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Lately I have been spending a lot of time looking at retention stats. Our church sees a lot of first time guests and returning guests, but I haven't been pleased with our retention when comparing apples to apples. While I know you can't retain every person who walks in the door (and some you wouldn't if you could), I want to make sure we are doing our part in reaching out to people who are searching for a place to worship. So, after hammering out a few thoughts with my coach, I began to put something together that I believe is pivotal in reaching and retaining, what may be, the most overlooked people in church on Sunday...returning guests. Like most churches, we do a splendid job at touching first time guests; the free coffee mug, the warm greeting at guest services, the email and letter from me on the next day. First time guests know they are appreciated. Then it occurred to me, we put a lot of energy into first time guests, but returning guests (2nd time, 3rd tim...

There is a place in every church where numerical and spiritual growth level off and/or decline. This barrier can exists for many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is when churches reach a certain point in their numerical growth without a strong small group model. When our church started with thirty-three people, we were a small group. Everyone knew one another well; everyone knew each other's needs; and we were easily able to hold one another accountable. Once a church passes the 120ish mark (everyone has a number, this one is mine) something changes. The personal relationship and accountability only exist within certain circles (usually those who have been there for years); and seldom are others invited in. The presence and needs of those outside these established circles become invisible. In essence, your church loses the “community” foundation. When a church loses it’s “community,” you will see these problems surface. If your church is attractional, you will ...

If there's one thing I have learned from both attending and speaking at conferences, it's this; when it comes to conversations about our churches with other pastors, the first thing that's brought to the table is, "How many attend?" And we pastors, in our holy humility, usually utter a number, and then wait to see if the other person is impressed or not. This number is usually the attendance from the Easter or Christmas service; or it's the "pastor math" number. Why are we like this? Well, the answer is simple; and really it is two-fold. First, we live in a society where success is always measured by "more." And secondly, our egos (especially us guys) are normally at stake because we define ourselves by what we are instead of who we are. And for pastors, the success of "what we are" is measured by how many people are in the seats each weekend. While it's a fact that counting heads is a measurement for church growth, it...

Not long ago I spoke at the Sticks Conference in South Carolina. I had a great time hanging out with men like Artie Davis, Pete Wilson, Scott Williams, Dave Anderson, and Charles Hill, just to name a few. In addition to having amazing conversations with these guys, I also walked away with something else...a new vision about church planting. One night my wife and I were sitting in Artie's living room listening to him share his heart about reaching smaller towns. At first, I thought, "Why would anyone want to plant in smaller towns?" I mean, the people and resources are in the big cities and heavily populated areas; it would be nuts to plant in tiny towns in the middle of nowhere...or would it? My staff and I had originally planned on planting in Elizabethtown, KY, where there is a large population and an army base (Fort Knox). However, since my conversations with Artie, the Lord has been messing with my heart. Elizabethtown, and towns like them have enough ...

There are some people who believe that recovery should be contained in secular institutions; they believe the problem with substance abuse is "above" the church. Yet there is one thing that secular recovery programs do not offer...and that is Christ, who is above all. I am not against secular recovery programs; I have seen people complete their programs and do extremely well; matter of fact, our church has recommended secular programs before, as some people need professional help where medications are required to help in their sobriety. All healing is God's healing, whether it comes through the hands of secular doctors and therapist or through medications. Yet while the secular provide the physical and mental healing...the church is called to do something more. At the end of the day, regardless of the method of recovery, people still need Jesus and that's where the church comes in. Too often we look at our churches as social or religious gathering, when the...