See how you can manage your perspective on your trials and learn how to overcome obstacles in your ministry. When I talk with pastors in person and online, there is a common theme: we all face challenges that threaten to undo us. It may be church members or staff leaving painfully. It may be a […]
Move Forward
How to Review your Year for a Better New Year
After 31 years of ministry, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to his protégé, Timothy. In this letter, which we call 1 Timothy, Paul wrote: Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. – I Timothy 4:16 Watch your life closely. Examine it. Review […]
How to Build Momentum in your Church in the Dead of Winter
Wondering how you can see an explosion of life and health in your church this winter? Make a way for the people in your church to grow and to invite their friends and, to your mild surprise, they will. You can see new excitement in the lobby and in the pews. Would you like to […]
9 Best Ways Churches Avoid the Summer Slump
Would you like June, July, and August to be months of strength and growth for your church? It’s possible… It should be. Sometimes churches create their own “summer slump” by backing off on ministry during the lazy days of summer. Now nobody’s calling anybody a sluggard here, but there’s a principle in Proverbs 20:4 that […]
10 Great Strategies for Church Anniversary Celebrations
New Song celebrated its 25th Anniversary recently. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 years since we had our first service in that Community College auditorium. So much has happened. So many lives have changed. You can see the service here. Anniversaries are a big deal. Or they should be. Humans were wired up […]
How to Lead your Church to be Resilient
What is the biggest obstacle your church is facing? Finances? Mean people? Staffing? Momentum? These were some of the responses on the PastorMentor survey last week. Pretty much everybody is facing an obstacle. It’s an unfortunately normal part of life. It got me thinking about how churches can be resilient. It’s one thing for you […]
How to Avoid Settling for Good Enough Ministry
Do you know what normalization of deviation means? It’s when something is sub-par, but we decide it’s good enough. We say it’s the best we can do. After awhile that sub-par “good enough” becomes the norm. The deviation is normalized. It’s what happened to the Challenger Space Shuttle, according to Diane Vaughn. The O-ring risk was deemed to […]
How to be a Pastor Who is a Heroic Hill Taker
The tricky thing about leadership is that you have to know where to lead. Have you ever looked ahead and been unsure about where you should take the people who are following you? Have you ever been stuck and felt a lack of momentum in your church? Have people left your church complaining about your leadership? Join […]