Returning to "normal" will mean setting new priorities and parameters of fruitfulness.

Leaders need to be accountable to avoid personal failure

Church planters think “sticky.” Large, engaging Sunday gatherings are not the glue to hold your church together and keep guests returning. What is the key to stickiness in your church?

Millions of Canadians are coming out from house arrest. They are excited to be out. They are a little nervous. Some of them are learning what it means to have real-life conversations again. And all of this new interaction makes for a great opportunity to look at your community with fresh eyes.

Less is more. Two courses are all you need to reach people far from God. Both function effectively online as well as onsite. Both are hugely valuable and offered free of charge. In thinking like a church planter with limited resources, offering these two programs alone will help you effectively reach your community this Fall.

For many church leaders, this has been the hardest season of their lives; their decisions have been questioned, their lives have been interrupted, their faith has been tested and, their fears have tried to overcome them. And now, they are poised for the greatest opportunity they have ever seen.

Gary Taitinger recently shared with our NextGen Cohorts on including younger leaders in all levels of decision-making. This is challenging and time-consuming but the payoff is more than worth it!

In the life cycle of a church, vision ignites everything. Church planters have a passion for reaching people far from God in their communities, towns and cities. Cast vision for souls now. Start before you’re completely ready. Communicate urgency to energize, deputize and mobilize your established congregation to fulfill that vision. Casting vision will net you support and momentum.

One of the lesser-known phrases that I’ve heard in the past year is that coming out of the pandemic, “all church leaders will need to think like church planters”. But what does that mean? What makes “thinking like a church planter” beneficial to leading into the future? Instead, let me suggest what “Thinking Like a Planter” might look like.

Young ministry leaders are aching for mentorship but statistics continue to show that they’re not finding it. The reasons are complex. Older leaders haven’t been mentored themselves or had bad mentoring relationships. They’re busy and need to give their time to others. They may feel that getting this close to an employee is risky. They don’t want to make themselves vulnerable. Possibly, established leaders don’t see the benefits of making this kind of investment, but they need to.

As we look to the fall and the potential of limited restrictions, churches are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This will be different than the reopening that we’ve been accustomed to. This will be, in essence, a fresh start; something from which to build upon. It’s for this reason that church leaders are looking at relaunching this fall.

Be kind. We are responsible for the views we personally express, and the views of others which we endorse and repeat.

Raise your hand if you had church plans cancelled by new gathering restrictions just before Christmas 2020 or Mother’s Day 2021? Now that we all have our hands raised we can agree that we need to start planning differently moving forward. Agility is the key to anything we think through now. Rigid plans have a distinct possibility of failing more than ever. We have to be willing and able to change on the fly. Reaching souls and making disciples did not stop because of a global pandemic. We have to be even more creative and intentional about doing them whatever comes our way.

On May 3-4, over 300 ministers attended the very first, completely virtual, Ministers Gathering 2021. Although we usually meet in beautiful Banff, Alberta, this was one for the books, as many of our international ministers were able to be in attendance this year.

This fall, when Covid restrictions are lifted, we will see the largest opportunity for Gospel impact that we’ve seen in decades. Churches who are prepared for this are going to reap a harvest of salvations. However, the harvest you reap will depend on the seed you sow.

I may not be Julie Andrews, but here are a few of my favourite things.

Listening is of greater value than talking.

I was asked to share some of the things I learned since moving to Barrhead from Logan Lake, BC. Here are five things I discovered.