You’ve seen this situation before: A beloved pastor of many years has gone and now there’s a new pastor. The congregation is finding it hard to readjust. Even small changes in direction feel threatening. There is uncertainty about where the church is going. What will...
When you’re developing new approaches to ministry, you can’t predict the way it’s going to go — you have to be prepared for some ambiguity and change along the way. You and your team need to be flexible and adaptable because the unexpected does happen. You can’t...
Responding to criticism: Do you ever get criticized? I’m guessing if you’re a ministry leader, the answer is yes (exercising my profound powers of discernment). The real question is how to handle it when criticism comes. How can you avoid reacting defensively, help...
Today’s blog entry is by guest blogger Dr. Parnell Lovelace. In order to connect to urban core of the city, our church sought to disconnect from elements that blocked impactful ministry. The church had to change to connect. Steps had to be taken to move the church...
Today’s blog entry is by guest blogger Dr. Parnell Lovelace. An extraordinary trend is emerging within many urban cities and communities: churches are being planted in the urban centers of large cities in America. As many cities are redeveloping and expanding, there...
The emotional tollbooth is a term coined by David Nicholson, founding pastor of Open Door Church in Noblesville, Indiana, as his church was going through the Natural Church Development (NCD) process. The first step in the process is taking a survey designed to point...
Sometimes we just don’t want to step on the scale. It takes courage to actually look at the number, and that can be a big hurdle to get over. It’s the same way in ministry– it takes courage to take an honest look and evaluate our results. And then it takes...
I happened to be talking with a friend of mine who owns a bike store. He told me that historically, Thanksgiving through Christmas was a major busy season. He barely had time to ride—it was crunch time for taking orders and assembling bikes. Now it’s different. It...
A while back I read an old classic article in the Harvard Business Review that used a brilliant phrase: “running down the corridors of comparative indifference.” That’s a preferred way to lead change. Instead of trying to make big changes in obvious places–...
