An old friend and I were having one of those conversations that old friends (or married couples) repeat regularly: Brian: “It’s so hard to be a young pastor! There are so many landmines, so many ways to get in trouble!” Old Friend: “The young guys have all the energy; the old guys have the wisdom…
The Three Keys To An Effective Church Revitalization
Most evangelical congregations in America need some degree of revitalization in that they are on the downside of the church lifecycle. This means that there was a time in the past (near or distant) during which the congregation was more effective than it is currently, at making devoted, growing, followers of Jesus out of the…
Nickels And Noses: Better Ways To Measure Church Effectiveness
Are we really getting anywhere? Are we actually making disciples, or just going through the motions, doing what we’ve always done while getting what we’ve always gotten? These are hard but important questions for church leaders to ask. I’m assuming that you agree with me that the church’s #1 “job,” its mission, is to make…
Welcoming Our Post-Apocalyptic Guests
I concede that my title might be a bit wonky, but there’s method in my madness. Everybody knows that most churches lost people by way of the COVID shut down. Some folks decided that if it’s okay to just “watch church” on a screen at home during the shutdown, it should be okay to continue…
Elders And Congregationalism: Seven Ways To Make It Work
As a seminary student I was taught that there were three types of local church governance (“ways in which decisions are made,” is a good way to explain it): Episcopalian – From the Greek word, episcopos (An overseer or manager as in Acts 20:28). This is church government from the top down, as in the…
Giving Thanks For The Future
The last year and a half has been a challenging time for most of us. I don’t think I’m going to get any argument there. And I’m not going to tell you to be thankful. But I am going to depart a tad from my usual “helping churches thrive” theme and give you some good…
Slaying The Big Fat Anxiety Elephant
Some of you know that I’m big on slaying elephants. Elephants in the room, that is. You can read my “old” post on the subject here. “Elephants in the room” are subjects that many people are thinking about, distracted by or troubled by, but nobody’s talking about. They disturb and derail our thoughts, making it…
The Church Health Vs. Church Planting Beauty Contest
I hate the word but I’m going to use it anyway. The word is “sexy” and I’m employing it because it’s the best word I can think of to communicate an important concept: Church planting work is sexy; church health work is not sexy. It’s not that those of us who are passionate about church…
Prepping Your Church For The Next Pandemic, Part Two
Our disasters are not without their value if they help us to get ready for the next “go round.” I didn’t have flight insurance. They canceled my flight because they didn’t have enough passengers. I lost my money and had to drive to a more distant airport. Next time, I’ll be ready. Last week I…
Prepping Your Church For The Next Pandemic
Something strange is happening in our basements. The world has become so weird and scary that a lot of people who hate buying groceries – and formerly laughed at the crazy doomsday peppers – are beginning to squirrel away food in their basements. It goes without saying that the COVID pandemic and all that it…
Even Larger Churches Can Offer The Welcome Of God
(Your Church Can Be Irresistible, Part Three) “People today are not looking for friendly churches, they’re looking for FRIENDS in churches.” Anonymous I’ve been writing about how church members can make their congregations irresistible – very attractive – by offering the welcome of God. Click here for Your Church Can Be Irresistible and Your Church Can…
Your Church Can Be Irresistible, Part Two
“I have yet to meet the church member who didn’t think that their church was the friendliest congregation in town.” Howard Hendricks “People today are not looking for friendly churches, they’re looking for FRIENDS in churches.” Anonymous Last week I wrote about how church members can make their congregations irresistible by offering their fellow attendees the…
Heaven Help Our Church! Study Guide
For a free copy of the Heaven Help Our Church! Study Guide, created to be used with my book, Heaven Help Our Church!, send me an email and I will email you the document. Find me at www.churchwhisperer@gmail.com
Your Church Can Be Irresistible
“What the world needs now, is love, sweet love. That’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.” What the World Needs Now Is Love, Hal David and Burt Bacharach, 1965 America is stressed to the max. You don’t need me to flesh this out for you; you’re seeing it and experiencing it every…
The Case For “Face To Face”
“…media means middle; it’s from the Latin for middle. When you put a device in the middle, between people, you distance us from one another, and this is actually the power of media. The more I can control the mediating channel, the less you really know about me.” Andy Crouch, Partner for Theology and Culture…
Countering Negativity Bias In Your Organization
In “Negativity Bias And YOUR Organization” I wrote about the unfortunate effects of the human bent toward negativity in human organizations. It was a pretty negative post (of course!) but I promised I would share some hints for countering this pernicious problem. Here’s how I defined negativity bias: Human beings are “bent” toward negativity. Negative…
Negativity Bias And YOUR Organization
“I plan to live an unhealthy lifestyle and pass away in my cubicle, preferably on a Monday.” Dilbert “There was a wicked messenger, from Eli he did come, With a mind that multiplied the smallest matter. When questioned who had sent for him, he answered with his thumb, For his tongue it could not speak…
The Board At Its Best, Part Two
“Let them [God’s children] exalt Him in the assembly of the people and praise Him in the council of the elders.” Psalm 107:32 I don’t know that anyone has ever described a church board meeting as being “fun,” but I can testify that I’ve participated in some which have been deeply satisfying, God-blessed, Spirit-anointed experiences….
The Board At Its Best
Just in case you haven’t heard the old joke: “What’s the definition of a board?” “Dead wood.” To many, a board is a necessary evil. Churches and other non-profits have to have them; the alternative is a singular leader with dictatorial powers, something that is never a good idea. In my view, when it comes…
In Leadership, SPEED KILLS
If you’re old enough, you may remember the anti-drug abuse campaign: SPEED KILLS. If you’re even older, you may remember the highway safety campaign: SPEED KILLS. In leadership, speed can be deadly as well. Before I explain how, I need to say this first (just in case you don’t know me): I do believe in…
The All-Important Partiality Clause
“…an overseer must be above reproach…” From I Timothy 3:2 (ESV) “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of…
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