When rethinking church budgets in a post-pandemic world, one old-fashioned rule still applies: Every situation is unique. While some church leaders may be tempted to seek ready-made formulas to guide their new-world budgeting, that’s never been a great idea, according…
About those C and E people
Perhaps we are the most vulnerable to channeling the Prodigal Son’s older brother right about now. As we anticipate sightings of Christmas and Easter worship attenders this Sunday, we may find ourselves thinking, “Well, there you are, all happy and…
What pastors may not say, but really want us to understand
Your pastor wants you to know, but he or she just can’t tell you. Your pastor knows too much transparency can be vocationally dangerous, depending on the level of honesty allowed in your church. At the same time, if you…
Dear church people, work toward church vitality
Dear people in churches, When your pastor, church staff and lay leaders try transforming your church into a more vitalized body of Christ, they will inevitably encounter resistance, push back and sometimes attacks and character assassination. Our role is not…
Escaping the current double bind in church leadership
Listening to clergy, church staff, lay leaders, they describe being caught in the classic double bind. On the one hand, they want their churches to flourish in this emerging new environment. The pandemic is largely over, presenting wonderful opportunities for…
Silent majority, we need you now
Silent majority, I know you are kind-hearted people who just want to peacefully worship God and love others. We all want that. Silent majority, I know you had no idea this was going on in your church. You keep your…
Let’s stop the average Sunday attendance freak out
Remember “average Sunday attendance”? If you are the lucky one in your church who completes forms to send to your denomination, you recognize this metric. During the modern era (up to around the year 2000), this metric was a fairly…
Who moved the front door to the church?
A funny thing happened while we were socially distanced, worshiping online. When we returned to the church building, the front door was not where we left it, nor was it the same size. Instead, we found multiple doors resembling the…
Not all churches are back to indoor or in-person worship, and those that are have some questions
While many American churches have returned to in-person gatherings since — or even before — COVID-19 vaccines became widely available earlier this year, others have chosen a slower, more cautious route through the pandemic and are learning some hard lessons…