Month: June 2011

These practices can be seen as a single operating system for your church. Avoid competing operating systems and conflicting information that can cause a breakdown or paralyse ministry. Get an upgrade. Reformat your hard drive and install a clean system. Rewrite your internal code so that everyone is clear about what is important and how … Continue reading 7 Practices of Effective Ministry: Conclusion

Practice #7 – Work on it Set aside some quality time to step back evaluate what you are doing and how effective you are being. ALL of us work IN our ministry. That’s what we do. But are we consistently carving out time to work ON our ministries? It is essential to work ON your … Continue reading 7 Practices of Effective Ministry: #7 Work on it

Practice #6 – Replace Yourself You can stop at practice number five and your organisation will last a good, long time. However, if you want your church and/or ministry to stand the test of time, then you have to be replaced. Just talking about this creates a lot of emotion for people. However, if you … Continue reading 7 Practices of Effective Ministry: #6 Replace Yourself

Practice #5 - Listen to Outsiders Focus your efforts on those you are trying to reach, rather than just on those you are trying to keep. Listen to outsiders for answers, not questions. Listen to outsiders and make adjustments. Churches are full of ’insiders’ even though most of them start out as ‘outsiders’. If you … Continue reading 7 Practices of Effective Ministry: #5 Listen to Outsiders

Practice #4 - Teach less for More The less you say the more you will communicate. You will be more effective if you only say what you need to say to the people who need to hear it. Most people confuse quantity of information communicated with the quality of implementation. We think that the more … Continue reading 7 Practices of Effective Ministry: #4 Teach Less for More

Practice #3 - Narrow the Focus Focus is the key to achieving excellence and making an impact. Each ministry should be designed to do one or two things well. Don’t try to do everything; do a few things well. This applies to the number of things you do and also the way you do the things … Continue reading 7 Practices of Effective Ministry: #3 Narrow the Focus

Practice #2 - Think Steps not Programs All church ministries and/or programs should take people somewhere not just fill their time. Ask yourself, "Where do you want your people to be?" "What do you want them to become?" "Is your ministry or program designed to take them there?" Figure out how to change lives then … Continue reading 7 Practices of Effective Ministry: #2 Think Steps Not Programs

Andy Stanley is the Senior Pastor of North Point Community Church, a thriving multi-site church in Atlanta, Georgia. He has written a number of very helpful resources for churches and church leaders. One example is the book Seven Practices of Effective Ministry.  In this book, the authors, propose that clearly articulated and established principles enable you to … Continue reading 7 Practices of Effective Ministry: #1 Clarify the Win

The Exponential Conference is an annual conference in the USA focused on motivating and equipping church leaders and especially church planters. This year's theme was On the Verge, which is the title of a new book by Alan Hirsch and Dave Ferguson. Podcasts of previous year conferences are available now, with this year's sessions coming … Continue reading Exponential Conference: Multi-Site Church Insights