Adam McLane

Tag: Church

  • 5 Ways to Encourage Your Church Staff

    One thing I learned when I was on church staff— rarely does a person really want what they are presenting what they want. In other words, when a parent wants to come in and talk with you about some ideas for the summer youth group schedule, that’s only the presenting issue. I know that with…

  • 5 Ways to Fight Loneliness in Leadership

    It’s lonely at the top. For those who work in the church, we all know it. Those who make it for the long haul either succumb to a lifetime of loneliness and don’t have any real friends or we learn to adapt and find deep connection outside the walls of the church. But loneliness doesn’t…

  • Churches don’t reach people…

    Churches don’t reach people… People do. Maybe that’s a statement of the obvious for you. But if you read enough church blogs or look at enough books or listen to a bunch of pep talks you may begin to believe the lie that churches, their leaders, and their programs reach a lot of people. They…

  • Affluence, Influence, and Activism

    The byline of this site is: Crazy enough to change the world. On Twitter I alter this slightly, my bio line says, “The sane need not apply for the position of world changer.” Both of those boil down to a basic question in my life. How do I maximize whatever leverage I can acquire to…

  • Lessons from the bench

    For the last two years I’ve been riding the pine at church. This time has taught me a lot about what it means to be in church leadership. From age 16 until 31 I had always aspired to be an up front leader at church. I like being visible. I love speaking, teaching, and preaching.…

  • Stick it to the Man

    I want to see church culture change. I know that if we’d just apply what we believe the church would be the most attractive option on the planet. And I also know that in order to change the leadership culture within a church you have to do three things. You have to play along to…

  • 10 Ways Your Church Can Be Good News to the Neighborhood

    I have a fervent belief that if we want to reach a post-Christian society, we have to be Good News before someone will listen to Good News. Here are 10 ways you can begin transforming your church into a place where Good News flows from: If you have a building, offer a public bathroom and…

  • Boring Old Church

    Perhaps the reason your church isn’t growing is because you are boring? Your church is boring. Your faith is boring. The Jesus you’re presenting is boring. People’s faith isn’t challenged by your ability to keep them busy. It is transformed when they are sent out to do God’s work in their daily life. The last…

  • 5 Things I Love about my Church

    This Easter marks roughly two years since I turned in my Pastor Adam card and went from church staff to church attendee. (I was officially done June 1st, but it was during Easter week  that the offer to come to YS came, which completely changed everything.) In so many ways I’ve re-learned what it means…

  • It only takes 10 givers to fund a church

    People don’t like to talk money and the church. It makes people instantly think of TV evangelists. And while those TV evangelists swindled millions out of well-meaning, hard-working Americans, the truth is that 99% of churches are great places and not full of crooks. I have an encouragement for my friends just entering their 30s,…