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Churches decline for two main reasons—both having to do with a shift in priorities. First, they lose passion for the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Second, as a result, they no longer give God glory. When a church no longer pushes outward with the gospel, the people will no longer look upward to God’s…
The post The Top Ten Misaligned Priorities in Struggling Churches appeared first on Church Answers.
I admit it: I’m pleading with church leaders with this post. I’m pleading on behalf of 19 million people in the United States. This past weekend, I led a collegiate conference at a local church. Every time I speak to college students, I’m reminded of two things: (1) they bring enthusiasm and potential to a…
The post An Urgent Plea to Churches appeared first on Church Answers.
I like outliers. Outliers are, by their definition, exceptions to the rule. They are different from others. Our Church Answers team closely watches church attendance, especially attendance since the pandemic. Most churches had a decline in attendance. Since many of these congregations are intentional about recovering from the decreases, we note what approaches these churches take. …
The post 5 Surprising Approaches Churches Are Using to Increase Attendance appeared first on Church Answers.
My wife recently found a box of old church bulletins with notes from my previous sermons. She is a prodigious note-taker. These old bulletins contained thousands of sermon points. How many of them did she remember? I didn’t ask. Only a few congregants will remember specific points I make in a sermon several years afterward….
The post Seven Tips to Make Sermon Points More Memorable appeared first on Church Answers.
It is a movement. It is an undeniable movement. In the midst of all the changes taking place in churches, this one factor is rarely mentioned. For sure, a lot of the focus has been on change in churches since COVID. I get that. The pandemic and quarantine changed much of society including churches. That…
The post The ONE Big Change Taking Place in Church Hiring Practices (and It’s Under the Radar) appeared first on Church Answers.
Perhaps one of the most under-reported issues about the post-pandemic church is how some churches are doing better after the departure of some church members. We know that about 20 percent of active church attendees stopped attending during the pandemic and have not returned. What we rarely hear is that some of those departures actually…
The post When Church Members Are a Blessed Exit: 5 Thoughts appeared first on Church Answers.
Criticism is an inevitable aspect of leadership, and as a woman in a leadership role, you may encounter unique challenges and expectations. How you handle criticism can profoundly impact your growth and effectiveness as a leader. Whether it is an e-mail from a member sharing their opinions on room temperature and the selection of snacks…
The post Navigating Criticism with Grace: A Guide for Women Leaders appeared first on Church Answers.
For hundreds of thousands of churches, the tradition stood the test of time. The majority of churches passed the offering plate (or some type of receptacle) during a designated time of the worship service typically called “the offertory.” There is no doubt that the number of churches passing the offering plate has decreased dramatically in…
The post Is Passing the Offering Plate Dead? 7 Thoughts appeared first on Church Answers.
I’ve had the privilege of learning from Christian leaders—clergy and laity alike—for almost 50 years. As a seminary professor who teaches courses in leadership, I pay attention when I see leaders who seem uniquely gifted. I offer this list of characteristics today (1) to push myself to evaluate my own life and (2) to challenge…
The post 6 Unique Characteristics of the Best Christian Leaders I’ve Known appeared first on Church Answers.
With the aging of the Boomer generation, pastors are retiring every day. I hear from a pastor almost every week who has recently retired or is considering retirement. Over the past few years, our conversations have become somewhat predictable and consistent. The questions these pastors have typically revolve around three issues: how do I prepare…
The post 10 Insights for Retiring Pastors appeared first on Church Answers.