I shared a statistic with a group of leaders that floored them. The worst part is, I told them there’s nothing they can do to stop it. What is it? It’s that 10%-15% of your church will leave due to attrition. Think about that… If you’re a church of 700 people, that means you’ll need to reach 70 new people every year just to stay the same. 10%-15% is the average. If you minister in a metropolitan community like I do, that number can be closer to 20%-25%. Why is attrition as high as it is? Because people get transferred, … Read More

I’ve worked with hundreds of churches over the last few years. Some large. Some small. Many somewhere in between. In my travels I’ve learned what keeps many churches small. It’s not theology. It’s not financial resources. Instead, I’ve noticed 3 factors in churches that keep growing (and the opposite in those who don’t):       1. An earnest desire for leaders to keep learning new skills       2. A relentless commitment to reach out to those far from God        3. An effective strategy for evangelism and discipleship I’m not saying every church that does these things grows to 10,000 people, … Read More

Branding is such a buzzword these days that I’d love to just write it off all together. The problem is, branding matters. Most people think branding is your logo, colors, and website design. It’s so much more… Your branding is the story you’re telling your community about who you are what you stand for. It’s how you explain to people who have never attended the ways you’re able to serve them. I know this, I work with hundreds of churches every year and many times, the branding is saying something the church doesn’t want to say. And this becomes a barrier to new people to attend. You need … Read More