Communication is difficult in the church. You stand in front of the congregation with many important thoughts to share. Things that God has put on your heart. You’ve prayed, prepared, and positioned yourself in the right place. When you start speaking, you have everyone’s attention. Then, slowly, you’re aware of people not fully...
When buying an older house, the money pit concern nags at us. Are we getting into something that will cost far too much to operate? Are there underlying issues that will continue to cause problems? Are we spending more money on things that should be replaced rather than fixed? Many churches have an...
More and more, people are reading less and less. Attention spans are being reduced where we barely pay attention to the entire sentence anymore. With a standard paragraph, we lose interest after the first line! We no longer read the entire email. Nor read the entire contents on a web page. Studies even...
Your Pastor stands up in front of the congregation each week and shares what’s on his heart. They listen intently. They go home and tune into a TV show that entertains them. They enjoy it intently. Later, they pick up a book and read what interests them. They read intently. It wouldn’t be appropriate...
On my way to a beach vacation recently, I passed many small churches scattered along narrow country roads. Around them were dozens of houses and businesses. The community seemed to be growing while the churches felt small. Most churches in America are under 100 weekly attendees. With a majority of our churches not...
Each time Ministry Silos are talked about, I think about the huge farms I grew up around. Their silos were predominant as someone approached. They towered over the barns, equipment, people, and fields. They seemed self-important; except the farm, in its entirely, was much more critical in order to make sure the...
All this talk about branding and the church. Is it really that important? Is it totally new talk and thinking? Is it all crazy or is it necessary? Perhaps the words sound too business-based and not ministry-based. Perhaps the idea seems contrary to the Bible. Church branding is not new, although the words may...
I travel around the US talking to demographic church groups to better understand what’s happening in a specific local church. Successes, failures, and themes to help the church communicate more effectively to reach deeper into their community. I’m alone with an anonymous group so they can talk freely. We hear regular themes,...
The world has changed. Attention spans have recently been documented to be shorter than a goldfish. In our work and leisure, we don’t concentrate on things for a long time anymore. Even movies and TV shows have shortened scenes and segments. Yes, it’s a shame, but no matter how much you want...
