Karl Vaters, Ministry

Small churches are the engine that drives the body of Christ around the world. It’s not that big churches don’t play an important role. They certainly do. But the role of small churches can’t be denied. Small churches are the Long Tail in the body of Christ.... (Click link to read more.)

It's How-To Tuesday! Have you ever wanted to send out a Facebook post for your church, but you were too busy at the time you wanted it to go out? Wouldn’t it be great if you could pre-schedule that post to go out automatically?... You can! In today’s how-to video I use a live screen-capture to give you a step-by-step look at how to do it. (Click the link to go to the article where you can watch it.)

It’s been quite a year. And we’re not out of the woods yet. During the lockdown, churches have had to learn to do without a lot of things that we thought were essential, but it turns out they weren’t. So far, I’ve noticed 10 things most churches needed to drop that we may not need to restart. Followed by 6 that we absolutely must get back to.... (Click the link to read more.)

If you live anywhere near Mobile AL, it will be worth the trip to get there for July 29-31! And bring your church leaders if you can!

Cutural relevance is a phrase whose time has come and gone. I used to recommend that churches seek to become culturally relevant. I don’t any more. No, I don’t want us to wallow in some old-time glory days that probably never were. But cultural relevance is not the answer. Especially since the phrase has so much baggage now.... In most situations the word relevant has come to mean cool. We don’t need cool churches. We never did. Here's what we need instead. (Click the link to read more.)

I was honored to a guest on the "This Is Us" podcast for the Canadian Small Church Ministry Centre. This will be of special interest to my friends in Canada, since we talk a bit about my Canadian background. But there's something in it for everyone, as we get into some post-COVID church issues that I haven't addressed anywhere else.

It's How-To Tuesday! Technology is always changing. Printing a weekly bulletin used to be cutting-edge, then it became standard. Now, the online bulletin is quickly becoming the standard. I’ve addressed this in two previous how-to videos, but today’s video makes it even easier.... In it I use a live screen-capture to show you how to use Google Docs to create a bare-bones church bulletin quickly, easily, and free.

When I heard that church attendance had recently dipped under 50 percent my first thought wasn’t panic, it was Really? It’s still that high? There’s never been an expectation that half the people in my local restaurant or grocery store would be regular church attenders. Where I live it’s closer to one in ten, if that much. We don’t have a Sunday lunch rush.... I can tell you from a lifetime of experience that you can live a vibrant faith in Christ even when it is a minority expression. (Click the link to read more.)

The gospel was built on failure. What we now know as good news started as very bad news. It was never supposed to work. For a long time it looked like it never would.... (Click the link to read more.)

Things are opening up! In addition to webinars, we're booking in-person seminars for the fall. If you're looking for speakers for your existing church leadership conference, or want to have a one-time event, here are some of my speaking options.

It's "How-To Tuesday!" In today's How-To Video, I walk through some of the basics of the Zoom videoconference app, like How to use the Chat feature... How to add a virtual background How to share your screen and more. (Click the link to watch the video.)

The COVID lockdowns have been difficult for everyone. And churches are no exception. In a recent article, I wrote about "12 Bad Habits Pastors Dropped During The Pandemic That We Shouldn’t Pick Back Up." But what about the lessons we learned during the lockdowns that we can build on for the long run?... Here are a few I’ve seen. Feel free to add others in the comments. (Click the link to read more.)

Recently, a reader asked, What should a small church pastor do if big givers refuse to give anymore? My answer? Focus on three key areas where we should be focusing anyway. Simplification, discipleship and generosity.... (Click the link to read more.)