I was preaching a few Sundays ago in a church with two services. One was very lively. “AMEN!” and “Praise God!” were called out during the high points of the sermon. While we worshipped, people had raised hands and loud voices of praise. During the invitation, the altar was full of praying people and decisions. … Read more
It’s that time of year again when pastors look to the next year and begin praying about how to serve their congregations with the Word of God. When I put a preaching calendar together, I always took two approaches. The first approach was to hear from the Lord. As I was planning, I would enter … Read more
It’s that time of year again. No, I am not talking about the PSL season. I am referring to that glorious time of year when all of our number-crunching souls get excited, whip out our excel spreadsheets, and passionately examine the church’s budget for the glory of God. As I have surveyed churches across the … Read more
Have you ever wondered what draws people to a church, causes them to join the church, and keeps them in a church?
Pastor Appreciation Month is upon us!
We love our pastors and want them to know they are loved. So let’s tell them!
Here are a few easy ways to let your pastor know you care.
During my role at the Southern Baptists of Texas convention, I have been asked multiple times what makes up a new membership class. For Baptists, the normal new membership class outline goes something along the lines of: Beliefs (BFM2000 or abbreviated version). Requirements for membership (Salvation, Believer Baptism by immersion). Next step for membership (profession … Read more
Discipleship is a BIG DEAL! Every church desires to disciple people well and follow the command of Jesus to make disciples. Today, I want to spotlight some common pitfalls churches make with their discipleship programs and provide some ways to avoid those mistakes. Pitfall 1 – Theoretical Discipleship Churches love to talk about discipleship. Pastors … Read more
Pastors, the Summer is almost over, and the school year is about to kick off. Teachers are busy preparing their classrooms, students are purchasing school supplies, and parents are rejoicing (LOL). Although this time of year is a little crazy, there are several ways for your church to minister to the local schools. Here are four … Read more
Church revitalization is not just for dying churches. Churches that are relatively well attended and consistently meet budget could use revitalization too. In fact, many church members assume that because people show up and the bills are paid, everything is going good at their church. But the reality is Lifeway Research has found most churches … Read more
With my role at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, I have the blessing of preaching in many different churches. That allows me to see how other churches are doing their services. Some are good, and some are not so good. Today I would like to discuss something that many of us think about but … Read more