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The metaphor has changed. For most of my ministry, we often referred to the up and down of pastoral ministry as a roller coaster. It made sense. One day the pastor will celebrate five new believers in Christ. The next day the pastor is met by a long-term church member who is leaving the church…
The post Pastoral Whiplash Syndrome: Five Causes appeared first on Church Answers.
Every church has limiting factors. No church grows exponentially every year. Infinite expansion isn’t possible. Even the largest churches stay at the top of the list for only about twenty years. Each generation has its own group of biggest congregations or fastest-growing congregations. Compare any lists of the largest churches from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s,…
The post It’s Time to Release Churches from the Myth of Infinite Expansion appeared first on Church Answers.
Each year, I post on my personal site a list of possible ways to show your pastor gratitude during October (Pastor Appreciation month). Even with that list in mind, here are some things I would love to receive from members if I were pastoring again: Regular, intentional prayer. In our Church Answers’ Know Your Church…
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Bardwell Baptist Church is located in Bardwell, Kentucky, a town of 714 people. Twenty years ago in 2020, the population was 799. Bardwell is, for the most part, an unknown town in a rural area of Kentucky. But God knows where Bardwell is. Jason Burnette became the pastor in 2021. Worship attendance was around 100…
The post The Church That Could in a Town of 714 People appeared first on Church Answers.
Even in the closest friendships, sometimes hurt happens. Misunderstanding. Distance. Disagreement. Even betrayal and deceit. Perhaps you have experienced this kind of anguish, this kind of brokenness, firsthand. The loss can be staggering, a blow not only to your happiness and way of life but also to your confidence and sense of identity. The pain…
The post When a Friendship Falls Apart: Finding God’s Path for Healing, Forgiveness, and (Maybe) Help Letting Go appeared first on Church Answers.
No doubt you’ve heard the phrase, “There goes the neighborhood.” Historically, it has been associated with ethnic minorities moving into white neighborhoods. I don’t believe most people use the phrase today in such a way. However, during the civil rights movement and the following decades, many white neighborhood churches changed locations, often moving to the…
The post Behind the Decline: Unraveling the Forgotten Reasons of Fading Neighborhood Churches appeared first on Church Answers.
The median attendance of a church in 2023 is 60, down from 65 in 2020. That’s the bad news. But giving is up. That is the good news. Giving in congregation jumped significantly, from a median of about $120,000 in 2020 to $170,000 in 2023. That is an increase of 42% over the past three…
The post Four Reasons Why Church Giving Is Up While Attendance Is Down appeared first on Church Answers.
Neighborhood churches tend to be small or midsize and well-established. For years, we have dismissed the potential for a significant move of God in these churches. I believe they are primed for a comeback. They are numerous, and they are located in the heart of places with lots of people. I believe in this comeback…
The post The Neighborhood Church Returns: Making the Comeback a Reality appeared first on Church Answers.
Let me be honest with you. I’m busy. Too busy, in fact. I go to bed with things to do on my mind, and I wake up with even more things to do on my mind. Somedays it feels like I’m on the proverbial hamster wheel, wearing myself out while getting nowhere. In the midst…
The post A Simple Way for Leaders to Start the Day with God appeared first on Church Answers.
We have written and presented numerous insights and information about the effects of the pandemic on churches. I even wrote a small book called The Post Quarantine Church. The essence of our information was straightforward: negative church trends were accelerated and exacerbated in the pandemic and for the several months after churches regathered in-person. In…
The post Five New Challenges for the “Post-Post” Pandemic Church appeared first on Church Answers.