Should Church Pastors Practice Marketing?
A little while back I had coffee with a local pastor. As I told him about my passion for business and marketing, his eyes practically sparkled. He told me that he thought of his job as marketing too, basically trying to persuade people to come to church. I felt an immediate negative reaction to his philosophy but I really couldn’t figure out why. Marketing is Too Dirty For the Church Later, as I thought about it, my reaction was very natural. The problem is that most ‘marketing’ is synonymous with tricking people to buy something they didn’t really want in the first...
Read MoreGetting My (Our) Head On Straight
A friend recently read my blog and told me I needed to stop throwing rocks at the church. In many ways he couldn’t be more right. I never to toss stones at God’s chosen, all I wanted to do was to stir up some conversation. I figured by taking a more controversial point of view, maybe I could show an0ther side of the equation and get people to think about what they are doing. But considering my friend’s words of warning, perhaps I take things too far. The Church Is Not Too Broken My friend’s reminder was simple; don’t forget that God uses broken people and will...
Read MoreWhat If We Treated Church Better?
What if we didn’t do church as a show, or a production? What would we do then? What if we traded self-help messages for helping others messages? What if we started really learning from each other, through life, example, and experience? What if we absolutely refused to give money to organizations that just want to pay salaries and build buildings, and instead started setting aside money to give to those we see who are in need? What if we were ready to give where the Spirit directed us? What if we came together out of joy and desire and not out of a strangled sense of obligation? What if...
Read MoreIs it Better to Tithe or to Give?
I’ve been reading more about the story of the rich man who wanted to follow Jesus. The story is incredible to me, if only because Jesus’ actions are in direct opposition to what most Christians think today. What Would You Say? If you were a pastor, what would you say? Upon hearing that a recent new visitor was a multi-millionaire, would you tell him to sell all he has and give it directly to the poor? I think most of us are more likely to have a conversation about financial investments than spiritual ones. Why turn away a potential source of serious tithes? And yet Jesus...
Read MoreWhy Church Is All Wrong
I’ve been attending church for almost all my life, and feeling guilty about not going when I wasn’t. You are supposed to go to church, right? That’s just what good Christians do. But why exactly do we go to church? Because it actually makes us better Christians? Because our lives will be better for it? That never sat right with me. Why should church be about us, and not about others? How often is church about others, especially when it’s not part of a ministry or a program? We do love our programs. So now, after 30 years, I’m thoroughly questioning why...
Read MoreAre you sure God placed a calling on your life?
For years I struggled with the question of a calling. I constantly wondered “What am I doing with my life?” and “What is it all supposed to mean?” Sound familiar? The question is even more puzzling to a lot of Christians who try to succeed in business. The are trying to bridge a gap, the disconnect between the Church and “The World”. How can you make both happy? How can you be an amazing Christian, live out your faith, and yet still be successful enough to provide for your family? What’s an entrepreneur or business person to do? And it’s hard to find good...
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