Thanks for the dozens of submissions in the ‘Rename this Website, Win Three Books’ contest. I was flattered by the thought, time, and effort you put in – there were some great suggestions. The winner, however, is…

Lonely Los Angeles has new a place for deeper connections. Episcopal priest Jimmy Bartz, and the ‘experimental community’ called Thad’s has found new growth by intentionally focusing on connecting people to the Story and to each other. Thad’s calls itself a community of Monday through Saturday believers who strive to live out God’s story of [...]

‘Where Faith Meets Fun,’ is the tagline used at First Baptist Church in Hanson, Massachusetts. It’s what pastor Steve Youd calls ‘side door evangelism,’ and the cruises, trips, and vacations this congregation enjoys has paid off in forming a faithful, close knit congregation. In Steve’s 14 years as pastor he’s seen the Lord turn a [...]

We all get ‘em, but how do we keep ‘em? Visitors return for a variety of reasons, but often times it’s because a congregation warmly greeted and conscientiously treated them. However, the sobering truth is that most congregations are far removed from the ‘best practices’ that experts like Elizabeth Geitz recommends.    

Contemplative Prayer at a Baptist Church? Sure, it’s something Rick Qualls did not learn at seminary but has transformed his ministry. Rick is a small town pastor with deep desire to know the Lord more fully, and contemplative prayer is just one practice that has helped both him and his First Baptist Church. Rick is [...]

It’s been said that a church can’t grow unless the people inside the church are growing. Fuller Seminary’s Professor of Evangelism and Spiritual Formation Richard Peace has known that for some time – hence his unique title. Richard’s new book, Noticing God, invites people into a deeper relationship with Jesus, which is at the core [...]

More spiritual conversations happen outside the church than inside, so why aren’t we there? Fr. Albert Cutie is a parish priest (Episcopal), author, media personality who thinks church leaders need to recover their public voice, get out there, and meet the people where they are. In this interview, Fr. Albert reminds us that spreading the [...]

The North American Church is broken and you can’t fix it. These are tough words from seasoned author and consultant Alan Roxburg of The Missional Network. He says it’s high time Christians realize that God is the one disrupting the settled assumptions of Christendom and pushing us to new, unpredictable places. The good news is [...]

If making it to my website stretches the bounds of your digital expertise, then this class may be for you. You’re probably aware that 98% of 18-35 year olds are active on social media at least once a day. This means that if you have people from this age group in your congregation – or [...]

Oh yes, a new day is dawning for North American Christianity. Fewer denominational churches. Fewer buildings. Fewer full-time clergy. But an incredible new energy is stirring as new communities emerge to live out the old story. In this interview the brilliant Phyllis Tickle, religion expert and author of many books including The Great Emergence, sketches [...]

It’s a decision every church will probably face: When and how do we close the doors? Like our lives, individual congregations seem to have distinct cycles and were never intended to last forever. For example, the churches St. Paul started two millennia ago are all closed and we can hardly fault Paul as a lousy [...]

Great church leaders aren’t just born, says Barbara Blodgett, they can be made. In her new book Barbara argues that there are specific practices clergy leaders can engage in that will make them better at what they do. In this interview, learn about the four practices every minister should be engaging in to better themselves, [...]

In the 5 months Grow My Church! has been on the web your support has been awesome. Your emails, your comments, your patronage has been stunning. However, the biggest complaint has been the name, Grow My Church! So it’s time to change that – and I need your help.

How can you take advantage of that packed Christmas season house? Church marketing and branding guru Maurilio Amorim says many churches fail to do 3 easy things that can keep holiday visitors coming back. I interviewed the visionary founder of Nashville’s, ‘The A Group’ to talk about the appropriateness of church branding and marketing, and [...]

Ridgeline Church, just 3 years old, has seen big growth in numbers and discipleship because Pastor Steven got rid of the dirty dozen. Former Costco manager turned Assemblies of God pastor Steven Long says his 12 barriers to growth are common sense, but not commonly addressed. In this interview Steven borrows from his business background [...]