For a few years now we have been consistently preaching and teaching about the value of faith-sharing groups we call Small Groups. A while back we started using the mantra that we don’t just want to be a church with Small Groups, we want to be a church of Small Groups. Why? Well, it’s not […]
Category: Evangelization
Probably the number one question we receive in speaking, nearly any place we go, revolves around the question of people leaving the church. Inevitably, church folk will ask us, with sincerity and innocence, “If we change our church strategy, if we change our church’s direction, won’t people complain, maybe even leave?” Sure they will, and […]
All this week we have been in Denver for the first ever Amazing Parish Conference, and it was, well, amazing. The brain child of several Catholic lay leaders including, most notably, best selling author and business consultant Patrick Lencioni, the basic idea was to bring together parishes from across the country to share ideas and […]
I’ve mentioned before that there was a Protestant Church here in our community (our very vibrant community) that recently closed. The congregation got too small to sustain the place and they agreed to close up shop and put the place up for sale. The thing about this particular church is that it sits on one […]
If you are a church leader probably you have given thought to your mission and vision, perhaps a lot of thought. And that’s great, you should. Perhaps you’ve even gone ahead and given flesh to those bones with specific strategies and goals to fulfill your mission and vision. But there’s another piece that still needs […]
This week we were at the beautiful University of Notre Dame to speak to a gathering there, including church leaders from every part of the country. We began our presentation the way we always begin: with a qualifier. We claim only to know what works when it comes to growing a healthy church in Timonium, […]
I came across an interesting fact in Seth Godwin’s book, Poke The Box. In the Pike Place Market in Seattle, you can still find the first Starbucks. But, apparently if you were to visit there you might be surprised that it does not really match your neighborhood Starbucks. It’s different: different logo, different lay out, […]
In Jesus’ own ministry had a plan for the specific places, and sometimes even the specific people he would share the Gospel with. This plan is outlined in 10th chapter of Luke. At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two whom he sent ahead of him in pairs, to every town and place he intended […]
Unchurched: It’s Worse Than You Think As part of our book promotion we have been invited to every part of the country and we hear the same story over and over again everywhere. Church in America, Catholic and Protestant, is in decline. People are leaving in astonishing and astounding numbers. For all the wishful thinking […]
Here at Nativity we want to be a church unchurched people in our community want to attend. To do that, we need to understand them. Here are some characteristic of people who aren’t going to church in Timonium (with thanks to Pastor Carey Nieuwhof of Connexus Church): They’re comfortable and successful and consider their […]
