167 items. That’s how many things I had put into my electronic task-management system to do. That’s no exaggeration. One hundred sixty-seven items. ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-SEVEN. Why did my to-do list get that bloated? Any time I thought of something that I should do, I’d add it to my list: “Read this book.” “Call this person.” “Start this thing.” “Fix this link.” “Pray about … [Read more...]
The Church Model Doesn’t Matter (As Long As You Stick With It)
I have a friend who swears that drinking water and walking is the key to optimal health. He walks 50 miles a week and is in great shape. I have another friend who does CrossFit four times a week and claims his Paleo eating plan is the best way to stay fit. He too has the physique to prove it. I have yet another friend who claims that eating a purely vegan diet and … [Read more...]
3 Services: Why Or Why Not?
No doubt at some point you will contemplate going to 3 services. Often this is a wise decision. Occasionally it’s not. Since this is something I will often walk a Senior Pastor through as a part of our coaching relationship, I thought it might be helpful to talk about the ins and outs of how to make this decision and how to pull it off well when you do. Let’s start … [Read more...]
5 Things To Consider As You Schedule Your Christmas Eve Services
Christmas affords a number of unique opportunities and challenges for churches when Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday. Let me highlight some key considerations for your team to wrestle with to help you pick the right Christmas Eve service times. 1. It Will Require a Lot of Energy to Pull off Good "Normal" Sunday Morning Services, Then Come Back on Monday Night and Pull off Great … [Read more...]
How To Travel Smarter, Faster, Lighter, and Cheaper
Senior Pastors of growing, outreach-focused churches have two things in common: they all travel a lot, and they all hate traveling. Whether it's... Attending a conference Speaking at a church or event Sitting on the board of another organization Taking continuing education courses Going on mission trips Getting the heck out of dodge for vacation or what’s become … [Read more...]
Introduction. Explanation. Application. – A More Effective Way To Write Sermons
Give me ten minutes, and I'll teach you an approach to writing your messages that might be a game changer. This is an approach that can be used with any preaching archetype, any personality, any length of message, any passage, etc. In seminary, I was taught the "3 point" outline, which I quickly abandoned after about a year of preaching. Then I experimented with Andy … [Read more...]
3 By-Law Changes Needed To Break 100, 200, 400 and 600
There are a number of factors that contribute to a church’s inability to grow beyond the 100, 200, 400 and 600 barriers. The last place anyone looks when diagnosing the problem is the first place I go: the church’s by-laws. I want to know whether or not the church is organizationally structured to facilitate growth. Usually they’re not. Leaders in these churches try lots of … [Read more...]
10 Steps to Rebrand Your Church
If you haven’t rebranded your church in the last five years, your ministry is dated. Rebranding is one of the most worthwhile investments you can make in 2018 to increase your effectiveness in reaching people far from God. Rebranding is much more than creating a new logo – it involves identifying who you’re trying to reach, positioning them as the hero in your church’s … [Read more...]
Why You Must DOUBLE The Size Of Your Geographical Target Area
I want you to look at three maps that just rocked my world. In my January 10th article How To Grow From 1,000 to 5,000, I quoted Dudley Rutherford, who gave me this advice: “Brian, to grow you must reach out to a larger geographical area than your small, well-trodden target community.” Of course, like most of us do, I ignored this great advice and went about my merry … [Read more...]
Why You Should Make A “To NOT Do” List
Bob Goff says he makes it a habit to quit something every Thursday. I think Senior Pastors would benefit from doing this annually. There are two things I know for certain about people like you and me: We routinely do things that self-sabotage our health, emotional well-being, and ministry effectiveness. We know these things exist, but don’t address them, because we refuse … [Read more...]
How to Grow From 1,000 to 5,000
Over the past few years, I've had the opportunity to seek the advice of six gifted Senior Pastors who have led their churches from 1,000 to 5,000 in growth. Since we are pushing the 2,000 barrier and believe God wants us to impact our region by growing to 5,000+, I sought out leaders who have done what we feel called to do. I always encourage the Senior Pastors I coach to … [Read more...]
Read 1 Book 50 Times, Not 50 Books Once (and other advice about reading)
Here are 5 pieces of advice about books and reading I would love to share with every Senior Pastor starting their very first pastorate… Dear friend, I want to congratulate you on your very first day of becoming a Senior Pastor. You will find, as I have, that being a Senior Pastor is the greatest job in the world. Occasionally though, it can be quite lonely. You’ll find that … [Read more...]
The Game Changer: Annual Goals And Daily Prayer Affirmations
If every Senior Pastor reading this would… Seek God’s face for next year’s ministry Write down what they believe God wants them to do Translate those dreams into SMART goals Turn those annual goals into daily prayer affirmations And storm the throne room of God every day until they become a reality …the impact for the Kingdom of God would be staggering. I want to … [Read more...]
A Series Of Bold Moves
At some point – after having worked through everything you need to work through – the only way to break through your next attendance barrier is to commit yourself to what I call “a series of bold moves.” The good news is the “bold moves” I’m talking about are almost always the same for each attendance barrier. Meaning, if you can’t break the 200 barrier or the 2,000 barrier, … [Read more...]
Inside The Mind Of A Disgruntled Church Member
Think of the name of a person who recently told you they’re unhappy and thinking about leaving your church. Would you believe me if I told you that that person is not an outlier? What if I told you that that person kicking up dust, threatening to leave, folding their arms in services, talking behind your back, etc., is actually following a well-established pattern of … [Read more...]
The Demise Of U2 And The Lesson For Senior Pastors
U2 just released the lead single off their upcoming album Songs of Experience (due December 1, 2017), and if the album is anything like the single, it’s going to be simply terrible. Just as bad as the album before it, Songs of Innocence, released in 2014. And just as bad as the album before that one, No Line on the Horizon, released in 2009. Not since 2004, when the … [Read more...]
20 Apps and Gadgets That Make My Ministry Easier
Here is a list of the technology that is currently making my ministry so much easier and enjoyable: 1. 15FIVE The day we moved as a staff from paper reporting on our top priorities to using the 15FIVE app and desktop application it was like the dawn of a new era. Hands down the easiest to use staff reporting application out there right now. 2. Bose 35 Headphones These were … [Read more...]
How To Consistently Accomplish Your Highest Priorities
The stoic philosopher Seneca used to tell people, “Without a ruler to do it against you won’t make the crooked straight.” In other words, the only way to improve personal performance is to have clearly established criteria (i.e., a "ruler") against which we measure our behavior on a regular basis. Nowhere is having such a “ruler” more important than in the … [Read more...]
Please Rethink Your Christmas Eve Services
[I’m excited to be back each Tuesday sharing practical ideas for Senior Pastors in the trenches. Let’s start off this week with an issue that many of you have already “settled” in your minds and are getting ready to roll out to your congregations in a few weeks.] Hopefully, I've caught you before you've announced this year's Christmas Eve service times to your … [Read more...]
Are You A LEADER (who has to preach) or A PREACHER (who has to lead)?
I want you to be brutally honest with yourself, because how you answer this simple question should determine the focus of your remaining years in ministry. Are you someone who loves to lead, but has to preach? Or are you someone who loves to preach, but has to lead? There is no right or wrong answer. Are You a Leader or a Preacher? There are Senior Pastors who LOVE … [Read more...]
