Blog Archives

Don’t call your next pastor. Draft your next pastor.

Posted on May 1, 2013 by George Bullard — 2 Comments ↓

The pastor search process might be a whole lot more fun (or funny) if it was run like the National Football League draft. Why go through months—even years—of searching for the right pastor when you just need to be ready…

Tagged with: Church, churches, congregation, congregations, free agent, George Bullard, Methodist, narthex, National Football League, NFL, novel, organ, organist, pastor, pews, pulpit, Seminary, staff, Tim Tebow, United Methodist Church
Posted in Blog Posts, Humor, Leadership, Sports

The Church Draft

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Alan Rudnick — No Comments ↓

As millions of football fans will undoubtedly will be glued to their televisions and social media, they will hunger for the latest information about NFL draft picks. The NFL draft is part pageantry and part celebration for football teams and their…

Tagged with: Alan Rudnick, church draft, community, congregations, dialogue, Formation, leadership, Missional churches, Relationships, the church draft
Posted in Blog Posts, Leadership

Why Pope Francis is good for Christianity

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Alan Rudnick — No Comments ↓

As Pope Francis starts his papacy, it is very clear that his leadership will set a very different tone for the Catholic Church. Upon leaving Rome, Pope Francis paid for his own room, rejected lavish apparel, and referred to himself more as…

Tagged with: Alan Rudnick, Christianity, Christians, Church, churches, congregation, congregations, dialogue, faith, Jesus Christ, leadership, Pope Francis
Posted in Ecumenical Leaders, Leadership

Underestimating staff burnout

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Alan Rudnick — 1 Comment ↓

You don’t think your staff are stretched thin? Don’t think you are above burning out? Have you checked the health of your organizational staff? Perhaps you underestimate the power of staff burnout in your congregation or organization. It’s real and…

Tagged with: Alan Rudnick, Church Leadership, congregation, congregations, leadership, senior pastor, spiritual formation, Spiritual Practice, staff leadership
Posted in Leadership

Since it is not 1965, we have to do church different

Posted on April 10, 2013 by George Bullard — 2 Comments ↓

[This is the second blog post in a series. The first was "Since it is not 1955, we have to do church different" found at http://www.abpnews.com/blog/generational-differences/since-it-is-not-1955-we-have-to-do-church-different-2013-03-28/#.UWVSpsph7s4.] On Sunday night February 9, 1964 the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show…

Tagged with: african-american, anglo-american, asian-american, Baby Bommers, Baby Busters, Beatles, Church, churches, congregation, congregations, denominational, denominations, hispanic-american, John F. Kennedy, multi-generational, multi-racial, North America, Protestantism, sexual revolution, suburbanization, The Ed Sullivan Show
Posted in Blog Posts, Church growth, Generational Differences, Leadership, Ministry

Since it is not 1955, we have to do church different

Posted on March 28, 2013 by George Bullard — 1 Comment ↓

One of my favorite expressions by a key mentor in my life, Lyle Schaller, relates to what time it is. During the 1990s Lyle often said, as an example, “Next year is 1995. The trouble is that too many congregations…

Tagged with: 1950s, attendance, Church, churches, congregation, congregations, empty nest, empty nesters, George Bullard, Kennon Callahan, Lyle Schaller, mentor, singles, singles again, target groups, worship, Worship Attendance
Posted in Blog Posts, Generational Differences, Ministry

The best change processes start now and are continual

Posted on March 25, 2013 by George Bullard — No Comments ↓

Some years ago I had the responsibility to lead a team moving a denominational organization of more than 100 staff persons from a 35,000 square foot building to an 80,000 square foot building less than two miles away. It needed…

Tagged with: architect, change, Church, churches, congregation, congregations, continual, denominational, George Bullard, governance, innovative, journey, organization, permission-giving, traditional, transition
Posted in Blog Posts, Leadership, Ministry

The care and feeding of pastors

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Ircel Harrison — No Comments ↓

Our church recently went through a pastoral transition. Thanks to good staff and lay leadership, we weathered that transition well. We added some members and even completed a building program, but the trip was not an easy one. I think…

Tagged with: churches, congregations
Posted in Leadership

Poll: Most Americans feel connected to local church

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Alan Rudnick — No Comments ↓

In an age where cries from denominations about declining membership and church participation, a new poll offers some encouraging news on American’s feelings towards their congregation. A Rasmussen poll found that 54% of American adults feel at least “somewhat connected” to their local…

Tagged with: Alan Rudnick, Christianity, Church, Church Leadership, community, congregation, congregations, faith, Formation, leadership, ministry, missional, outreach, Politics, Relationships, spiritual formation, Spiritual Practice
Posted in Leadership

The lifetime value of church leaders

Posted on March 14, 2013 by George Bullard — No Comments ↓

Last year our homeowner’s insurance company paid, minus our deductible, for the replacement of our roof. Significant hail damage over a year or two necessitated the replacement of the roof. This year we had a plumbing problem that resulted in…

Tagged with: Church, churches, collaborative, congregation, congregations, control, empower, faithfulness, George Bullard, God, leaders, leadership, lifetime value, oral tradition, power, Prodigal Son, tenure, tithes and offerings
Posted in Blog Posts, Leadership, Ministry