Category Archives: Ideas for Changing the Church

“Hack” Who Leads Your Church -and how they lead

Posted on September 22, 2008 by Neil

One of the problems facing the church is the quality of leadership available to lead them. The skill sets needed to move the church forward are often not the skill sets we look for when selecting leaders. We need to … Continue reading →

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Volunteers: Why it may be hard to recruit them…

Posted on August 28, 2008 by Neil

…and what you can do about it. Volunteers are a church program’s lifeblood and biggest challenge. I’ve seen it from all sides, -as a minister on staff, a program leader & recruiter, and as a volunteer in the pew, -in big … Continue reading →

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Scary Church Accounting

Posted on August 22, 2008 by Neil

Church Accounting is positively scary in some churches…. and I’ve seen it from all sides.  I’ve been on staff as a minister, and I’ve been a “pastor in the pew” as volunteer. I’ve also been doing business with churches for the … Continue reading →

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“The View from the Pew” …what I think every pastor needs to know

Posted on July 9, 2008 by Neil

It has been an eye-opening experience sitting in the pew these past 14 years being a seminary-trained preacher and pastor. …..and I wish I knew then what I know now. Which is to say, the congregation and worship you experience as “the … Continue reading →

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Lead Better Meetings

Posted on June 8, 2008 by admin

Meetings are boon and bane in the church. How you lead a meeting, and how you train your chairpeople to lead meetings, can make the difference between success and failure. Better meetings are more productive. Better meetings are a way … Continue reading →

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Pass the Peace, -and the Hand Sanitizers

Posted on June 6, 2008 by admin

I am NOT a Germ-a-phobe or hypochondriac. I just have serious concerns about an age-old practice that creates problems in this day and age: the extent to which we pass BUGS around on Sunday morning. I’m particularly concerned about pastors: they shake EVERYBODY’S … Continue reading →

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Free Church Health Test

Posted on May 3, 2008 by admin

Tom Bandy and Bill Easum are two provocative church consultants. I recommend many of their resources found at www.easumbandy.com  Several very good books and congregational studies. They have released a FREE downloadable test for your church, with instructions. Take it! … Continue reading →

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Hack your Church Office

Posted on April 23, 2008 by admin

Hack your office schedule, and hack “the nag” on your computer. The church office is a tyrant!  It creates a certain type of work (often busy-work), and turns a pastor (aka “someone who pastors”) into an office troll. I’ve never met … Continue reading →

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Make Mission part of Every Group’s Mission

Posted on April 23, 2008 by admin

Hack the way mission gets done in the church… The mission of the Mission Committee is to increase everyone’s participation in giving back. But in most churches, the mission committee is LIMITED in what it can accomplish because it is … Continue reading →

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The Jubilee Solution to Your Church’s Rut

Posted on April 20, 2008 by Neil

All systems tend to run out of steam. In physics, this law of thermodynamics is called “entropy.”  Happens in human systems too. In physics, all that’s required is some additional amount of energy to maintain the same output (“work”). But … Continue reading →

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The Wide Open Backdoor

Posted on April 20, 2008 by Neil

Back Door = The door your members use to slip away from the congregation. If you suddenly stopped showing up, would anybody notice? More importantly, would anybody do anything about it? You’d like to THINK so. But our last three … Continue reading →

Posted in Ideas for Changing the Church, Neil on the Loose | 1 Comment

The Wide Open Side Door

Posted on April 20, 2008 by admin

This is another installment in my “On the Lam” blog. The following is another post about something important I learned the hard way. I hope you can use these observations to improve your church’s ministry. The Wide Open Side Door… … Continue reading →

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