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Flourishing Update

A Recipe for Church Growth

Photo: Courtesy of Elmdon Church, Solihul, UK As a boy in the 1970s I often accompanied my grandmother to her neighborhood United Church...

Preliminary Findings: Phase 1 Research

On Saturday, November 26, 2016 the Flourishing Congregations Institute at Ambrose University formally launched. We were joined by...

Flourishing Congregations Institute Launch

We are only a few days away from the Official Launch of the Flourishing Congregations Institute at Ambrose University in Calgary, Alberta...

Confessions of a Church Drifter

I sat at the table in Starbucks across from Tara. From the start, I knew I was not in a welcoming conversation when she refused to order...

Church: Where exactly can it flourish?

Are pews and steeples necessary for God’s people? In 2014, I was fortunate to be able to attend the Greenbelt festival in Cheltenham...

The Flourishing Church in the New Testament and Today

Several months ago, I was invited to speak to a group of pastors and other church leaders on spiritual renewal for congregations. They...

The Church in Exile

The experience of living in a Post-Christian culture is settling in as a reality for the contemporary North American church. The ongoing...

Official Launch of Flourishing Congregations Institute

Join us for a day-long event to: Learn about our Institute Hear our preliminary findings Give your feedback Build your network Dr....

The Attributes of Strong Leadership & Tilling the Soil

Jim Collins writes that it’s not just good leadership that moves organizations or communities toward excellence, but “Level Five...

Four Things To Know About The People Walking Through Your Church Doors

When I think of what it means to be a flourishing congregation, many images flood my mind. I think of a church that is growing, praying,...

Why Your Congregation Needs a “mind-altering” Experience

I’ve spent 35 years as parish pastor and seminary professor looking for the secret to congregational vitality. I’ve tinkered with...

Transforming your Church

Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God (be...

Getting Children’s Ministry Out of the Basement

“I wouldn’t touch that job with a ten foot pole...” I said that. Not only once, but repeatedly when I was approached by Tenth Church to...

Ebb and Flow Decision Making*

Congregations within our Baptist family lean towards one of two poles while making decisions. Some elect leaders to give spiritual...

Your Church Needs More Charisma. And Maybe Less.

My research has been in the area of megachurch leadership, and I have heard two common remarks about the charismatic leader. From...

THE SAFEST PLACE IN THE WORLD

Some years ago a friend told me that he had asked his 16 year old daughter what she considered to be the safest place in the world. She...

“Thinking One Can”: Believing Your Congregation Can Flourish

Do you remember the children’s book The Little Engine that Could? The story was first published over 100 years ago in a curriculum for...

Flourishing. Really?

At the outset of this research project we delineated five traits from existing literature on flourishing congregations: clear...

The Church as a City of Refuge

This June, my wife and I visited the village of La Chambon sur Lignon, in the mountains of France near the borders of Switzerland and...

God Doesn't Always Say ‘Go’!

I’m a pretty active guy. Can’t sit still. Always on the go. So, I love preaching Genesis 12:1 and Matthew 28:19! These verses provide...

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