denominations are seeing fewer and fewer people in the pews. This decline begs a question – “What will it take to turn this decline around?” Like […]
Mostly For United Methodist Eyes – Bloom Where You’re Planted
Take an “imaginary” trip with me. The year is 2017, but things are different in some subtle ways. The U.S. military uses horses as its main mode of transportation because horses worked so well during the Civil War. Major companies conduct business through the phone party line because that is what worked for a century. […]
Steps to Revitalization
For the life of me I don’t understand why anyone would try to turn a church around. I did and I’m glad I did. Still, when I consider that the vast majority of pastors who try either fail or lose their job, I have to wonder why they would try… or why I tried. I […]
Extreme Makeover
The TV show Extreme Makeover follows the stories of the lucky individuals who are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be given a truly Cinderella-like experience: a real-life fairy tale in which their wishes come true, not just by changing their looks, but their lives and destinies. This magic is conjured through the skills of an “Extreme […]