I had a conversation after church on Sunday with a close friend and one of our most faithful attendees. We were talking about his spiritual growth over the past few years, which has been significant. …
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 …
When Politics Pulls Renewal Into The Rapids
Renewal is never a calm float down a lazy river. Sooner or later, every church that wants to follow Jesus into deeper health and mission hits rough water. One of the roughest places right now …
Is Your Process of Decision-Making Slowing Down Your Church?
Today, we are wrapping up a series of articles about common bottlenecks that keep churches from growing. One of the most common bottlenecks is the process of decision-making and governance. Many churches end up with a …
Is Leadership Development a Bottleneck In Your Church?
In this series of articles, we are looking at common bottlenecks that keep churches from growing. In the last article, we looked at the guest-path bottleneck. We asked whether our churches are easy to enter, …
Can The Pastor Be A Bottleneck?
In the last article, we explored the idea of ministry bottlenecks. Like a traffic jam caused by one narrow chokepoint, churches often slow down not because everything is broken, but because one part of the …
Telling Your Church’s Big Campfire Story
In last week’s article, we talked about the importance of every church to discover and share their “campfire stories.” These positive stories speak to the best of what your congregation has been able to accomplish, along with the …