The first time people visit your church it’s a blind date. But when they return they’re saying, “hey, we kinda like you.” And “we might want to get to know you better.” The second-time visitor is a big deal. These second-time visitors seem calm and pleasant on the outside, but inside they are a seething cauldron of […]
How to Have a Christmas Offering that Raises Money and Maturity
For most churches a well-executed Christmas offering will reap twice your normal weekly offering. Think about it: that’s an extra 10% of your budget you can use for kingdom advancement. If you’re like me, your mailbox is flooded in November and December with requests from every non-profit organization that has ever been lucky enough to […]
23 Questions that will Help your Church Get Better
When you visit a doctor, he determines your health by two methods. First, he collects the numbers. Then, he asks you the questions. The first step is quantitative. These 18 important numerical measures for your church give you the numbers side of evaluating your church’s health. The second measure is qualitative. Qualitative insight comes from asking questions. 23 Qualitative […]
How Healthy is Your Church? These 18 Numbers Will Tell You.
Whether you’ve thought it or not, your church has an evaluation system. Every service is evaluated by every attendee. They talk about it afterwards in the lobby. They share their impressions between friends. If it’s really good, others hear about it. If it’s really bad, even more “others” hear about it. We can’t help ourselves; […]
5 Ways a Mentor Will Make all the Difference for You
About ten years ago I finally hired a mentor. It was kind of humbling. After all, I had spent the previous three years mentoring nine pastors myself. But I finally admitted it: I don’t know everything I wish I knew! Hiring a mentor was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, both for my personal […]
Want to See your Church get Better Next Year?
If you’re like me, you want to see your church get better every year! That’s why I always have a mentor who can teach me how to be more strategic and to give me new ideas to try that will attract people to church and to Christ. The mentoring is working for us. We are seeing […]
9 Questions Every Pastor Should Ask
Pastor, when someone asks, “How are things going at the church?” you almost always answer, “Good!” “Fine.” Or “Great!” But how do you know? How do you actually gauge how things are going? 9 Questions to Evaluate your Church Here are nine questions to ask regularly to know how it’s really going… and how to […]
Join Me on a Mentoring Adventure
Have you thought about who you want to be your mentor in the next ministry season? I think about it every year, and I choose a mentor every July, because I want to be sure that the next year of ministry will be a year of growth for me and our church. I hope you will […]