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Not Another American Church-Growth Program - Week 2

Week 2: Healthy Things Grow—A Biblical and Global Approach to Natural Church Development A pastor in Kenya does not need to become an American pastor. A congregation in Singapore does not need to worship like a church in Texas. A rural church in Guyana does not need the organizational structure of a suburban congregation in Australia. A house church in India does not need the facilities, technology, or ministry calendar of a large European church. And a small church anywhere in the world should not be made to feel unhealthy simply because it does not resemble the highly visible churches promoted through books, conferences, podcasts, and social media. This is one reason many pastors become cautious when they hear the phrase church growth . They have seen growth strategies arrive packaged with assumptions about money, staffing, technology, buildings, culture, and leadership that do not fit their reality. They have been told to reproduce methods designed in contexts far removed fro...
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Healthy Things Grow: Rethinking Church Growth - Week 1

Week 1: Healthy Things Grow—A Biblical and Global Approach to Natural Church Development Church growth may be one of the most misunderstood subjects in pastoral ministry. For some pastors, growth means increasing Sunday attendance. For others, it means constructing a larger building, expanding the budget, adding staff, launching new programs, or becoming more visible in the community. These things may accompany growth, but none of them automatically proves that a church is healthy. A church can attract a crowd while becoming spiritually shallow. A church can increase its income while weakening its discipleship. A church can build an impressive ministry structure while exhausting its leaders and neglecting its community. Conversely, a small congregation may possess deep relationships, passionate prayer, generous service, effective discipleship, and a faithful witness far beyond what its attendance numbers suggest. This does not mean numerical growth is unimportant. Every number re...
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Guarding the Shepherd’s Heart - Six Leadership Traps Every Pastor Must Avoid: Week 7

When a Pastor Refuses to See: The Danger of an Uncorrectable Heart One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a pastor is not that he has weaknesses. Every pastor has weaknesses. It is not that he makes mistakes. Every pastor makes mistakes. It is not even that he sins. Every pastor still needs the grace, mercy, correction, and cleansing of Jesus. The greater danger is when a pastor can no longer see his weaknesses, confess his mistakes, or acknowledge his sin. The most dangerous pastor is not the pastor who struggles. It is the pastor who has become uncorrectable. An uncorrectable heart is not formed overnight. It usually develops slowly. A pastor is criticized unfairly, so he becomes guarded. He is misunderstood, so he becomes defensive. He carries heavy burdens, so he begins to believe others could not possibly understand. He experiences ministry success, so he begins to trust his instincts too much. He receives praise, so he begins to believe his own press. He fac...
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