Congregation
I was out-of-town for the weekend and attended an Episcopal church today. The church is much larger than mine, but had a similar gothic design so I felt at home in the sanctuary. I love the Episcopal liturgy, but was concerned I might not be familiar with what this church
Congregation
Tom Holland and I have been emailing back-and-forth about how small churches keep their members. Tom and I have both experienced families leaving our churches to go to larger churches where the programs are a draw. If the two of us are dealing with this issue of "closing the
Resources
The next time someone says, "I'm just playing the devil's advocate" use this quote from Seth Godin: "The devil doesn't need an advocate. The brave need supporters, not critics." -- Seth Godin, posted January 25, 2007, on Seth's
Congregation
"I imagine our congregations becoming smaller, not bigger, yet teeming with the life of his body. And I hope there are more of them, so many of them in fact, that they become the alternative to the Starbucks of our day. I hope our churches become known for servanthood
Uncategorized
This is what I love about the internet. I ran across a site called eHow.com -- a virtual "how-to" about everything, even religion. So I look and sure enough, there is a post on "How To Make Lutheranism Part of Your Life." Not exactly the
Sermon Illustrations
Ray Chan was my first appointment on my first day in Hong Kong in the spring of 2002. Ray was the sales manager for a windchime factory. I had found his factory on the internet before I flew to Hong Kong. I had exchanged emails with him, and now we
Community
Anybody doing anything with the SuperBowl this year? The big game is Sunday, February 4, with kickoff about 6:30 PM (I think, but the SB site is not clear). Anyway, we've done a couple of things from in-home fellowships to last year's big 8'
Congregation
Lyle Schaller, my favorite church consultant, led a retreat for the Atlanta Baptist Association when I was pastoring in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Schaller said two things I remember from that conference: 1. Act your size. Average US church attendance now is about 90. If your church is larger, you'
Congregation
If you read my post, Don't Quit!, you know that I left the ministry for 13-years. Much of that time I spent trying to get back into the pastorate, and that was hard. But the really hard part was finding a church where we could worship and fellowship.
Resources
Note: Christi, the art director, is a great sport! See her comments. She has promised to make me look better next time. That would make her a real superhero! Chuck So I'm thumbing through the latest issue of Outreach magazine because they told me my photo was in
Uncategorized
Almost 17 years ago, in 1990, I stepped into the pulpit of the church I started in Greensboro, North Carolina and resigned. I was tired, exhausted, and I had nothing else to say. So I did what I had talked about doing -- I quit. Don't quit. It&
Resources
Like the new look? I think it's more readable, plus this design has some features the older design did not. I hope you feel at home and will consider this...."A gathering place for the small-church community." But the big news is now you can subscribe