“Say Cheese!” Take Pictures to Expand Ministry
What’s happening in your church that deserves to be seen? Laura Heikes highlights a simple yet powerful way to expand your church’s reach—through pictures and…
Browsing: Church Growth
Articles
Your Church’s Biggest Entry Point: Why Social Media Matters
Church leaders often view social media as a low priority, but in today’s digital age, it’s a vital first impression for potential visitors. People search…
How Healthy is Your Church Culture?
Jim Ozier says a healthy church culture is critical to the long-term growth and viability of a congregation. He shares a list of attributes that…
A Plentiful Harvest
Tom Berlin explains why fruitfulness in terms of membership, discipleship, and growth are key measures of leadership effectiveness. This article was originally published on November…
A Growing Church Understands the Interconnection between Discipleship and Evangelism
Rev. Dr. Michael L. Henderson Sr. describes how a church he planted grew to over 7,000 members through an intentional process for developing disciples grounded…
5 Addictions the Church Must Overcome to Grow in the Future
Carey Nieuwhof explains that churches must respond to a culture that has become even more digital, mobile, and home-centered since the COVID-19 crisis. He predicts…
Covid Taught Us How to Shift and Pivot to Sustain Our Mission
James Kim describes how new expressions of ministry initiated in the years of Covid helped his two-campus church in Lakewood, Washington, thrive and grow. He…
5 Tips for Building True Spiritual Community
When you move from being “in church” to being “in community,” your vision of others changes. Rebekah Simon-Peter offers five tips for daring to go…
Forging a New Path: An In-Depth Interview with Rebekah Simon-Peter
When do things go back to normal? How do we get people (back) to church? How do we do more with less? Rebekah Simon-Peter calls…
“Forging a New Path” featuring Rebekah Simon-Peter
When do things go back to normal? How do we get people (back) to church? And how do we do more with less? Rebekah Simon-Peter calls us to the “next normal” as she explores what it means to invite people to church as spiritual community and to do more with less.
Church Comes Home
The pandemic taught us that church happens in powerful and meaningful ways outside our buildings. Ann Michel of the Lewis Center staff interviews Dave Barnhart,…
“Church Comes Home” featuring Dave Barnhart
The pandemic taught us that church happens in powerful and meaningful ways outside our buildings. Dave Barnhart describes how small, home-centered worshiping communities can connect with people who may never cross the threshold of your church.
Positioning Your Church for Growth in a New Season of Ministry
How can your church reach new people in today’s evolving ministry context? Ann Michel of the Lewis Center staff interviews Tony Morgan, chief strategist for…
“Positioning Your Church for Growth in a New Season of Ministry” featuring Tony Morgan
How can your church reach new people in today’s evolving ministry context? Tony Morgan shares trends, perspectives, and strategies drawn from his work with scores of congregations across the country and abroad.
Centering Marginalized Voices to Lead Change
What practices can help church leaders learn from failures and address conflict in ways that lead to fruitful ministry? The Lewis Center’s Jessica Anschutz interviews…
“Centering Marginalized Voices to Lead Change” featuring Tyler Sit
What practices can help church leaders learn from failures and address conflict in ways that lead to fruitful ministry? We speak with Tyler Sit about centering marginalized voices, meeting the needs of the community, managing conflict, and other leadership lessons he has learned as a church planter.
Diverse Congregations Are Stronger Congregations
One hopeful trend in Faith Communities Today’s 2020 survey findings is that the percentage of multiracial congregations in the U.S. has doubled over the past…
What Might the 2020 Census Mean for Churches?
Lovett H. Weems Jr. highlights key findings in the 2020 U.S. Census Report of significance for churches including an aging overall population, the first-ever decline…
7 Reasons You Must Not Abandon Your Online Services
Thom Rainer says it is a mistake for churches to give up their digital or streaming services after returning to in-person worship. He outlines seven…
Top Leading Ideas Articles of 2020
Each December we take a look at the most popular Leading Ideas articles of the year and give our readers a second chance to glean…
5 Essential Practices of a Hero-Making Leader
Dave Ferguson and Warren Bird say that effective leaders focus less on being the hero themselves and more on making other people heroes in God’s…
4 Capacities Needed to Multiply Your Church’s Ministry
Paul Nixon and Christie Latona say congregations ready to launch successful new initiatives typically possess four strands of congregational DNA — spiritual intensity, missional alignment,…
The Challenging Climate for U.S. Congregations
The average congregation is getting smaller with a median size of around 60 attenders, reports Scott Thumma, director of the Hartford Institute for Religious Research.…
7 Things to Do When a Church Is in Decline
Ron Edmondson says addressing decline promptly and honestly is difficult but critical work for congregations in a slump. Objectively evaluating problems, avoiding blame, and charting…
Episode 42: “Don’t Be Shy when Building Bridges” featuring Ron Slaughter
How can your congregation bridge tradition with new ideas for ministry? In this episode we speak with Ronald Slaughter, pastor of St. James AME church, who shares how he maintains important traditions while still innovating.
Episode 32: “Becoming a Rapidly Growing Church” featuring Matt Miofsky
Why do some congregations grow more quickly than others? In this episode we speak with Matt Miofsky, founding and lead pastor of The Gathering in St. Louis, about the book he wrote with Jason Byassee, 8 Virtues of Rapidly Growing Churches.
Why Attendance and Revenue Figures Don’t Tell the Whole Story
Worship attendance and revenue figures don’t tell the whole story in gauging your church’s effectiveness. Rich Birch suggests some novel indicators that can reveal growth…
Believe in Miracles and Act Accordingly
Research on rapidly growing churches helped Matt Miofsky and Jason Byassee understand that miracles are happening in all our churches and communities all the time.…
5 Lies We Like to Tell About Church Growth
Church consultant Dan Hotchkiss exposes some of the reassuring lies that cause many churches to stagnate at a comfortable size while ignoring well-established truths about…
States with Higher Potential for Growth in 2018
Population growth is only one factor in whether churches grow, but it is a key factor. At the end of December, the U.S. Census Bureau…
