You're invited to be part of my next book adventure.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I said I was not going to jump back into another book project. We all knew that my pants were on fire. While I did mean it at the time, that was mostly an embattled author in the middle of editing talk. During that time, however, I was able to tend to any distraction that would help to protect my tender ego from the bloodbath of the editor's red marks on my manuscript. And yes, one of those distractions was to think about my next book.
Not long ago, I was asked to speak to a group about anything I wanted to. For some reason, I gravitated towards thoughts about church growth. Okay, not for "some reason." The reason was because of the increasingly blatant displays of Christian Nationalism by our government. Because people usually want to start with tactics, I did what I normally do: I began with 30,000-foot concepts. As I have continued to think about the big questions, I have begun to feel a tug to choose your metaphor: land the plane, fish or cut bait, or shit or get off the pot, and identify actionable steps born from these larger questions. Drawing on my 30+ years of pastoral leadership, my time starting a church, coaching pastors who have started churches, worshipping with new churches, and pastoring multiple established churches through a variety of cultural and operational transitions, I began compiling a list of practical church growth questions.
In all honesty, I have always been allergic to anything that came close to being a "10 Ways to Put Butts in Pews" handbook. Too often, I have heard members of shrinking churches or church growth couch consultants imply that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between tactics and growth. It is completely understandable that people want that kind of reassurance because it would be real nice if we were given a list of to-dos that would guarantee growth – painlessly and immediately. Obviously, few people say, 'If you make these changes, you will grow!' out loud, but I can tell, whether they are even conscious of it or not, that's what they want. Occasionally someone would verbalize it, often tongue-in-cheek, and my tried-and-true response is to joke, "If I could write that book, I'd be rich."
And then during a conversation about the state of the church and the need to have more impact, while I was dancing around giving practical advice, one of the participants said, "We know you have ideas for things that we could do, so why don't you tell us?" This was not accusatorial, but what it made me realize is that what I have been basically saying to groups is, "Here are some big concepts for doing something really different, now go and figure it out for yourselves. You're on your own. Good luck and godspeed." In my resistance to giving anything remotely close to definitive steps for growth, I was expecting the proverbial frog to all of a sudden realize the pot is boiling AND know exactly how to escape the predicament it was in.
As much as I have resisted, I am going to take a swing at writing the closest thing to a "handbook for church growth" that I will ever get. I am also going to go about this process a little differently. Like my friend and colleague Rev. Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim, I am going to have the manuscript completed before I shop it around: no publisher advance, no deadlines, and no guarantees.
As I write this book, I would love for folks to interact and give feedback during various stages of the process. Every few weeks, I will post a rough, rough, rough outline/draft of each chapter. Paid Subscribers will have immediate access to the full chapters. All other subscribers will receive a short excerpt in their inboxes. Subscribers, free or paid, are invited to give feedback, ask questions,or make suggestions over on The Amalgamation Discord. Everyone who engages in at least half of the chapter threads will receive a signed copy of the book when it is eventually published.
Below is an early and first run at a structure and outline for the book. It is pretty standard: some introduction and orientation to start and a wrap-up and conclusion at the end. In between, I'll post a number of questions (Eventually 20?) that address areas with a high impact on a church's chances of growing.
With each question, I will attempt to bring depth and texture by addressing importance, obstacles, practices, etc. Each question will be broken up into the following sections:
🧠 The Reason for Asking – Explanation of the question's relevance goes here.👍🏽 So You Said, "yes" – What it means if you are doing this goes here.
❓ A Deeper Dive – Follow-up questions to broaden the topic.
🛬 Tactics and Practices – A few ideas on how you can realistically address each reponse.
💡 One Big Idea: A potentially high-impact idea goes here.
🚦Signals & Cues: Signs and development that may require processes to be adapted or further conversations to be had.
💖 Grace Always: Words of encouragement and courage go here.
I am still debating the order of the questions, but for now, the progression goes like this: broad congregational understandings, scope of who can be reached, and congregational engagement. I bookend all the questions, starting with one about change and ending with one about the budget; for without a healthy approach to both, the endeavor will face an uphill battle.
Again, if you are a subscriber, come on over to Discord and join the conversation. These are early stages, so resist getting caught up in a web of wordsmith turmoil. There will be time for that later. At this point, all headings and subheadings can be changed. As the book builds, I'll link back to each post.
How to Grow a Church:
Questions that help recognize, realize, and reinforce invitation, welcome, and belonging.
Introduction [full post]
- Why and Why Now [full post]
- How I believe and know [full post]
- Who should read this [full post]
Ch 1) The Most Important Question: on Belonging [full post]
Ch 2) Who Cares about Growth: on Theology [full post]
Ch 3) Size Really Doesn’t Matter: on Numbers [full post]
Ch 4) Disclaimers and Assumptions: on Context [full post]
Ch 5) How to Use This Book: on Process [full post]
Ch 6) The Questions [full post]
- Culture of Change: Do you handle criticism, change, and conflict well? [full post]
- Who do you say that I am?: Do you clearly and unapologetically articulate what you believe about Jesus Christ? [full post]
- Congregational Identity: Do you know who you are now and who God is calling you to become? [full post]
- Theological and Social Beliefs: Are your values and beliefs integrated throughout the entire life of the church? [full post]
- Realistic Growth Demographic: Is God really calling you to reach young families? [full post]
- A Heart for Newcomers: Have you identified unspoken rules, practices, or expectations that exclude first-time visitors? [full post]
- A Place of Comfort: Is this a place where people turn to in times of crisis or tragedy? [full post]
- Can’t Miss Experiences: Do people feel they're missing out if they don't show up? [full post]
- A Growing Table: Is a new person easily able to engage in the life of the church? [full post]]
- Genuine Digital Ministry: Is your digital footprint honest and helpful to those searching for a spiritual home? [full post]
- Meaningful Use of Time: Do you honor the time and resources individuals offer? [full post]
- Community Connections: Are you engaged in the life of the surrounding community? [full post]
- Public Square: Are you engaged in the public square on issues that impact communities outside the church: locally, nationally, and globally? [full post]
- Show Me the Money: Are you ready and willing to realign your budget to center growth and newcomers? [full post]
Ch 7) The Big Three: On Friends, Flocks, and Fun [full post]
Ch 8) As You Go: On Evangelism & Confidence [full post]
Ch 9) Return on Investment: On Patience & Grace [full post]
Ch 10) People May Leave: On Care & Conviction [full post]
Ch 11) Enjoy the Ride: On Hope & Meaning [full post]
Conclusion [full post]
Charge
Acknowlegements
Artificial Intelligence
Keep in Touch
Again, this post is open to everyone, but future updates will only be available to Paid Subscribers. At the end of the day, Paid Subscribers are my "advance," so I appreciate everyone who is supporting this area of my life
Peace,
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