Tag «Monday/Wednesday Featured»

How Pastors Get Compassion Fatigue (Plus Ways to Overcome It)

You’ve likely heard of decision fatigue, when someone makes several decisions in a short amount of time and then struggles to make additional decisions. However, compassion fatigue among pastors may be more prevalent. Compassion fatigue is an excessive weariness due to the cumulative effect of caring for, listening to, and helping people with emotional and…

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An Easy Formula to Evaluate Your Church’s Growth (or Decline)

I get it. Numbers are not everything. Indeed, numbers are not the most important thing. But a balanced use of numbers can be helpful. For example, I am frequently asked if churches are growing or declining in the United States since the 2020 pandemic. Church leaders have also asked me how they can evaluate their…

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A Challenge to Pastors and Church Leaders to Consider Further Training

I am a professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary who also works with the Church Answers team. My life is wrapped around training church leaders. I love what I do, especially when I get to interact with pastors. Church Answers, of course, offers several options for further training for church leaders, whether you are a…

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The One Unexpected Question That Reveals the Heart of Your Church

At Church Answers, we receive a lot of questions about churches. There are hundreds of daily interactions in our membership forum, Church Answers Central. I also ask many questions when I’m consulting and coaching. Over two decades, I’ve refined the types of questions I ask and the way I ask questions. Some questions don’t elicit…

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Distracted Energy: The Big Three Time Wasters for Pastors (And How to Get Rid of Them Forever)

The pace of ministry can switch from comfortable to chaotic with one phone call. The daily activities of a pastor are often fragmented. Church work often happens in short conversations and activities—10 minutes here, 15 minutes there. Quick, hopscot…

How to Manage a Constant Complainer in the Church

The grouchy grumbler. The negative naysayer. The gloomy pessimist. Complaining has many forms. Not every complaint is toxic. Sometimes, a complaint is warranted and can help to identify problems. Additionally, everyone needs to vent from time to time. But many churches have at least one person who complains about everything. Constant complaining can easily control…

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The Death of the Baby Boomers: 7 Things That Will Take Place in Your Church (A Church Answers Research Article)

It is strange to write about the death of the Baby Boomers because I am one of them. Indeed, this article was a reminder of my own mortality. While the implications of the death of this generation go far beyond church life, we who lead and love churches should prepare for this unavoidable reality. Here…

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One of My Biggest Regrets in Ministry

I’m at the point of life where I’m both planning for the future and reflecting on the past. As I think back on 40+ years of ministry, including 14 years of lead pastoring, here is one of my biggest regrets: I did not invest in college students well. We gave a great deal of attention…

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The CHRINO: Christian in Name Only

Nearly seven out of ten (69%, Cultural Research Center) of American adults self-identify as a Christian. With an adult population (18 years and older) of 259 million people (census.gov), that means there are 179 million people in the U. S. who self-identify as a Christian. 179 million. That’s a lot of people. But how many…

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Only Liberal Denominations Are Declining? The Real, Data-Driven Answer

It’s a phrase I often hear when discussing denominational membership data in the United States. “Liberal churches are declining, while conservative ones are holding steady or growing.” This narrative has become deeply embedded in the vernacu…