Church Leader Blog

      It's here.  It's more powerful.  It is easier to use.  And you can download it today. What's New? - Push Notifications  incoming text messages online giving more coming soon - Chat best-in-class texting and "real-time engagement" with your people push notifications for incoming messages - Like the Web version easier event management easier volunteer management manage users ...

As we go into 2023, there’s no shortage of things you COULD do, but as Church Leader, what you desire most is growth!  Not just numerical growth – You want to grow larger, stronger, and deeper.  But, in order for growth to happen, there are some very foundational things that you SHOULD be focusing on. Sure, you have some departments ...

As a Pastor, there are lots of things in your mind.  (It’s a jungle in there – lol) It’s a Social Media world, where rapid-fire communication can fill out minds with so many thoughts. It’s the Information Age of Google, where we can find an avalanche of ideas on any subject. Sometimes our “Overwhelm” is fueled by TOO MANY thoughts ...

I hate disappointing people. Every time I say the word “No”, someone isn’t happy with my answer. Yet, the reality is there are good reasons for a leader to use the word. It is not the dirty word many leaders have made it to be. There are so many requests on a leader’s time. I’m using examples here of ones ...

The Great Commission is the CORE of Christianity, where Jesus gave this challenge: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of ...

We all know that part of growing a healthy church involves getting people plugged into serving roles.  God has gifted them and WANTS them to be on the field, not the sidelines. But for so many churches, serve teams are like a revolving door with new people coming onto the team, but current team members choosing to quit. Our churches ...

There are lots of opinions about what a local church should look like, but at its CORE, the local church is a body of believers who “should” have the goal of effectively reaching people who don’t have a relationship with God, and making their faith-journey as easy as possible.  The truth is that lots of people want to connect with ...

If you know me at all, you’ve probably heard me talk about the Law of Preparation and how I think it has massive influence on church growth.  It’s the idea of being prepared for the next stage BEFORE it arrives, and it's SO important for church leadership. I've heard so many church leaders say they're waiting for God, and I ...

Pastors, if you are anything like me, Mondays can be tough. Tough in many ways. For starters, there is the physical recuperation that needs to take place – especially the more worship services you offer. Besides that, there are a couple of things that impact my Monday norm. There is a mental side that requires recuperation. I am my own ...

The world of church leadership is definitely interesting.  We’re trying to operate with excellence and get a lot of things accomplished, but we’re mainly working with volunteers, not paid employees. Because of this fact (and several other things), I personally believe that successful churches are led by some of the most incredible leaders on the planet. Leading a team of ...

Teams are essential to be an effective growing church. Whatever you call them (Serve Teams, Dream Team, etc), churches that develop teams understand that people need places to be a part of the mission.  God never intended for the church to be a place where a small handful of people do all the work and everybody else is simply coming ...

I’ve written a fair amount about management versus leadership.  I have a chapter about the subject in my book The Mythical Leader.  I won’t make you go read the book to know I believe both are valuable to any organization.  We need good leadership and good management.  But this is a leadership blog.  And if you want to be a ...

For those of us who believe in the Bible as the true Word of God, we believe that God established the CHURCH as His network here on Earth to spread the Gospel and help believers reach their full potential.  Throughout history, the church has remained in place through wars, disasters, the fall of nations, the rise of nations, government shifts, ...

We all know that Easter is a HUGE opportunity for the local church to see new guests.  In all likelihood, Easter will be your biggest weekend of the year.  People who have never visited, as well as people who have been out of church for a while, will show up on Easter. Hopefully, your team has been working hard to ...

Recently, our entire staff was tasked with something that seems incredibly simple on the surface, but it turned out to be so meaningful.  The task was simple.  Call EVERYBODY. Not text, not email, not “like” their photo on Facebook, but CALL. It was a huge task!  There are thousands of names in our database which translates to thousands of phone ...

You have no doubt heard all the doomsayers saying that what we’ve experienced in the last year is beckoning a new age of disengagement in your church. You’ve probably heard people say that somewhere around a third of our people have left the church and won’t be returning. It seems like for decades, we’ve been talking about the fact that ...

The happenings of 2020 have had a drastic impact on local churches around the world.  Some have closed their doors because of the lack of finances and other circumstances.  Some have stayed open, but are wondering how they will recover.  However, some have done well, finding a new level of strength as their congregations have persisted throughout the challenges. Personally, ...

Wow – 2020 was a wild year, to say the least.  The entire world has been thrown into a season of confusion, fear, and uncertainty.  When it comes to church, so many things have shifted, our plans have been altered, and so many questions have challenged us to change plans from month-to-month.  It’s been a monumental challenge. But as we ...

In my experience in the business and church world, it seems we are desperate for good leadership. Organizations and teams thrive on good leadership. Yet, I’ve seen some leaders make excuses for not leading well. As much as we need good leaders, it seems whenever I meet a leader struggling in their role, rather than admit it could be them, ...

No matter what denomination you’re a part of, no matter what theology you adhere to, and no matter what size your church is, the “culture” of your church has more impact than just about anything else. People connect to a church because of the culture.  Simple as that. There are many factors that build a high-level life-giving culture, and Thankfulness ...

Churches need tools that will help them with the management side of church.  It’s important that we have a way to keep up with member information, track attendance, communicate with people, manage contributions, and lots of other things.  Especially as a church grows larger, the tasks can become overwhelming which can hinder church leaders from doing what they love doing ...

Effective communication is, by far, one of the critical elements of any successful organization. Without it, people become frustrated, feel left out, and spend lots of effort on the wrong things. Without it, the vision of the organization gets forgotten, people go in different directions, and unity is lost. Without it, connection is sacrificed and things that should have been ...

One thing I learned in obtaining a master’s in leadership is this: Defining leadership is difficult. John Maxwell says, “Leadership is influence.” I love a simple definition. Simple works. Its effective and communicates. Still, I have observed leadership is often not easy to define as a few simple words. In fact, there are many myths when it comes to even ...

5 Connections Every Pastor NeedsThe life of a Pastor is very rewarding, but is also one of (if not THE) most challenging and difficult.  Pastors often feel isolated, overwhelmed and discouraged.  But God’s plan is not that church leaders live a miserable life, but that they live a life full of excitement and encouragement even in the midst of hardships ...

A Simple Game-Plan for your Church Social Media One of the things that COVID-19 has brought is an increased awareness of the NEED for churches to be focused on their “online” presence.  It has challenged church leaders everywhere to recognize the reality that their people are engaging online through social media platforms more than ever before.  The fact is, that ...

5 Ways Pastors Can Fail Their LeadersAs Pastors, we all want to do a good job.  None of us want to fail the people we serve, but especially the people who have shown the grit and effort to help us lead our churches.  Our Leaders are so important to the success of our churches, and they deserve our very best ...

3 Reasons Online Giving is SO Important Right Now As you know, there’s been a major shift in the past several years for churches.  It’s the shift from simply passing the plate, to offering more options.  The people who attend your church live in a world where cash is used less and debit cards can be used in every establishment ...

COVID-19 has brought so much change to the world as a whole, and definitely to the “normal” of the church world.  From fear and uncertainty, to restrictions and busted budgets, church leaders have found themselves mixed up in a different set of circumstances than we’ve ever had to deal with before. With all that said, God is still God, and ...

5 Characteristics of Highly Effective LeadersA good leader inspires people to do something bigger than themselves. In the case of churches and para-church groups, the Great commission along with the Great Commandment are the driving reasons for all we do. In order to make a difference, we need to work together to accomplish key objectives. I believe that we are ...

3 C's Churches Need from their Leaders right now To say the least, this is one of the most interesting and challenging seasons our generation has ever seen.  The church has certainly been impacted, and the restrictions from the impact of the coronavirus have forced us as church leaders to re-think how we do so many things. One thing is ...

5 Suggestions for Pastors when you have the Community's AttentionThere are times when a pastor is launched into the role of being a community pastor. At this point, it doesn’t matter the size of the church or the notoriety of the pastor. The community is looking for the pastor to lead. Many pastors are experiencing this phenomenon now with the ...

3 Keys to Recruiting and Developing Team Leaders This past summer I attended a Destiny Leader conference in which Dr. Mike Hayes spoke a sentence that has been turning over in my mind ever since I heard it. The context of his statement was in reference to his working with Pastors. He said, “There are those that have the calling ...

4 Simple Ways to Increase Giving at your Church in 2020 Money is an important part of the success of your church.  I know…we don’t like to say it out loud, but it’s true.  Not only does God’s vision for your church need funding, but also, God’s desire for your people is that they become givers of their time, talents ...

We're a few weeks into 2020, and according to statistics, most people have already quit on any "resolutions" they made.  Whether you intended to lose some weight, stop an old habit or start a new routine, hopefully you're still going.  In this post, Ron gives some great resolutions specifically for us as church leaders. The best leadership, in my opinion, ...

Churches are not just communities of faith where Christians come to worship.  They are also complex business organizations who need the right tools to help with administrative tasks and keeping up with key metrics and data.  For a church to grow, they need the right tools and software in place.  Church management software is one of the most important decisions ...

Church Events can be incredibly helpful for your church when it comes to building community, growing your people, and reaching more people for Christ.  But they can also be incredibly frustrating if you don't find ways to PLAN WELL. Many times, the event can become daunting and draining, and can end up having a negative impact on your team rather ...

Guest Follow-up is always a hot topic among church leaders.  As local churches, we minister to the members and regular attenders, but we’re also driven to reach more people.   We want to see more people impacted by the saving grace of Jesus.   We want to see the church grow, and there’s no doubt God wants to see the ...

One of the main ingredients found in healthy, growing churches is a strong community of volunteer teams.  There’s a culture where new people are actively getting involved and finding fulfillment through serving on teams, genuinely knowing they are an important part of something great. Sometimes you hear negative reports about how people “just don’t want to help”, but typically that’s ...

The life of a church leader is definitely full of lots of Ups and Downs. Disasters, followed by great news, followed by heart-break, followed by a moment with God, followed by somebody sharing a win... There's nothing quite like leading a church, is there?  (Can I get an AMEN?) Here at Faith Teams, we genuinely care about church leaders.  We ...

You’re probably hearing a lot about church texting, and why your church should be using text messaging. Why is texting in church so popular these days? Truth is, a lot of what you see is simply marketing.  Some companies even go so far as to create false urgency, trying to convince you that your church should buy their problem-solving tool ...

Countless thousands of church leaders have learned over decades (some the hard way) that “Lone Ranger” leadership doesn’t have a place in the local church. God created us as humans to be in relationships with other people.  And not only for connection-sake, but also so that we could accomplish things for Him. God Loves Teamwork Successful churches have learned that ...

Church Leaders are passionate people. It’s more than a job – It’s a lifestyle.  I get it. However, if we aren’t very intentional about how we live our lives as a minister, we’ll allow our calling to negatively impact our kids. None of it is intentional, but it can still happen nonetheless. Being transparent here… I can remember times where ...

Whatever the mission statement of your church is, every church has the goal of helping people connect with God. As church leaders, we want to see people experience salvation.  That’s a no-brainer. But our relationship with God goes beyond that initial experience.  We’re called to a lifetime of living for God and experiencing all He has for us. So as ...

Many churches find themselves in the dreadful place where only a few people are doing the majority of the work.  Of course, this leads to burn-out and lots of frustrations along the way. It also keeps the church from growing and reaching the place God wants it to go. Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership.  -John Maxwell It’s tempting to ...

Most would argue that Easter is the MOST important and significant holiday for Christians.  It’s the day we celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ is the Risen Savior. It’s unquestionable that Easter is a HUGE day for Christian churches in America. Christianity Today, Gallup, and Pew Research Center all agree that more people attend church on Easter Sunday than on ...

We never want to only be focused on the numbers, but counting and measuring is definitely a key part of leading a growing church.  Some people are cautious when it comes to business-like concepts when it comes to leading a church, but counting and measuring helps church leaders in lots of ways. Here are Six Reasons your church Should COUNT ...