Helping churches to grow numerically and spiritually.
Claude King of LifeWay Christian Resources is the author of many discipleship resources: Experiencing God (with Henry Blackaby) Fresh Encounter (with Henry and Richard Blackaby) The Call to Follow Christ The Mind of Christ (with T.W. Hunt) and others. Claude has posted a new video on his newly updated Growing…
We often quote the stat that 85% of all churches today are in a plateau or decline. That means that only @15% of churches are having any type of measurable growth. This is a disturbing statistic. What about your church? Over the last five years what has happened in the…
As a pastor I studied each church I served to see what we could do to grow and reach more people for Christ. One of the things we attempted to do was to define where the walls were that were stopping growth and then we attempted to move them one…
I grew up with Kodak. They made all the film that we used to take our family pictures. At one time they were one of the leading companies in the world. I was greatly surprised to hear recently of the company’s bankruptcy filing. A Judge in New York is giving…
First time guests won’t become second time guests unless we make a good impression. Consider these suggestions working with your guests: Call them “guests” not “visitors.” The term visitor denotes that they are just passing through and will probably not be back. Do you have a visitor’s bedroom or a…
Church health is a popular topic these days. The idea is that if a church is healthy it will grow and fulfill it’s mission. If it is sick it will not be able to accomplish much. A church’s overall health is a key to growth and effectiveness. Healthy churches need…
Here are a few thoughts on how discipleship is changing in the way churches approach it. Then Church Training (Discipleship Training) now “Disciple Making.” Then Sunday Night 6PM now Anytime. Then At Church now Anywhere. Then Curriculum Driven now Highly Relational. Then Large Group (over 10) now Small Group…
OK…what is a Chris-ter? Well, it is those folks who attend our worship on Christmas and Easter only, hence Christmas and Easter equals…Chris-ters. When I pastored we always had an increase in worship on those two Sundays because the Chris-ters really came out and boosted our attendance. So what should…
In his classic text Leading Change, John Kotter offers a number of insights into the mechanics of change. If your church is going to grow it will require change and leading change in your church requires great wisdom. Examine these eight fundamental qualities of successful change and see if they…
I recently met with a church that was having consistent baptisms but not experiencing net growth. They asked me to help them plan some strategies that would keep those they reached. About the same time I read Tom Rainer’s blog on “closing the back door.” How does a church keep…
Two encounters are critical. First, the leader encounters God in His Word and is changed. Second, the leader guides the group to have a life-changing encounter.