What metrics are you using? Tracking the right metrics in the church will help you make the right course corrections and seek the right help as you move forward.
Connie Jakab talks about being a brave leader but has noticed people who usually don’t see themselves as leaders: people like parents (even though you’re only raising the next generation), teachers (who only have influenced everyone you see today), and entrepreneurs (who bring new ideas to solve problems and lead change in our world). Here’s how she moved past fear.
What changes are you planning in the future? Don’t stay where you are. Keep moving forward. Make sure that as you change, you navigate through some of these challenges in a healthy way. Whenever we implement change, we can either underestimate or overestimate how complicated it can be.
How can you reach more families with young children? Many churches struggle with this question as they find that they are an older congregation or they think they don’t have the volunteer capacity to reach out to families. Here are some simple ways you can reach families with young children that won’t cost you a lot of money and utilize a lot of volunteers.
How many hours a week are you in your community? I encourage pastors to allocate 5 hours a week to be in their community, connecting with non-believers and building bridges of connection to people not a part of the church. Here are some ways to get out of your office and into your community.
Were you able to join us at Ministers Gathering 2023? Over 500 ministers and their families joined us for a time of connection, renewal and equipping at the Banff Park Lodge in Banff, Alberta. This is a valuable family connection time and helps us support and encourage one another as we endeavour to reach the 4.1 million souls in our region.
Ready to think about spring outreaches? Here are four fantastic outreaches you can do this spring. The sky is brightening. The air is warming. The snow is melting – well, not quite yet. But spring is coming, and this is a great opportunity to reach your community in the coming months. Your church can make a difference in your community by meeting the needs of your community. Building bridges of relationship and connection to the people who are not yet a part of your church but will be one day.
Is your church stuck? Do you find yourself in the tension of organizational structure and relational equity? Once you decide to focus on these seven things, you can begin to work and develop them as you go forward. The blend of organization and organism embedded in each of these areas will keep you growing in numbers while also growing in depth of relationship and commitment to Christ.
What does the latest Census data reveal about the Canadian Church? The Canadian Census for 2021 was released recently, and the insights into Religion, Christianity and the Church in Canada are insightful. Although it’s not a positive picture overall, church leaders must press into this data instead of ignoring it; allow the information to challenge you to innovate, create and re-imagine ministry in Canada in these coming years.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the age demographics are shifting in Canada, which, in turn, is creating some waves around the nation in health care, labour and education. Stats Can reports that: Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996 and between 25 and 40 years old in 2021, are the fastest-growing generation and account for the largest share of the working population (33.2%).
Is the church a club for Christians, or is it a force for Kingdom expansion? When Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not stand against it” (Matthew 16:18), was He thinking of a Sunday AM service with 40 minutes of singing and 40 minutes of preaching? Was he thinking of an audience listening to one person talk at them?
Would you consider your church relentlessly outbound? Most Canadian churches are not relentlessly outbound. Most church budgets are focused on staff salaries and building costs. Most pastors and staff spend the majority of their time with Christians. We’ve turned into “Christian Training Centres” or “Clubs for Christians” rather than a Missional Movement; a force of Christ-followers on a mission to reach a lost world.
How does vitalization benefit the ministry of a local church? The experience of vitalization in local churches is unique to each church, but the outcomes add fruitfulness to faithfulness in all; two congregations located on two sides of the country, two vitalization experiences, and two similar outcomes after following very different pathways. The pastors share their journeys leading established, traditional congregations into the outbound mission.
How can our congregation increase its influence for Jesus in the community? Imagine your church being promoted by your mayor and city councillors. Can you dream of when your leadership is asked and funded to facilitate events for your town or city? Those opportunities are not only possible, but they are also highly plausible.
I hope to see a movement of churches in Canada across denominations go from plateaued and declining to thriving by reaching lost people in their locale. I pray for an enormous increase in Salvations across Canada with reports of life transformation by the Gospel. I long for churches that make disciples who make disciples who make disciples.
