NATHAN HURST

At Grace Family Church we believe in a Simple Church model, which is more involved than the phrase suggests. We are determined to make the case for a simplified approach to ministry based on the discipleship methods of Jesus. Quad City churches and churches nationally are bogged down by insane amounts bureaucracy keeping growth stagnant. [...]

Yep, I’ve been off the blogging train for some time now. With some recent life changes and future planning Laurie and I have been very busy. As many of you may know, Laurie and I first met as Bible College students in the fall of 2000. Now 12 years has passed and life has moved [...]

Because of my compulsive nature I’m consistently look for tendencies in behavior of different groups. Average verses top end comparison consistently catches my curiosities. Baseline comparisons are no exception. How the super stars connect as opposed to the average. What the AVERAGE PASTOR/CHUCH LEADER does; The average pastor/church leader forgets everything and starts SELLING, SELLING, [...]

For a future project I am rewriting procedures of welcome first-time guests. I love processes. I believe that when we have good processes we are more effective. Add great people to the mix and you have a stellar combination. In my planning for the future I found holes in my previous system. Below are a [...]

No one likes to think of themselves as common or average. In fact I have never asked someone “how they are” and had the response, “I’m just average.” Yet mediocrity is more common than commonsense. Most individuals are okay with mediocre skills, results, and experiences. But if most don’t think themselves mediocre or aspire to [...]

I know phrases like “deprecating people” may not be politically correct, however it is much less divisive than my original title. It is incredibly naïve to believe that these people will not derail your day, week, month or life. If you are committed to growth it is important to leave fantasy-land and be realistic. Stick [...]

On a average, thirty years ago, the time spent in ministry was a thirty years tenure. Currently the average full-time ministry stint has dwindled down to fifteen years. Why has this downward spiral taken over a generation? Some say burnout, others speak to this generation lack of focus, but what answer cuts to the core [...]

In organizing sermon topics I have always needed a way to expatiate the process of planning. Over a few years I noticed a three point trend in my studying. These three points seem to be the bedrock for all series development or at least have been for me. The points below with their explanation, I [...]

Plan your work and work your plan. – Napoleon Hill This has been some of the best advice I’ve ever received. But finding a systematic way of planning and structuring my day seemed to elude me, regardless of the time management books and strategies I studied. I am partial to GTD but I needed something [...]

Money, Attendance Numbers, Budgets, Saving Analysis, Growth Trends, Etc – All of which are just means of performance and goal analyses! What gets measured gets managed. – Peter Drucker Assessing personal goals in regards to money, savings, or other numerical guidance in mind is not vain, selfish, nor self-seeking, rather just the mechanisms for honest [...]