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, […]
Your Kommittees Could Be Killing Your Church
I’m not an anti-committee iconoclast. I only know one committee joke: Q – “What’s a camel?” A – “A horse put together by a committee.” That’s it, and now I have that out of my system. Committees can actually be wonderful: I’ve seen pastoral search committees that served God well by helping their congregations locate […]
Four Ways To Reform Your Killer Committees
Criminal justice experts debate whether those guilty of homicide can be reformed. Conservatives tend to say “no,” liberals tend to say “yes,” and Christians often say that since regeneration transforms the worst of us into new individuals, that fact should at least be taken into consideration by parole boards. But that’s not my area of […]
Pastors And Churches: Prepare Your Board For The Future
“…men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do-“ I Chronicles 12:32 “Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them.” Acts 6:3 Nobody wants to prepare for a crisis. It’s a lot of […]
Seven Reasons To Not Publicly Criticize Your Pastor
Here’s something that never ceases to amaze me. Church members sit in their favorite spot in the worship service on Sunday morning. They pray, praise, sing, listen and, through the words of hymns, creeds, prayers and covenants, they commit themselves anew to following Jesus and loving the brethren. The service ends, there’s a ten-minute break, […]
How To Not Get Fired Next Time
This is going to be a long post. I know it’s not for everybody but it might be for you, or someone you love, so please read the next paragraph. A couple of weeks ago I read a new post by Thom Rainer, founder and CEO of Church Answers and the author of over 40 […]
Some BIG Advantages Of SMALL Churches
I have the privilege today of writing about a very good movement within the American Evangelical world. With all our issues, there are also some healthy trends in Christianity in the US today, and here’s one of them: A whole new (and old) attitude toward small churches. By “small” I also mean “average,” as the […]
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 […]
The Revitalization Playbook: Make Good Use Of Membership
Wait a minute! Don’t touch that dial! “Membership” doesn’t have to be as unexciting as a new vaccine. I know that many churches don’t have an actual membership. If that describes your congregation and this is a conviction for you, then it’s okay if you change the channel. I’ll understand. I’m not going to use […]
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 […]
When Majoring On The Majors Becomes A Major Problem
I’m a big believer in majoring on the majors. For a local church, majoring on the majors means loving God and people and faithful obedience to the Bible while we’re pursuing our one God-given mission of making disciples. For a denomination, majoring on the majors probably means helping its churches to be what I just […]
