2016
If you asked a few hundred church members from multiple churches what characteristics they were searching for in a pastor, what do you think they’d say?
You don’t have to wonder. Thom Rainer asked that question a while ago and published the top ten responses on his ...
Have you ever been to a vibrant church and wondered ‘what do they have that we don’t have?’
It may seem like 90 percent of what they’re doing is what your church is doing. But they’re vibrant, healthy and alive, while the church you’re from ...
Have you ever wondered why virtually every church leader is constantly writing and speaking about change? Including me?
Because we live in the fastest-changing culture ever. Change is not just an ocassional reality. It’s the water we’re swimming in.
For instance, every ...
It sounds so inviting and innocent.
“Sit back, relax and enjoy the service.”
But that may be one of the most dangerous sentences regularly uttered in church.
I expect promises of great customer service in a restaurant, an airplane or a store. But the idea that church ...
Why won’t my church grow!
Have you ever wondered that? Me too.
After all, it’s not like we haven’t tried. And there are plenty of people offering us seemingly surefire help to bring growth. Every day there’s another blog post with a list of Seven Reasons ...
Sometimes you write something and you know people don't care much about it, because nobody responds. Other times you write something and you know people don’t care because they tell you they don't care. Vigorously.
Last week’s post on the difference between ...
"I don’t like small churches.”
Yes, people have said that – and things like it – to me.
I get that small churches aren’t for everyone. But saying “I prefer big churches” is the way most people state it.
To tell a small church pastor ...
I've heard thousands of sermons. Good ones and bad ones.
I've preached thousands of sermons. Good ones and bad ones.
When you hear and preach that many sermons, you stop being impressed by the flashy things that don't matter and you start noticing the fundamental things ...
I don't go to church to be entertained.
I also don't go to church to be bored.
- I go to worship.
- I go to read and hear from God's word.
- I go to be taught.
- I go to be challenged.
- I go to be discipled.
- I go to fellowship with other believers.
- I go to be inspired into action.
I don’t care if the church is culturally relevant.
No, I don’t want us to wallow in some old-time, glory days that probably never were. But cultural relevance is not the answer.
As I wrote in Six Church-and-Culture Issues I Don't Care About Any More, it’s ...
Pastoring is hard work. But should it be this hard?
According to a post by Philip Wagner, Peter Drucker said that the four hardest jobs in America are:
- The President of the United States
- A university president
- A CEO of a hospital
- A pastor
(UPDATE: Please note the disclaimer about ...
Recruiting and keeping church givers and volunteers is harder than it used to be.
People keep saying it, so it must be true, right?
Wrong.
If I was ever tempted to tell pastors to quit whining about something, this is it.
Here’s how the party line goes: It used to be fairly ...
The resurrection of Jesus is the greatest event in history.
But Easter has an unseen downside for many small churches.
Right now, all around the world, churches are excitedly preparing for Easter Sunday. Lilies are being arranged, Passion Plays are being staged, Easter eggs being ...
“How can you possibly say that a church of 100 is as valuable as a church of 10,000?”
Yes, I was actually asked that question.
I ignored the insult and answered it this way: I’m not saying that a church of 100 is as valuable as a church of 10,000. Or vice versa. ...
I’ve been in the church all my life. Literally.
On the first Sunday I was alive, I was in a baby basket beside my mother as she played the piano in my parents’ tiny, store-front, start-up church.
In recent years, I’ve worked with churches of virtually every denomination. ...
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