2018
![5 Preaching Styles In 25 Years (Here's What I Changed And Why) 5 Preaching Styles In 25 Years (Here's What I Changed And Why)](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/83311.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Preaching matters.
According to no less an authority than the Apostle Paul, the spoken message of Christ crucified is one the ways God has chosen to bring his message of salvation to the world (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).
Because preaching matters, those of us who are entrusted to ...
Are you a pastor trying to make needed changes in the church, but meeting a lot of resistance every time you introduce something new, like a worship song, curriculum or order of service?
Here’s a universal truth that I discovered through decades of experience trying to ...
Introducing people to faith in Christ is a central component of what it means to be the church.
Like me, many of you were raised and still minister in an environment where the Great Commission is followed by a public call to salvation at the end of every church service.
The Altar ...
![Celebrating 50,000 Baptisms – No Matter How Many Churches It Takes Celebrating 50,000 Baptisms – No Matter How Many Churches It Takes](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/83251.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Last week, Saddleback Church celebrated an amazing spiritual milestone. Since their founding 38 years ago, they have baptized 50,000 new believers.
That is something the entire body of Christ needs to pause and thank God for. 50,000 people making commitments to Christ in one ...
![Why We Stopped Taking Attendance At Our Church For A While Why We Stopped Taking Attendance At Our Church For A While](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/83216.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Numbers matter, because people matter.
If we keep track of them correctly, the right numbers can give us a lot of helpful information about a church and its ministries.
For many years, I kept track of church attendance numbers very carefully. As the church grew, I calculated growth ...
![Pastoral Transition: Six Factors That Help A Church Navigate Big Changes Pastoral Transition: Six Factors That Help A Church Navigate Big Changes](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/83125.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Six months ago today, our church made our biggest transition in a quarter century.
After being the lead pastor for 25 years, I stepped aside so that Gary Garcia (the youth pastor who has been with me for that entire time) could take my position, while I became the teaching pastor. ...
![The Biggest Misunderstanding About Small Church Pastors The Biggest Misunderstanding About Small Church Pastors](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/83109.jpg?h=168&w=300)
There are a lot of misunderstandings about small churches and the people who pastor them.
- That we’re a problem to be fixed
- That we could be bigger if we’d just follow the latest 8-step church growth plan
- That we can only do good ministry when we hit a certain critical mass
![The Invisible Scandal: How Bad Debt And Poor Stewardship Are Killing The Church's Reputation The Invisible Scandal: How Bad Debt And Poor Stewardship Are Killing The Church's Reputation](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/83033.jpg?h=168&w=300)
There’s a scandal going on in the church today.
It is one of the biggest scandals in church history, yet it remains invisible to most of us.
No, it’s not the sexual sins of some of our leaders. It’s not the physical, emotional and spiritual abuse of church members, ...
![Why There’s No “Typical” Sunday In A Small Church – And 5 Ways To Adapt To It Why There’s No “Typical” Sunday In A Small Church – And 5 Ways To Adapt To It](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/83016.jpg?h=168&w=300)
How was church attendance yesterday?
In our church, we started the first service with more people on stage than in the audience.
It filled in to a normal summer crowd later, but for a while it was looking rough.
That’s the way attendance is in a small church. You can have ...
![The World Isn’t Looking For a Bigger Church, They Want A Better Church The World Isn’t Looking For a Bigger Church, They Want A Better Church](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/83002.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Pastors want bigger churches.
Church members? Not so much.
Sure, a lot of people go to big churches. That’s what makes them big, after all. And the majority of them are strong, healthy churches doing great ministry. But if you ask the average member why they attend, “because ...
![5 Steps To Move A Church From A Static To A Dynamic Organizational Style 5 Steps To Move A Church From A Static To A Dynamic Organizational Style](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/82956.jpg?h=168&w=300)
There are two different types of churches, organizationally.
Static and dynamic.
As we saw in a previous article, Why Most Small Churches Don’t Use (Or Need) An Organizational Chart, the smaller the church, the less necessary it is to use a static organizational system.
Static ...
![Is Church Growth The Best Way To Make More Disciples In Your Neighborhood? Is Church Growth The Best Way To Make More Disciples In Your Neighborhood?](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/82926.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Because I minister to small churches, I’m often asked, “aren’t you worried, that by supporting small churches you’ll be encouraging churches that could grow, to stay small instead?”
Yes. That is a concern. One that I’ve addressed in Small Church ...
Does your small church have an Organizational (Org) Chart?
If you don’t, relax. You probably don’t need one.
If you do, brace yourself. You may want to get rid of it because they tend not to work in small churches like they work in large churches. In fact, some of ...
![The Best Way To Reduce Money Problems In A Local Church The Best Way To Reduce Money Problems In A Local Church](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/82843.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Churches have to do more ministry with less money.
That’s becoming truer with every passing year, and it will increase for at least another generation.
For example, 15 years ago, the church I serve was smaller and less healthy than it is right now. By every indication of ...
![Want Real Church Growth? Don’t Fill Your Building, Empty It Want Real Church Growth? Don’t Fill Your Building, Empty It](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/82833.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Getting more people to go to church has never been the point of church growth.
Jesus didn’t tell us to “work really hard to gather people into large crowds to fill up your church buildings. Then I’ll know that you love me.” But when you look at how most ...
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)