Every denomination has one – and UCC Minister Lillian Daniel says our particular faith traditions are the gold mines we need to invigorate our churches. I first heard about Lillian when her book on reclaiming the practice of Testimony came out, called  Tell It Like It Is.  In this interview Lillian talks about her work [...]

Believe it or not, an incredible amount of church charity work actually hurts poor people. Well-meaning Christians, who are generous, dedicated, and selfless end up doing more harm than good simply because they have not thought through their outreach activities! Every one of your church’s outreach leaders and workers needs to take this class not [...]

Wonder how Mike Slaughter’s 2-room country church grew to a 5,000+ member congregation? Mike says the success at Ginghamsburg Church it’s a combination of vision, outreach, and a commitment to stay in the same position for more than 30 years. It’s an unlikely story, that a 27-year-old Methodist pastor could take a tiny country church, [...]

Why not bring joy and hospitality to the neighborhood with a festive, Christ-centered inter-generational party? That’s the idea behind La Posada – a Latin American holiday that re-enacts the journey of Joseph and Mary to Jerusalem. In this interview hispanic ministries expert Anthony Guillen tells us how churches use this colorful holiday to evangelize and [...]

The Barriers, that is. Presbyterian Church (USA) church planter Graham Baird says his congregation grew from 25 to 2,000 in 6 years because it makes church-going open, accessible and exciting. You’ll find both flip-flops and cowboy boots at  Highlands Church in Paso Robles, CA where the bagpipe playing pastor preaches a well-choreographed message to a targeted demographic. [...]

One of the most common problems ailing churches face is a debilitating mindset to preserve the Institution vs. genuinely caring for people. Author, consultant, and Leadership Network speaker Reggie McNeal is an icon in the congregational development world. He’s written extensively, in The Present Future,  Missional Renaissance and Missional Communities, about the Church’s need to [...]

Tripling in size did not come overnight for Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church (USA) in Austin, Texas, says pastor Larry Coulter. Much of the important work happened one by one – in the newcomer’s class. Larry says his heavy investment in newcomer incorporation (he teaches every class) has paid big dividends in building a [...]

It’s a buzz-word the Spirit’s been spreading: Missional. And now it’s getting its own denomination, of sorts. Spencer Burke has been on the cutting edge of modern ways to ‘do’ church for the last 20 years.  Now he’s launching www.missionplanting.com as an association of mission-minded churches to share resources. Chances are, they’re resources your church [...]

How do you help millions of TV viewers find local churches? Of the 20 million Americans who tune in to Lakewood Church‘s pastor Joel Osteen, Lakewood’s Wendell Burton estimates 10 million of these people do not have a church home. And it’s his job to help them find one. Like him or not, Joel Osteen [...]

It’s clarity, says Will Mancini, founder of Auxano consulting group. Will is a ‘Clarity Evangelist’ whose litany is: ‘Clarity isn’t everything but it changes everything.’ I first heard about Will through his popular Church Unique congregational renewal project that helps churches clarify their purpose and mission. Will is a gifted speaker with a charismatic personality. In [...]

Wal-Mart’s recent initiative to build smaller stores is just one indication of what Cameron Trimble says is a wider societal yearning for forming smaller, tight-knit communities that she is excited to influence for Christ. Cameron, who heads the United Church of Christ’s Center for Progressive Renewal, predicts smaller, more deeply connected churches are in the [...]

Author, minister, and Gallup Organization consultant Al Winseman points to the hard data that says people who are engaged (involved, committed, and enthusiastic) with their faith communities are more apt to support the mission of Christ in the local church. While the sad truth is that most church members are not engaged Al has written [...]

Studies show that churches that plant churches grow, themselves, says Philip Lotspeich, the Coordinator for the Office of Church Growth at the Presbyterian Church (USA). That’s why the Presbyterians are investing lots of time and money in church growth programs like New Beginnings and Starting New Churches. Make no bones about it, says Philip, most [...]