Every pastor and ministry leader eventually wrestles with the same tension. -How do we grow without losing who we are? -What makes a ministry story compelling enough to draw…

Back in the day, my friend Jared was one of those dynamic, high-energy, inspirational types of leaders. He was relentlessly positive and always looked for the best in people.…

We talk a lot about growth. In articles like this, in conversations I have, and in moments when I’m speaking with leaders, the question always comes up: How do…

When a ministry is new, communication is usually shared, proactive, engaging, and exciting. There is often one primary voice that everyone hears from. This is one of the reasons…

Sometimes churches borrow what everyone else is doing and then act like they invented it themselves. Watching it happen can be a little funny, kind of like seeing someone…

I remember the first time Frank told me about his church. He said, “We have about 60 people who show up regularly, and that’s probably a good size for…

We have several coffee drinkers in our house so it is not uncommon to be at a coffee shop picking up more than one drink at a time. A…

How Churches Really Grow Unless a church is unusual, it is almost always thinking about how to get more people to attend. It is part of why we put…

It is a common question we hear when working with churches that are experiencing change. Sometimes those changes are good and sometimes they are painful, but they almost always…

Mike woke up on Monday morning, the first quiet day after a chaotic Christmas season, with one question hanging over him like a weight: “How much longer can I…

Last week a friend sent me the website of a church he had visited. He asked what I thought of it and what I believed a first time visitor…

This might sound like a funny thing to say, but sometimes the biggest competition a ministry has is within itself. When Herb walked into the room, I knew we…

Every pastor knows that feeling: you finish preaching on Sunday, someone says, “Great message, Pastor!” and before you even get to your car you’re already thinking, ‘Okay… now what…

One of my favorite Christmas movies is Elf. It has everything that a person could want in a Christmas-themed movie: humor, Christmas spirit, Peter Billingsley (Ralphie from A Christmas…

I want to take a detour from strategy and communication today and talk about a concerning observation. It’s something I’ve been noticing for a while in churches and ministries.…

Is it just me, or does everybody seem mad about something lately? Politically, people are mad. Socially, people are mad. Drivers on the road are mad. Geopolitically, people are…

If there’s one thing I’ve noticed from growing up around ministry work and those occasional high school English classes, it’s this… a story usually does one of three things:…

I don’t usually lead with stories like this, but every now and then, a little vulnerability is worth the awkwardness. So here goes. A few years back, I lost…

So many times when we get into conversations with ministries about communication, we end up talking about something else entirely: conflict. Sometimes it’s rooted in misunderstandings. Other times it’s…

Imagine This With Me… It’s early Sunday morning, and your alarm is going off.
 Beep. Beep. BEEEEEEP. 
You forgot to turn the ringer down last night, and now you’ve…

Have you ever walked into a new place and felt two things at the same time; hopeful and uncomfortable? It happened to me not long ago when I visited…

“I wish you still did creative work…” Someone said this to me recently, and I was honestly caught off guard. Because…we never stopped. That comment revealed something important: we hadn’t…

We’ve been told this before: “It’s not about you.”And to be honest, there’s some truth in that. Ministry is, at its core, about the transformative work of Jesus, the…

The other day, I was in a store and saw a T-shirt that said, “I speak fluent sarcasm.” For a second, I thought about buying it. Then I realized…

Wow, that’s a strong question. But sometimes, strong questions are exactly what we need to ask. As ministry leaders, we are surrounded by messages. Faith-based initiatives tell us things,…

Most churches talk about getting new people to come to church. In fact, many churches set goals for visitor attendance, promote invitation Sundays, and encourage their congregation to invite…

When I was young in ministry, I had never really gone through any leadership training. We didn’t have any structured development embedded into our church because we were such…

You know that feeling when you’ve been walking around all day with something everyone else can see about you, but you have no idea about it yourself? Like a…

I like change. I like trying new things. I like going places. I like reimagining and reinventing things. I’m a curious person by nature, and I’m always wondering “How…

Success—whether in life, ministry, or business—is often measured by things that, in the end, don’t really matter. We chase accomplishments, build systems, and push toward progress, believing that these…

Clear communication is the cornerstone of effective leadership in ministry. It aligns leadership, vision, and strategy, ensuring everyone is on the same page and moving toward shared goals. But…

Face it—we all get a ton of emails, texts, and marketing messages… ALL THE TIME. The last thing anyone wants is more of that. The same is true for…

Back in the days when we were producing more creative collateral items for clients, we had an involved marketing piece we had put together for a ministry. The piece…

The idea of tracking communication activity can feel intimidating. For some ministries, it even seems intrusive or inappropriate. Tracking web activity, email interactions, or engagement metrics sounds like something…

There are many ministries and nonprofit organizations that lack a dedicated staff member responsible for coordinating and managing communication and marketing efforts. In fact, a majority of ministries do…

One of the most pressing concerns for pastors, church leaders, and board members is how to measure the spiritual health of their congregation. We know it’s important. We know…