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 …
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 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, …
Is Decision-Making Slowing Down Your Church
In this series of articles, we are exploring ministry bottlenecks that keep churches from moving forward. In the last article, we explored how the pastor can become a bottleneck when too much depends on one person. …
How to Find and Relieve Ministry Bottlenecks
Have you ever been in a traffic jam? Traffic gets backed up for miles and moves at a snail’s pace, adding a half hour to your trip. When this happens, it is usually not because the …
When Headlines Hijack the Pulpit
If you lead a church right now, you can probably feel the pressure in the air. The headlines have been relentless, sparking grief, anger, and heated debate. One week, a public figure like Charlie Kirk is …
Facing Reality: Deep Hurt and Fragile Unity
Today, we are concluding a series of newsletters naming and responding to the most common challenges churches are facing today. This week, we will address a daunting challenge, deep hurt and fragile unity in the congregation. …
Facing Reality: Blurry Vision
In this series of newsletters, we have been naming six challenges churches today cannot ignore. Today, we’ll turn to the fifth challenge, blurry vision. In many churches, pastors, staff members, office-bearers, and volunteers are working harder …
Facing Reality: Volunteer Decline
In this series of newsletters, we have named six challenges churches today cannot ignore. We have already discussed the first two challenges, aging congregations and leadership pipelines running dry. Today, we’ll turn to this third challenge, the …
Facing Reality: Leadership Pipelines Running Dry
At the end of 2025, we named six challenges churches today cannot ignore. After naming and facing reality, we can begin to meet these challenges head-on — both prayerfully and strategically. We have already discussed the first …