Some of the most vocal opponents to changes we made in church revitalization were simply rule-followers. That’s huge insight. Don’t miss this.
These people liked to know we were obeying the written and approved structure of the church. When we didn’t follow them exactly they objected. Sometimes loudly. Often in […] Continue Reading…
I have learned I don’t agree with everyone. And everyone doesn’t agree with me.
I could say shame on them, and while that might be funny, it isn’t fair. I’ve been wrong many times before. Many times.
Over the years, as I’ve taken time to listen and get to know people […] Continue Reading…
One reason we can expect smaller crowds upon church reentry is not the virus. That’s part of it for sure. It makes sense. Especially if you’re high-risk you should consider sheltering in place until it’s safe to return.
But many parts of the country are opening. I’m seeing lots of […] Continue Reading…
I’ve been working in and around church revitalization for close to 20 years. The first church where I served as pastor, after entering vocational ministry, was a small, rural church that needed revitalization. I’m currently serving as an interim in another church needing some revitalization.
I have noticed a few […] Continue Reading…
In my desire to care for pastors, I’ve observed a few things about pastors during this pandemic. In fact, I can predict some things about you right now, pastor. Or at least most of you.
Five things I know about (almost) every pastor right now:
Pastors are overloaded with information. There […] Continue Reading…
This is a tribute to the moms who have no children – of their own.
I’ve posted this thought a number of times, because I’m always sensitive to the “mothers” without children.
You know the ones. For whatever reason, they never had children.
Some never tried.Others never could.Some lost their child and […] Continue Reading…
I have been writing about the times of crisis, especially from the viewpoint of leadership. I’ve written these posts previously, but like most crises, none of us saw this current one coming. I pray God brings each of us through this time quickly.
You’ll want to read the first two […] Continue Reading…
In my last post, I shared 5 things not to do in times of crisis. I am writing this with the leader in mind, but I suspect they may be life applicable regardless of the crisis.
As stated, I began with the negative, because in my experience that’s where most […] Continue Reading…
I first wrote a post like this in 2010 following a huge flood that devastated our county. As a pastor of a large church, we were called upon to help our community in recovery efforts. Almost 10 years previous to that, I served as vice-mayor of our city when […] Continue Reading…
There are those moments in leadership when you have to make quick decisions. If COVID-19 has taught us anything it is that sometimes we just have to move forward with limited information.
Like every decision a leader makes, the decision impact others. These are decisions which are hard to […] Continue Reading…
I wrote previously about some of the positives I see coming for the church from the pandemic. Also, I listed three questions I think the church needs to be asking as we head back into our new realities. As I’ve continued studying where we are as a church and […] Continue Reading…
There is so much information today about COVID-19 and how the church needs to respond to it – especially going forward. I’ve been invited to more webinars than I can count. I receive new suggestions everyday. Recently, I asked some of our staff to listen to some of them […] Continue Reading…
As churches begin to prepare for re-opening our buildings, I think there are three important questions every church leader needs to ask. There are probably many more within each of these, but I like simplicity, so I’m limiting it to three.
I wrote previously about positives things which will be […] Continue Reading…
I have used Zoom for meetings for a number of years. During my tenure at Leadership Network, there was never a week and seldom a day that didn’t include a Zoom meeting. So, when so much of the world shifted to Zoom over the past few weeks it was […] Continue Reading…
I think there are some positives for the church that will come through this Coronavirus crisis.
Yes, there are tremendous negatives. The costs are mounting. Almost everything we currently count, other than online engagement, will likely be a loss for weeks and perhaps months to come. Budgets, attendance, and even […] Continue Reading…
