Dear Church Planter, Launch Size May Not Matter as Much as We Thought
DOES CHURCH LAUNCH SIZE MATTER? What we know: In 2014, Lifeway Research estimated 4,000 churches began. If the first year of a church plant costs around $150,000, then those new plants together cost $600,000,000. If this number rings true each year, then the American Church is investing over half-a-billion dollars in new church plants each year! But, the question is- what's working? There's surprisingly sparse research on what factors contribute to a successful plant. Ed Stetzer contributed to two great resources. Here's one from Lead.net, and here's a PDF to download of his initial research. Anyone involved with church planting will share time-tested factors contributing to ...
How to Have Hard Conversations- EXTRA POINTERS
No one likes having difficult conversations. I know personally I hate being wrong, while at the same time thinking I'm a little more right than everyone else. That's not a good mix but I'm guessing I'm not the only one. I meet so many people deathly afraid to have difficult conversations. They think it's a war or hold back until they explode. They enter the conversation with clips full of ammo, and then wonder why the other person got hurt. It doesn't have to be this way! I shared two previous posts on the subject. There were a few extra pointers ...
Finally! A Drink With Natural Essence
Thank you La Croix. Finally! A drink with natural essence! Finally, a drink whose essence is naturally harvested from real fruit-flavor. This is very important news for anyone who has any idea what "essence" even is. Oh, how many times I have cursed my beverage's unnatural essence. Yes, it tastes great, but at what cost?! For so many years, essence has been harvested unnaturally. So often it's treated no better than animals, raised inhumanely, in some small cage, never to enjoy the light of day. But, thanks to the brave efforts of La Croix, those dark days are done. Gone is the barbaric era ...
There’s No Such Thing as a “FAILED” Church Plant
Not My Jeans I was shopping with my wife a few months ago and as I passed through the men’s section I noticed my choice of jean style was “skinny” or “super skinny”. Now, I’m not sure I want to find out the difference because I would not describe myself as either. I thought about asking an employee to point me towards the plump and chubby section and anxiously await the Gap’s first dad-bod clothing line. But, calling a pair of jeans “skinny” affects the wearer’s perception of the jeans and possibly himself. How we speak about something affects our ...
Potential Destruction at Thorne Inc.
Thorne Inc. Thorne Inc. was working through some company destruction recently. You can follow along to find out how it all played out: An e-mail to the company: What happened here? In the news: The search for truth Press Release: oops, an inside job Letter: a personal apology
The 4 Most Powerful Letters in a Parent’s Vocabulary
Words Matter There is no question word’s matter. The Bible even says that reckless words can pierce like a sword” (Prov. 12:18) and have the power of “life and death” (Prov. 18:21). We get this in the workplace and so try to watch what we say and how we say it, so as to not get fired. We understand sarcasm and yelling don't help us get promoted. But, I wonder if we apply these same principles at home? Are we as careful with what we say and how we say it with our spouse and children? My Words I was ...
FINALLY! A Ramen Noodle Burger
Finally! "Thanks Red Robin! I now never have to make the difficult decision between eating Ramen noodles or a hamburger. I finally get to have both at the same time!", said no one ever.
The Weird Dreams We Have: David and the Angry Terrier
Weird Dreams: I have this weird dream I’d like to confess. I love dogs and after having to give away our dog a few years ago, I’d eventually love to own another. But, because of all the downsides of dog ownership, like actually having to care for the dog, I’m not pushing to purchase one anytime soon. But, I have this dream. I’m pulling in my driveway and a dog randomly walks up to me, kind of like God is specifically sending me a dog. I take it home and it turns out to be the best dog ever! It ...
What is Thorne Inc.?….from my weird family to yours: part 2
What is Thorne Inc.? Thorne Inc. is an imaginary company based around the everyday happenings of my family. As I write about leading my family, it gives me a place to apply leadership principles I'm learning in my leadership master's degree and also an outlet for humor. You can read more why I created Thorne Inc. and catch the first few humorous posts in Thorne Inc. HERE. I'll share posts related to Thorne Inc. every once in a while here on my blog. I primarily post about Thorne Inc. on the Thorne Inc. Facebook page. If you'd like to keep up to ...
Millennials and the Church: the Good, the Challenging and the Ugly
https://www.flickr.com/photos/26324411@N00/1617694299/in/photolist-3sX7a2-agqfBP-e8awnU-dPnukK-8njHa9-J5p2p-7tGbnf-rU4e6-4Zm8eh-5o3H1t-ocE6KV-7oRoEC-pctzNd-4z9Nv5-qbakCD-pTVr5v-a3mQQ6-8TpGGM-E9XWY-8dxY2p-7aPrvz-8TQhJG-4z9Q9d-eiwixk-98Ukfr-cZkSCw-99ACEa-a3n4yL-4z5B84-7nrody-re3kVo-eiC5SU-ffKnAb-bEm86H-5Ug3K-4z5uFp-z4aYL-LdyjL-8M21gB-6Js48T-4ZmjHb-9xZ8bN-eK1rJM-cT8XTy-a3D8Au-8E1rGm-6Sw2fV-8TzTxP-8G423W-5iATSt/ Millennials I read a fascinating article about Millennials and the church from the Washington Post a few weeks ago. The author commented how they’re leaving the church at a faster rate than previous generations and made suggestions on what could be done. In fact, Pew Research found that Millennials are more willing to identify themselves as “not-religiously affiliated” more than any previous generation. There is definitely a real spiritual shift with this younger generation, so the author raises an important question. I love her observations about their needs, and think every pastor and church planter should pay attention ...