Tag «Membership & Assimilation»

Shifting Your Church Out of Survival Mode and into Hopeful Optimism

Many churches are barely hanging on, but there is hope. Churches are simultaneously both fragile and resilient. They hang on by their fingernails, but those fingernails are surprisingly strong. Every Sunday seems to have the potential to be the last one. Yet the same church survives year after year, decade after decade. Struggling churches tend…

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The Life Cycle of a Pastor (Updated)

For almost 30 years, we have tracked the tenure of pastors. Though some of the categories are the same, the time periods and the descriptions of the periods continue to evolve. We are now in a post-pandemic, post-Christian era. The changes are significant. Of course, these cycles are generalizations. There will always be exceptions and…

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Is Gen Z More Likely to Attend Church Than Millennials? The Surprising Answer

Are the trends reversing? Could younger people return to church in greater numbers? Perhaps. It’s too early to tell, but one researcher gives a little hope. Ryan Burge reported on data indicating Gen Z is more likely to attend church than Millennials and Gen X. While almost a third of this younger generation does not…

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Five Solutions for the Weary Pastor: A Personal Note to Church Members

Pastors are tired. Many pastors are tired because of all the work they did leading to Easter Sunday, But it’s really bigger than that. Pastors are tired because culture is no longer friendly to churches and to church leaders. Pastors are tired because of internal church conflict. Pastors are tired because of the barrage of…

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Predicting Your Worship Attendance for the Next Year

Can you really predict your church’s worship attendance for the next year? Our answer is “maybe.” I know such certainty gives you a lot of comfort! Here’s the reality: the answer is in God’s hands. His Spirit can move as He pleases. So why would we even attempt to project worship attendance? It’s a fair…

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Seven Reasons We Preachers Don’t Always Know What Our Church is Thinking . . . and a Reason to Get a “Know Your Church Report”

I can’t remember how many times I was surprised by what my church members were thinking, even though I was their pastor. What I thought was the case wasn’t always so. How does that happen? 1. We assume we hear everything in the course of ministry. We know we don’t, but we act as if…

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What Is the First Step on the Path to Discipleship after Someone Joins the Church?

They have visited your church frequently. They felt that your church should become their own church home. They went through a membership class. They are now officially part of the church body. Now what? We get that question, or questions similar to it, on a regular basis at Church Answers. In essence, church leaders are…

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Why Work from Home Won’t Work for the Church

A philosophical tug-of-war is occurring in the work world. To what degree should people work from home, and how much time should they spend in the office? Some CEOs are mandating a permanent return to the office on all workdays. Others allow their workers to be remote, even working in other states. Many are splitting…

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Five Questions for Churches as Worship Gatherings Become Smaller

The trend toward smaller gatherings was slow but perceptible prior to the pandemic. That trend is much more noticeable now. Church worship gatherings are getting smaller. Two major factors are contributing to this trend. The obvious factor is an overall attendance decline in churches. Many congregations have fewer members and attendees each year. The second…

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No Longer My Own

2010, Afghanistan. Aid workers were in the midst of helping a group of remote Afghan villagers, especially mothers and their children who needed it most, with eye care and other medical needs. Suddenly gunmen appeared and lined the workers up. They shot each worker one by one, including Cheryl Beckett, age thirty-two. The only survivor…

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