Emailing beyond the walls
I recently taught at Kenyon Institute’s writing seminar for religious professionals. Most of the work was about writing well: effective essays, blogs,..
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The need for newness
Beware the “graying” of the church – says the common wisdom. I have been among those sounding the alarm as the average..
Three markers of healthy and unhealthy churches
After serving dozens of churches as a pastor or consultant, I have concluded that there is no single formula for health. There..
Metrics (measure it, or else)
My first glimpse of why metrics matter came on a golf course when my playing partner showed up angry. His church had..
Train stewards, not co-managers
Should we include the treasurer’s report in the e-letter?” a church secretary asked me. We were working on a switch from..
If not Sunday worship, then what?
As Sunday morning loses its hold on churchgoers and potential churchgoers, what comes next? How do faith communities nurture relationships? How do..
Responding to hate: Be not afraid
It is time for congregations to develop protocols for responding to hate initiatives on their doorsteps. As the intolerant lose any..
Pathways to participation
The final stage of an effective membership recruitment process happens when the constituent actually affiliates with your congregation. For some that will..
The hard work of affiliation
Until the day your congregants get biblical about tithing, your stewardship efforts will depend mostly on membership development. Grow your congregation and..
Watch and learn
While my wife browsed T.J. Maxx for trousers, I sat on a curb outside and observed people going in and out of..