Church Growth & Vision

Why are people leaving your church? Every church has a back door. But do you know why they are leaving? Have you ever done exit interviews? A number of years ago, Bill Hendricks wrote [...]

While circulating in our church atrium, greeting people as they strolled in for Sunday worship, a woman came up to me and timidly asked, “Do you remember me?” I had to apologize for not [...]

As a pastor of a small church (less than 200 people) that has now planted three churches (two in the last eighteen months), we always have more dreams than dollars. In our context, multiplying churches [...]

I choose to read and review Deep & Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend  because of my positive experiences with other Andy Stanley and North Point books and videos. Andy’s book Communicating for [...]

In his book, Church Unique, Will Mancini pushes pastors to engage in the hard work of finding the unique contribution that their church can make to the world. More than strategy, this is a [...]

Andy Stanley is fed up. He is fed up with churches that are more interested in protecting the way “we have always done it.” He is fed up with churches that invest millions of dollars [...]

Mike Robinson of www.details.com prepared this Visitor Experience Audit for Oak Hill Baptist Church, in preparation for the opening of their new building. It's many times helpful to get an outsider's perspective on your [...]

If you’re like me, you’ve got a stack of books somewhere in your home or office in a pile named, “I really need to read this once I have time.” If you have that [...]

It’s 7:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Sonny pulls in front of a 200-year-old shirt factory turned nightclub ready to clean up after last night's show. I unlock the door; we walk in to assess [...]

I caught a flight out of Denver, still celebrating the ministry impact that was clearly evident at the church I had just visited. As I traveled, I began to compare and contrast it with other [...]

Church members frequently understand themselves to be the raison d'êtrefor which their congregations exist: “Our church is here to meet our needs.” But, as they move toward a missional stance, many congregational leaders today seek [...]

I have had the opportunity to visit many churches over the last several months, both in the DC metropolitan area and in different parts of the country. Many of these churches are filled with good [...]

I like to ask myself what assumptions lie behind the way I think about ministry. In May of 2007, I was asked to write a preliminary, background assessment as Campus Crusade for Christ began [...]

Liberty Church is a dynamic, progressive church of 550 adults and 300 children in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Unusual for a Southern Baptist Church, it is governed by a Board of Elders---and the ministry is carried out through [...]

In the Stonebriar Community Church Case Study, the decision of Dr. Charles Swindoll to add a third service at 8:00 on Sunday morning was introduced. Chuck, as he likes to be called, had informed his Executive [...]

In January 2004, Dr. Charles Swindoll, Senior Pastor of Stonebriar Community Church, announced his decision to David Chavanne, the church’s Senior Executive Pastor. The internationally known radio preacher, who likes to be called “Chuck,” had decided that [...]

Richland Bible Church is located in the small West Michigan town of Richland, about nine miles northeast of Kalamazoo. The church was organized in March of 1983, when 75 people came together to form a [...]

Quick ... what's the single key difference between checkers and chess? Both have two players, alternating moves, the same board and both need advanced strategic thinking ... now if you are already saying, "Hey [...]

These are unique and challenging times for churches. There are more distractions to draw people away from church involvement than ever before. These distractions make it difficult for attendees to fully participate in sermon [...]

David asked me to write an ongoing series that explores books that have the potential for really pushing your buttons, disturbing your thinking, or challenging how you lead your church. If you don’t want [...]

Recently we had the hallway in our home painted by some professional painters. We were constantly reminded of this each time we left and returned to our house. You see, once we spent enough [...]