Those who observe living things know that growth happens seasonally. A child, for example, may go months without significant change in height and then, suddenly, they’ll add several inches in a single growth season. The …
Addressing sporadic attendance in church
Most churches are struggling with sporadic attendance. Recent studies suggest the majority of self-identified church goers attend Sunday worship once every 4-5 weeks. The downsides of uneven attendance are many. For example, consistent instruction is …
The unique skill set of revitalization pastors
The skills of established church pastors and church planting pastors are distinct. Established church pastors have skill sets that lean towards pastoral ministry while entrepreneurial skills are of greater importance to church planters. The skills …
5 Holy Spirit wave catching commitments
Revitalization leaders know that catching waves are as important as making plans. Catching a wave is about embracing Holy Spirit opportunities that are consistent with mission. Those opportunities show up in a variety of ways. …
7 investments for creating trust accounts
Church revitalization demands change. Change is essential if churches are to move ever closer to the goal of becoming intentional missional congregations that make more and better disciples. Churches that resist change will inevitably die …
7 Practices for rooting vision into culture
Most renewal-oriented congregations have developed a vision statement. Vision statements identify a congregation’s “main thing” and help them focus on loving God, loving neighbor and making more and better disciples. Unfortunately, most vision statements never …
7 questions to discover renewal leaders
Everyone knows the importance of finding renewal leaders. At the Center for Church Renewal we often say, “As leaders go, so goes the church.” God himself leans heavily on leaders. The Bible’s redemptive story demonstrates …
Nurturing a culture of “Yes”
Floating off the waters of Bar Harbor, Maine is a crab boat named “Beth Said Yes!” What’s the story behind that name? Could it celebrate a deckhand coming home to a young wife with a …
Shaping Culture Through Axioms
In church revitalization healthy culture is more important than good strategy. As someone has rightly pointed out, “culture eats strategy for lunch.” But how do leaders shape a congregation’s culture? One important tool is employing …
Five renewal resolutions for the new year
An important reality for pastors and churches to embrace is that we are perfectly structured to get the results we’re already getting. If we’re not completely happy with our present revitalization outcomes, something has to …
