Church Growth
Articles
How Marketing Strategies Play a Role in Creating Disciples: Using the Member Lifecycle
Making disciples is at the heart of every church. However, gone are the days when it was possible or practical for pastors to greet all members at the church door and know what’s going [...]
Forgetting the Sermon by Wednesday
The main segment in most worship services is the sermon. It receives the most time and is pivotal for teaching biblical truth. Yet, almost everyone listening to the sermon forgets it by Wednesday. Church [...]
Reaching Your Community
Bridging the Gap Between Online Explorers and Your Church Today more than ever, the church has the opportunity to use technology to connect with people. National advertising campaigns are spending millions of dollars to [...]
Nine Years of Surveys in a Megachurch
What I’ve Learned about Listening to Our People Watermark Community Church of Dallas uses periodic surveys to better understand congregants’ experiences, hearts, and opinions regarding COVID. Watermark is an enormous church with diverse members. [...]
The Changing Reality in America’s Largest Churches
What is going on in megachurches? How are they growing and what is their racial composition? Fletch talks with Warren Bird and Scott Thumma—the premier researchers on megachurches who have just completed their Megachurch [...]
Breaking the 5,000 Growth Barrier and Beyond
Why do some churches go from 50 to 500 to 5,000 and beyond, while others seem to cap out at a certain point? What kind of church leader does it take to break barrier [...]
Video Discussion of The “After Party”
Mike Gould and Fletch hosted Chad Cronin, Campus Pastor at 2|42 Community Church. In an informal discussion, Chad shares about how their church is hosting "After Parties" for newcomers. These Zoom rooms are ways [...]
The Kryptonite of Multisite Momentum: Sustaining A Vision For Rapid Multiplication
Unfortunately, I am old enough to reminisce about the original “Adventures of Superman” created in the 1950s. But proudly, I am young enough to have only viewed them as reruns in the 1960s! It [...]
Book Review—Charting the Course: How to Navigate the Legal Side of a Church Plant
In his first book, Tim Beltz guides the church planter on a profound yet simple journey to establish a new church—both legally and above reproach. Charting the Course is a practical and relevant guide [...]
Chapelstreet Church Motivates Good Neighboring
A few weeks ago, Fletch had the pleasure to be with multisite Chapelstreet Church of Geneva, Illinois. While there, he saw a 10-page magazine, Neighbor, summer 2018 edition. Fletch picked up a hard copy [...]
Church Grew to 2,000 in 5 Years
Thursday, May 24, 2018 Hey Fletch … I attended the XP-Seminar a few years ago and took one of your XPastor Online Courses. I am now on the leadership team of our church. We [...]
Measuring the Size of Your Church
Friday, May 18, 2018 Hey Fletch … In the XPastor Compensation Survey, it states it is based on average weekly worship. Do children who go to Sunday school during the worship get factored into [...]
Public Television Research on Circuit Preaching
Monday, April 2, 2018 Hey Fletch … I am a researcher for a public television station. I wondered if you have ever heard of a trend where a pastor in a small, rural area [...]
Easy Onramps for Visitors
Monday, March 12, 2018 Hey Fletch … I have heard you talk about “easy onramps” in a church. What do you mean by that? DRF—Every church needs places where newcomers can easily “get on [...]
Visitors Find Our Church Chilly
Saturday, March 10, 2018 Hey Doc … I’m trying to gauge how warm our church is. I feel that it is a super encouraging place to be, but some visitors are telling me otherwise. [...]
Growing a Small Church in Africa
February 12, 2018 Hey Doc … I have just been posted to a very small church in Africa, just 15 older people. What should I do to help grow the little church? What are [...]
5 Characteristics of Church Staff Teams that Break the 1,000 Barrier
Rich Birch was a featured speaker at the 2018 XP-Seminar. Enjoy this great article from him ... and join us at the next XP-Seminar. Rich has plenty of experience in ministry, business and coaching [...]
Captivating Church Changers
It’s a dirty word in some circles. “They mostly grow by transfer.” This critique implies that the church is not reaching people with the gospel, just “stealing” people from other churches like TMobile does to [...]
Launching Strong: Five Key Strategies
A record number of new churches are launching across North America. Most will initially choose to meet in a rented facility---often a school, movie theater or community center. While church is never only about the [...]
Four Types of Churches That Will Soon Die
Death is not a topic we enjoy. Death of churches is not a topic I enjoy. You see, I love the local church. I love it, despite its flaws, sins and hypocrisies. Jesus loves me [...]
What Makes a Great Campus Pastor?
Ask any multisite church leader today what the most important component is in multisiting and the overwhelming answer is the campus pastor. When I went to Willow Creek in the year 2000 to pioneer the multisite strategy, [...]
Twelve Questions to Ask a Potential Church Secret Shopper
I can't tell you how many times I've had a meeting with a pastor, told him what I do as a consultant and watched him perk up. I recently had a meeting with a [...]
First Impressions: Five Tips from a Church Secret Shopper
Below are five practical tips to implement at your church in order to make great first impressions with guests. 1. Vision cast to your Guest Services team So often, people that serve on a church’s [...]
Partnering With Your Community for Sustainable Impact
John Cissel of Visioneering Studios talks about new uses of church property. This involves churches doing joint ventures with developers for impacting a church’s local community. The issue is how to build church facilities in expensive [...]