Mar 06, 2023

Seven signs of a closed and dysfunctional ministry system to be wary of

 


I spoke recently with a ministry leader who had resigned from his church staff position (a large church) because of the dysfunctional culture that he sensed. Having left the "system," he now realizes that it was a great deal more dysfunctional than he thought, and he is so glad to be out of it. When we are in a "closed" system that is dysfunctional or toxic, we may sense that not all is right,...

Read more
Feb 22, 2023

The sin of faux relationships in the church

 


faux
/fō/
adjective
  1. made in imitation; artificial.
    "a string of faux pearls"
    • not genuine; fake or false.
      "their faux concern for the well-being of the voters didn't fool many"

Congregations are supposed to be friendly, warm, kind, and welcoming spaces. In fact, if your church is indicative, it probably has a "first impressions" ministry to ensure that new folks are welcomed and feel at...

Read more
Feb 13, 2023

Church staff cultures: Who is responsible for ensuring that it is healthy?

 


In my many years of working with churches, I have encountered many situations where the culture of the staff is unhealthy. In many cases, these are good churches with vibrant ministries, and congregants would not necessarily know there are internal challenges. Although, inevitably, dishealth at the staff level does spill out into the congregation. It is usually only a matter of time.

Who is...

Read more
Aug 14, 2015

Marks of a gracious church


Church culture can be harsh as many of us have experienced. It can also be very loving and gracious where it is intentionally fostered as what God desires for His family. Healthy churches reflect the character and graciousness of Jesus while unhealthy churches reflect characteristics of our lower natures such as legalism, infighting, unforgiveness, power plays and harsh judgments of others and...
Read more
Oct 12, 2014

Honoring the past while building for the future in the local church

I have a bone to pick with two groups in the local church. The first is with those who are so intent on preserving the past that they do not allow the church to move forward into the future. It is a recipe for a slow death and a slide into irrelevance. In fact, a focus on the past is one of the hallmarks of an institutional church that is inward looking and protective of anything that threatens...
Read more
Oct 12, 2014

Honoring the past while building for the future in the local church

I have a bone to pick with two groups in the local church. The first is with those who are so intent on preserving the past that they do not allow the church to move forward into the future. It is a recipe for a slow death and a slide into irrelevance. In fact, a focus on the past is one of the hallmarks of an institutional church that is inward looking and protective of anything that threatens...
Read more
Sep 28, 2014

Generational Inclusiveness in the church

One of my great passions is to see all generations in the church valued and appreciated. Most of us would say we do this and some churches do indeed do it wonderfully. However, this only really happens with great intentionality because our natural tendency as pastors is to gear our ministry toward those we we know best - our own generation. And when we do that, we often miss those who went before...
Read more