Most North American churches need downsizing. Lifeway Research (see here) notes that today’s median worship attendance is 65, down from 137 in 2000. This downsizing trend has been accelerated by three factors: a cultural shift …
How Better Communication Can Fuel Church Renewal
Church renewal hinges on good communication. Surveys have found that 83% of people choose a church home because of the quality of the sermons. It is consistently the top reason people say they select one church over …
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places
What do you love? What does your congregation love? These are essential questions to dig into because St. Augustine states, “Wherever I am carried, my love is carrying me.” Putting it another way, our congregations …
Resolutions For People Who Don’t Make Resolutions
If you’re like me, at some point you have set wildly ambitious goals for a new year… only to watch them fall apart within a few weeks. Maybe you’ve been through that cycle a few times. …
Human Sexuality Conversations and Church Renewal
Essential to church renewal is congregational health. Without healthy relationships revitalization is impossible. Sadly, many congregations needing a fresh start are mired in unhealthy dialogue about same sex attraction, gender identity and Christian discipleship. These …
Incarnational Ministry In 2023
Every Christmas, we celebrate the miracle of the incarnation. During this season, we preach about how Jesus humbly became human so that we could know who God is and so that he could pay the …
Church Renewal Jazz
Before serving as a lead pastor, I spent more than a decade leading worship ministries. Many of the lessons I learned as a worship pastor have applied directly to my ministry today. In fact, I’ve …
A New Way of Thinking About Discipleship
Our traditional understanding of discipleship requires a paradigm shift. A “paradigm” is a “pattern” of thinking and understanding. A classic example is thinking of the world as flat. Columbus’ excursion to the “New World” challenged that …
Unlocking the Power of Gratitude
The table could barely hold all the food — turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, gravy, green beans, and pumpkin pie. Mom sat the last plate at the table and called everyone to the dining …
Thankful For the Fleas
Corrie ten Boom writes of her sister thanking God for the fleas in their barracks at Ravensbruck concentration camp. Corrie could not understand why they should thank God for the horrible fleas. But she followed …
