5 Social Media Tips That Will Actually Grow your Church.
Our church is growing rapidly because we figured out how to leverage social media to reach people. As soon as people learn about how our church more than doubled in size in less than 12 months – largely through the use of social media – they immediately want to…
What you need to say to younger leaders.
By Josh Ott This was never my dream for my life – this thing we call pastoring, leading in a church. I’m a pastor’s kid who grew up in a really good EFCA church, a pastor’s kid who had amazing parents who demonstrated their love for Jesus and their love…
10 Ways To Communicate To And Engage Millennials
Ever wonder if you will be able to continue to communicate effectively to younger people as you get older? I hate that the church world seems to suggest you have to be young to communicate well to young people. So I put together the top 10 ways to communicate to…
3 Ways to On-board and Off-board Your Team Successfully
Kathy is a nurse and last week I heard her tell a group of people that her interview to serve in our kid ministry was more intense than any job interview she’s ever had. I smiled, as I heard this, glad she knows that what she is doing has great…
The Slow and Steady of Revitalizing your Church
A few months ago I wrote about St. John’s Syndrome. St John’s syndrome is described as “the tendency of churches to become less effective the longer they are in existence.” The two keys to overcoming St. John’s Syndrome are to rediscover the original values of the church (“do the things…
8 Ideas to Involve Special Needs People at Your Church (and Why You Should).
Pop Quiz: What is the largest minority in the United States right now? (Do you hear the Jeopardy theme song playing?) Many might have guessed the Latino community. At over 18%, that is a good guess. While statistics vary because of the difficulty to count those who are often hidden, at nearly a…
2 Key Ways To Get Your Church Out Of Maintenance Mode
By Pete Johnson It can be daunting to think about all the people who still need Jesus in our area of ministry. There are some 8.4 million people in NYC, 1.5 million in Philly, 622,000 in Baltimore, 658,000 in DC, 438,000 in Virginia Beach. Add to that all our suburbs and rural communities and…
BEWARE THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
Have you heard this joke? A person bought an elephant for a friend’s room. The friend thanked him to which the person said, “Don’t mention it.” Think about it, you will get it. Hint: What is true of the elephant in the room? Does your church have the proverbial elephant in the room? That uncomfortable…
7 STEPS TO AVOID BURNOUT
What should a pastor do when feeling tired, burned out, under-appreciated or even under attack? 1. Don’t isolate yourself. Solitude is a spiritual discipline and is healthy. Isolation is not. Make friends with someone not associated with the church. Someone from another church, a friend from seminary days, or even…
INSPIRING YOUR CONGREGATION TO GIVE GENEROUSLY
Is there a shortage of resources to do God’s work? Or is there a shortage of vision for what God wants to do? Some of our congregations are struggling financially. They wonder if it is time to reduce staff or missionary personnel or if they should sell part of the…
Where is your church going?
The life cycle of any church is often pictured by a bell curve. As the church grows, the curve goes up. But at some point, without direct decisions being intentionally made to continue the upward direction that first birthed the church, a church will plateau, grow stagnant, and begin a slide to…
Come Apart Before You Come Apart
I’ve been a pastor for the last 38 years. At times, I have been in the groove of blessing, feeling like I am right where I’m supposed to be, walking in the light of God at work transforming lives. At other times, I have been in the dark, dry desert, wondering why I…