Tag «Staff & Organizational Issues»

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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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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Are Pastors Retiring at an Older Age Now? (And Other Age-Related Issues)

The two leading presidential candidates in the polls today are 81 years old and 77 years old. Bob Iger returned to Disney as CEO. He will be 73 years old in February. Football coaches are getting older. Nick Saban and Mack Brown are both 72 years old. What about pastors? Are they retiring later in…

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When Pastors Doubt Their Leadership Ability

It is a key issue in pastoral leadership today. Here is a quote from a pastor I coach. It is indicative of this issue: “I don’t feel like I am leading well. Sometimes I wonder if God’s anointing and calling is no longer on my life.” That pastor is not alone. As I work with…

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The Top Ten Misaligned Priorities in Struggling Churches

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…

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The ONE Big Change Taking Place in Church Hiring Practices (and It’s Under the Radar)

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…

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10 Insights for Retiring Pastors

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…

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How to Recover from a Toxic Church and Bounce Back Even Better

When the church causes hurt, it pollutes God’s calling and creates a toxicity that works against the gospel. The goal is to minimize church hurt and maximize church unity. Here is reality. Something will happen in almost every church because ministry includes people. In some cases, the pastor is the cause of the hurt. In…

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The Megachurch Movement Is Fading. What’s Next?

Once a church reaches two thousand in weekly attendance, its sheer size becomes a self-generating attraction. Massive facilities, a sprawling campus, and numerous attendees give these large congregations more prominence than other churches. Megachurches receive more media attention than smaller churches. Their physical campuses can dominate their surrounding community. Megachurch pastors tend to have charisma,…

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