73% of American churches are declining. We are seeing a marked decline in fast-growing churches (from 12% to 3%) and a marked increase in churches declining toward death (10% to 19%). Based upon an aggregate of several research projects, I made some notes of growth and decline rates of churches and summarized my estimates into five categories by worship attendance … Read More
The Power of Systems to Grow Your Church
Think about the system you have for getting dressed in the morning. You don’t put on your deodorant until you get out of the shower. You drink your coffee before you brush your teeth. Right? There’s a system to the way you prepare yourself for the day that makes getting out of the house faster and easier. You also have … Read More
Last Chance for Early Bird Savings for Systems Boot Camp 2019!
We have an incredible group of pastors and their teams signed up for next month’s Church Systems Check-up and Boot Camp! I invite you to join us and bring your team for three days of the most practical, proven, real world, nuts-and-bolts training you can attend to help grow your church. But I must warn you – our Early Bird rates will end … Read More
Decompress Daily: The Importance of Keeping a Positive, Thankful Outlook
As pastors, we can’t allow negative, anxious thoughts to overwhelm us — at least not for long. After all, we serve a big, amazing God who is greater than all our troubles. When we focus on everything that’s wrong around us, we can become defeated. But if we keep our focus on the things that are going right, we might … Read More
The Voice In Your Head: Listening to Your Internal Dialogue
One of the main things that separate us from animals is our ability to think about our thought life, to note an individual thought passing through our minds, analyze it for its truth and worth, and then act accordingly. God gave us this unique ability when he made us in his image. But so often, we let our thoughts run … Read More
Leaders Persevere in their Purpose
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” —Romans 8:28 (NLT)
Bill Bright on His 50-Year Prayer Request
“I want before God that everything, every thought, attitude, action, motive, desire in my heart be pleasing to Him. I ask Him, ‘Keep the spotlight of your Spirit on me so there would be nothing impure or unholy in my life.’ That’s been my prayer for 50 years.” — William R. “Bill” Bright (October 19, 1921 – July 19, 2003) … Read More
5 Ways to Teach Kids about Missions, by International Mission Board
Each week in our children’s ministry, we gather our elementary-age kids for a time of worship. It includes praise songs, hand motions, call-and-response Bible and catechism memory, creative Bible teaching, and a time of prayer. We enjoy each of these assembly gatherings. We cherish the opportunity to sing and teach the good news to kids every week. But a few … Read More
4 Ways to Be a Lifelong Learner in Your Ministry
The call to ministry is the call to prepare — and preparation is an ongoing process. You will never learn all there is to be learned about any subject; you’ll never reach the pinnacle point in any area. And who would want to? It’s the continual reaching that grows you, equipping you to live and minister at an ever-increasing level. … Read More
Don’t Miss the Last Systems Boot Camp of the Decade
The 2019 Church Systems Checkup & Boot Camp will be my last one.* Let me explain. There will be no 2020 gathering as I will be using that year to focus on special plans that you will hear about soon. But, I am committed to making 2019 the best ever! I am loading up 2019 Boot Camp with more immediately … Read More