Church boards have been much in the news of late. For example, we see more churches with external boards these days, especially prominent churches – why is that? What are…
Being in this world, but not of it – this is what well known Hollywood actor Stephen Baldwin is driven towards. Listen to Nils Smith and Nick Runyon as they…
In this episode of the podcast, Nils and Nick are joined by Nona Jones of Facebook’s faith-based projects and Bishop Joseph Walker of Mt. Zion Church in Nashville. Listen as…
The recently-concluded F8 Conference has given us a look into Facebook’s incredible innovation, improvement and features to look forward to. In this podcast, Nils Smith and Nick Runyon, together with…
In Lead Like A Shepherd, The Secret of Leading Well, pastor, author and leadership consultant, Larry Osborne unpacks instruction for church leaders found in 1 Peter where…
A few weeks ago, we informed you that Bob Buford had died. The response from you was overwhelming. Every message you sent meant a great deal to us. For those…
Another edition of THE STIR – our podcast with host Dave Travis and featuring Greg Ligon Notes from this episode: Notes on our Accelerators Rethink partnerships – one of the…
Last week we shared the news that Bob Buford had died and now is safe in the arms of Jesus. That content and the accompanying blog article were written by Dr….
by Warren Bird, Ph.D. Bob Buford, age 78, died April 18, 2018 after a lengthy illness near his home in Dallas, Texas. Through philanthropy and personal engagement, Buford significantly contributed to…
In this episode of The Stir, Greg Ligon, one of the pioneers of multisite, explains the first of the movemental shifts happening across the field. He shares some of the…
This article was a feature in a recent edition of Leadership Network Advance. If you’re not already a subscriber, click or tap here to be among the first to learn…
Phil Cooke, co-author of “The Way Back: How Christians Blew Our Credibility and How We Get It Back”, joins Nils, Nick and Chad in a conversation about his newly launched…
Every multisite church has dreamed about a new reality. Let’s face it – the culture is changing so rapidly that our strategies need adjustment sooner. Recently, I was listening to…
From creating a website that featured local photography in a small town in North Carolina to now being a top innovator in social media and digital marketing, Casey Helmick reveals…
We have 168 hours each week with an average of one hour spent at a church service on Sunday, but how do we seize the remaining 167 hours for our…
Who mentored you or believed in you before you believed in yourself? That person is your Hero Maker! If you pick a recent day from your calendar, and review the…
Host Dave Travis interviews Brent Dolfo in this 16 minute show about church leadership development. Notes from this interview: It’s time to rethink the process in churches. How Leadership Development…
Katie Allred shares the story of how she started the Church Communications facebook group and how she gained nearly 16,000 members just two years into it. Nils Smith and Nick…
Our 2018 Survey of Large Church Salary, Staffing and Benefits is now LIVE and ready for participants! Widely known as our “salary survey,” this research identifies benchmarks, ratios and salary…
By Eric Swanson and Matt Engel “If you aim at nothing you will hit it every time.” Zig Ziglar Big data does not help a church that has no…
Every multisite church has a strategy. You considered, with great intentionality, what multisite would look like at the locations you were going to launch. You studied other successful churches and…
D.J. Soto, founder and pastor of Virtual Reality Church, shares with us his story on how the first VR Church came to life. Nils Smith and Nick Runyon also discuss…
Great Leadership Development practices also include a bit of math. In this episode of The Stir, a new podcast on Church Innovation and Implementation, Brent Dolfo talks about how churches…
Just last week we released our latest multisite research report titled: “Latest Multisite Trends: How a New Generation of Pastors Is Shifting to Strategies that Reproduce and Multiply.” If you…
“Coming in we thought we were doing good at leadership development, but now we see a path to becoming a lot better.” In their newly released research on multisite…
Vine gained so much popularity during its first release in 2013. The sensational app garnered over 200 million active users, yet, it was discontinued by 2016. In December 2017, Dom…
Our fearless research director, Dr. Warren Bird, has done it again. By mining the great insights of the polling we did in 2017 he has uncovered more great facts that clearly…
“It isn’t about the leader. It never was about the leader. It will never be about the leader. It will always and only be about Jesus and his people.” –…
Churches are missing so many data points and opportunities to use this data to better impact their local communities. This data can be the key to revealing unseen issues, giving…
By Eric Swanson & Matt Engel Every church that is thriving and multiplying has become really good at a critical five things. Every church that is plateaued or is slowly…
Could high-capacity givers be the most overlooked people at your church? You probably have strategies in place to coach people in financial trouble or who need of benevolent help. But…
The STIR- is the new podcast from Dave Travis of Leadership Network. What is the latest in Leadership Development in large churches? This edition focuses on Church Leadership Development. The…
When church leaders ask questions like this… How much should we keep in cash reserves? How much debt is safe? What financial measures should our church’s leadership monitor each month?…
“Expect to see more from your friends, family and groups, see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media.. encouraging meaningful interactions between people.” – Mark Zuckerberg In…
Here’s something exciting to start off the year! Nils Smith and Nick Runyon break the biggest news on Social Media Church to date and shares with us their social media…
Good words are worth much and cost little. – George Herbert Join us in this podcast as Wes Gay, copywriter of Storybrand and Pushpay, unveils the importance of creating a…
In this episode of the podcast, my good friend and regular guest, Kenny Jahng will be sharing with us his experience participating in this season’s social media trend called Vlogmas,…
Your tax-deductible donations will support the general work of Leadership Network. Our clients pay some of the costs through their program fees. All of our programs have a fee attached…
“I can’t wait until we are in our own building.” Not so fast. This statement is heard a lot among church planters and campus pastors who are currently in portable…
In our continuing list of nuggets uncovered in our Leadership Network/Portable Church Industries upcoming report, this insight sounds obvious. Recall first that the churches in Leadership Network’s sample universe tend…
As we near the end of 2017, givers will once again be looking for ways to be generous while maximizing their tax benefits associated with charitable giving. ECFA’s blog “7…
Pastoral training models are constantly evolving. In our continuing series (link to the previous here, here, and here) of nuggets discovered in our soon-to-be released report from Leadership Network/Portable Church…
Millennials are leaving the church in droves. Can evangelical Christianity survive without them? Through a unique and brilliant synthesis of theology and sociology, David John Seel argues that millennials can…
Recently, I sat down with Alan Briggs, author of Everyone’s a Genius: Unleashing Creativity for the Sake of the World, a recent release through Leadership Network’s NEXT series. Alan, through…
By Chris Willard with Warren Bird I call it “The Sermon on the Amount.” Everybody knows it’s coming: ”Turn in your Bibles to Malachi.” Veteran Christians can predict that it’s…
How much cash should our church have set aside in reserve? If you’ve ever been guilty of asking this question (and you should be!), you’ll love this short blog from…
In this special edition of the podcast I will be sharing my recent experience at Museum of the Bible. I also have a special guest (my wife!) joining us for…
