Category Archives: Index

So let’s try a thought experiment. (Einstein made up the phrase to explain relativity. But this is not relativity. It’s church. Which is much more complicated.) Elders are called by God as shepherds, leaders, guides, teachers, and instructors in God’s … Continue reading →

So if your church is moderate (political), how do you best shepherd the church? Well, I really don’t know. I’m not sure anyone does. These things usually wind up pretty ugly — and I’ve seen good elders try all sorts … Continue reading →

This is not about the church-state issues. It’s about internal church politics. By “politics” I mean doing things to please a constituency rather than because it’s what you think God wants. Now, nearly all churches are political in that nearly … Continue reading →

Here’s the rule: You don’t know your flock at all if you only get information reactively — that is, in response to complaints. To know your flock, you have to proactively solicit input from a representative sample. Nothing else works … Continue reading →

The greatest talent that God can give a church may well be the ability to recruit volunteers. If a church has a skilled recruiter, find him or her, take them to lunch, and pepper them with questions. Take notes. Learn from … Continue reading →

For a while now, there’s been in the back of my mind a feeling that I’d overlooked something really important in this series. Finally, it occurred to me that I’d not directly addressed evangelism. And there’s a reason. I’m not … Continue reading →

In response to yesterday’s post, reader John asks, What’s up with the failure of multiplying groups? Isn’t the point to keep them small so folks can keep up with each other (or isn’t that what the literature says)? I’m totally … Continue reading →

Churches of Christ, on the whole, have been slow to adopt small groups, although many have done so. The objections go along these lines: The best time to meet is Sunday night, but we can’t give up Sunday night church. … Continue reading →

I once attended a class taught to a group of 50 or so elders from across the Southeast. It was an open-forum kind of class, and the teacher asked what we’d like to talk about. One elder mentioned “Deacons!” — … Continue reading →