When I look at Canadian churches that are experiencing growth by conversion, there is one common characteristic I see: they are relentlessly outward bound. At some point they made a decision that they will be about the people who are not yet a part of their church.

A series of hardships in ministry such as cancer, members leaving, and the inability to grow as a church left me feeling bruised and beaten. My frustration was compounded because I thought I knew what we needed to do, only to find there was little fruit to show for it. I thought I was a good pastor, but I could not figure out what needed to happen to get us where we needed to go.

If revitalization is to be a possibility, leaders of growing, as well as struggling, assemblies need to humbly invite assessment.

For years, I strategized how to get more and more teens onsite with big events and incentives.

But it wasn’t until years later after lots of frustration and low retention rates that I discovered some keys to getting students to not just show up on a youth night, but to stick.

It’s not enough to just graduate students with faith intact. Our job has to be to set students up for a life of vibrant and thriving faith.

So how do we do this, and how do we not lose our teens when they enter Emerging Adulthood?

We’ve been empowered to reach those who are far from God. This is a vital mission in our world. We must not lose courage in being a distinct people called to a unique purpose.

How can we temper our tendency to overcomplicate when it’s important to keep things simple? Better yet, how can we nurture a vision for our church’s future when the complexities of running a church are so intense? 

Prior to change of habit comes a change of heart. If you want to vitalize your church, understanding this change of heart is crucial for you and your congregation.

In order to cheat the law of church life cycle, a church must biblically “recatalyze” when it encounters or is about to encounter plateau. Then it can overcome the impending inertia and press forward with another chapter of growth.

How we communicate God’s Word is so important to whether a teen understands it and sees it as applying to them right here and right now, or whether they see it as an outdated religion that has no bearing on their life.

It’s what you want every message to have isn’t it?

Movement.

To get teens to take what we talk about on a youth night beyond the four walls of the church and walk with it.

Why do church leaders hit the wall in ministry? There are multiple reasons, but one clear factor is the pressure of self-imposed expectations.

Look at our worship experience through the lens of a non-Christian. Church is soooo boring and irrelevant. Especially our music. We want people to meet Jesus, but if they check out in the first few minutes of a service because they’re disengaged, you likely will not win them back.

Every time a new year rolls around, leaders get a bit of a “clean slate.” This is a great time to seize the opportunities that the new year affords us. Here are just a few ways you can do just that. 

Growing churches must engage the community. We need to be visible and actively building bridges of relationship to those who have not yet come to our church. Christmas is a great time for your church to engage your community.

According to Acts 1:8, being filled with God’s Spirit is about so much more than an experience in a room, or a checkbox on a list. It’s about Power for Purpose. More specifically, power to accomplish God’s purpose.

Check out these must have games for Youth Ministry.

How you handle church conflict in your home will determine whether those troubles end up being virtuous or villainous.