Making Disciples

Ineffective evangelism is usually a symptom of something more profound — a crisis of Christian maturity. Before we can expect our churches to grow wide, we must first ensure they are growing deep.

What if the root of your church's weak evangelism isn't due to a lack of outreach events, but a flaw in your discipleship model?

Every pastor knows the feeling. Those seasons when the church feels colder, when enthusiasm wanes, and when voices of discouragement seem to echo from every corner. Learning to recognize and respond to these chilling influences becomes essential for long-term ministry survival.

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." — George Bernard Shaw You step into the pulpit on Sunday morning, Bible in hand, heart prepared. Yet as you look out at your congregation, you can't shake the feeling that your voice is just one among many—and perhaps not even the loudest. This is the reality Gary Comer confronts head-on in Chapter 1 of The Game of Pulpits : the uncomfortable truth that pastoral ministry today means compet

According to the apostle Paul, the pastor’s first priority in soul care ministry is to himself. Paul’s exhortation to the Elders of the...

The wealthy pauper has abundant wealth but is impoverished in soul and spirit. What does it mean to be “rich toward God?” Jesus...

The American Church is suffering the high cost of low expectations. I’m not referring to the low expectations that consumer driven...

Preachers are never lacking in what to preach. Topical and verse-by-verse preachers share the same library of 66 books. Every page is...

What’s the Turnaround Pastor’s greatest challenge, the one that outweighs all others? Maybe you think it’s one of these: Getting the...

How would you react when the church you’re serving as an intentional interim pastor gets wrapped around the axle over a basic...

Check out my guest post “ How Does Jesus Want Us To Handle Money ?” at Ray Edwards’ website. Ray is a direct response copy writer, a man...

If you’re an intentional interim pastor you’ll eventually have to answer the question. It will come up because you – the deliberate...

You’re at your first Board meeting at a new client church. You’ve been retained as the intentional interim pastor to help them prepare...

This is part of the Synchro Blog April meme. This month we invite you to play the ‘what if’ game with us. Try to imagine that some or...

In this second of two posts reviewing “Blow Ups Or Grow Ups: Strategic Issues For Turnaround Churches” [1] In the first post I reviewed...

I was recently delighted to hear that one of the men in the church I’m currently serving is “wild about your sermons.” I felt gratified...

A reverse Transpac from Honolulu to Santa Cruz, CA on a 32′ Westsail made me a better interim pastor. I was on hiatus between churches...

Invariably seasoned and successful pastors who train for a second vocational career as an intentional interim pastor will say, “Why...

Finances have become a recurring problem that intentional interim pastors must help the congregation solve. Earlier in my interim...

Pastors who have been scarred, wounded and bruised – often the result of a forced exit – may wonder if they’ll ever again be used in the...