Leadership
6 Things That Make Ministry Harder Than It Was A Decade Ago
Ever feel like ministry is harder than it was a decade ago? You’re not alone. I am an eternal optimist when it comes to the church, but I agree that ministry is more challenging than it’s ever been. Understanding why is key to figuring out what to do and how to respond. You may or may not like…
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5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Preach Other People’s Sermons
These are interesting times for communicators and preachers. Never have we had access to so many other people’s messages. And never have we felt more pressure in delivering our own. Almost monthly I hear of pastors (most of whom will never make the headlines) who are losing their job because of plagiarism—using someone else’s content…
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CNLP 194: Jerry Hurley on Keys to Scaling Your Ministry, Leaving Corporate to Help Build Life Church and What Makes Working With Millennials Work
Jerry Hurley joined the staff at Life Church in 1998, when it was a single campus and running about 600 people. He’s been on the senior leadership team as it’s grown to over 80,000 attenders and 29 locations today. Jerry shares his top insights on scale, leaving the corporate world and recruiting staff and volunteers.…
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7 Signs Your Church Is (Finally) Reaching Unchurched People
So as a church leader you have a desire to reach new people with the good news of Jesus. But how do you know your church is really finally (truly) reaching the unchurched? First, you can (and should) use data to find out whether you are attracting transfer growth or truly unchurched people. Your welcome…
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CNLP 193: Clay Scroggins on How the Digital Disruption is Changing Everything For Churches and Businesses
There’s no question we’re undergoing one of the biggest transformations in history, but the digital disruption that’s happening around us every day has caught most church and business leaders off guard. Clay talks about how large and small organizations are missing out on one of the greatest opportunities there is, and some ideas on how…
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A False Spiritual Maturity Test For Christians…and a Better One
One of the frequent criticisms I hear of churches that are trying to reach people who don’t attend church is that they fail to produce ‘disciples’. Honestly, this is a criticism that, off and on, has been levied at our ministry for years. And it bothers me. On a recent speaking tour, I heard it again and…
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Why Bishop Michael Curry’s Sermon Brought Down the House at the Royal Wedding
Even if you missed the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, by now you’ve likely heard that American Bishop Michael Curry brought down the house with his incredible sermon. It was, by many accounts—including mine—just a fantastic message on the Gospel. It grabbed headlines in England and around the world and the media can’t…
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7 Very Possible Reasons You’re Losing Your Audience When You Speak
If there’s one thing you never set out to be as a leader or communicator, it’s to lose the audience. And yet everyone who communicates, preaches or even tries to persuade someone of an idea has discovered that sinking sense that you’ve lost them. You’re just not connecting and you have no idea why. How exactly does…
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CNLP 192: Caleb Kaltenbach on How to Embrace an Outraged and Polarized Culture Most Leaders No Longer Like
In a polarized culture filled with a growing number of angry people, how do you find your voice, counter arguments and keep your sanity? Messy Grace author Caleb Kaltenbach is back with a fresh look on how to embrace a culture of outrage and division. Conservatives and liberals both struggle to respond to the changes…
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The Looming Pastoral Succession Crisis and Why It’s Already Bad
Of all the issues the church needs to deal with in the next ten years, succession is near the top of the list. So many of the churches started in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s are led by (now) older leaders. A similar reality is also facing established churches who have had a leader…
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