If you‘d like to get more done in less time, here are a number of my favorite time saving tips, tricks, apps and hacks for Senior Pastors in the trenches. Brian’s Productivity Rules 3 Sentence Email Rule – Except in rare circumstances, I never respond in email with more than 3 sentences. If something warrants a longer response I’ll say, “See me Sunday” or “Bring this up at … [Read more...]
5 Reasons I Believe In Short-Term International Mission Trips
Championing short-term international mission trips has unquestionably been one of the best things I have ever done as a Senior Pastor. Short-term international mission trips have sparked more spiritual growth in the hearts of people at the church I serve than everything we have ever tried to do combined. When people ask why I think CCV has grown so rapidly and impacted … [Read more...]
The Senior Pastor Checklist (5 Things To Master Before Starting ANYTHING New)
Senior Pastors are notorious for starting new initiatives without fully shepherding into reality the ideas they've previously put into motion. Why does this happen? Sometimes we get bored. But more often than not, we’re grasping for anything that will move our churches forward, so we’ll “throw things out there” in hopes that something will work. Many are visionaries … [Read more...]
Here’s To The Pastors
Here’s to the Pastors The ones you’ve never heard of. The custodians of 30 million secrets for 30 million heavy souls. Those worn down by time and place. Walking, no, limping besides those they are pushing towards glory. Here’s to the Pastors who with futures uncertain, mark their days by tasks largely unseen. To the ones who serve churches with stories rarely … [Read more...]
Sixty Things I Wish Someone Had Shared With Me Ten Years Ago
Years ago I had an opportunity to do a training event with Senior Pastors and Worship Pastors throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. I ended my morning session by sharing, rapid-fire, sixty things I wish someone had shared with me ten years ago. It’s a rag-tag assortment of things that has helped our church growth and has helped keep me sane in the process. Here they … [Read more...]
An Open Letter To Missions Organization Leaders (From Senior Pastors Everywhere)
If you need money, do the work. That’s what we need to tell you. Not that you aren’t already overworked, underpaid, and stressed to the hilt. We get that. But that there’s no shortcut around it. You must do the work. You must not give up. You must believe in your work. And you must convince us and bug us relentlessly to put you in our budgets. The missions that get … [Read more...]
Why Senior Pastors Must Be Scholarly And Pragmatic
My very first ministry internship was with a pastor who, by his own admission, wasn’t really into scholarly study. “Brian,” I remember him telling me; “you’ll find that the guys out there leading the big churches are pragmatic leaders. That should tell you something.” When Church Fads Backfire What I remember most about him however was his penchant for getting carried away … [Read more...]
Criticism Is The Price Of Growth
If you are going to attempt to lead your church in growth, you will be criticized. Period. If the Apostle Paul was ruthlessly criticized at every step of his journey, you can pretty much assume that you will be too. What I tell Senior Pastors that I coach is that the good news is that criticism and leadership pretty much go hand in hand, so no matter what you do you’ll be … [Read more...]
How To Pick Which Missions To Support
One of the things I usually discover when I’m brought in to coach a Senior Pastor is their church has a convoluted mission’s strategy. Most churches don’t understand why they support the missions they do, nor do they have a clear process for adding new works. Recently a good friend of mine at CCV actively involved in helping a school in the Dominican Republic emailed me … [Read more...]
Why Senior Pastors Have Affairs (And How To Prevent Them)
In 1995 my wife and I helped launch a new church in Dayton, Ohio. Five and a half years later when we felt called to move to Philadelphia, the church was thriving, in its own building, and looking at very bright future. Finding the right pastor to follow me was essential. After an exhaustive search we felt God brought us the right replacement. He was a leader, full of … [Read more...]
7 Must-Do Items For Your Church Growth Calendar
One of the essentials for leading an outreach-focused, growing church (and likewise RARELY present in a stagnant one) is a detailed 12-month church growth calendar created six months before that calendar year begins. What I mean by this is the Senior Pastor and team must create a roadmap for the congregation to follow, which, when executed, will ignite church growth. I … [Read more...]
How Churches Actually Grow
If you’re at a loss as to why the church you serve is no longer growing, you’re in good company. Every week I hear from highly gifted Senior Pastors whose churches have grown in the past, but for some reason have stalled. When I get permission to look under the hood and poke around a bit, asking questions and analyzing data and trends, I tend to hear the same response to … [Read more...]
8 Things To Keep In Mind When Budgeting
Recently a Senior Pastor friend of mine attempting to lead his church of 180 in growth asked if I had any thoughts I could share with his governing board about crafting an effective budget for their church. Since I know this is something many of you are thinking about right now, I thought you might appreciate listening in on the conversation. Here goes… Dear Governing … [Read more...]
How Time With Another Church’s Staff Ahead Of Your Growth Stage Can Save Your Soul
When I was leading a church that was stuck, one of the most important things I did to find my way forward was spend time with pastors who had led through the stage that had me stuck. One of them was Charlie McMahon, Senior Pastor at Southbrook Christian Church in Centerville, Ohio. Charlie had led Southbrook from 150 to 1,500 and had been through some rough stretches and … [Read more...]
How Should Senior Pastors Dress On Sunday Mornings? (Or “Who Is This Church For?”)
Recently a Senior Pastor emailed me and told me that his governing board requires all staff to wear suits and ties on the stage. He personally likes dressing up, but wonders how doing so affects outreach. He wondered what I thought about that, and how he should go about changing this practice if he felt led to do so. Since the question itself touches on so much more than … [Read more...]
3 Ways To Take Your Preaching To The Next Level
One of my biggest problems in sermon writing is what people call “analysis paralysis” – I get so involved studying for a sermon that, eventually, the more I study, the worse it becomes. 1. Do a Two-Minute Warning. To cure this I started implementing something I call my “two-minute warning.” I stole it from my high school head football coach. Our high school football team went … [Read more...]
Why Increasing Church Attendance Matters
Contrary to what contemporary church thinkers might say, church attendance is absolutely an important spiritual indicator in the life of the church. Church attendance matters because… The Book of Acts tells us that the corporate church continuously met together (Acts 2:42-47) and Luke made it a point to count it as a way of marking progress and participation. God … [Read more...]
Why We Procrastinate On Writing Sermons (And How I’m Trying To Fix It)
I procrastinate on writing my messages. I plan lots of time at the beginning of my week to study and write my message but inevitably something arises leadership-wise that causes me to take the time I planned for sermon development and devote it to some other worthy cause. Why do I keep doing that? Let me pull the lid off this thing and examine it. The Cause of … [Read more...]
The Difference Between Amateur And Professional Senior Pastors
Amateurs wait to write their sermons until they feel inspired. Professionals work on their sermons on a schedule, focusing on creating consistent writing habits that lead to inspiration. Amateurs take criticism about various aspects of the church they serve personally. Professionals seek feedback, even if it is negative, and view it as necessary to growth as an … [Read more...]
What To Do When Your Sermon Bombs
A few weeks ago, my sermon in our first service completely bombed. It was the worst in recent memory. Between first and second service, I re-wrote it and it turned out pretty good for the second and third services. The total time went from 26 minutes to around 21 minutes. Needing to quickly re-write made me ask myself three questions that I am going to end up asking … [Read more...]
