Those who know U.S. history know that the 1860s was a time of great turmoil, not only in the United States’ politics, but also in its churches. These years provide useful lessons for our churches today. …
Election Season Sanity At Church
As election season heats up in the US, church leaders face the daunting task of guiding their congregations through an increasingly hostile and divisive landscape. Our mailboxes, inboxes, TV screens, and social media feeds are littered with …
Finding a Sustainable Pace In Church Renewal
Last week, I compared leading church to running on a treadmill. The pace of change in today’s world is relentless. We feel like we have to run faster and faster just to stay in the same …
Forming a Strategy for Church Renewal
One aim of church renewal is to help congregations regain a sense of purpose and calling. However, many churches struggle to form and implement a compelling vision for the future. Why do so many churches …
Trends in Staffing Relevant for Church Renewal
In many churches, staff members play a crucial role in accomplishing the mission. They are seeing and solving problems. They are working in the trenches of ministry day after day. The investments we make in the …
A Tailor-Made Approach to Change
How do ideas spread? That is the question behind Everett Rogers’ classic book, The Diffusion of Innovations. As church renewal leaders, learning the art and science of change is crucial to our work. Developing those skills by reading …
When Something Blocks Your View of the Son
Right on schedule at 3:13 p.m. yesterday, everyone in Cleveland looked up to the sky and gasped in delight. Almost 240,000 miles away, the moon moved into perfect alignment with the sun. Because the moon is …
How To Engage “ChrEasters” and Reverse the Decline in Attendance
Pastors sometimes joke about “ChrEasters” or “CEOs” (Christmas/Easter Only attenders), but the reality is no laughing matter. The frequency of church attendance nationwide continues to drop at an alarming rate. The Household Pulse Survey revealed that 49 …
Pastor, How Are You Doing?
An unlikely post on X went viral last week when Elmo posted: “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” The simple question from Sesame Street’s lovable red Muppet quickly received almost 20,000 replies. People …
Reading for Renewal
I am always a little intimidated in conversations about how many books one reads in a year. I love to read but I tend to read a bit slower than most people, so the volume …
