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 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 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 …
7 investments for creating trust accounts
Church revitalization demands change. Change is essential if churches are to move ever closer to the goal of becoming intentional missional congregations that make more and better disciples. Churches that resist change will inevitably die …
Nurturing a Culture of “Yes”
Floating off the waters of Bar Harbor, Maine is a crab boat named “Beth Said Yes!” What’s the story behind that name? Could it celebrate a deckhand coming home to a young wife with a …
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 …