Discipleship, Eric Geiger, Multiplication, The Gospel Project
Community is only as strong as what it is built upon. If community is built only on life stages, interests, or zip codes, the community is weak. And thus it disappears as the foundation shifts.
When a church has a system to provide relational touches to guests, they reveal that hospitality is an important value to them. No system for hospitality reveals that biblical hospitality, in light of Christ’s welcoming of us, is not embedded in the culture of the church.
The church I served as executive pastor for eight years (Christ Fellowship) graciously gives their pastors a sabbatical. Here are seven lessons learned from my sabbatical.
Attention, Communication, Eric Geiger, Less is More, Next Steps
After consulting with a lot of churches, I am convinced that decision paralysis happens each week for them. The number of things that are presented as “next steps” or “opportunities for involvement” are too many and lead to paralysis. It is often hard to keep up with the barrage of announcements unloaded in a 3-4 minute time frame. Calling the person giving the monologue an MC or tour guide (yes, I have seen that happen) or putting together a great video will not solve the problem of too many announcements.
A better way is to say less. We really do say more by saying less.
A church’s philosophy of mission is greatly influenced by how she views the culture around her. How a church views the culture around her will deeply impact how she responds to the community in which she is placed.
Three effective ways to start moving toward clarity right now.
