2016
![Did 2016 Expose America's (And the Church's) Fame Addiction? Did 2016 Expose America's (And the Church's) Fame Addiction?](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/74967.jpg?h=168&w=300)
2016.
Worst. Year. Ever.
It must be. Social media says so.
Certainly, 2016 had its share of serious issues. From escalating problems in race relations, to horrific acts of terrorism, to the ravages of war in places like Syria, and more.
But that’s not what people are referring ...
![Why I Don’t Trust New Year’s Resolutions or 10-Year Plans Why I Don’t Trust New Year’s Resolutions or 10-Year Plans](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/74938.jpg?h=168&w=300)
God doesn’t work on our calendar.
He created days, weeks, months, seasons and years. Those are real things.
People designed minutes, hours, decades and New Year’s Day on January 1. Those are made up things.
That’s why I don’t trust New Year’s resolutions ...
Well, we did it.
We made it through this Christmas without a major national brouhaha erupting about a not-holy-enough red cup, banned lyrics at a school play, or a disallowed manger scene.
So let's keep it up, shall we? Let's resolve to go through the coming year determined ...
You knew your audience.
That was one of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received in ministry.
It happened after speaking at a Prayer Breakfast at a US Army base in Germany that was in the process of being closed.
One of the military chaplains pulled me aside. “Thank ...
![5 Problems With Top-Down Vision-Casting – And a New Testament Alternative 5 Problems With Top-Down Vision-Casting – And a New Testament Alternative](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/74758.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Have we been doing vision-casting wrong?
I think so. For maybe a generation or more.
Some of my worst disasters in ministry have come from trying to implement a vision, only to find out that no one else was buying into it.
They might have even agreed that it was a good idea. For ...
![Deal-Breakers: 7 Ways God May Tell a Pastor to Leave a Church Deal-Breakers: 7 Ways God May Tell a Pastor to Leave a Church](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/74704.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Do I stay, or do I go?
It’s one of the toughest questions a pastor has to face.
Pastoring isn’t easy. There will always be difficulties to address and bad history to overcome. But most pastors are in it for the long haul.
This month I celebrate 24 years in my current ...
![How to Be an Innovator Without Being an Imitator How to Be an Innovator Without Being an Imitator](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/74594.jpg?h=168&w=300)
The tagline for this blog is Innovative Leadership from a Small Church Perspective.
New readers often ask what I mean by innovative leadership, so today’s post is designed to answer that question.
Let’s start defining what it’s not, then we’ll see what ...
![Pastor as Coach and Shepherd? Yeah, Right. (From a Real FB Convo) Pastor as Coach and Shepherd? Yeah, Right. (From a Real FB Convo)](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/74520.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Are pastors supposed to be shepherds any more? Or is that idea passé?
If so, have we replaced it with something better? Or worse?
What if we had some raw, unsolicited opinions from the people who matter? Namely, the people in our churches – or those who have left.
![Does Jesus Want Every Church to Be a Big Church? Does Jesus Want Every Church to Be a Big Church?](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/74501.jpg?h=168&w=300)
“Jesus wants the church to grow!”
I agree. How can I not? Jesus was the one who said, “I will build my church,” and I’ve found that arguing with him is not a recipe for health or happiness.
“Jesus wants your church to grow!”
Wait just a ...
![What a Rabbi Taught Me About Keeping Christ In Christmas What a Rabbi Taught Me About Keeping Christ In Christmas](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/74393.jpg?h=168&w=300)
“Keep Christ in Christmas” is a familiar saying this time of the year. But you don’t expect to hear it from the local rabbi.
For several years I was involved in our town’s Police Chaplaincy. One year, at our December meeting, the Methodist pastor noticed ...
![They Just Don’t Get It: Why Big Church Solutions Can't Fix Small Church Problems They Just Don’t Get It: Why Big Church Solutions Can't Fix Small Church Problems](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/74341.jpg?h=168&w=300)
They just don’t get it.
How many times have I said that while shaking my head after attending a conference or reading blog posts and books about church leadership? I could write a book.
Oh, right. I did.
I know I’m not alone in this. If you’re a small church pastor, ...
![3 Assumptions & 5 Realities About Why So Many Churches are Small 3 Assumptions & 5 Realities About Why So Many Churches are Small](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/74286.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Why are there so many small churches in the world?
Ninety percent of churches have fewer than 200 people. Eighty percent have under 100.
Small churches are not in the minority. We are the overwhelmingly dominant way people have always chosen to worship Jesus.
Yet, despite this, ...
![5+ Churchy Things I'm Thankful For – Even If I Don't Like Them 5+ Churchy Things I'm Thankful For – Even If I Don't Like Them](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/74220.jpg?h=168&w=300)
I hate opera. And Brussels sprouts. And spiders.
But I'm glad they exist. Because they all serve important functions.
Saying I don't like something is not the same as saying it's bad.
Opera isn't bad. In fact, it's artistically important and brings joy to many ...
![Have Coffee With a Radical: The Value of Listening to People We Disagree With Have Coffee With a Radical: The Value of Listening to People We Disagree With](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/74135.jpg?h=168&w=300)
I have friends I’m not supposed to have.
From every imaginable political, theological, social, ethnic background, and more.
People with whom I have radical, even angry disagreements.
Yet they remain my friends.
Not just in the Facebook way. In the old-school, meet face-to-face ...
![12 Ways to Know If You’re Pastoring Like a Boss – Or Like a Leader 12 Ways to Know If You’re Pastoring Like a Boss – Or Like a Leader](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/74095.jpg?h=168&w=300)
The church needs fewer bosses, more leaders.
And even more servants. In the pulpits, not just the pews.
Sadly, too few people in positions of authority know the difference between being a boss or being a leader. Mostly, because we haven't grasped servanthood.
There are some ...
Read More from Karl
![Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of under 250 Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of under 250](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41AU9uOZQAL._SL500_.jpg)