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 …
Biblical Prayers for Renewal
EDITOR’S NOTE: This summer, we are going to highlight some of our most popular articles from recent years. We’re beginning with this article, which consistently has the highest number of hits on our website! Often, …
Asking Better Questions In Church Renewal
Getting the right answers is useless if you’re asking the wrong questions. Yet, how often do we pause and zoom out to make sure we’re asking the right questions in church renewal? Church renewal begins not with activity …
Just Do Something: Cultivating a Bias Toward Action
Synergy is a popular word in the business world. Companies like Starbucks and Barnes & Noble have shown how profitable collaboration can be. Who wouldn’t want to sip coffee while flipping through a good book? …
The 2030 Problem: Church Renewal Steps For Graying Congregations
By the year 2030, all Baby Boomers will be 65 or older, and for the first time in U.S. history, older adults will outnumber children. This profound demographic shift is known as the “2030 Problem,” …
Four Essential Traits of a Leader
What do followers need from leaders to thrive? Those who lead congregations through seasons of renewal must ask this question. The outcome often hinges on how well leaders can engage council members, staff members, and the …
Perfectly Wrong
I’ve never made a March Madness bracket worth bragging about, and apparently, I’m not alone! Of the millions of brackets users created on Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, ESPN, and the NCAA’s platforms, not a single one …
Learning To Love the Institutional Church
There seems to be one thing Americans can agree on—whether we are on the right, left, or somewhere in the middle: we don’t trust and don’t like institutions. Our trust in institutions has been in …
How To Keep A New Vision Alive
Vision is leaky! Aligning a church around a new vision can feel like blowing air into a balloon that has a pinprick in the other end. The work is never done! Discerning a new vision is only …
The Disengagement Crisis At Church
Church renewal efforts thrive in congregations that are highly engaged, enthusiastic, and involved. However, many churches are finding that volunteerism has not returned to pre-COVID levels. Disengagement is high among lay leaders, council members, and staff. …