As we pray for others, there are a number of important reminders the Bible gives us. These are some of the things we can miss if we are not attentive and sensitive to God’s direction as we pray. Here are five things I find helpful to remember. Each of these helps me keep my prayer life on track. Pray … Read More
Pray With Eyes Wide Open
When we pray with our life wide open, we allow the Holy Spirit to transform our behavior, change our direction, and shape our daily decisions. As we do this, opportunities to communicate with God come flooding in with surprising regularity. We no longer “try to pray” or “work at praying more.” Speaking to God and hearing from our Lord become … Read More
Don’t Let These Blind Spots Impair Your Church’s Vision
It was a grueling drive from Florida to Maryland and back over the past two weeks in summer holiday traffic. Fighting D.C. gridlock every day was no joy ride either. My nerves were frazzled dodging speeders who mistook the 495 Beltway for the Indianapolis Speedway and distracted drivers too busy texting to notice they’d drifted into the lane my car … Read More
Churches Shouldn’t Use Business Survival Tactics
When times get tough, most churches respond with the same survival tactics used by struggling businesses. Today, we explore the fifth and final reason why churches come down with a cold – the desire to Survive. The life cycle of a business begins with great hope and anticipation, a keen awareness of market needs and commitment to satisfying those needs. … Read More
Why Christianity Has Lost Its Appeal
A 4th sign your church is coming down with a cold is Compromise. When we talk about treating members as “customers”, people naturally think of prosperity churches or megachurches. However in many ways the temptations to treat members as “customers” are even greater within a small or young church. In other words, defining the wrong “customer” is less about relying on … Read More
Nearly All Organizations Partner – Why Don’t Churches?
Is your church decentralized, empowering disciples? Or is it depersonalized, entrusting responsibility for being “church” to the few rather than to many? A third way to know if your church is healthy or coming down with a cold is the degree to which is has internalized. In other words, has it become an entity unto itself, operating independently, or is … Read More
Few Churches Play To An Audience of One
Healthy church members play to an audience of One (God). They’re consumed, not consumers. Their engagement in evangelism doesn’t stop with inviting non-believing friends to church. Their dedication to discipleship doesn’t end with sermons and small groups. Healthy church leaders play to an audience of One. They disciple; they don’t perform. They decrease so Jesus can increase. They realize the … Read More
Evangelism is a Four Letter Word
I get it. Culture is changing rapidly and radically. The methods we have used successfully for decades have become ineffective, even counter-productive. Heaven? Spiritual laws? Bible verses? These no longer spark spiritual interest. Evangelism training isn’t what it used to be, but in many cases is uncertain of what it should be. This frustration is actually good news. Good because … Read More
Is Your Church Coming Down With A Cold?
Most churches are born healthy. Church plants are small, underfunded, and grow slowly at first – but they’re normally healthy. How can that be? That doesn’t sound like the description of a healthy organization. Don’t most pastors and church consultants associate size, budget and growth with health? However, the Bible does not define church as an institution but as collective … Read More
How (Not) to Rejuvenate an Aging Church
Society has been programmed to associate health with youth. The underlying message of countless television and magazine ads today is that their products will make you look or feel younger. Men’s health publications are filled with “ED” and “Low T” remedies. Skin care and hormone replacement therapy options dominate the pages of women’s health web sites. Cosmetics and plastic surgeries … Read More