In Preaching Articles: showing 1-15 of 18

Your Struggling Church Can Turn Around Today – But Greatness Takes Time

By Karl Vaters on Aug 23, 2023

If you’re pastoring a church that has or is turning around, here's some great news - and possibly your greatest challenge.

Scripture: Revelation 21:5

Tags: leadership, renewal, patience, Church Health, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

What Are You Improving At Your Church Right Now?

By Karl Vaters on Oct 25, 2022

"Every church should constantly be improving. And not just in general terms. We should always be working on specific action plans to make our church better tomorrow than it is today."

Tags: good leadership, Leadership, Church Growth, Healthy Church, effective, productivity, pastoral leadership, church leadership, leadership  (view more)  (view less)

3 Big Problems With Running A Church Like A Business

By Karl Vaters on Oct 3, 2022

"We’re always decrying the rise of the consumer culture within the church. But how should we expect people to act when pastors act like CEOs marketing Jesus as a product?"

Tags: shallow church, pastoral leadership, church and business, Pastoral Ministry, avoiding burnout, church ministry, Lord Of The Church, Jesus is Lord  (view more)  (view less)

Backyard Bbq Evangelism: A New, True Parable Of Outside-The-Church-Walls Ministry

By Karl Vaters on Sep 29, 2022

"Don't force people to do ministry your way. Help them with the ministry they're already passionate about."

Tags: Evangelism, Outreach, Spiritual Gifts, Body of Christ, Innovation, evangelism barriers, reaching the lost, evangelism planning, Conversational Evangelism, Unique Gifts, evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

What If We Made Disciples And Left Church Growth To God?

By Karl Vaters on Sep 5, 2022

If we prioritized health, not as a means to growth, but as an end in itself, would we be in a greater position to represent Jesus to the world?

Tags: great commission, pastoral leadership, church ministry, Growth Strategy, Equip the Saints, Discipleship, Church Growth, Make Disciples  (view more)  (view less)

The Top 3 Reasons Church Growth Ideas Usually Fail In Smaller Churches

By Karl Vaters on Aug 30, 2022

We're often told that small churches are failing at church growth. But sometimes church growth ideas are failing in smaller churches.

Tags: Church Growth, Context, pastoral leadership, Church Attendance, church ministry, rural church, Growth Strategy, Urban Church, context, church attendance  (view more)  (view less)

Why Was I So Hard On That Church I Visited?

By Karl Vaters on Jul 1, 2022

How might a newcomer view your church? What barriers may they face? What obstacles could be unintentionally in the way of them connecting and finding a place to belong?

Tags: leadership, Visitors, church ministry, Welcoming Others, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

5 Mistakes More Likely To Be Made By Small Churches Than Big Churches

By Karl Vaters on May 25, 2022

Different sizes of churches serve different functions. And they face different challenges.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-12

Tags: strategy, Small Church, Equipping The Body, Traditions of Men

Only In A Small Church: Sometimes You Gotta Kill Cockroaches

By Karl Vaters on May 18, 2022

Principles that make sense in a big church don't always work in a smaller one.

Tags: leadership, Perspective, Church family, Small Church, perspective, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

A Pastor's Dilemma: What To Do When You Can't See The Vision For Your Church

By Karl Vaters on May 12, 2022

Not every pastor is called to cast a grand, singular vision for their congregation.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-12

Tags: vision, pastoral leadership, Great Commandment, Vision Casting

8 Reasons Churches Should Partner With Secular Community Groups

By Karl Vaters on May 4, 2022

How can we reach our communities if they have no idea we love them? And how will they know we love them if we don’t work alongside them?

Tags: Service, Humility, Culture, community outreach, culture  (view more)  (view less)

Jesus Didn’t Wake Up This Morning Depressed By The Size Of Your Church

By Karl Vaters on Apr 18, 2022

Jesus knows what happened and didn’t happen in church last Sunday.

Tags: Depression, Marriage Faithfulness, Church Attendance, God's perspective, e, church attendance  (view more)  (view less)

7 Steps To Start Becoming A Church People Want To Commit To

By Karl Vaters on Apr 11, 2022

A growing number of people who do go to church don’t want to go, either. If we don’t give them something worth committing to, they’ll be gone soon.

Tags: Learning, inspiration, Leadership Listening, fixing eyes on Jesus, commitment to church  (view more)  (view less)

A Matter Of Integrity: Why Christians Must Stop Taking The Fake News Bait

By Karl Vaters on Apr 3, 2022

Christians should have the reputation for being the most truthful people on earth. But we don’t.

Scripture: Exodus 20:16, Deuteronomy 5:20, Deuteronomy 4:20

Tags: priorities, Dishonesty, Truth and Lies, stand for truth, e  (view more)  (view less)

Don’t Try To Be Successful, Try To Do Good Work

By Karl Vaters on Jan 3, 2018

A minister with a well-nourished soul may or may not have a big church, but they’ll always have a healthy ministry.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:1-11

Tags: measuring success, serving faithfully, leadership, Faithfulness, Good Works, pastoral leadership, success in ministry, church leadership  (view more)  (view less)