Make these easy shifts as you prepare your sermons and you will improve your preaching in a pandemic. Have you felt it? The stakes of our preaching are higher than normal. So much hinges on our sermons these days because, for many, the weekend service is the only equipping and connection action they’re experiencing right […]
13 Specifics that will Grow your Outdoor Church Service
Grow your Outdoor Church Service by working on the logistics. We didn’t imagine being in this position. Our building is off limits for church, and the parking lot is the center of ministry. Here’s something else we never imagined: we like outdoor church better than church indoors! Maybe it’s that we’re all desperate for the […]
How to Hold an Outdoor Church Service that People Love
Here’s why we’re loving our outdoor church service and what we’re doing to make it work. We held our first coronavirus-inspired parking lot church service on May 31st, just as California was emerging from our stay-at-home lockdown. Now, two months later, we’re loving it and seeing it grow. Here are 13 benefits, principles and perspectives […]
How to Maintain your Health and Joy through the Pandemic [Free Download]
One simple practice will help you maintain your mental health and joy during the COVID-19 days. Yesterday, I read a Gallup survey that said 14% say they are “happy” right now. Another 11% rate themselves as “somewhat happy.” This is the lowest level of happiness ever recorded by the folks at Gallup. As a church […]
5 Realities to Accept When you Re-Open your Church
Outdoor Service at New Song Church on May 31, 2020 The church I pastor, New Song Church in Oceanside, CA is re-opening with outdoor services this summer. This video clip is from our first outdoor service on May 31st. Some people brought their lawn chairs; others stayed in their cars; two families brought their dogs! […]
How to Hear God’s Voice for your Ministry [Free Download]
A pastor’s most important responsibility is to walk with God, hear His voice, and lead accordingly. How do you make that happen? Walking with God requires daily discipline. You can’t be near Him unless you spend time with Him. Hearing His voice requires spending time with Him, and more. I have found that God is […]
How to Keep your Church Healthy During COVID-19
Churches are closed. And we don’t know when they’re going to open again. Curves are flattening, but timelines are lengthening. It looks like there isn’t a quick end to the worldwide pandemic known as COVID-19. What does that mean for your church? What can you do to have a healthy church when we come out the […]
62 Powerful Coronavirus Devotions to Strengthen your Church [Free Download]
How can pastors help their people stay connected during the isolation of the Coronavirus Crisis? I’ve begun emailing a daily dose of encouragement to everyone on our church email list called Our Separation Together. I post them on Facebook each morning, too. Here are those emails. Please feel free to use the ideas, the words, or […]
My Top 10 Reading Recommendations during the Corona Crisis 2020
You can become a better leader by stepping up your reading during the Coronavirus pandemic. If all goes as I anticipate, most pastors should be able to accelerate our reading soon. This first week of quarantine has been a flurry for church leaders; me included. My staff and I have been working overtime to redesign […]
The Best Resources to Lead your Church through the Coronavirus
Navigate your way through the Coronavirus with the best resources the Church has to offer. Everything in our world is changing. While the world around us struggles with new realities, sacrifices, and priorities, we are reinventing church. We know it’s time-consuming to filter through all the information coming online to find what is helpful for you […]