Churches are more like organisms than they are organizations. Of course, organizational management is important in churches. Finances, staff reviews, and operations are among the many management activities in the church. Ultimately, however, churches are alive. Biblically, the church is a body. As a functioning organism, the church body is always changing. Like our own bodies, the church either becomes healthier or less healthy. Churches grow. Or they start dying. Congregations may plateau for a Read more [...]
“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too . . .” (Acts 17:6). Such was the accusation of an angry mob against Paul and Silas. The good news had persuaded a few too many for those who held the power. Christians were getting the attention of society. A gospel movement was forming. It all came to a head in the middle of a city. And the world turned upside down. I read this passage, and I am burdened. Too few churches are ready to turn the world upside down. Read more [...]
I participated in the Derby Festival Marathon last Saturday with over 16,000 other runners. It poured rain. I was reminded of my insanity with every squeaky, waterlogged step. In a marathon, both the finish and the start are anticlimactic. When you finish, you’re too exhausted to enjoy the moment. (Just give me a banana and some chocolate milk!) And if you’re a runner, then you understand the anticlimactic start of big races. Thousands line up in corrals. There is collective excitement. The Read more [...]
Ronald Reagan once stated, “Status quo, you know, that is Latin for the mess we’re in.” Most churches (and church leaders) that clamor for the status quo are messes. You don’t often hear of a healthy church championing the status quo. Visionary leaders don’t compel others to stay the same. Of course, not everything in a church—even an unhealthy one—needs to change. The status quo is not necessarily the enemy. The status quo simply refers to the existing state of affairs. Sometimes Read more [...]
God’s mission is clear: He seeks and saves the lost. Therefore churches should be intentionally gospel-centered, intentionally evangelistic, and intentionally seek justice. A church excited about the gospel is a church with a laser focus on making disciples. Churches with purpose pour collective energy into one direction. Churches without purpose tend to drift. Like the flotsam and jetsam in the sea, a church adrift does little more than float along as aimless debris. I have yet to see a church Read more [...]
Every church has an organizational culture. Some churches have a culture of optimism. You can feel the energy in worship. Others are pessimistic. You can sense the deadness when you walk into the sanctuary. A dead sanctuary should be an oxymoron, but I’ve experienced “worship” in a few zombie churches. The walking spiritually dead show up to utter a few grunts, gaze around, and shuffle back home. Every church also faces obstacles. What is the difference between churches that approach Read more [...]
“. . . because you’re the pastor.” Most pastors have heard the end of this sentence at some point. Perhaps you bristled at hearing it. Maybe your feelings were justified, depending on what preceded the phrase. But there’s truth in “because you’re the pastor.” People expect you to represent your church. And you should. If you’re a pastor, then you’re also a statesman—there’s no way around it. I use the term “statesman” not in a truly political sense, though Read more [...]
Fads come and go. Hair bands, slap bracelets, Atkins diets, and fanny packs all came and went. Some fads quickly go out of style. Some linger too long. (Why are some of you still wearing skinny jeans?) If music, food, clothes, and toys can become faddish, then the same can happen to leaders. In the church, what works to grow a church today may not work in the future. You can be a popular leader, only to lose that popularity more quickly than Vanilla Ice dropped out of the mainstream. Even Read more [...]
Change efforts are never unanimous. Change efforts are too often reactive instead of proactive. Resistance to change is high. Ministry leaders can push too hard for change among the wrong people, at the wrong times, and in wrong ways. I might be understating the quandary of change in established churches. If we believe in the body of Christ, then ministry leaders must be change agents. Leaders quickly understand what needs to change, but the how of change is just as important. I’ve Read more [...]
“What ya runnin’ these days?” It’s a common question asked of church leaders, and most who ask it refer to average weekly attendance. If the answer is “400,” then on an average weekend your church has 400 people on campus. This figure includes children, assumes each person is counted only once, and excludes the traditional Sunday evening service. But if you average 400 in attendance, your church is larger, potentially much larger. In order to understand the true size of Read more [...]
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