Carey Nieuwhof Archives » Page 2 of 2

September 12, 2018

5 Things That Give Pastors a Bad Name With Unchurched People

I’ve been a pastor since I was 30 years old, but even now, I still don’t really like telling people what I do. I have a heart for unchurched people and am always trying to find a way to build bridges and tear down barriers. But I feel like telling people I’m a pastor or lead a church almost automatically creates a barrier—a barrier that seems to grow with every passing year. Maybe it’s just me, but I always feel there’s a funk associated with the idea of being a pastor that might be a combination of Confusion…I’ve never actually met […]

August 7, 2018

3 Ways Almost Every Church Gets Stuck

Resharing with kind permission from Carey Nieuwhof. At some point, almost every church gets stuck. If yours isn’t stuck right now, just wait a while. Every church and organization gets stuck at some point. Usually, churches get stuck because what was working stopped working, When that happens, leaders aren’t sure what to do. While figuring that out is complex (and a frequent subject of many posts on this blog), trying to find a solution is difficult if you’re looking in the wrong place. It’s easy to think that churches are prone to get stuck in the past. And that’s true. If there’s a trend, it’s […]

April 26, 2018

If You’re Ready To Give Up On Yourself As A Leader, Some Hope

This post shared with permission of Carey Nieuwhof. When you start out in leadership, it’s easy to think that everything will be up and to the right. I mean that’s how we plan it out in our heads, isn’t it? And yet every leader I know faces a season or two that threatens to take them out. It just feels too hard—or not worthwhile enough—to continue. For me, it came 12 years ago. It was the year I almost gave up on myself. If you haven’t reached that moment, (sadly) I promise you as a leader it will likely come. Can […]

April 5, 2018

5 Hard Truths About Healthy Church Growth

Reshared with kind permission by the author Carey Nieuwhof. Most church leaders I know would love to see their church grow. Similarly, most leaders I’ve met want their church to grow for what we might call the ‘right’ reasons: they sincerely want more people to encounter the love of Jesus Christ. That’s amazing. And yet there’s a strong reaction against growing churches by many leaders. For some reason, many people love to take pot-shots at growing churches and large churches. Some are categorical denouncements. I don’t know what to do with those. Sometimes I sense that underneath the anger are […]