What Are You Measuring? A Call to Better Metrics.
Over the past four to five years, I’ve had numerous conversations with church leaders who have embraced the challenge of shifting from primarily attractional strategies to a culture that prioritizes disciple making. I like to describe this transition as moving from “come and see” to “go and be.” This article will be based on conversations with […]
Four Disciple Making Essentials
You want to make disciples because it was Jesus’ last command and one of the most important expressions of love you could show to another human being. I cannot think of a more important focus. Disciple making is to help a person place his or her faith in Jesus Christ (evangelism, conversion) and then to […]
The Scoop on Happiness in Church
I believe summer nights should end with ice cream. And I don’t just mean frozen desserts; I mean ice cream. Frozen custard counts. Same for gelato. In a tight spot, exceptions can be made for frozen yogurt. Please don’t bother me with sorbets, sherbet, popsicles, Italian ice, or snow cones–all sophisticated ways of smuggling frozen […]
Ten Common Characteristics of a Healthy Church Regardless of Size or Location
Over the past 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of visiting hundreds of churches across the country. Recently, I’ve highlighted several exceptional examples on my website. While there are many more I could have named, these congregations serve as reminders of what it means to be a healthy church. Below are ten characteristics these churches […]
Sabbaticals: An Exploration on the What, Why, and How of Pastoral Sabbaticals
When I mentioned the idea of taking an extended sabbatical to our elder chairman, a man of proven character and wisdom, he hesitantly said, “Huh, okay . . . I guess I’ll need to hear more about that. I come from a tradition where we . . . well . . . work.” I smile […]
Church Is Boring? 3 Times It Actually Is
When someone says or thinks that church is boring, what is it exactly that they are bored by? Here are three times a church gathering actually is boring—to us and, I want to suggest, to God as well. Smiling through small talk can be boring. In a commercial, a young woman walks up to the […]
Revitalized Churches Start Listening
*Editor’s Note: In this series on church revitalization, Adam Jones, senior minister of Connect Christian Church in Carl Junction, MO, walks through important steps a declining church can take. Revitalization requires renewed leaders and a rediscovery of family. In this article, Jones explores the need to calm down and listen. When my son was four […]
Revitalized Churches Rediscover Family
The church began in 1885. The early years were poorly documented but assumed to have been fruitful. After all, they began with 37 people meeting in a borrowed space before building their first sanctuary in 1901. By 1970, the church had grown enough to need a new building, so ground was broken on some donated […]
