Archives

  • Gathering with the People of God Matters. Here’s Why

    While most churches are still struggling to regain their pre-COVID attendance numbers, it’s been good to think about why gathering with God’s people matters. Here are some thoughts that come to mind: 1. Worshiping together is part of God’s intent in making us relational. He who is relational in Himself as Trinity created us needing […]

  • Seven Characteristics of Highly Evangelistic Christians

    For over twenty years I have been researching and studying churches, primarily those in North America. I had the joy of serving as senior pastor in four churches where God blessed with evangelistic growth. I have written over twenty books about the church in America. I am not giving you my credentials to impress you, […]

  • Rapid change is coming: here’s how your church can deal with it

    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 […]

  • Major Warning Signs Stress is Starting to Impair Your Leadership

    Every pastor gets overwhelmed. The pressures of ministry are real and many, and seasons of stress are bound to occur. I’m sure many of you have stories of severe storms in which the stress was overwhelming. However, when ongoing stress starts to define a pastor, it becomes a contagion that spreads to others. Unresolved stress […]

  • Popstar Preachers and Woke Worship Leaders: When Ministry Becomes Idolatry

    I tried numerous times to soften the tone and re-work the language of this article, but God made it clear not to diminish a word. First Corinthians 11:31 says that if we discern wrong thoughts, actions, and attitudes, and repent of them, that we would not come under God’s judgment. My hope is that this […]

  • 5 Observations on the Surprising Attendance Decline of Streaming Worship Services

    Over nine out of ten church leaders describe their church’s decline in attendance in streaming worship services as “major.” Many of them say the decline is at least 90 percent from its peak during the pandemic. While we certainly anticipated that many church members would return to in-person worship attendance after the quarantine, we were […]

  • Some Church Members are a Thorn in a Pastor’s Side. Are You One?

    Any of us who’ve pastored very long recognize that most churches (if not all) have at least one member who seems to be opposed to everything the pastor wants. Those members can be a continual irritation for even the most patient pastor. In my opinion, though, it’s important to consider possible reasons behind their actions:  […]

  • How the Neighborhood Church Could Make a Comeback

    Incredible potential is right around the corner. Imagine what could happen if neighborhood churches got healthy on a large scale. I believe the neighborhood church movement is primed for a launch. The neighborhood church is associated with a particular neighborhood. It is common for them to carry the name of the community. They were originally […]

  • The Nine Realities Churches Will Face in 2022

    Presuming we get on the other side of COVID by the end of this year, the picture for churches in America is mostly clear. Of course, none of us can know the future with certainty, and another COVID spike could change the conversation dramatically. Still, we see nine realities your church will face in 2022. […]

  • Is the Biggest Problem in the American Church Love of Country?

    A post on social media read: “The largest problem with the American church is that it is American before it is the church.”  I don’t want to read too much into this post, but with the complete failure in Afghanistan, the rise of CRT, and the increasing disdain for America, the timing of it seems […]

  • Do Multiple Style Services Help or Hinder in Cultivating Church Unity?

    While it’s become more and more rare, there are still some churches out there who have both a traditional and contemporary service on Sunday morning – the result of what we’ve called “worship wars.” The idea of a church having “multiple worship options” began in the late 60’s and early 70’s when the Jesus Movement […]

  • Theology gone wrong: 60% of Christians Under 40 Say Jesus not only way to salvation

    A newly released American study draws attention to a “striking decline” in traditional biblical beliefs among those who claim to be evangelicals. The study by Probe Ministries discovered that 60% of those claiming to be ‘born again’ Christians in America, aged between 18 and 39, believe that Buddha and Muhammad are equally valid paths to […]