The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled 7-2 in favor of Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop. Here are five key takeaways that affect ministries and community impact efforts: The Court ruled that Government must, in the context of the marketplace, treat people of faith with “neutral and respectful consideration.” Kennedy gave a knuckle-rap to the idea that […]

Money, Money, Money! Ministry efforts require dollars to operate. Dollars, in turn, are limited, and churches have to carefully allocate dollars to maximize their ministry impact. That is why this episode is dedicated to the concept of financing community impact. Stated differently, if we are going to maximize our impact in the community, how in […]

As we often say around here, community impact isn’t rocket science. It’s just hard work. Most churches talk about increasing their impact outside their walls, but there are numerous internal obstacles and external pressures preventing this. As I speak in churches around the country, I often preach some variation of the sermon that is reproduced in […]

Ever wonder what a Mayor thinks about the presence and impact of churches in a community? Well, meet Mayor Damon Welch, who is in his second 4-year term as Mayor of Madison, Indiana. Under his leadership, Madison has been named as a finalist in the national “America’s Best Communities” competition for successfully re-imagining its future […]

All churches know what their church role should look like (more active members, right?), but many churches seem uncertain about what their community role should look like. In other words, the “Big C” Church seems uncertain about its role or purpose outside its walls. This is certainly reflected in broader culture, which is dismissive of or at least […]

Easter is great. People you’ve never seen before or haven’t seen in a while seem to just spontaneously appear at church! I trust that you and your church are encouraged and are working hard to capitalize on the momentum of Easter. Here are three quick tips for using this momentum to build outward focus: Communicate the […]

For many Americans, the Resurrection is “old” news. Most of our neighbors know that Christians claim that Christ rose from the dead. Perhaps our non-Christian neighbors simply find the claim incredulous. Perhaps they have closely studied the evidence and rejected the claim. But, I would venture to say that most of them just don’t care. They […]

Few two-word combinations cause church leaders and Christians to tremble like the words “culture war.” However, we are still citizens of a constitutional Republic that requires our participation and support. This responsibility is a tension to be managed and not a problem to be solved. So, how should we think about our citizenship in changing […]

Few two-word combinations cause church leaders and Christians to tremble like the words “culture war.” However, we are still citizens of a constitutional Republic that requires our participation and support. This responsibility is a tension to be managed and not a problem to be solved. So, how should we think about our citizenship in changing […]