Tag «Lead»

When You’re Starting on Empty: How to Start a New Year with Little To Give

As the calendar turns, and a new year unfolds before us, leaders will often find themselves sorting through an inbox of messages around goal setting, how to cast the perfect vision for the new year and five quick steps to a ‘successful’ impact. These are not bad and are often helpful in sparking passion, precision–and…

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10 True-False Statements on the State of Churches and Denominations in America

This week we will have a major announcement about Church Answers taking a bigger step into the world of Christian and church research. Stay tuned for it. In the meantime, let’s look at ten statements connected with current research on Christianity, churches, and denominations. Before you look at the answers, see how many you get…

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Staying Put: The Increasing Significance (and Growing Desire) of Longer-Term Pastorates

During the 1800s frontier era of church expansion in the United States, a one-year contract to pastor a church was relatively common. If the church liked the pastor, an extension might be granted for another year but not much beyond. As America expanded westward, communities grew, and new churches popped up. Moving on after a…

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4 Big Reasons Why Pastors Lack Work-Life Balance

Pastors are a notorious bunch when it comes to work. Church members have high expectations. The hours are long. Some weeks, you have no option but to grind it out for 70 hours. An occasional all-nighter is to be expected. But these situations should be rare, not the norm. Why do too few pastors strike…

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They Told Me Rather Than Teach Me

I was a new believer, and my pastor gave me my first Bible ever—a red, hardback King James Version award Bible. “You need to read this book,” he told me. “It’s God’s Word.” I was 13 years old at the time, and I had never read any of the Bible. My pastor had told me…

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9 Dangerous Fault Lines for Churches in 2024

I’ve never stood face-to-face with a tsunami, and trust me, I am thankful for that. These monsters of the deep are as fascinating as they are fearsome. Just the other night, what started as a quick dive into tsunami videos turned into a full hour of awe with a dash of trepidation. Here’s what this…

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Your Church Is Probably Not Paying Your Pastor Enough

Most pastors do not take a vow of poverty when called into the ministry. They deserve a fair wage for their work like everyone else. Moreover, almost every pastor is motivated by factors other than money. I don’t hear many stories from pastors beginning with, “I decided to go into ministry because of the money.”…

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5 Reasons Why Non-Denominational Churches Are Growing

While we continue to see reports of denominational decline in America, we see fewer reports of the growth of non-denominational churches. It is actually an amazing story. Two denominations that receive a lot of attention are the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church. These two denominations have historically been the two largest Protestant…

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What Pastors Actually Think About While They Preach

People often apologize to me for something that happened in a church service. I’ve heard lots of great apologies. “I’m sorry I fell asleep.” “I’m sorry I had to rush out.” “I’m sorry my kid lit his hair on fire.” I love church—both the people of God and the worship services. I love the oddities…

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8 Things I Would Look for on a Church Website If I Were Looking for a Church Home

I’m not looking for a new church home. We love our pastors and the church’s vision, and we have no intention of going elsewhere. At the same time, though, I’m often in correspondence with people who are looking for a new church. They most often turn to the website to determine whether to visit a…

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