Bud Brown

Church metrics that matter to Jesus’ mission

Church metrics are useful – if they are metrics that matter. In an earlier post on this subject Dr. Alan Cole asserted that metrics not based on strategy are meaningless. An oft misunderstood Bible verse favors his argument. Church metrics: is God about the numbers? Church growth advocates and pastors of large churches love Acts

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Social media as a church renewal tool

Interim pastors aren’t called in because the church is experiencing growth and vitality  Usually it’s the opposite; declining attendance and diminishing ministries  A question facing the interim on Day 1 is “how can I steer this congregation in the right direction without asking for money or a lot of resources?” Social media answers the question

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Church metrics: hammering bookcases together?

It is a beautiful Saturday, with Chamber of Commerce weather. There is a light breeze, scattered high clouds and the kind of sun that warms you slowly. On this day I have accumulated all of the materials and plans for a book case. I have nails, screws, sawhorses, hammer, screwdriver, wood glue and plans showing

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Church Visitors: 10 Steps to Improve Visitor Retention

Church visitors are probably more important to the Lord than they are to the church they visit! The fact that they willingly endure the rigors of trying a new church shows God is working in them (I touched this briefly in a previous post) Church visitors are  an opportunity and a challenge to static, declining and

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Letting the Father welcome your guests

Making guests comfortable – even when they are few and far between! – is a “mission critical” task for churches in transition. In fact, failure in this area is often one cause for the decline that led to securing the services of a skilled transition pastor in the first place. In the various churches I

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Church Visitors: You can spot ’em a mile away

Ed and Mike are typical church visitors. One afternoon they were crunching through the forest leaves, headed for their favorite deer stand when Mike collapsed in a heap. Mike cried out, “Ed, I need a priest! I need a priest!” “Why, what’s wrong?” Ed asked. “I think I’m dying. I need a priest to give

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I can do it myself!

Lainey is two years old. Well, a few days shy but regardless of what the calendar says, our granddaughter’s in the “terrible twos.” You’ve seen that stage of life: non-stop hyperactivity from dawn to dark, unfamiliarity with the word “No”, tantrums when corrected, rigid inflexibility and towering impatience! When a two-year old decides “I can

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