A healthy church does not inevitably mean a numerically growing congregation.

I’ve read about the inevitability of church growth in virtually every church leadership book written in the last 40 years. I even taught it myself.

I don’t believe it any more. It’s a myth. 🧵 Yes, the growth of the church is inevitable. Jesus said he’d build it and he is. But that doesn’t translate into the numerical growth of all congregations—even healthy ones.

The evidence stubbornly refuses to back the idea of inevitable congregational growth

Why is everyone so angry lately?

One big reason is that we’re having too many controversial conversations online instead of in person. It’s much easier to get angry in a relatively anonymous space like the internet, than face-to-face with some you actually know. 🧵 Recently, a member of a denomination with a lot of infighting predicted that when people who've been yelling online meet in person they’ll shake hands, grab a coffee, and have far more civil conversations than they’ve been having online.

Smaller, in-person conversations do that.

9 Principles For Annual Budgeting In A Small Church

Big churches and small churches do budgets differently.

Large churches balance percentages, and track giving increases or decreases as a measurement of health, but small churches deal with a different set of issues. 🧵 For example while 45 to 55 percent of budget going to staff is usually considered healthy for mid-size to larger churches, the range is much wider for small churches. As in zero to one hundred percent.

8 Experiences Every First-Time Guest Should Have In A Small Church

These principles meet a minimum standard that every guest has a right to expect in any healthy small church. 🧵 1. Genuine, Intentional Friendliness
All healthy small churches should excel at this. Receiving, or not receiving a genuinely friendly greeting may make or break the entire experience for guests.

But friendliness is not automatic. We must be intentional about welcoming others.

Regular church attendance isn't what it used to be.

30 years ago a committed church member attended 3 times a week.
20 years ago 3/month.
10 years ago 2/month.
Now 1/month is the “fastest-growing segment of church life.”
Here are 8 realities from that for the average pastor. 🧵 1. You May Be Pastoring More People Than You Think
Typical attendance used to be, "we have 75 on a normal Sunday, but if everyone showed it could be 100.”
Now, if a church averages 75 in attendance, you’re probably pastoring 130-150 people, not 100.

Overcoming The Biggest Energy-Killer In A Pastor’s Schedule

You can’t multi-task. Neither can I. All we can do is switch between tasks.

More energy is wasted switching tasks than anything else we do. Here's how to start getting a handle on it. 🧵 1. We Can Plan Better
Most task-switching happens when we work reactively, not proactively. On other people’s schedules, not ours.

Some things we can’t plan, so we must plan the things we can. Events like sermon prep, meetings and meals need to be scheduled and guarded.

Our phones have changed how we think, feel, and act in ways you probably don’t recognize.

A few years ago I noticed my attention span was shorter, my patience was thin, and my ability to read, pray, ponder, or think was drastically reduced. 🧵 But pastors, especially, need to slow down to read, study, think, plan, pray, counsel, and more. We need a reset.

Let's take our digital lives back. Reclaim our time for others, ourselves, our families, and the glory of God.

Here are 11 starter strategies:

5 Simple Steps to Recruit Volunteers In a Small Church
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#church #pastoring #ministry #leadership

The primary calling of the pastor is to equip God’s people to do the work of ministry (Eph 4:11-12). But what if you can’t find volunteers to do that work, including specific events and ministries?

Should you make a general announcement? Or do one-on-one requests?

Especially in a small church, do both.

Here's a five-step process:

Eight Priorities Of A Healthy Church

Here are eight ways healthy churches prioritize what matters to them. 🧵

#Church #ministry #Jesus 1. People Before Buildings
There are too many churches that remain unwilling to adapt the facility to the needs of the ministry. Healthy churches see facilities as a tool to reach people in Jesus’ name, not as an end in themselves.