Tag «How To»

Why Sermon Preparation is Not Devotional Time

Why Sermon Preparation is Not Devotional Time

Every Monday morning, I swivel in my desk chair—praying, pondering. Yellow legal pads fill with chicken scratch in a language only I understand. About fifty Mondays a year, around 3:00 p.m., I start to wonder if I’ll have anything worthwhile to say the following Sunday. The other two Mondays I’m on vacation. I know it’s…

The post Why Sermon Preparation is Not Devotional Time appeared first on Church Answers.

9 Realities for Your Church in 2022

Nine Realities Your Church Will Face in 2022

Presuming we get on the other side of COVID by the end of this year, the picture for churches in America is mostly clear. Of course, none of us can know the future with certainty, and another COVID spike could change the conversation dramatically. Still, we see nine realities your church will face in 2022….

The post Nine Realities Your Church Will Face in 2022 appeared first on Church Answers.

How Pastors Can Use Feelings of Restlessness in a Positive Way

How Pastors Can Use Feelings of Restlessness in a Positive Way

I have a tendency towards restlessness. Leading through a pandemic did not help. Feeling restlessness is a common phenomenon among pastors and church leaders right now. Maybe you can relate. Leadership restlessness is something most leaders feel—usually more often than not. It’s the nagging question that keeps you thinking . . . what’s next? In…

The post How Pastors Can Use Feelings of Restlessness in a Positive Way appeared first on Church Answers.

The Surprising Attendance Decline of Streaming Worship Services: Five Observations

The Surprising Attendance Decline of Streaming Worship Services: Five Observations

Over nine out of ten church leaders describe their church’s decline in attendance in streaming worship services as “major.” Many of them say the decline is at least 90 percent from its peak during the pandemic. While we certainly anticipated that many church members would return to in-person worship attendance after the quarantine, we were…

The post The Surprising Attendance Decline of Streaming Worship Services: Five Observations appeared first on Church Answers.

5 Things Church Leaders Wish They Had Done Differently During the Pandemic

Five Things Church Leaders Wish They Had Done Differently During the Pandemic

The pastor who asked the question demonstrated both maturity and wisdom. He asked our community of church leaders at Church Answers what they wished they had done differently during the pandemic. His question was not one of remorse. Instead, he wanted to learn some lessons for the future. I watched the community of church leaders…

The post Five Things Church Leaders Wish They Had Done Differently During the Pandemic appeared first on Church Answers.

Hospitality Can’t Take a Vacation

Hospitality Can’t Take a Vacation

If you’re in charge of the guest services team at your church, chances are good that you are already feeling the pinch of summer. After a year like no other – and with lowering COVID numbers and rising vaccination rates – people are ready to escape the house and the monotony of the last 15…

The post Hospitality Can’t Take a Vacation appeared first on Church Answers.

Can I Be an Effective Pastor If I Don’t Like Management?

Can I Be an Effective Pastor If I Don’t Like Management?

Can I Be an Effective Pastor If I Don’t Like Management? Pastors are not managers, at least in a corporate-business-world-publicly-traded-company-sort-of-way. But pastors are shepherds. And shepherds manage sheep. Leading a church involves management. A church hierarchy assumes management. And most churches—even smaller congregations—are not completely flat in structure. Even at the most basic level, churches…

The post Can I Be an Effective Pastor If I Don’t Like Management? appeared first on Church Answers.

Should Your Church Be Revitalized or Replanted? A Post-COVID Reality

Should Your Church Be Revitalized or Replanted? A Post-COVID Reality

Very few church leaders and members are opposed to their churches being revitalized. After all, revitalization is the process of your church getting reinvigorated. Revitalization literally means “life again.” It sounds pretty basic. The problem is that many church leaders and members really don’t want substantive changes with their revitalization. For them, revitalization is a…

The post Should Your Church Be Revitalized or Replanted? A Post-COVID Reality appeared first on Church Answers.

11 Characteristics of Church Leaders I’d Like to Imitate

No matter how old I get, I have much room to grow as a leader. In fact, I watch other leaders who inspire and challenge me to lead better. Here are some leadership characteristics I’ve seen in these folks (who are, most often, local church pastors):  1. They strive to imitate Jesus. That’s the bottom…

The post 11 Characteristics of Church Leaders I’d Like to Imitate appeared first on Church Answers.