church growth

Volunteer Cliffs:  5 Reasons Why Volunteers Quit our Ministries and How to Diagnose & Remove these Obstacles! Have you ever wondered: “How do I get more people involved in my ministry? Or, why do certain ministries always seem to attract volunteers while others struggle?”  Weak leaders always think: “I need more money or good staff…

Have you ever had a “Holy Hangover?” “What is it?” you ask? Well, it’s a numb euphoria mixed with exhaustion and shepherding stress. For years, as a senior pastor, I used to hate Easter. Part of it was because every year our church would experience record lows in attendance on Easter – partly because 70%…

Have you ever had a “Holy Hangover?” “What is it?” you ask? Well, it’s a numb euphoria mixed with exhaustion and shepherding stress. For years, as a senior pastor, I used to hate Easter. Part of it was because every year our church would experience record lows in attendance on Easter – partly because 70%…

We love to hate healthy people, don’t we? Whenever my wife judiciously orders a salad at a restaurant, it reminds me that my triple-patty bacon burger is a heart-attack waiting to happen. And studies show that the same is true with generosity… yet, we rarely admit it. It’s no secret that most people hate greed.…

We have some exciting news to share.  Substance is going to be launching a brand new campus coming up this August.  For some of you this doesn’t come as much of a shock.  After all we keep setting new attendance records at each of our locations.  But, as we announce this joyful expansion, I thought…

People at Substance are always asking me:  “Peter, where did you fly this last week?”  And I love to talk about it because:  Much of the coolest ministry that Substance does happens outside of the Twin Cities.  And even though this fruit isn’t as visible as the stuff that happens locally, it’s nonetheless powerful to…

As many of you know, Jeff Zaugg and his wife Michelle (on our elder-board) have been hanging out at Substance for quite some time.  And like everyone who’s been with us since the beginning, he’s heard me endlessly rant about the power of Christian friendships.  After all, (here I go again) the single greatest statistical…

I love to ask people deep questions.   For example, “What is a deep church?“… or “What is a healthy church?”  When people answer, I can almost immediately figure out what they love and hate most about church.  For example, there’s a lot of people who love extended worship because they grew up in a church…

The Momentum Principle: "The right person, at the right time, in the right location, with the right methods, with the right inner circle of leaders equals success."

Based on the investigation of Lifeway research [linked below], Outreach magazine recently reported that Substance is officially one of the fastest growing churches in the U.S.!  Way to go Substance!  Officially, we’re number 8 in terms of national growth percentages, and number 21 in terms of overall numbers. (Go God!)  Especially as we hit our…