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 […]
Even teams made up of great players fail and fall because of bad cultures, or worse, toxic cultures. This goes for any team: sports, corporate, church. Ensuring a successful culture means taking proactive steps, and it starts at the top. Here are just a few critical ones. Ask yourself these questions: 1: Would I do […]
There are volumes of material out there analyzing what’s limiting church growth (and hastening church decline). It seems everyone has their theories: theologians, sociologists, the media. However, sometimes we focus too much outwardly, when the problem is much closer to home than maybe we’d like to admit. Here are just a few of the problems […]
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 […]
I know, I know, the Church isn’t a business. But we can learn from them, especially successful entrepreneurs. How often are we astounded by the “next big idea” and think to ourselves “how does someone come up with that?” There’s a tendency to assume that Silicon Valley is chock full of wunderkids operating on an […]
As we always say here, everything rises or falls on leadership. Good leadership is a very conscious choice, that has to be made over and over again and constantly reflected on. Here are some attitudes and attributes I think good leaders need (in no particular order): 1. Generosity Growing leaders share. They share their expertise, […]
This week I had a great opportunity to spend the day with pastoral leaders in the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey (they’re a great group, by the way). One question that a number of people asked me in a variety of ways was, “Why are people leaving Church?” That’s a very good question and part […]
This weekend we get to witness history with the canonization of Popes John XXIII and Pope John Paul II. I don’t have much of anything to contribute on Pope John (a little before my time) but Pope John Paul is a huge figure in my life. He was the Pope when I was discerning my […]
Great leaders have great vision. Jesus Christ is the greatest leader who ever lived because he had the greatest vision. Through his ministry he painted a vision of a better future for what could be and should be in the lives of his followers. To a people living in fear, Jesus cast a vision […]
