I just returned from the world’s largest worship gathering. And I picked up some ideas for those who wish to grow their congregations to epic proportions. I witnessed an estimated 50 million faithful gather in one place to seek the Almighty’s favor, wash away their sins, and spend time with their admired religious leaders. This […]
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Tag Archives: outreach
What’s Bigger Than Your Butts in Seats
January 30, 2013 
14 Comments
The only thing that really matters is butts in seats. For the American church, that is the bottom line. So to speak. Large churches keep score by attendance figures. Small and medium churches fret over declining numbers in the pews. Often, when leaders talk about outreach and evangelism, they really mean convincing people to sit […]
Read more Shutting Up the Heathens
November 21, 2012 9 Comments
No wonder people view Christians as judgmental. No wonder the unchurched feel their thoughts and questions are unwelcome at church. In my work with Lifetree Café I hear weekly from the unchurched, the dechurched and not-yet-believers. And I also have the opportunity to talk with church leaders about how Lifetree connects with those who don’t […]
Read more The Vanishing Seekers
October 31, 2012 6 Comments
Much of the contemporary church has fashioned itself to be “seeker sensitive.” But what if the seekers are no longer seeking? Seeker-friendly churches have been shaped with good intentions. Making church ministry more accessible to the unchurched is an admirable objective. The reigning assumption: large masses of unchurched men and women are actively looking for–seeking–a […]
Read more Church Infighting: It’s Killing Us
October 3, 2012 12 Comments
The pastor’s email was stunning. “I have recently been sick and in the hospital. During the stay, I was notified via text that my services were no longer needed.” While the pastor laid suffering in the hospital the church leadership council chose to pull the plug. And deliver the unexpected news via text message. Cold? […]
Read more Back-to-Church Bait-and-Switch
August 8, 2012 5 Comments
It’s time to crank up the new season. As the new church year approaches, church leaders begin to roll out varied efforts to entice the unchurched to fill the pews. Churches across the country use all kinds of back-to-church lures: special events, comedy concerts, giveaways, fish frys, and creative advertising. But do these efforts work? […]
Read more Acts of a Suicidal Church
August 1, 2012 27 Comments
This summer’s big regional youth conference has been cancelled. Because of tunes. The leader of the denominational office notified all the churches in the region that he decided to pull the plug. The reason? Conference organizers had planned to use Christian songs that did not come from the official denominational worship book. He cited church […]
Read more Why People Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore
July 11, 2012 33 Comments
Last weekend most people in America avoided church. And, a sizable portion of those who did make it to church wished they were somewhere else. But why? I decided to go direct to the source. I staked out a city park to ask the public why they weren’t in church. What they told me echoed […]
Read more No Time for God
May 2, 2012 8 Comments
Last week, at our annual leadership retreat, I asked our leaders to stop talking. I invited them to find a comfortable spot, and just be quiet. And wait. Wait for God to communicate with them. After an extended time we reconvened, and shared what happened during that silent time. For some, it was a relaxing […]
Read more Where the Church Is Booming
April 4, 2012 10 Comments
I just returned from a land where the church is booming. I found the conditions there fascinating. The Christian population may double in the next few years. The church is growing so fast no one really has an accurate current count. How is it thriving–with characteristics that most may find counter-intuitive? Almost all the churches […]
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Why Church Doesn’t Fit Most People
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Church Abusing Kids with Root Beer
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Why People Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore
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Acts of a Suicidal Church
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Sunday Morning Fantasies
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9 Ways to Me-Too Your Ministry Heroes
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“Life Change Happens in Circles, Not in Rows.” Are You Kidding Me?
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To Become the Best Church in Town
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How to Silence Your People
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Why the Easter Christians Won’t Be Back
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drwayman: Wearing a golf shirt or hawaiian shirt when you pr...
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descriptivegrace: Churches can’t survive because they can’t figu...
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Joan: "Preachers" who wave the Bible in the air. Why do ...
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Rocky: What's up with all the "big beards" I see on youth...
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Sherry: Music that is so loud that anyone who has not alre...
