Just a note: In 2025 we launched “The Revitalization Playbook.” The “Playbook” is similar to the ones used by football coaches on the sidelines. The coach’s playbook contains all the plays that the coach is confident that his team can run. Conditions on the field determine which play he chooses next. In my “Playbook,” knowing […]
“Playbook” Chapters I Need To Add: Embrace The Strengths Of Your Small Church
“There are no little people and no little places.” Francis Schaeffer Just a note: In 2025 we launched “The Revitalization Playbook.” The “Playbook” is similar to the ones used by football coaches on the sidelines. The coach’s playbook contains all the plays that the coach is confident that his team can run. Conditions on the […]
The Ideal Pastoral Handoff
I don’t want to be guilty of promising too much, so I should say up front that there’s no one perfect way of doing a transition from one pastor to another. As Gary Smith put it in his book, Pastoral Transitions: “The cardinal rule [in pastoral transitions] is that there is no cardinal rule.” Or […]
“Playbook” Chapters I Need To Add: Return To Some Serious Celebration
Note: In 2025 we launched “The Revitalization Playbook.” The “Playbook” is similar to the ones used by football coaches on the sidelines. The coach’s playbook contains all the plays that the coach is confident that his team can run. Conditions on the field determine which play he chooses next. In my “Playbook,” knowing that every […]
“Playbook” Chapters I Need To Add: Begin With A Pastoral Revitalization
Just a note: In 2025 we launched “The Revitalization Playbook.” The “Playbook” is similar to the ones used by football coaches on the sidelines. The coach’s playbook contains all the plays that the coach is confident that his team can run. Conditions on the field determine which play he chooses next. In my “Playbook,” knowing […]
“Playbook” Chapters I Need To Add: Help Your Congregation Discover Their Riches In Christ
Just a note: In 2025 we launched “The Revitalization Playbook.” The “Playbook” is similar to the ones used by football coaches on the sidelines. The coach’s playbook contains all the plays that the coach is confident that his team can run. Conditions on the field determine which play he chooses next. In my “Playbook,” knowing […]
Seven Ways You Can Trust Your Church Board
Trust in authority figures in the United States is probably at an all-time low. I can’t prove that, but I doubt that any of you will challenge my assertion. I’ve recently been the victim of a very clever scam artist and a big corporation which seems to not care a whit that it was complicit […]
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, […]
Pastoral Succession: “Nailing” The Handoff
Good handoffs can be hugely important. Witness the muffed handoffs that happen on the football field every week. Then there’s the infamous story of the 4X100 meter men’s relay at the 2008 Olympic games, when the American team – expected to win the event handily – literally dropped the baton on a handoff. In the […]
Crisis Succession Plan Template For Church Boards
Scripture clearly indicates that no pastor – except Jesus – is a “permanent pastor.” As many have put it, “every pastor is an interim pastor.” Jesus went to great lengths – throughout the gospels but especially in the “Upper Room Discourse” of John 13-17 – to warn his leaders-in-training that He would be leaving them […]
An Extremely Helpful Leadership Initiative Which Any Pastor Can Take Right Now
“Extremely helpful” – “Really?” “Any pastor” – “I don’t think you know me!” “Right now” – “There must be a catch here!” Let me explain. I’ve been doing a lot of research lately on the subject of pastoral transitions, a.k.a., pastoral succession. It’s a big important subject that most pastors and churches avoid most of […]
Ten Ways To PREVENT A Perfect Storm From Destroying Your Church
“But you, keep your head in all situations…” The Apostle Paul in II Timothy 4:5a In meteorology, a perfect storm is a rare occurrence in which a combination of circumstances creates an unusually destructive weather event. In ecclesiology (churches), a perfect storm happens when conflict occurs in an unhealthy church atmosphere and is handled poorly […]
GOD’S GRACE In The Perfect Storm
“I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.” The Apostle Paul in II Corinthians 7:4b In meteorology, a perfect storm is a rare event in which a combination of circumstances creates an unusually destructive weather event. In ecclesiology (churches), a perfect storm occurs when one or more conflict scenarios occur, […]
SURVIVING A “Perfect Storm” In A Local Church
Last week I wrote about perfect storms in churches. In meteorology, a perfect storm is a rare event in which a combination of circumstances creates an unusually disastrous weather event. In ecclesiology (churches), a perfect storm occurs when one1 or more conflict scenarios occur, typically in the unhealthy atmosphere (culture or congregational system) of a […]
A “Perfect Storm” In A Local Church
Definition: “A perfect storm is a meteorological event aggravated by a rare combination of circumstances… [The term has become] an idiom for a situation where a rare combination of factors creates an unusually disastrous or powerful outcome.” Google search Most of us know the term because of The Perfect Storm movie, based on the 1997, […]
Give Your Pastor The Gift Of Reasonable Expectations
Pastor Appreciation Month is already behind us, but the “holiday season” is coming on fast. Many church members gave their pastors a gift in October, even if it was just their well-wishes. Others are thinking about what they might give their pastor for Christmas. If that’s you, this post is for you. If you’re a […]
Let’s Invite The Young Into The Greatest Movement Ever
“Son, that’s just the way it is. Some things will never change.” Bruce Hornsby, 1986 Since the assassination of Charlie Kirk there’s been a lot of great discussion about the movement he had begun and how attractive it was, and is – now more than ever – to young people. This has been a great […]
Why I’m Becoming A Togetherist
Okay. I know. You’ve never heard of a togetherist and it sounds bad. Please give me a chance to explain myself. Here’s what I don’t mean: (1) I don’t mean that we should despise the Bible’s commands to separate ourselves from false teachers and false teaching. Here’s a sample of what God’s Word says about […]
Eight Ways We Can Return To Discipleship WITH Disciple-Making
Last week I wrote a post called “Programs, paradigms and presuppositions: Why we’re struggling with disciple-making.” I began by rejoicing over the “new” disciple-making movement (DM) and how it is seeking to return the American Evangelical church to a version of Christian discipleship (the Christian life) that includes disciple-making as part of the paradigm. I […]
Programs, Paradigms And Presuppositions: Why We’re Struggling With Disciple-Making
Trends come and go. Some are good and some are…not so good. The disciple-making trend, which can legitimately be called a movement is one of the most encouraging trends I’ve seen for a long time. At its heart, the “new” disciple-making movement (or DM) is a shift back towards an understanding of the Christian life, […]
America’s Favorite Bible Verse: “Judge Not”
Last week I wrote a post about the mistaken idea that “all sins are created equal.” The phrase is all-too-often used by folks who defend their serious, destructive, sinful behaviors by putting them at the level of other people’s minor infractions. At the end of the post I said that “church leaders must deal with […]
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