“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 …
Does Your Guest Pathway Feel Like a Maze?
In this series, we are exploring ministry bottlenecks that can keep churches from moving forward. We have already looked at the pastor bottleneck and the decision-making bottleneck. Now it is time to consider another common …
Facing Reality: Stalled Outreach
In this series of newsletters, we have been naming six challenges churches today cannot ignore. We have already discussed aging congregations, leadership pipelines running dry, and the decline of volunteerism. Today, we’ll turn to the fourth challenge, stalled …
Every Church Can Support Church Planting
Church planting is a powerful way to expand God’s Kingdom, but not every congregation will be ready to launch a daughter church this year. Still, every church can take concrete steps today to prepare for planting and to …
A Fresh Look at Church Planting
If you care about church renewal, you cannot ignore church planting! As we seek to move our congregations out of maintenance mode and into a multiplication mindset, church planting should be on all our radars! …
Four Ways to Reach the “Nones”
When churches rediscover their core mission, they naturally turn outward with the Gospel. In today’s culture, many of the people outside our walls identify as “Nones” — people who say they are atheist, agnostic, or “nothing …
Church Renewal During the “Great Dechurching” of America
Where did everybody go? If your church’s pews are less full than they were a few decades ago, you are not alone. Research shows that 40 million American adults stopped attending church over the last …
Tim Keller’s Lessons for Church Renewal Leaders
Church planter and author Tim Keller left behind a rich legacy for those who work in church renewal. Keller planted and grew a thriving congregation in Manhattan, co-founded The Gospel Coalition, launched a church planting …
Thankful For the Fleas
EDITOR’S NOTE: As we continue to highlight some of our most popular articles from recent years, here is one from November of 2022. Corrie ten Boom writes of her sister thanking God for the fleas …
Encouraging People: Being a “Barnabas” in a “Paul” World
Recently, I was on a call discussing the need for encouragement in this season of life and ministry. Many of our friends and colleagues are walking away from ministry and the church. It can be …