An online magazine for pastors and church leaders.

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Creative

The Death of Perfectionism

?The song is never done.? That was one of the first lessons I learned when I joined the music business and started working with artists. It was also my first encounter with the battle artists have ? the desire to create “perfect art? ? an irony in its own right. Art will never be perfect. […]

Categories
Creative Social Media

When Creativity Kills Relevance

Relevance and creativity. These are two words thrown around frequently in modern Christianity. “The church needs to be relevant.” “The church needs more creativity.” The church does. The church needs to relevant. And the church needs creativity. Jesus spoke using creative stories that the farmers and craftsmen in His generation could relate to. We need […]

Categories
Creative

Design Habits that Need to Die

I have to be honest. I am hesitant to write this article, because it?s like I am writing to myself. I have totally leapt over every line I?m about to talk about. I?ve done it all wrong. I?ve looked back at work I made when I first started out and can remember thinking how good […]

Categories
Creative

The Death of the Interior Decorator

Disclaimer: I have nothing against Interior Decorators. If you are one, I do not intend any malicious intent against you or your profession. The church has gone through many phases of design. Last month, I talked about how the original church was about people and relationships. There was not a physical building associated with the […]

Categories
Worship

Celebrating Death in Worship

What song will you sing on your deathbed? Now there’s a snappy intro. Imagine that God, in His goodness, gives you almost a full century of life here. You have family. You have friends. You have followed Jesus for many decades and, as you come to your final days, you are surrounded by the ones […]

Categories
Social Media Worship

The Death of Rock and Roll in the Church

Look at the popular Top 40. How many of those songs sound like Coldplay and U2? Three? Four? But the majority of churches turn every song into a Coldplay or U2 song. We even do covers of their songs to start our services. So here?s the question: Does our worship reflect the shifting musical preferences […]

Categories
Worship

Worship Album Reviews

Bluetree – Kingdom Aside from their breakout worship hit “God Of This City”, I haven’t heard much buzz about this Belfast-based worship band. Because of this I approached?Kingdom?with an open mind and heart. Immediately I was surprised by not only the production quality, but also by the caliber of songwriting. Bluetree follows the signature, European […]

Categories
Leadership

When It’s Time to Fire a Volunteer

Can you actually fire a volunteer? Absolutely! As shocking as the concept might be, sometimes it needs to be done. The thought of firing a volunteer probably raises your anxiety level. But I bet you also have the name of someone on your team who needs to be ?set free? to serve somewhere else. As […]

Categories
Leadership

Getting By Without Expensive Gear

The light show. The HD video system. Stadium seats. A production that would make Cirque du Soleil look boring. That?s what it takes to reach people in our churches. Right? So many churches believe they have to have everything to be modern and effective. But they don?t examine the ?why? behind it all. Expensive equipment […]

Categories
Technology

Dealing with Experts in the Pews

This article is about dealing with those folks in your church who feel called to offer their opinion although they have not been asked for it. For those of you who have not had anyone like that in your church, feel free to move along to the next article.? For the other 99% of us, […]

Categories
Technology

Adding Creativity to the Mix

Music is one of the most creative art forms on the face of our planet. It has the power to break down walls and bring people together that would be enemies otherwise. I?ve heard it said that music is what emotions sound like. Music is art and science, a voice and an instrument, beauty and […]

Categories
Communication & Marketing

Killing the Sacred Cows of Communication

Every church, whether they care to admit it or not, has sacred cows when it comes to how they communicate. These cows may come in different shapes and sizes, but I?ve observed a few key ones in churches over the past few years. While I?m not exactly calling you to kill all of these, I […]

Categories
Communication & Marketing

How Churches Destroy Their Brand

“You’re only 16, you don’t have a rep yet.” Man, parents just don’t understand. Will Smith was on to something. Everyone has a reputation ? even teenagers. Your reputation follows you (and, conversely, precedes you) wherever you go. It’s what you’re known for. A reputation is what people use to gauge what you stand for. […]