In Preaching Articles: "Obstacles To Growth"

How To Tell If A New Volunteer Is Truly A Leader (Or Simply A Doer)

By Carey Nieuwhof on May 9, 2024

"I recently surveyed 1400 small and mid-sized church pastors to find out what they struggle with most as their church grows. They overwhelmingly identified developing leaders as their top challenge."

Tags: Leadership, Volunteer, church ministry, obstacles to growth, Barriers to Growth, Growing a Church, Leaders vs Doers, leadership, Church Growth  (view more)  (view less)

Church Growth And The Work Of God

By Josh Reich on Oct 5, 2023

We know that God is the one who makes a church grow, that it isn’t on us. This is both a comfort and a problem.

Tags: communication, Communication, vision, Discipleship, Church Growth  (view more)  (view less)

When In Doubt, Don’t Quit

By SermonCentral .com on Mar 30, 2021

It may be harder to be happy in life and ministry than it’s ever been. From our earliest days, we have lived in an echo chamber, to varying degrees, of the voices of self-actualization. You can do whatever you set your mind to. Pursue your dreams. Find your passion — and make it profitable.

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:11, Colossians 4:17

Tags: Service, endurance, passion, Obstacles

Why Church Growth Is A Shockingly Inexact Science

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 6, 2021

"There is no surefire method for numerical church growth. Period."

Tags: Preaching, Church Growth, preaching

We Followed The Steps- Where's The Church Growth

By SermonCentral .com on Jan 20, 2022

There are no guaranteed steps to church growth. Because the church is people. And people don’t come with guarantees.

Tags: Church Growth, pastoral leadership, success in ministry, sexual faithfulness

Sorry, Pastors – The Growth Of The Church Is Not Up To Us

By Karl Vaters on Jun 4, 2024

"Preaching the Word, training disciples and ministering to the community may or may not increase the number of people who sit in front of me from Sunday to Sunday. But it will produce a healthy church."

Tags: pastoral leadership, call to discipleship, church leadership, Church Growth, Surrender, Healthy Church, God's Church, God in control  (view more)  (view less)

Growth Barriers, Effective Evangelism And Dangerous Church Trends

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 30, 2024

“A good leader is someone who is out in front of his people, but not too far…”

Tags:

Why Growth Is Harder In A Small Church – And Change Is Essential

By SermonCentral .com on Apr 29, 2021

Big churches find it much easier to incorporate new people because the bigger the crowd, the smaller the impact each person has.

Scripture: Deuteronomy 10:19-20

Tags: Change, Visitors, Small Church, Christ in us

5 Church Growth Essentials From The Apostle Paul

By Charles Stone on Jun 22, 2023

When I was in seminary Church Growth 101 was a required course. I took interest in the whole field and became a student of church growth.

Scripture: Acts 13:1-52, Acts 14:1-28, Colossians 2:19, 1 Corinthians 3:3, Acts 15:1-2  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Holy Spirit, relationships, Church Growth, Flexibility, spiritual formation  (view more)  (view less)

How Leadership Capacity Affects The Growth And Health Of A Church

By Josh Reich on Oct 4, 2023

Now, we all know that God is the one who grows a church, but often that church is healthy and growing because of the character, quality and capacity of the lead pastor and leaders.

Tags: leadership, Discipline, leadership capacity, coaching, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

The Best Way To Promote Church Growth? Support Small Churches

By SermonCentral .com on Jan 26, 2021

I want as many people as possible, all over the world, to know Jesus. The good news of the gospel can’t be confined within the walls of my church, the distinctives of my denomination, the borders of my country, or the customs of my culture.

Tags: Support, Preaching, Church Growth, Small Church

When A Pastor Is A Growth Barrier - Part One: Dealing With Sin

By Ed Stetzer on Apr 14, 2024

I have worked for a long time to help pastors with growth barriers in their church. They can be anything from worship issues to strategy to theology and more. So many barriers can get in the way of a church growing, but a central one isn’t found in the processes of the church. There may be a number of reasons a ministry grows cold and a church slows down. But often, the heart of the problem is the heart of the pastor.

Tags: CLERGY SIN

Do We Need A broader Definition Of Church Growth?

By Karl Vaters on Oct 12, 2023

Any definition of church growth that doesn’t allow for, even celebrate, churches that contribute in non-numerical ways is incomplete.

Tags: Church Growth, priorities, pastoral leadership, First Things First, Right Values  (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)