This month's list of the best books I've read over the last 30 days that were published this year is among the most diverse. (5.0) Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life by Eric Klinenberg (Crown, 2018) (4.5) Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World by Anand Giridharadas (Knopf, 2018) (4.0) Humble Leadership:The Power of Relationships, Openness, and Trust by Edgar H. Read More …
Carey Nieuwhof
Growing Beyond 200 (#1208)
Most congregations are relatively small. While small is not bad, small and plateaued or small and declining are. In reality, churches of any size are either growing or declining. Healthy congregations should be growing congregations. Carey Nieuwhof, lead pastor of Connexus Community Church, recently wrote about many of the reasons why churches can grow to a certain size, but not beyond such. In a great deal of the literature on the topic of church size, the number 200 is Read More …
Your Church Can’t Ignore (#1131)
Carey Nieuwhof, lead pastor of Connexus Community Church, recently shared a list of cultural trends of significance to churches. His list includes: online as the new default, the death of checks, and declining trust in authority and institutions. So What? Churches cannot live in bubbles. Local congregations must be aware of and adapt to cultural norms insofar as how people live. If people can't experience your church online, are expected to give financially Read More …
Future Church: Another Perspective (#1111)
Carey Nieuwhof, lead pastor of Connexus Community Church, recently shared his thoughts on how the church will evolve over the next decade. Nieuwhof identified 11 traits that he believes will be common among those congregations that have a significant impact over the next ten years: The ability to say no Outsider focus Quick decision making Flexibility A willingness to embrace smaller to become bigger A quicker, lighter footprint Valuing online relationships as real Read More …