“He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.” I Timothy 3:6,7 “Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I […]
Three More Of The Devil’s Plans For Your Church
“He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.” I Timothy 3:6,7 “Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I […]
Three Of The Devil’s Plans For Your Church
“Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” II Corinthians 2:10-11 “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take […]
Welcome Home! Meeting The Assimilation Challenges of 2024, Part Two
I hope you like the “horror” genre, because I have an assimilation horror story for you: A pastor friend of mine was visiting a congregation which was joyfully celebrating the ordination of the young man who was about to become his associate pastor. During the service, the pastor announced that there would be a potluck […]
Welcome Home! Meeting The Assimilation Challenges of 2024
“People aren’t looking for a friendly church, they’re looking for friends in church.” Anonymous Most evangelical churches today sincerely desire to be friendly. Most evangelical churches today believe that they already are friendly. Most, in fact, believe that theirs is the “friendliest church in town,” and, of course, as a statistical reality, most have to […]
A Christmas Story
Christmas of 1978 was turning out to be a tough one. My dad had died suddenly in April. My wife Donna had been “found to be with child” in September; bad news at first, but we got over it quickly, suspecting, in fact, that Donna was “with” 2 children, not just one. As fall fell, […]
The Menu From The Pastor Café, Part Two
“You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometime, you’ll find, you get what you need.” The Rolling Stones Last week I began describing a tool that I developed a number of years ago to help pastoral search committees come to grips with what I term, “pastoral humanity,” or “pastoral limitations.” No […]
The Menu From The Pastor Café
Note: A number of years ago I wrote the Parable of the Headhunter (republished on this blog on November 29, 2023) to help congregational pastor search committees to have realistic expectations as they look for their next solo or senior pastor. The response to the “…Headhunter” was good, but I found that many church members […]
Consider A New Year’s “Physical” For Your Church
Nobody likes getting a physical, but most of the adults I know get one every year anyway. We know that it’s the wise thing to do. Problems are spotted earlier, rather than later, and the healthy habits that some patient physicians take the time to teach us improve and even extend our lives. Churches can […]
The Secret Of Church Life Is Fruit-bearing
“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains [abides] in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you […]
The Parable Of The Christmas Lutefisk
Author’s note: Lutefisk (loo– ta – fisk, literally, “lye fish”) is a version of codfish that involves soaking the fish in a lye solution, followed by baking. The end result is a piece of fish that is white, almost translucent, jelled, wiggly, has a strong flavor and an even stronger scent. Most people – including […]
The Year in Review of the Pastor’s Ministry
Brian’s note: My friend, Dr. Randy M. Keeley, creator of my favorite church health evaluation, the Ministry Mapping Survey, has created this great tool for the oftentimes difficult task of pastoral performance reviews. It looks like it should lead to some great, in-depth discussions. You’ll find Dr. Keeley’s bio at www.randywkeeley@weebly.com Dr. Keeley’s email address […]
Can A Church Have The Culture Of A Christian Camp?
The short answer is, no, I’m afraid it can’t. But let me explain. A few weeks ago I was privileged to speak on the subject of church culture. Preparing and presenting this material was just the kind of challenge I enjoy – but I wasn’t expecting that my presentation would have a surprise ending: As […]
Please, Ask For Help, Early
“There’s no cure for stupidity.” I don’t know who said it first, but a lot of people have said it since. There are even some takeoffs on the original observation: “There’s no vaccine for stupidity.” “Stupidity is terminal.” “You can’t fix stupid.” “Stupidity is the only universal, capital crime.” I think you get the idea. […]
Three Misunderstood Truths About Servant Leadership
One of the least understood concepts in the Christian world is that of “servant leadership.” While the term isn’t used in the Bible, the concept certainly is, and it’s very important. The context for the following passage was the “power play” by brothers James and John to secure the top spots in Jesus’ Kingdom cabinet. […]
Eight Important Facts About YOUR CHURCH’S CULTURE
“The single greatest advantage any company can achieve is organizational health. Yet it is ignored by most leaders even though it is simple, free and available to anyone who wants it.” Patrick Lencioni, from page one of his book, The Advantage “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Peter Drucker Culture is the climate, the atmosphere, the […]
A New Day Of Small Things
We have a saying in America: “Go Big Or Go Home!” We like big stores, big stadiums, big stadium events and big churches. Unfortunately for those of us who are disciples of Jesus, this is a new day of small things, not a new day of big things. You’ve probably read the same stats that […]
The Forgotten Fruit
This is going to be a different sort of Helping Churches Thrive blogpost. It’s about a character trait, a fruit of the Spirit, or call it a “grace,” if you prefer. It’s about meekness and meekness is actually a vital quality for thriving, Godly churches. It’s a big subject that I’m diving into today and […]
Your Seniors Are Frustrated, But You Can Help Them: My Grumpy Conclusion
Seniors have a bad reputation today. They have become known for their grumpiness. Come to think of it, maybe they’ve (“we” actually, since I am one myself) always been seen as grumpy. Charles Dickens had lots of grumpy old people in his wonderful stories, and we know that his characters were based on real persons […]
Your Seniors Are Frustrated, But You Can Help Them, Part Three
At the risk of sounding like a politician or a spokesperson for a politician, “Let me make this perfectly clear.” I’ve been writing about frustrated seniors and how you can help them. But I’m not doing this because I feel sorry for seniors. I’m doing this because I eat, sleep, think and breathe church revitalization. […]
Your Seniors Are Frustrated, But You Can Help Them, Part Two
It sounds like everybody’s frustrated. Last week I started writing about actual statements and questions I’ve heard over the past few years from seniors who are frustrated about the prospect of change in their churches. Believe me, I’ve gotten an earful. This week I’ve been getting another earful from pastors and others who are frustrated […]
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