Whether you call them church fellowships, associations or denominations, organizations through which local churches join forces have always been controversial theologically and hotly debated as to their utility. Rethinking what we do and why we do what we do is always in order, so I laud the current round of re-examining the worth of these […]
What Structure Can And Cannot Do
I have to admit it. I’m a structure guy. Even during periods when evangelicals seem intent on denigrating the importance of Biblical, workable, church structures, I’ve stuck to my guns: good structure can help a church to function well. But it certainly can’t do everything. Biblical, workable, understandable constitutions, by-laws, governance systems and policies have […]
Three Evenings When Boards Are At Their Worst
Some of you knew it was coming. After writing two posts about evenings when boards are at their best, you guessed I’d be blogging about evenings when boards are at their worst. Boards are at their (absolute) worst when self-willed people are fighting to get their own way. James put it bluntly when he said […]
Six More Evenings When Boards Are At Their Worst
The meeting began almost on time but ended well past everybody’s bedtime. At seven pm the members were still sharing prayer requests about their relatives’ physical ailments. At eight pm everybody started reading their reports. At nine pm the long discussion about what kind of baptistery heater to buy commenced. At ten pm the real […]
Six Evenings When Boards Are At Their Best
I’ve been through a lot with boards. I’m sure it’s also true that boards have been through a lot with me. They remind me of the old saying that “you can’t live with ‘em and you can’t live without ‘em.” However frustrated we may become with boards, it’s pretty clear from Scripture that God intended […]
Three More Evenings When Boards Are At Their Best
In spite of all the snide remarks, jokes and complaints we pastors make about church boards, in the last analysis, most of us know that they are necessary. No, not a necessary evil, just necessary. “What’s the definition of a board?” “Dead wood.” What’s the other definition of a board? “A group of highly competent […]
The Anesthesia That Makes Church Surgery Possible
I love to use the medical model for church revitalization. It is so blessedly simple. Anybody can remember that the process is going to involve a few weeks of diagnosis, followed by approximately a year of surgery, followed by about another year of recovery. Diagnosis, surgery, recovery. A fifth grader can understand it. After explaining […]
Six Marks Of A Genuinely Loving Pastor/leader
I’ve seen it repeatedly. When church members are surveyed regarding what they want in their church’s next pastor, the attribute most frequently mentioned is “a loving caregiver” or “a loving shepherd.” However we may feel about the level of Christian maturity reflected in these results, this is reality and it’s not lost on pastors. Pastors […]
Change The Values – Change The Church
I still believe in the importance of having good, simple, understandable, non-obtrusive, biblical, church structures. Top notch constitutions, by-laws, covenants, ministry descriptions, guiding principles, can’t, by themselves, produce healthy churches. Bad ones, however, can make healthy churches almost impossible. But structure doesn’t count for much compared to the values in the hearts and minds of […]
The Problem With Exciting Church Growth
“Problem? What? Are you kidding?” Most of us find the growth of our churches to be exhilarating, exciting, heady. Especially if this growth follows an extended period of little or no growth. New people walking in every Sunday! Favorable comparisons to your newbie’s former pastors! Long dormant ministry slots finally being filled! Except for a […]
The Top Ten Excuses For Our Gossip, Part One
Here’s a concise definition of gossip: Saying negative things about a person which the hearer does not need to hear. Everybody knows that gossip is wrong. Almost everybody knows that gossip is harmful to individuals and organizations. Almost all of us indulge in gossip in one way or another at one time or another. It’s […]
Five More Excuses For Our Gossip
Everybody knows that gossip is both wrong and harmful. It ruins reputations. It separates the best of friends (as in Proverbs 16:28 and 17:9). It allows us to “wimp out” of the important face-to-face conversations which we need to have. It sullies our consciences. It demeans those whom we talk about, those of us who […]
Demystifying The “Vision Thing”
Vision is like the weather: everybody’s talking about it but nobody’s doing anything about it. If nobody’s doing anything about it, it’s because practically everybody is confused about it. Demystifying the “vision thing” has become a passion for me. It doesn’t have to be painfully confusing. And a single, unifying vision really is vital, not […]
Four Elephants Which Can Hurt Your Church (and how to kill them)
I can just imagine the faces of the people in the Philippian church. One of their leaders was reading a letter from their church’s founder. Except for a couple of gentle hints about “the unity thing,” most of it had been positive, affectionate and encouraging. Suddenly they heard the words, “I beseech Euodia and I […]
Three Reasons Why Board Members Should Let Their Pastors Lead
I want every board member reading this to know that I greatly respect you. I’ve walked miles in your moccasins. I know how smart you are, how knowledgeable you are, and how much you’ve invested in your churches. Nevertheless, you need to let your church’s “lead” pastor lead the church that you have poured so […]
More Reasons To Let Your Pastor Lead
In an earlier blog (“Three reasons why board members should let their pastors lead”) I spoke directly to board members and made a case for allowing your “lead” pastor to actually lead your church: to be the one who comes down from the mountain with both a vision and a ministry strategy for your church. […]
Sample Secret Seeker Form
Sample Secret Seeker Form Date visited _______________ Name of church__________________________________________ Preacher/speaker_______________________ 1. Was the secret seeker an individual, couple, family? (Please describe) 2. If you had any experience with learning about the location/service times etc. from a phonebook, web site, sign, newspaper ad or other means, tell us about it: […]
The Church Life Cycle
A Brief Explanation of the Church LIfe Cycle Birth (1) – Being a part of this brand new church is one of the most exciting things I've ever been in on. Everybody is helping; spirits are high; everybody is having fun. Many are inviting new people to come for we have nowhere to […]
Is There Hope For The Congregational Church?
My impression is that increasing numbers of pastors of evangelical churches today (2011) have “just about had it” with congregationalism, that form of church government which invests every member with the right to speak up, vote and get involved in decision-making processes. Pastors – not just those who lack patience, but those who want their […]
Do We Have To Have These Business Meetings?
Many pastors enjoy church business meetings as much as root canals. A trip to a proctologist or a funeral for a thither is a more welcome event on the calendar. “Do we have to have these business meetings?” they groan to no one in particular. Far too often these necessary-but-evil events turn out too long, too boring […]
“Playing Twenty Questions”
Elsewhere on this site (“Gaining Restoration Authority) I’ve written about the value of conducting listening sessions at the beginning of a change-oriented interim pastorate. We have found this to be so valuable that we (Donna and I) would do this in any new pastorate that we would undertake, interim or long-term, no matter what the […]
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