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 …
The Power of Stories to Shape Our Story
If you ask a top athlete how they got into their sport they will typically share an inspiring origin story about their first golf outing with mom, about watching the U.S. Gymnastics team win gold or …
How To Root Vision Into Church 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 …
How To Renew an Aging Congregation
As life with COVID-19 continues, churches are returning to earlier conversations about renewal. One challenge many of these congregations face is that they have a majority of chronologically aging members. Renewing an aging congregation has …
How to increase you ministry impact
During Covid-19 renewal leaders are attempting to increase ministry impact for every Kingdom investment being made. During these times, as in all times, a helpful guiding principle is “the sharper the focus the greater the …
How renewal leaders reduce anxiety in anxious times
These are anxious times. The corona virus earthquake hit with an 8.0 magnitude and tsunami sirens are blaring warnings of economic and social destruction that may soon come on shore. Many of our congregants are …
The Change Your Church May Be Avoiding
Many churches know something needs to change. They can feel it. Attendance patterns have shifted. Volunteers are harder to find. Outreach feels more difficult. Younger generations seem less connected. The surrounding culture has changed. The …
Programs Are Not The Same As Discipleship
As church leaders, we long for people to grow in Christ. We want children to know Jesus. We want adults to mature in faith. We want leaders to lead like Jesus. We want worship, small groups, …
Is Your Church Strong Inside but Stuck Outside?
“What’s happening in churches?” That is a question I often hear from pastors, elders, and renewal leaders. Over the past few years, I have had the gift of surveying and talking with church leaders about …
IS YOUR MINISTRY TOO COMPLICATED?
One of the most important questions church renewal leaders can ask is this: Are people truly being transformed? Or are we simply keeping them busy with a calendar full of the usual church programs? Churches tend …