Category Archives: Pastoring

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April 15, 2014

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Christian Life, Congregrational Ministries, Pastoring

266,781 Miles…and Going Strong

By Dr. Franklin Dumond

My 2005 Chevy Silverado now has 266,781 miles logged in its lifetime of service to me.  It primarily lives in my driveway now and serves as reliable transportation inside town limits.  For several years it frequently hauled large boxes of training materials when I traveled around doing 2-3 day workshops.  Trailers loaded with supplies for the annual Mission & Ministry Summit were pulled with ease.

Even with almost 300,000 miles logged, this truck is still going strong.

Even with almost 300,000 miles logged, this truck is still going strong.

All in all my tan truck has held up well to the rigors of life on the open road.  It boasts a dented rear fender where a branch blown from a maple tree in the front yard was tossed down the driveway.  A couple of winters ago my wife accidentally struck Rudolph as she was driving one December evening.  He limped off in the darkness so Christmas was not cancelled, but the truck was left with a front bumper that is sort of twisted on the driver’s side.  Because of the low retail value of the vehicle I have determined not to spend a great deal on cosmetic repairs.

One snowy afternoon I thought the windshield wipers sounded funny as they slapped against the snow.  I assumed the frozen accumulations were temporarily impairing normal operations.  From the corner of my eye it also appeared that the passenger side wiper was out of time with the driver side.

As I parked in my driveway I decided to work smarter rather than harder to clear the ice and slush from my wipers.  I pushed the switch to spray fluid on the windshield and turned my wipers on high speed.  I thought by melting the slush and ice I could then use my rapidly waving wipers to toss it aside.

My passenger side wiper made one slow, feeble pass and then simply fell asleep at the base of my windshield.  Remembering my vow to not spend money on my truck unnecessarily, I wondered if it would be practical, or even legal, to operate with only one wiper.

A quick Google search and a couple of e-how articles later I discovered that a flat screwdriver to remove the cover of the mounting bolt and a 13 mm wrench quickly solved my problem.  With the mounting nut securely tightened I now had the luxury of two functional windshield wipers.  This worked so well that a few days later I even pre-emptively tightened the mounting bolt on my driver’s side wiper.

It really is amazing what a little corrective maintenance can do to restore a 266,781-mile truck into working order.  Churches can be that way.  Life cycles can be reversed and new life discovered.  Here’s a short list of those corrective maintenance issues that probably need attention in every church whether that church is new or well-established.

1. Dust and clutter will show up again and again unless some attention is given.

2. Signage, both indoor and outdoors, needs to be obvious if we expect new folks to find their way around.

3. Code language that uses specialized terms or abbreviations must be avoided if we expect new folks to understand what we are doing.

4. Contact information on the church sign, the weekly bulletin and the church web site must be current.

What do you think?  What routine corrective maintenance would you suggest for new or established churches?
Click the ‘Leave a Comment’ button at the top of this article and share your experiences.

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April 10, 2014

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Executive Office, Pastoring

Anticipating Easter: Two Principles for Success

By Clint Cook

Easter is an important day for Christians

Easter is such an amazing day of miracles! Of course there’s the obvious miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We cannot forget, however, a second amazing miracle: God will wake people up that Sunday morning in all of our communities, and send them to our churches!  The gospel will be preached and lives will forever be changed.  Many may not return the next Sunday, but at least they will hear the gospel on Easter!

Through the years I have learned a few things that I can do as a pastor to increase the percentage of returning visitors.  They have become principles that I cannot overlook!  Bottoms line: the more times guests return, the more likely doubt will melt away and a new belief in Jesus emerge.

The first principle is that I launch a new sermon series on Easter.  To be quite honest, I used to think I was supposed to end a series with a final, passionate message on Easter.  The problem with ending a series on Easter is that first-time guests feel as if they have missed a great series so there is no need to come back the following Sunday.  However, if I launch a new series on Easter and invite everyone to come back to hear the rest of the series, many will return!

The second principle is the placement of a communication card in every bulletin or program give to attendees.  The communication card provides a way for each attendee to share contact information: name, address, email address, and phone number.  Now armed with this information, the church leadership can pray more specifically for each guest.  We also mail a piece of church information to our guests with an invitation to come again.  Some guests will not return, but many of these God-sent first-time guests will return, resulting in many coming to faith in Jesus Christ!

Easter is the greatest Sunday of the year!  Not only for those who already know the resurrection power of our Risen Savior, but also for those who will be our future brothers and sisters!  I wait with great anticipation to hear about the miracles that will occur in our churches this Easter!

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April 4, 2014

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Congregrational Ministries, Pastoring

The First Robins

By Dr. Franklin Dumond

The first really warm day of late winter/early spring in the lower Midwest sent many of us outdoors.  While the ground was too muddy for much activity the street at our house was passable for a nice walk.  The fields still maintained their somber winter colors of drab brown and dull grey.  Except for the 70 degree air temperature there was little that indicated the arrival of spring anytime soon.

Then I noticed a flurry of activity in the trees, and off in the distance Robins are a sign of new lifeI could hear the distinctive song of a robin.

Returning from that afternoon walk I soon noticed a dozen or so of these harbingers of spring patrolling the lawn, heads cocked with every careful step, searching for the first earthworm of spring to emerge from the still frozen soil.

Snow and cold came back into the forecast but with the arrival of robins and a few other birds of color and song it appeared that once again spring’s warmth would eventually arrive to replace winter’s chill.

These days I focus a great deal of my time aRobins are a sign of Springnd energy to work with churches on turnaround strategies.  Often, like winter’s chill, the signs of decline seem all too obvious while the indications of turnaround remain elusive.

Actual turnaround strategies must be customized for each congregation.  Specific timelines will be shorter or longer depending on local variables.

I have noticed, however, a few features of turnaround that indicate, like the arrival of robins, turnaround on the horizon.  Here’s part of what I have seen as preliminary indicators of turnaround.

1. A new or renewed pastor who has a vision of and strategy for winning people.

2. Folks hang around longer after worship.  One sure sign of decline is an empty building about 30 seconds after the closing prayer!

3. Greater attention is given to the details of worship planning.  When worship is viewed as important enough to prepare for, it will generally be received as important enough to invite someone to attend.

5. Occasional first-time guests begin to trickle into the services and ministries of the church.

4. A few new projects are undertaken with intentionality and confidence.  One factor in decline is doing so much that nothing is done well and everything is done with the motive of “We’ve always done it this way before.”

Have you identified any advance signs of turnaround?