- Before the quarantine, the median worship attendance was 65. Today it is 55. In 2000, the median worship attendance was 137. In 2010 it was 105. In 2020 it was 65. Today it is 55. Median worship attendance has declined by 60% in two decades.
- The occupancy rate of worship centers was 33% before the quarantine. Today it is 28%. The median size of a worship center is 200. If the church has more than one service, the occupancy rate is even lower.
- The median year of church founding was 1950 before the quarantine. That has not changed. Simply stated, we have not started enough churches to move the median founding date significantly in many years. New churches and new sites are imperative strategies for churches today.
- The median income of churches was $120,000 before the quarantine. That has not changed.
- The percentage of churches with an attendance under 100 before the quarantine was 65%. Today it is 75%. As a point of comparison, the percentage of churches with an attendance under 100 in 2000 was 45%. We are fast becoming a nation of small churches.
Tools I Use
Staying organized is a constant battle when you're leading a growing church.
For what it's worth, there are several tech tools that I've discovered which make my life happy.
Here are the tools I use.
1. REMARKABLE
I am a HUGE notetaker and constantly am churning through Moleskins. The problem I have is keeping my various notes organized by subject and having no way to quickly access my notes digitally.
Enter ReMarkable. Last year I invested in a ReMarkable 2 to reduce my clutter and, WOW, it does not disappoint! ReMarkable 2 is a paper tablet, meaning unlike an iPad, it's sole purpose is to focus on the handwriting of notes and keep everything you write organized digitally.
No web browser. No email. No apps. Just taking notes.
And it works beautifully. Having ADHD, this device helps me focus with zero pop-ups. While it syncs over wifi, there are no enticing distractions of surfing the web because there is no web browser. Brilliant!
The experience of writing on my ReMarkable feels JUST LIKE I'm writing in my Moleskin! I can't explain it -- the surface of the tablet is durable yet, unlike an iPad, it doesn't feel like I'm tracing on a glass veneer.
Further, I have the ability of creating Folders and Notebooks, so organizing my thoughts and work becomes second nature. Everything syncs with my Dropbox and my handwritten notes can be automatically converted into text... I can even email them out from my device!
I can also import PDF's to write on and as I find articles online that I want to save and read later, a simple MacBook Chrome Extension sends the entire news article to my ReMarkable without all the annoying internet ads!
Get this: the battery lasts for WEEKS, which is something that gives Apple a run for its money.
Another new feature I enjoy is Screen Share. I can send my ReMarkable's screen into Zoom meetings or onto a separate viewer screen and draw diagrams or sketch out pictures for everyone to see.
The only thing I disliked in my experience was the Folio for storing my ReMarkable (the Folio was a separate purchase). My magnetic marker wouldn't stay attached when transporting my Folio in my briefcase and I found myself constantly fishing around the bottom of my bag to find my ReMarkable Marker.
That said, I highly recommend the ReMarkable 2.
If you use this referral link, you and I both win.
Enter ReMarkable. Last year I invested in a ReMarkable 2 to reduce my clutter and, WOW, it does not disappoint! ReMarkable 2 is a paper tablet, meaning unlike an iPad, it's sole purpose is to focus on the handwriting of notes and keep everything you write organized digitally.
No web browser. No email. No apps. Just taking notes.
And it works beautifully. Having ADHD, this device helps me focus with zero pop-ups. While it syncs over wifi, there are no enticing distractions of surfing the web because there is no web browser. Brilliant!
The experience of writing on my ReMarkable feels JUST LIKE I'm writing in my Moleskin! I can't explain it -- the surface of the tablet is durable yet, unlike an iPad, it doesn't feel like I'm tracing on a glass veneer.
Further, I have the ability of creating Folders and Notebooks, so organizing my thoughts and work becomes second nature. Everything syncs with my Dropbox and my handwritten notes can be automatically converted into text... I can even email them out from my device!
I can also import PDF's to write on and as I find articles online that I want to save and read later, a simple MacBook Chrome Extension sends the entire news article to my ReMarkable without all the annoying internet ads!
Get this: the battery lasts for WEEKS, which is something that gives Apple a run for its money.
Another new feature I enjoy is Screen Share. I can send my ReMarkable's screen into Zoom meetings or onto a separate viewer screen and draw diagrams or sketch out pictures for everyone to see.
The only thing I disliked in my experience was the Folio for storing my ReMarkable (the Folio was a separate purchase). My magnetic marker wouldn't stay attached when transporting my Folio in my briefcase and I found myself constantly fishing around the bottom of my bag to find my ReMarkable Marker.
That said, I highly recommend the ReMarkable 2.
If you use this referral link, you and I both win.
2. SUBSPLASH
Our church is 3.5 years into our relationship with Subsplash for our website, App and giving strategies. I continue to be impressed with Subsplash's fast customer service and the constant roll-out of new digital products that we quickly put into use at Life Church.
Without a doubt, Subsplash boasts the most robust Media Solutions I have ever seen in over twenty years of digital ministry. Uploading videos of our messages is a breeze (and automatic if you use Subsplash Live).
Podcasting and cross-posting to our church App is simple and seamless with Subsplash's user-friendly Dashboard. New topic and Scripture tags help to catalogue past message series for viewers to find what they are looking for.
We've also made the switch to Subsplash Giving which offers us the cheapest solution for online giving. Seriously, I did the math. The percentage paid to Subsplash is the smallest amount compared to what you have to pay PushPay, Tithely, and all the other online giving platforms. A fun bonus feature is that Subsplash keeps track of how much money you're saving and they give you what they call Growth Curve Credits throughout the year... free money for your church!
Subsplash is a little pricey on the front end, but I promise you it's worth every penny.
I'm not being paid to promote any of these tools, but if you want to switch to Subsplash, use this referral link which will give you a little referral discount while putting a little coin in Life Church's piggy bank.
Without a doubt, Subsplash boasts the most robust Media Solutions I have ever seen in over twenty years of digital ministry. Uploading videos of our messages is a breeze (and automatic if you use Subsplash Live).
Podcasting and cross-posting to our church App is simple and seamless with Subsplash's user-friendly Dashboard. New topic and Scripture tags help to catalogue past message series for viewers to find what they are looking for.
We've also made the switch to Subsplash Giving which offers us the cheapest solution for online giving. Seriously, I did the math. The percentage paid to Subsplash is the smallest amount compared to what you have to pay PushPay, Tithely, and all the other online giving platforms. A fun bonus feature is that Subsplash keeps track of how much money you're saving and they give you what they call Growth Curve Credits throughout the year... free money for your church!
Subsplash is a little pricey on the front end, but I promise you it's worth every penny.
I'm not being paid to promote any of these tools, but if you want to switch to Subsplash, use this referral link which will give you a little referral discount while putting a little coin in Life Church's piggy bank.
3. STICKERMULE
This simple website is amazing! Whenever I need bumper stickers or magnets, Sticker Mule is my favorite place to order from. After all, who doesn't love a little animated donkey mascot?!
One cool feature on Sticker Mule is the free Trace tool. Simply upload your favorite photo and Trace will automatically crop out the background, giving you a crisp digital cut-out of the person featured in your photo for download use!
Give Sticker Mule a try and get $10 off your first order using this Sticker Mule link.
One cool feature on Sticker Mule is the free Trace tool. Simply upload your favorite photo and Trace will automatically crop out the background, giving you a crisp digital cut-out of the person featured in your photo for download use!
Give Sticker Mule a try and get $10 off your first order using this Sticker Mule link.
Betty White
I'm reminded of a Golden Girls quote on the occasion of Betty White's passing today...
SOPHIA: Esther Weinstock is dead. We grew up together. She was my best friend.
DOROTHY: Oh, I'm so sorry! What happened?
SOPHIA: (sarcastically) She was fighting an oil-rig fire in the Gulf of Mexico. (snapping) SHE WAS 88!
ROSE: Well, it's great that she was able to work right up to the end.
THE REAL SANTA CLAUS
December sees not only Advent and the beginning of Christmas, but (appropriately enough) the Feast of Saint Nikolaos of Myra — aka Saint Nicholas!
Born some 280 years after Jesus in Patara, part of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), Nikolaos lived under the shadow of the Roman Empire during its time of transition from persecuting the faithful to nascent Christendom.
Orphaned at a young age by wealthy parents, Nikolaos received a substantial inheritance and was raised by his uncle, the Bishop of Patara.
Eventually, Nikolaos became a bishop himself, serving in the ancient Greek city known as Myra, also located in modern-day Turkey.
Ministering to the early Christian community here, he took to wearing red clerical robes.
He is said to have encouraged a culture of generosity among the people he served, saying “The Giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic God’s giving, by grace, through faith and not of ourselves.”
Many tales surround Nikolaos’ own legendary generosity, none more poignant than that of three young sisters and their impoverished father.
In the sisters’ time and culture, they were likely destined to a life of forced prostitution, with their father unable to pay proper dowries to potential suitors.
When Nikolaos learned of this, he intervened by providing an abundance of gold to each of the girls as they came of marrying age, coming under the cover of night so as not to bring shame upon the family.
Their benefactor was a mystery to them, though the second girl, hoping similar gifts would be coming her way, allegedly set her stockings out the night before her birthday, which were in turn filled with gold.
When the final sister came of marrying age, their father stayed up all night to see who this elusive gift-giver was. Nikolaos, crafty in his generosity, tossed his final bountiful gift through the chimney so as to avoid detection.
Various miracles were also attributed to Nikolaos (and his relics, or remains) in the following centuries; he was eventually recognized as a saint, and considered a patron saint of children, sailors, merchants, thieves, and pawnbrokers!
To honor him and his legacy, people around Europe in the Middle Ages exchanged gifts on the day of his death, December 6.
In time, stories of his generosity and miracles traveled the globe. Saint Nikolaos became known to many as “Saint ‘Klaus,” …aka Santa Claus.
How do we maintain a finely-tuned conscience, honor rooted in dignity, and bold, clever generosity in these trying times?
May the spirit of Christ and Nikolaos remain with you this season as you discover your own answers to this question, inspiring you to fresh expressions of radical given-ness!
Books I Am Currently Reading
Leaders are learners; the moment you stop learning is also the moment you stop leading.
To that end, here’s a list of the books that I am currently reading while on a Staycation.
-
Deep & Wide by Andy Stanley — I originally read this amazing book when it first came out. I had NO IDEA that Andy’s church was birthed out of a painful church split. I find myself underlining new sentences this second time through the book with an additional ten years of leadership experience under my belt.
-
The Fate of the Apostles by Dr. Sean McDowell — I believe this book was McDowell’s doctorate thesis. Very detailed, weaving together all the ancient writings and historical documents we have on the original Apostles and their deaths between 30 AD - circa 90 AD.
-
Improvise by Mick Napier — I was fortunate to study under Mick Napier in the late 1990’s as Mick was directing The Second City’s Paradigm Lost, an award-winning, ground-breaking improvised revue starring then-unknown comedians like Scott Adsit (30 Rock), Kevin Dorff (Conan), Rachel Dratch (SNL), and Tina Fey (SNL, 30 Rock). I wrote about my experiences during this season of my life in my bestseller, Holy Shift.
-
The Satisfied Soul by John Piper — So, so good for my soul.
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Mornings & Evenings by C.H. Spurgeon — Revisiting this old classic and being reminded again of just how big God is.
-
The Visual Word: Illustrated Outlines of the New Testament by Dr. Patrick Schreiner — Beautiful illustrations and fantastic summaries of each section of each New Testament narrative. A great addition for personal Bible Study.
-
The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Pete Scazerro — This past year I have been seeking to grow into a more healthy spiritual leader. Amber and I loved the original by Scazzero and can’t wait to feast more on these pages!
3 PASTORAL THOUGHTS ON THE WASHINGTON, D.C. INSURRECTION
Like millions of Americans, I was flabbergasted and deeply saddened January 6th by the words and behaviors flying across social media sites and news programs.
The Washington Post had a heckuva lede in telling the story:
Every person who cherishes their democratic freedoms should feel shaken today.
This is was not democracy in action; this was an attempted coup.
I say this as a pastor and a student of history.
For what it’s worth, here are 3 Pastoral Thoughts on the Washington, D.C. Insurrection:
1. THIS IS NOT OUR HOME.
Like Daniel, we are exiles. As C.S. Lewis once said, “We were made for Another World.”
Waving Confederate flags, Jesus 2020 banners, and political signs to the cameras while forcefully desecrating a place of government cherished by millions is not how we will reach the world for Christ.
”Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.
Blessed are those whose help is from the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD their God.”
(Psalm 146: 3 + 5)
What happened on January 6th makes self-professing Christians look crazier than Mike Tyson in a Spelling Bee.
Gen Z was just handed yet another pitiful example of what happens when you mix politics with religion: you get politics. You want to know why the younger generation has stopped going to church? It’s because they’ve been to a church.
There is a difference between making a point and making a difference. Wednesday’s actions did neither.
2. WALK AWAY FROM YOUR MEDIA ECHO CHAMBER
With so many entertainment and news options offered by whomever we choose to follow on social media / radio / streaming news services, we now live in a time where we can self-isolate within a chosen media echo chamber.
False narratives are unhealthy (and ultimately are what led religious people to crucify Jesus!). Rhetoric is not just empty words; the Scriptures warn us over and over about how the tongues has the power of life and death.
"Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, Him you shall honor as holy. Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread.”
(Isaiah 8:12-13)
Let’s choose our fears wisely.
The more you pursue an idol, the less it delivers and the more it demands.
Let’s choose conversation over condemnation.
3. WE HAVE MORE WORK TO DO IN TERMS OF POLITICAL DISCIPLESHIP.
Jesus said His kingdom is not of this world, for if it was His servants would fight (John 18:36).
Peter struck out with sword, but Jesus said, "No more of this!" (Luke 22:49-51).
Love is:
• patient
• kind
• does not boast
• not arrogant
• not rude
• not irritable
• not resentful
• does not rejoice at wrongdoing
• bears all things
• believes the best
(1 Corinthians 13)
As a pastor, I was disappointed seeing social media responses in the Insurrection’s aftermath from Christians: conspiracy theories, leaps of logic, trumpeting freedom of speech over loss of life.
As a father of three African-American children, I cringed.
The ugliness of white privilege was emerging from within public, online posts from Christians.
The Facebook comments I was reading were coming from my own friends.
Please, please, pause and reflect before posting about any correlations with last summer’s racial tensions.
As Jesus pleaded with the Father, in your anger you know not what you are doing (posting).
Please consider taking some time to try and understand why your African-American and Muslim friends are seeing January 6th’s words and behaviors through a different lens.
We can all make room for more historical education and understanding and empathy in our lives.
Maintaining a posture of humility and teachability is a prerequisite for following Jesus.
In closing, thank you for being open to hearing my thoughts.
I am not perfect.
I am not infallible.
By the grace of God, I am who I am today.
For my part, my door is always open for conversation and understanding.
In Christ, the best is yet to come!
Latest Stats on Unique Stresses of Pastoring During COVID Era
2020 has been the most complex year I've ever experienced as a lead pastor.
Last night, I was talking with my wife about our emotional health as we approach the end of the year.
"I just feel so broken," she shared with honesty and transparency.
Turns out, we all feel like we're running on empty.
You are not alone.
A 2013 study from the Schaeffer Institute reports that 1,700 pastors leave the ministry each month, citing depression, burnout, or being overworked as the primary reasons.
According to the study, 90% of pastors report working 55 to 70 hours a week, and 50% of them feel unable to meet the demands of the job.
Brian Dodd states that pastoring has one of the top three suicide rates of any profession.
He admonishes congregation members for not supporting their faithful leaders.
He claims that complaining, often inconsiderate members increase the stress and expect too much of their pastors.
Reasons for Pastoral Burnout
Some of the common causes for pastor burnout are:
- Being on call 24/7;
- Criticism and poor conflict resolution skills;
- Trying to please or solve everyone’s problems;
- Not delegating tasks;
- Poor social networks;
- Not equipped for all aspects of ministry;
- Limited social life outside the church.
Scott Sauls said that oftentimes, pastors feel “lonely” within their own communities.”
“Case in point, 2020,” he said. “You've got this dynamic where reality is 70% of pastors right now around America are looking for another job.”
Because of the pandemic, many pastors feel “ghosted” by their congregations, the pastor said.
“Our people feel like they're still with us because they see us and hear us from their living rooms, and yet, we just have this complete void of relationship,” he explained. “Oftentimes, people treat the church as a consumer good, [but pastors] see the church as our family ... so the dynamic of loneliness and isolation is amplified in a time like this.”
The current “negativity of environment” is often “taken out” on caregivers like pastors and therapists, Sauls contended.
“It really is the perfect emotional storm right now for pastors,” he said. “Fighting against isolation is utterly essential.”
Need A Lift?
I don't claim to have all the answers, but I do know based on these stats and my own experience in 2020, we need each other.
You can't do life and leadership alone.
Even Jesus did ministry with a team!
I would be honored to welcome you to our weekly online Coaching Cohort -- for a limited time at no cost, no strings attached.
Like you, I'm concerned about pastors and leaders feeling isolated and alone.
Let's change that.
REGISTER NOW to join us this Tuesday, 10am EST on Zoom.
One Day We Will Read Death's Obituary: Racism, Suicide, and God's Love
Three of my children are African-American.
Before they entered my life, I did not fully understand.
Now when I see the news, their faces always flash through my mind.
It could be MY son or MY daughter.
It's personal.
None of us with white skin have pain because of our skin color.
My friends with different skin have stories. If you don’t know this get to know some folks.
Race conversations are uncomfortable but we need fearless leaders, especially in the church.
Ahmaud should be celebrating 26 today.
--------------------------------
I knew Darrin Patrick when I was a church planter assessor for Acts 29 Network years ago.
His understanding of the Gospel sharpened me in ministry and life.
I was stunned by the news today of his death.
I am praying for his family today.
---------------------------------
Ravi Zacharias' battle with terminal cancer is coming to a close.
He is a giant of Christian Apologetics.
His books line my bookselves.
It's been a heavy day with the weight of reality in the news.
One day we will read Death's obituary:
"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes
and eliminate death entirely.
No one will mourn or weep any longer.
The pain of wounds will no longer exist,
for the old order has ceased.”
(Revelation 21:4, The Passion Translation)
One Day We Will Read Death's Obituary
Three of my children are African-American.
Before they entered my life, I did not fully understand.
Now when I see the news, their faces always flash through my mind.
It could be MY son or MY daughter.
It's personal.
None of us with white skin have pain because of our skin color.
My friends with different skin have stories. If you don’t know this get to know some folks.
Race conversations are uncomfortable but we need fearless leaders, especially in the church.
Ahmaud should be celebrating 26 today.
--------------------------------
I knew Darrin Patrick when I was a church planter assessor for Acts 29 Network years ago.
His understanding of the Gospel sharpened me in ministry and life.
I was stunned by the news today of his death.
I am praying for his family today.
---------------------------------
Ravi Zacharias' battle with terminal cancer is coming to a close.
He is a giant of Christian Apologetics.
His books line my bookselves.
It's been a heavy day with the weight of reality in the news.
One day we will read Death's obituary:
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes
and eliminate death entirely.
No one will mourn or weep any longer.
The pain of wounds will no longer exist,
for the old order has ceased.”(Revelation 21:4, The Passion Translation)
