Church Growth
5 Reasons Why Some Churches Won’t Recover
If you’ve been paying attention to our world over the last few months, you’ve no doubt seen some dramatic economic news. You’ve probably seen things that made you wonder about the future of your church. You may be worried about what might come next. We’ve seen the initial impact that COVID-19 has had on people,…
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An Open Letter to Pastors in a Divisive Time
By Mark Clark, Founding Pastor, Village Church Vancouver BC Hey Pastor, I hope you are doing well. But seriously, I do. I know this is a weird time. I have some good news and bad news. I will start with the bad (no surprise I guess, I am a preacher after all). I am not…
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Why You’re Not Out of the Woods Yet—3 Keys To ReOpening Your Church Well
You’ve been operating in crisis mode for months now. You’ve made pivot after pivot with little time to process or prepare. You’ve made the best decisions you could with the information you had and prayed that it would work. Adrenaline has ruled the day. As we move into the heat of summer, it looks like…
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5 Things You Can Do To Lead Well in Chaotic Times
This post is by Jenni Catron. Jenni is a leading voice on how to create world-class organizational culture. Jenni is the Founder and CEO of The 4Sight Group and is a member of my Speaking/Consulting Team. By Jenni Catron This season is requiring something different from you as a leader. There is little about life that is easy…
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5 Unfair Criticisms of Large Churches It’s Time To Drop
When you think of large churches and mega-churches, what comes to mind? If there’s one thing I learned from writing about the church, it’s that some people hate megachurches. With a passion. I try not to engage the trolls and the haters in the comments on my blog (engaging them just gives them what they want).…
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7 Signs Your Church Is Honestly…Mediocre
One of the problems many churches face these days is that they’re neither great at things or terrible at things. They’re honestly just…mediocre. Streaming has made watching other churches’ services easier than ever, and as I’ve scrolled through my Sunday morning feed or visited different churches over the years, I’ve been a little amazed at…
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5 Specific Ways The Current Approach to Church Seems Badly Outdated
You open the doors to your church every weekend hoping more people will come (or in some cases, hoping somebody comes) only to discover that, with few exceptions, more people rarely do. That appears to be especially true as churches reopen in the midst of the coronavirus. It can get discouraging, and many leaders wring…
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5 Very Real Tensions Every Small to Mid-Sized Church Leader Feels
If you lead a small to mid-sized church, you face struggles leaders of large churches don’t. I can totally relate to the dynamics of leading a smaller church. When I began in ministry, I spent about 3 years leading a small congregation (under 100) that grew into a mid-sized church (under 500) and then grew…
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How to Tell if A New Volunteer is Truly a Leader (Or Simply a Doer)
I recently surveyed 1400 small and mid-sized church pastors to find out what they struggle with most as their church grows. They overwhelmingly identified developing leaders as their top challenge. Don’t get me wrong, there were many more issues (I address the big eight in my course, Breaking 200 Without Breaking You. You can sign…
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7 Signs Your Church Will Never Change
There’s a very good chance you’re trying to change something in your church or organization. There’s even a decent chance some of you are trying to change everything. I’ve been there. Just because God never changes doesn’t mean your church shouldn’t. In fact, the most effective churches change constantly. Effective churches never change the mission or the…
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