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...]
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...]
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...]
What To Do When You Lose Confidence In Yourself
Notice I did not say IF you lose confidence in yourself. I said WHEN you lose confidence in yourself. It’s going to happen. You WILL lose confidence in yourself. Multiple times over the years in fact. It is not a matter of IF but WHEN. The question is why? In my experience, Senior Pastors lose confidence in themselves when they are unable to lead their congregations … [Read more...]
The Lie We Tell Ourselves
This is a picture of Tom Brady as he was preparing to be selected in the 2000 NFL draft. I want you to look closely at this picture. Brady was picked in the 6th round. He was picked #199 by the New England Patriots out of a total of 256 possible picks drafted that year. It was obvious that nobody, including the Patriots, had high expectations for Brady. Then, in what … [Read more...]
The Unintended Consequences Of Sleeping In
Leaders grossly underestimate the price they pay when they continually hit the snooze button on their alarm clocks. In fact, I always wince when a Senior Pastor tells me they're a self-proclaimed "night owl." To me, that's always code for a lot of things, and none of them are good. Historian Nial Ferguson said, “The law of unintended consequences is the only real law of … [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...]
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...]
10 Questions To Ask Senior Pastors Who Have Led Through The Attendance Barrier You’re Facing
In my last post, I mentioned that I’m spending this summer interviewing Senior Pastors who have led their churches through the 1600 attendance barrier. I thought you might like to see the questions I’m going to ask each of them. Knowing what you know about me, and the church I serve, how would you answer the following questions… 1. If I died tomorrow and you became the … [Read more...]
5 Keys to Breaking the 600 Barrier
More Senior Pastors give up trying to grow in the 400 to 700 range than any other spot along the growth spectrum. That's because: Many Senior Pastors feel that having led a church to the 400-700 range is "enough" to prove they have been successful in ministry. They feel like they can retire knowing that while they would have liked to grow more, they are content not … [Read more...]
How To Keep Critics From Messing With Your Head
A few years ago a couple approached me with clenched fists after a sermon. I thought, this can’t be good. All weekend people thanked me for teaching on a topic that had frustrated them for years. I worked tirelessly on the message and felt that God had honored the time on my knees and at my computer. It was a good weekend. Then, this couple, ironically both … [Read more...]
