By Chuck Lawless Evangelicals know that theology matters, and we’re quick to remind others of this fact. What we’re not so quick to acknowledge is the focus of this blogpost: we do a poor job of teaching the very theology we claim is so important. We think that our church members understand and believe our basic doctrine, even while those same members are learning their theology from TV talk show hosts, popular television preachers, or the latest religious novel. Do an anonymous survey of your congregation’s beliefs, and see what you learn. If the majority knows and believes basic biblical Read the full article…
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May 2013
I love hearing stories of hope. Instead of waiting for the stories to come to me, I recently interviewed 19 pastors whose churches had moved from struggling to breakout. All of the pastors had been in the church at least four years, and all of them had reached points of frustrations. Then their churches began to reverse their declines and stagnations. None of the pastors I interviewed were new at their churches. None of the churches had relocated in recent years. And none of the communities in which the churches were located had grown dramatically. So what happened at these Read the full article…
15
May 2013
The Importance of Launching New Groups
May 15, 2013 17 Comments
Most church leaders want their churches to grow, and for the right reasons. They want new people to encounter God, grow in their faith, and join God on His mission of serving others. But there is often a wide gap between a church leader desiring to grow and the church possessing a mentality of multiplication. During my church consulting days, I could quickly assess a church’s multiplication mentality by asking just one question: How often do you start new groups (or classes)? I would ask the question because I’d seen over and over again a close relationship between the churches that were growing Read the full article…
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May 2013
Expectant vs. Reactionary Churches
May 14, 2013 8 Comments
By Chuck Lawless Most churches that contact my church consulting firm do so after they’ve recognized a problem; that is, they are reacting by asking for outside help. I’m grateful to assist them, but their process itself often reveals a problem that inflicts most churches: they are reactionary rather than expectant congregations. Is your church more expectant or reactionary? Review these characteristics to see where your church is. Vision Expectant churches have a clear Great Commission vision. They know that God is drawing to Himself a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation (Rev. 5:9-10), and they are humbled to Read the full article…
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May 2013
Pray for Life Community Church
May 12, 2013 2 Comments
Location: Owensboro, Kentucky Pastor: Rev. Kenny Rager Worship Time: 11:00 AM (Central Time) Fast Facts: Life Community Church is a high-impact church, a church that seeks to combine numerical and spiritual growth for impacting lives and communities. LCC is trying to reach families with the gospel in a growing section of Owensboro, Kentucky. It launched on October 28, 2012 and since that date has baptized 14 people and is averaging 70-80 in primary worship attendance. The church is preparing to relocate to a new facility because they have outgrown the present one. Pray that God will continue to grow this Read the full article…
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May 2013
I have used these lines many times in speaking venues. I ask the audience if they know how Baptists count weekly worship attendance. The knowing smiles break forth on most faces. I then began counting each person in the conference by saying 2, 4, 6, 8 . . . As the audience waits for the punch line, I say that every believer is indwelled by the Holy Spirit, so each person counts as two. Laughter. But it’s laughter because there is some parcel of truth behind my attempt at humor. Let’s say it clearly without equivocation: Sometimes church leaders lie Read the full article…
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May 2013
Wow! That’s the first word that comes to my mind when I see the early reaction to I Am a Church Member. Perhaps better words would be “thank you” and “to God be the glory.” I am both overwhelmed and humbled by the early response to my book. Current trajectory indicates that it will soon surpass my previous bestseller, Simple Church. But enough about my sales and me. I am already getting questions about how to use this book most effectively. Of course, many have already read the brief tome on their own. But is there a context in the church Read the full article…
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May 2013
Pray for Stanley Union Church
May 5, 2013 4 Comments
Location: Stanley, Iowa Pastor: Phil Rownd Worship Time: 9:30 AM (Central Time) Fast Facts: Stanley, Iowa is a town with a population of 125 and Stanley Union Church is reaching the lost. The culture of this small church is changing. People not steeped in religion are coming in. Long-time church members are learning to trust people of other cultures who have come to Christ and now share their worship services. Pastor Phil praises God for a congregation that is warm and welcoming to guests and new believers. Please pray for Pastor Phil and the faithful members at Stanley Union Church. Also pray Read the full article…
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May 2013
Four Ways to Create Unity in Your Church
May 1, 2013 16 Comments
In last week’s post about an autopsy of a deceased church, one of the characteristics was the members had “more and more arguments about what they wanted.” This selfishness both created and sustained one thing no church can tolerate very long and survive: disunity. It is very common for pastors and church members to desire unity and even talk about the importance of it. Beyond desire, though, should be a plan to foster unity in the local body. Unity can be very hard to achieve and it never happens on its own. Ultimately, only the Lord can bring unity to His people. Read the full article…
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Apr 2013
In an informal survey, I asked two groups of members in churches the following question: “If your church budget receipts were to increase tomorrow by 50 percent, what would you like to do with the extra funds?” So that there would be clarity to my question, I asked them for the current level of budget receipts, and then added 50 percent. So a $100,000 budget becomes $150,000. A $50,000 budget becomes $75,000. A $500,000 budget becomes $750,000. You get the picture. The two groups I asked were simply divided between paid church ministers (pastors and others) and laypersons in the Read the full article…
