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 […]
Move Forward
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 [Free Download]
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 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 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 […]
4 Must-Do’s for Explosive Growth this Fall
One of the most important principles for strengthening your physical body is the principle of stress and release. To build muscles, you must stress them, then release them so they can rebuild and become stronger. It’s also how your church can grow and why summer is the perfect time to prepare for growth this fall. […]
The Five Rs of Setting Annual Goals
Why I Set Goals I don’t remember how I developed it, but one of the habits that stabilizes my world is goal-setting. I like setting annual goals, and I like completing them. Goals help me know where I am and where I’m going. They help me measure progress. I feel a sense of accomplishment when […]
One Secret to Momentum in your Church
Want to know one way to get momentum in your church? Ask yourself this question: when do I take time to work on the ministry of my church? Most pastors feel so busy they spend all their time working in the ministry, rather than on it. I’ve found that the winter and spring are great times to ask, “What’s next […]