David Murrow has written a controversial article I must say I agree with – churches with boring preaching don’t grow:

Common story: First ________Church gets a new minister – Pastor Joe. He’s not a very good communicator. People start leaving. Within two years attendance has dropped by half. Giving is down by a third. First Church descends into a malaise. Eventually Pastor Joe is fired and the search for his replacement begins.

A year later First Church hires a new minister – Pastor Daniel. He’s a great communicator. The church immediately starts growing. Happy days are here again. People love Pastor Daniel.

Why did this happen to First Church? Nothing else changed. The building remained the same. The worship times remained the same. The ministry programs remained the same. The key staff remained the same. The only thing that changed was the pastor. Yet First Church’s attendance and giving rose and fell in direct response to the quality of the preacher.

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CNN reports on the rift between the two megachurch pastors:

Andy Stanley walked into his pastor’s office, filled with dread.

The minister sat in a massive chair behind an enormous desk. He spread his arms across the desk as if he were bracing for battle. His secretary scurried out of the office when she saw Andy coming.

The pastor had baptized Andy when he was 6, and groomed him to be his successor. But a private trauma had gone public. And Andy felt compelled to speak.

The minister stared in silence as Andy gave him the news. The “unspoken dream” both men shared was over.

After Andy finished, the pastor looked at him as tears welled up.

“Andy,” he said, “you have joined my enemies, and I’m your father.”

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From the Mars Hill Church resource website:

Artists are like ants. Ant / artist colonies send out scouts to scope out new territory and report back their findings. If you squash the scouts or have nothing for them to sink their teeth into, they move on. Identify and create opportunities in your church for musicians. If your church has no platform for artists to grow, create, and contribute, then don’t expect them to stick around. Music is not the purpose of the church, but it can be immeasurably effective in communicating the message that is the purpose of the church, as evidenced by both the word of God and church history.

It’s essential to appoint someone who can be leader and liaison to musicians in your community. When selecting a leader over musicians, pick someone who understands the gospel, artistry, and the specific calling of your local church. Musicians should be held to the same standards as other leaders, but know they typically have their own culture—including language, behaviors, motivators, strengths, and weaknesses.

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Rick Muchow on having too many musicians in your ministry:

The question here is really about stewardship.

Why is God giving us all this talent? This is a common predicament for those who find themselves in a position of great wealth. Believe it or not, there are some people who don’t want to steward great wealth. With it comes great responsibility. It takes a lot of work and effort to manage great resources of any kind.

In my position as my church’s Worship Leader, I’ve always thought of myself as the manager of God’s musical resources within this church. I take this responsibility very seriously, realizing that all these people belong to God. He created them for a purpose. There is a fine line between our perceived needs and the church’s needs. My goal is to help people fulfill their place in ministry. I am not familiar with your exact situation or season, but I would encourage you to examine your paradigm here.

Let’s look at Romans 12-1:8 (NIV.) Every believer in the church has a contribution to make in the body of Christ. Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” This verse is about the life of worship and about using our gifts. Everyone needs to worship with their life. Part of that worship is using our gifts for the glory of God, to fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.

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Thom Rainer on Megachurch trends:

The fascination with megachurches is, at least to some extent, related to the sociological impact on the community in which it resides. Outreach magazine, in partnership with LifeWay Research, just released its annual “Largest and Fastest Growing Churches in America” issue. In addition, the magazine includes a fascinating section devoted to megachurches. I have used some of the information throughout this issue in this blog.

Some of the major trends in megachurches I note were mentioned in the past. But others are new. All are fascinating to study and ponder.

Trend #1: Further consolidation of people attending church in megachurches and other large churches.

There continues to be a shift of members and attendees from smaller churches to larger churches, particularly megachurches. While megachurches account for less than one-half of one percent of all churches in American, more than ten percent of church attendance is concentrated in these churches. We see no signs of this consolidation abating. For example, more than 50 percent of church attendees attend the largest 10 percent of churches. Continue reading.