Tag «Monday/Wednesday Featured»

7 Things that Happen when Church Leaders Don’t Pray Much

My personal experience and anecdotal studies have shown that prayer is the most difficult spiritual discipline for many believers. It assumes dependence on God, and we simply don’t default in that direction; we default into independence and self-dependence even when we don’t want to. Here are some things that happen, though, when we church leaders…

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Major Changes I Am Making (It’s Not Easy)

I am not a young man. Though I encourage leaders to lead change, I realize in my advanced years, change can be more difficult. Routine is a comfort food. It has been 34 years since I led my first church consultation. My team and I have done hundreds of on-site consultations, and we’ve conducted thousands…

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Leading Others When They Are Frustrated and Angry with the Church

Frustration can raise stress levels. Anger can leave you and others on edge. While neither frustration nor anger are inherently sinful, both raise the temperature in the room. Both are also inevitable. People will become frustrated and angry. Since these two emotions are unavoidable, how do you lead those who are frustrated and angry in…

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7 Church Practices We Will Be Following in 2022

I recently shared my annual trends report for churches as we head into 2022. In this article, I look at seven church practices that may emerge into major trends. With each church practice, I provide you with a link or an example if you desire to dig more deeply. Some of these resources are provided…

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Best Discipleship Pathway

As I promised last year, I will review different resources in 2022 on occasion in my weekly article. For the new year, my review is of one of the best church resources I’ve ever seen. Let me explain why I’m having trouble curbing my enthusiasm. The Origins of Rooted This resource has its origins in…

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Seven Ways Your Church Must Deal with Rapid Change

Though it is cliché, change is the constant in our culture. Even before COVID, the world was changing steadily and constantly. When the pandemic came, change was accelerated, and the challenges were exacerbated. In earlier years I was an advocate of “eating the elephant” change, that is making incremental, “one bite a time” changes. I…

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Ten New Year’s Resolutions for Every Pastor

It’s that time of year when people partake in the annual ritual of making well-intended promises that end up broken by February. I also realize the presumptuous nature of this post—as if I could tell you what promises to make (and then inevitably break). However, I do believe every pastor should consider these ten resolutions….

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Four Essentials of a Great Christmas Eve Service

Christmas Eve is the most likely time an unchurched person will walk into your worship space. It’s a huge opportunity. My fear is some churches go through the motions since Christmas Eve is the peak of the busy season and volunteers are short in supply. Your Christmas Eve service is worth the effort. Families are…

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6 Things Christmas Means for Church Leaders in Tough Situations

I wish I could tell every one of my young students that ministry will always be easy and churches will always be supportive. That’s not always the case, though. Sometimes this work is just hard. If that’s the case for you today, I hope these thoughts encourage and strengthen you. Here’s what the Christmas story…

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Four Success Stories from Churches that Made a Commitment to Know Their Communities Better

God is not done with our churches. His activity and his work remain powerful and pervasive. Let me share with you four examples of churches that have been used by God when they made a specific and powerful commitment: They wanted to serve and minister to their communities more effectively. 1. Single moms and the…

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