Go through each one of these items and ask yourselves how are we doing on this? Close the gaps. Remember, intentionality is the key to becoming a welcoming church.

Your First Impression is the greatest impression you can ever make for a newcomer. Here are 5 easy ways to make a great first impression.

How often do you think about the air you breathe? It’s so pervasive that we don’t even give it a thought. Church culture is like the air; it’s all around us, shaping every moment of every Sunday and Monday to Saturday. We seldom notice it at our own risk.

The average person has no idea what next steps to take to connect into this congregation and what the destination (being a part of the church) might look like. It’s up to us as leaders to create clear and obvious next steps for them.

I’ve asked a similar question to pastors who have seen their ministries and churches grow over the years … “what is one reason you can think of as to why your ministry grew?” Their answer shocked me.

We don’t want to create any barriers for people to come to Jesus Christ and we want to do our best to be a church that is in the community and for the community.

It’s never fun to realize that there were things that you thought were working, actually weren’t working. The recent pandemic exposed weaknesses and brought out realizations amongst churches and church leaders all over the world.

Belong, believe, become are three popular words that summarize a value system and a process of discipleship. Perhaps your church makes use of them in a slogan or value statement. The words and their order are important but not nearly as important as getting belonging right.

Returning to church doesn't mean returning to "normal." There is no such thing as over-communicating your timing, plans and procedures with your congregation. Be clear, concise, creative and caring.

Think about this …. it’s your first time ever in a meeting.  There are 30 people there and you know that they know you’re new.  What do I do now?  When do I sit?  When do I stand?  Do I kneel?  Am I allowed to be here?  What happens when they find out I’m not one of them?  All of these things are going through a newcomers mind when they come to your church.  Why not orient them to what is about to happen?  

In this age of social media, instant gratification, and excessive focus on materialism and self, the only path to contentment and eternity is the reality of abundant life through the love, acceptance, and forgiveness that can only be found in a redeeming relationship Jesus Christ.

The idea of “should” is something that plagues church leadership. We think that people “should” go to church because that’s what they “should” do. Except …. People don’t think that way anymore.

It’s interesting when I visit some of our churches I notice that our buildings are falling into disrepair and look unkept. This is because of a culture of deferred maintenance.

Did Jesus create the church so we could gather away from the world and be protected or did he create it as a force to spread the Gospel? There are very differing views of this but I want to challenge you on a few things.

Everybody loves a party. Even Jesus does. And according to Luke Chapter 15, heaven loves throwing a party for people who decide to follow Jesus. What’s a party without balloons?

What does a prevailing church in Canada look like? What do they do?

I hate to say it but Fall is coming. Besides the Pumpkin Spice lattes and leaves turning cooler, this is also a great opportunity for growth in the church.

Here are 5 systems that you need to develop if you want to grow.