Christian Unity
![The 3 Most Common Challenges Small Church Pastors Face – And How To Help The 3 Most Common Challenges Small Church Pastors Face – And How To Help](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/82275.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Small church pastors are some of the hardest-working, most passionate and sacrificial people anywhere.
They serve without fanfare, helping in ways most people will never see. And they face challenges that many will never experience.
In over five years of writing, speaking and ...
![Small Church Pastors: A Tribute To The Forgotten Heroes Small Church Pastors: A Tribute To The Forgotten Heroes](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/82231.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Where did we get the idea that small churches are small because there’s something wrong with them and/or their pastors?
There are millions of small church pastors doing great, kingdom-building work with little or no budget, little or no facilities and little or no salary. ...
![The Growth Gap: How The Megachurch Phenomenon Has Unintentionally Isolated Small Churches The Growth Gap: How The Megachurch Phenomenon Has Unintentionally Isolated Small Churches](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/81856.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Sometimes it seems like the divide between big and small churches is so vast it’s almost insurmountable.
And it’s increasing, not diminishing.
Why is that happening? And why has the divide has become especially large in the last few decades?
I think it has to do with ...
![5 More Reasons To Go To Church In Person: Sight, Sound, Touch, Smell, Taste 5 More Reasons To Go To Church In Person: Sight, Sound, Touch, Smell, Taste](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/81681.jpg?h=168&w=300)
If we want to get everything we can from our church experience, we need to start by showing up in person.
That may seem obvious to most churchgoers, but there is a large and growing number of people who think that watching a service online is all the church they need.
And no, ...
![What About Those Sheep-Stealing Megachurches? What About Those Sheep-Stealing Megachurches?](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/81506.jpg?h=168&w=300)
There’s a lot of conversation going on about megachurches.
In my context of ministry to small churches, much of the conversation surrounds this question. Are megachurches actually reaching new people for Jesus, or are believers gathering into ever-larger groups, leaving ...
![Going, But Not Forgotten: A Tribute To Those Who Help Local Churches Die With Dignity Going, But Not Forgotten: A Tribute To Those Who Help Local Churches Die With Dignity](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/80845.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Local churches have a life-cycle.
Some barely make it out of the starting blocks. Some last a generation or two. Some are still active after hundreds of years. But, even with constant renewal, the evidence from 2,000 years of Christianity shows that every congregation will, at ...
![Constructive Criticism: The Day A Staff Member Told Me I Was Preaching Too Long Constructive Criticism: The Day A Staff Member Told Me I Was Preaching Too Long](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/80719.jpg?h=168&w=300)
It was a sunny, California Wednesday morning.
We were having our weekly staff meeting, innocently sorting out the details for an upcoming service, when I mentioned an illustration I wanted to close out my sermon with.
Then it happened.
One of the staff members spoke up. “We ...
It’s hard when people leave a church.
It’s hard to leave. It’s hard being left.
Most who leave don’t make that decision lightly. They deal with some serious pain when they finally make the decision to go. As a pastor I’m more familiar with seeing ...
![The Event Matters: How Going To Church Helps Us Be The Church The Event Matters: How Going To Church Helps Us Be The Church](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/80229.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Church is not a place we go, it's who we are. The New Testament is really clear about that.
But because church is who we are, it also matters a great deal that we go to church, too.
Church attendance should not be the defining feature of our Christian lives. After all, God ...
![Messier Than Retail: Why We Need More From Church Than Excellent Customer Service Messier Than Retail: Why We Need More From Church Than Excellent Customer Service](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/79988.jpg?h=168&w=300)
When I’m a consumer, I want great customer service.
Whether online or in real life, I want products and services that meet my needs in the best, quickest, friendliest manner possible.
But I don’t want that from church.
Sure, I’d rather experience a church service ...
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)