Is there anything in life more frustrating than buying a car? Today my wife and I “attempted” to trade our gas-guzzling SUV for a fuel-efficient sedan. It seems that every time I step on a car lot it tests my Christianity–today was no exception. At one point during today’s trial,…
In his1995 Broadman & Holman book, Giant Awakenings, Thom S. Rainer shared nine surprising trends he saw in the church world that could benefit the church. Let’s look at a couple of the trends here…. A movement towards prayer. Rainer believed that the trend towards prayer was the most important of…
Like American Idol, the recent television program, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader, has been quite a hit for Fox and host, Jeff Foxworthy. Let’s face it, some kids are very smart, and often, they say the wisest things! Listen to some of the remarkable wisdom of children from…
Dare to be different! That was the title of one of my morning messages as well as a motto for my life. Be different! It will get people’s attention and possibly point them to Christ! John the Baptist was one of those “different” guys. To be honest, he was just plain…
Yesterday, I spent the entire day in Lexington, Kentucky touring hotels for a future event I am planning. I visited the Griffith Gate Marriott Resort, Holiday Inn North, Embassy Suites, Crown Plaza (formerly known as The Campbell House Inn), and Hyatt Regency. Throughout the day, I observed the hotel staff members utilize many…
Today, as I wrap up this series of posts, I will discuss the “G” in C.L.O.S.I.N.G. the Back Door. The “G” stands for Give Them A Place to Serve. See the links at the end of this post for the entire series. The series is designed to help churches with…
Today, as we near the end of this series of posts, let’s discuss the “N” in C.L.O.S.I.N.G. the Back Door. The “N” stands for Notice What’s Happening with People. Every church needs a way to keep up with people and to track their progress toward successful assimilation. Several affordable, customizable…
Okay, let’s look at the “I” in C.L.O.S.I.N.G. the Back Door which stands for Invite People to Lunch. Andy Stanley says, “we are a culture craving relationship.” Oscar Thompson said, “The most important word in the English language, apart from proper nouns, is the word relationship.” Inviting someone to lunch is…
In this post, I will focus on the “S” in C.L.O.S.I.N.G. the Back Door. “S” stands for Start A Membership Class. See The Importance of a Membership Class for more information. A membership class can play a vital role in member retention. The class should be taught by the senior pastor and he…
In this series, we’ve been looking at ways to help our churches grow by assimilating newcomers and new members into the life of the church. In this post we will look at the “O” in C.L.O.S.I.N.G. the Back Door. For most churches, the Sunday School classes or the small groups serve as…
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.