Even though it’s likely one of the earliest Christian documents, 1 Thessalonians makes it clear that Paul considers the suddenness of Christ’s return to be apparent to believers. “…for you know very well,” he writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:2, “that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” But he goes on, in verse 4, … Read More
Renewing Your Mind: How to Pray Boldly, Humbly, and Faithfully
If you tend to pray selfish prayers, you are not alone. We all like to talk about ourselves to God–what we want, what we need, what we think he can do to help us. See if you can relate to this scenario: It’s five minutes before a big presentation, an important conversation, or a major event, and you find yourself praying, … Read More
Expanding God’s Kingdom: How to Raise Up New Leaders
What are you doing to identify and encourage people in your church who may feel God calling them to ministry? How would you help someone who is being led to be a pastor move forward? This is one area where the church has dropped the ball in recent decades. Think about it. When was the last time you heard someone … Read More
Great Over Good: Filling Your Groups During Promotion Month
The most basic element of filling your small groups is the promotion month–the period when you are recruiting, inspiring, encouraging, teaching, preaching and using positive peer pressure to motivate your people to sign up for a group. Make sure that your entire promotion month is dedicated exclusively to getting sign-ups. If anything is competing with group sign-ups, you will see … Read More
Charting a New Course: What to Do When You Don’t Respond Well to Stress
Let’s face it: none of us are always going to respond correctly, especially when a challenging situation first hits. So let’s talk briefly about what to do when we’ve had time to reflect and realize that we could have done things better. Here are three ideas about what to do if you find you’ve started handling a difficulty in an … Read More
Leaders Put Their Trust in God
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” —Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)
Bill Bright On Being A Successful Witness
“Successful witnessing is taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.” — William R. “Bill” Bright (October 19, 1921 – July 19, 2003) was an American evangelist and Christian leader. His influence spanned the last half of the 20th century and extended into the new millennium. His most notable contributions to … Read More
73% of American Churches are Declining, by Thom Rainer
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