Bulletproofing Your Church Archives

Small But Significant

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…

What’s So Bad About the Church at Ephesus?

Having come to maturity in an age when everyone knew we were living in the “age of Laodicea,” I’ve always had problems with Jesus’ letter to the church leader in Ephesus. Raging with joy at works of the Spirit during the Jesus Revolution, it was a little too easy to condemn all those “lukewarm” churches…

When NOT to Use the F-Word

No, not that one—the other one! There are times when you should not call your church a family. Why? Because maybe the term doesn’t describe what you’ve become. Does it seem strange that the gospels and Acts are heavy into the word disciple while the epistles utilize terms like brother and sister to describe those…

A Pruning or Just a Mess?

You could call this article “Where have all the people gone?” Or “Why are so many pastors leaving?” Churches are smaller, and not everyone who left is home watching Andy Stanley on YouTube. Most of those who are gone are just that—gone! Truth is, churches and leaders are a smaller band on the…

Another Anti-legalism Rant

After seeing last week’s YouTube video one of my friends commented, “Ralph’s on another anti-legalism tirade. I guess I am and maybe have lived on one for most of my adult life. Back when I was a youth pastor I knew an upstanding Bible-believing man who refused to come to church with his family. Someone…

Little Foxes and Other Legalisms

I’ve been taking some heat lately. A few weeks ago I published a free book – How Nearly Anyone Can Start a Microchurch. That triggered frustration in several people who judged the book by its cover. “You’re saying just any person who wants to leave our church and pull a bunch of people can just…

On Being Salt & Light

We who follow Jesus Christ are struggling because we live in a world of increasing secularism. Worse, it’s radical secularism that would do away with the church as we know it. Biblical values get called out as hate speech things. Because these are challenging times, we must reappraise ourselves, where we are and how we…

The Incredible Shrinking Church

Will the U.S. Church Survive? If So, In What Shape? Someone responded to a recent blog with two painful questions: At the present rate of “growth,” how long will Christianity survive in the U.S.? At the current rate of “growth,” what kind of churches will be left in 10-15 years? Our Growth is Negative For…

Time: The Fourth Dimension of Space

Buildings come with limitations—then again, they bring options we often overlook. Time and its implications for your church campus is a more significant issue than you may realize. Retail stores understand time better than we do, while online support services sometimes don’t. What am I getting at? Well, we all think in three dimensions when…

Locked Out–Rethinking Church Use of Space

Wow, times are tough! The virus is resurging. Churches are closing. Pastors are quitting. And many congregations find themselves locked out of the place they used to rent. An Acts 8 Crisis Maybe we shouldn’t look at these as tough times, but more like normal. Jesus never told us it would be easy—in fact, he…