In his own blog, Bishop Grant recently brought my attention to a blog post entitled “A Growing Church is a Dying Church.” I liked what the blog post said about the role of the pastor: What then can your pastor do? She can make your board meetings longer with prayer and Bible study. She can … Continue reading »
Posted in November 2014 …
Barriers to Giving
Everybody talks about how their church is (or tries to be) friendly. But “friendly” is more than just shaking your hand when you arrive. It encompasses seeing things from your guests’ point of view and asking yourself what they want or expect. A case in point is giving (although, churches should be even more friendly about giving, because … Continue reading »
Driving Away Visitors
I meant to blog about Thom Rainer’s survey of how churches drive away visitors, but hadn’t gotten to it. Now that Chris Thompson mentioned it in a recent ADN blog, so now I’m finally blogging it. I won’t quote the whole article, but here are some impressions I took from it, and my early evaluation about … Continue reading »
“We Are Not Enough in Awe of God”
In support of his new book Miracles, an interview in Christianity Today with Eric Metaxas. I began with the parting of the Red Sea, healing a tumor, curing blindness—things that aren’t fluffy like a kitten in the sunlight. People say life is a miracle, and yes, this can be a cliché that doesn’t mean anything. … Continue reading »
What to Sing During Advent
Reaching people during Advent. How (especially during Advent) does the church reflect and embody Jesus’ mission to the lost? Churches that refuse to sing Christmas carols until December 24 are in danger of being the only venue where such music is not sung during December. The church, therefore, becomes a place people may avoid, since … Continue reading »
Majoring in the Majors
The color of your Advent candles doesn’t matter. Nope.