If leading your small church seems more difficult each week, you may need to consider some new options. I’ve watched too many people leave pastoral ministry because a church seemed unable to grow. Some faced obstructive leaders in their congregations, and some fell from favor with denominational officials. Whatever the reason, when a leader abandons…

In case you didn’t know, I’m planting again. That’s right. The church planting ninja strikes again. This one is different though. Of course, I’m different post-covid. Aren’t you? Anyone who tells me they were unaffected is lying. Andrea jokes that I was probably the most unaffected person by the lockdowns simply because I’d holed myself…

Someone recently asked me how could they know that they were ready to launch a new church. My answer was “always and never.” Consider giving birth to your first child. After achieving puberty I was always ready in one sense but never ready in another. In fact, I was so immature that I held my…

I recently read an article contrasting larger congregations to “smaller and less significant” churches. I wondered at how many pastors felt defeated reading those words. On another occasion I spoke with a denominational official hoping to evangelize Gen Z. Part of his strategy was to close small and insignificant congregations so he could reallocate resources…

In 1739, John Wesley bought an old cannon foundry that had been abandoned for 23 years. He fixed it up and turned it into a church and training center, where people from the community and circuit riders came in to be sent back out on mission. It featured stables for the horses and rooms for…

So, I have been dealing with calendar fiascos for an eternity now-probably a week at this point. But for someone who lives-nay, breathes-by their calendar, it has been one difficult week. If Satan wanted to mess with my peace, all he had to do was watch Chestly operate without a calendar. Yes, it’s that bad. …