Saturday Lagniappe: "9 Reasons You Should Make the Most of ‘Big Days’ for Growth" and More

9 Reasons You Should Make the Most of ‘Big Days’ for Growth

One of the secrets to Saddleback’s growth over the years is big days. There are three holidays we’ve used powerfully – Easter, Christmas Eve, and Mother’s Day – and then a few other weekends such as the kick-off or celebration of a big campaign. We plan for those days and we use them as an evangelism tool and as a stimulus to motivate our members on to growth for the rest of the year. These days are big high points and there are some real advantages to planning big days with a special emphasis, particularly around Easter. Read More

Multiplication is Impossible Without Intentionality

The funny thing about 7-Elevens, and other convenient stores like them, is that they have a strategy for multiplication. They don’t just haphazardly place stores wherever there’s cheap rent, nor do they wait for entrepreneurial leaders to show up at their door step. They are intentional. Incredibly intentional. They do their research on the best location for future stores. They develop leaders because they know that the success of their stores rises and falls on leadership. Intentionality is everything. The same is true for church planting. Read More

TGC Asks: 3 Books Every Church Planter Should Read

Every planter needs books—companions and guides for the journey. Whether thinking through philosophy of ministry or structures of polity or specifics of strategy, good literature can cast vision, steel resolve, and replenish empty tanks. But with so many books clamoring for your attention as a planter, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. It’s not like you have much spare time. What, then, should you pick up? I asked 20 pastors what three books every planter should read and why. Read More

Why You Should Read Multiple Books at the Same Time

I’ve discovered that if I’m not reading, I’m not learning. And if I’m not learning, I’m not growing. And if I’m not growing, I have no right to be leading. Read More

3 Things New Leaders Need to Listen For 

If you are a new leader, you have ideas. You have changes that you want to make. And , inevitably, you desire to communicate the ideas and changes quickly. But while your initial desire is to speak, don’t forget to do something equally, if not more, important—listen. Because it is through listening that you become a better communicator and leader. Read More

Five Dangers of Speaking in Hyperbole

The danger with speaking in hyperbole is it can backfire. Badly. Just ask Howard Dean. (I know I just used a political example, but I didn’t want to link to a pastoral example on YouTube. No more politics. I promise). How can hyperbole backfire? I’ll give you five ways. Read More

How a Generation Lost Its Culture

My students are know-nothings. They are exceedingly nice, pleasant, trustworthy, mostly honest, well-intentioned, and utterly decent. But their brains are largely empty, devoid of any substantial knowledge that might be the fruits of an education in an inheritance and a gift of a previous generation. They are the culmination of western civilization, a civilization that has forgotten nearly everything about itself, and as a result, has achieved near-perfect indifference to its own culture. Read More