Reading List

“I’ve been distressed in recent years by so many Jesus followers who are more interested in picking a fight than making a friend. Someone told me recently that we never lead our enemies to follow Jesus, but we do lead our friends. Christians have been quick to bypass kindness and

“One of the reasons people are hesitant to try attending a church for the first time is that they’re not sure what to expect. In fact, they probably expect it to be a little bit awkward and uncomfortable. Over time, it’s important for your church to become known as a

“Throughout the week, I balance my roles as pastor, FYI staff member, and student. Bivocational ministry is not easy, but for me, it has been a formative practice. It has shaped my understanding of time. Even though I get a rush of excitement when I cross things off of my

“Thankfully, God specializes in bringing dead things back to life. Over those months, God took my soul—my burned out, exhausted soul—and slowly but surely gave it rest. He breathed life back into me. I began to feel again. I began to care again. I began to live again. And it

“Almost every church I’ve ever known has wanted to Attract Young Families. The reasoning behind this includes the following: If we don’t regenerate, everyone will eventually get old and die. It’s energizing to have young people around. Younger members can do the work that older members can’t/won’t do anymore. Older members

“It broke my heart. Another church closed. This church had unbelievable potential. Indeed, it had its own “glory days,” but only for a season. But, 10 years ago, few would have predicted this church’s closure. Today, it is but another statistic in the ecclesiastical graveyard. I know. We don’t compromise

Check out Karl Vaters’ “4 Reasons Our Church Stopped Doing ‘Come and Watch’ Events (And 5 Alternatives)” with still more advice for pastors and leaders as you think about fall planning.

“I always kind of thought discipleship was a little awkward. The idea that someone tells me what to do because they know more than I didn’t sound like fun. Clearly, I didn’t understand true discipleship; I didn’t know discipleship was about loving like Jesus. It wasn’t until I understood that

“It’s possible that you’re asking too much from your congregation. This often backfires and results in an even lower participation level.  You may need to ask your congregation for less.  If you ask for less, you are more likely to get a greater response.  It is necessary to cast big

“The reality is that smaller churches can thrive, too. More than 65 percent of the churches that participated in the research survey for Comeback Churches–the book I co-wrote with Mike Dodson– had under 200 regular attendees. Smaller churches are not always unhealthy churches; it depends largely on their mindset. In