Posts by Gary McIntosh

Gary McIntosh

Gary L. McIntosh is a nationally and internationally known professor of Christian Ministry & Leadership. He is recognized as the foremost spokesperson for classical Church Growth Missiology in the USA. As a church growth expert, he publishes Growth Points, a monthly publication read by over 7,000 church leaders. McIntosh is in wide demand as a speaker and seminar leader on numerous subjects related to church life and ministry. He has published over 300 articles and reviews in Christian magazines and theological journals, and is the author of twenty-two books including One Size Doesn't Fit All; One Church, Four Generations; Staff Your Church for Growth; Biblical Church Growth, and the award-winning What Every Pastor Should Know: 101 Indispensable Rules of Thumb for Leading Your Church (Baker Books, 2013).

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The Good Book Blog
Face Your Fears
Gary McIntosh — April 10, 2023
Pastors don’t like to admit it, but many harbor fears. This is particularly true of those who serve alone — solo pastors. There are seven fears...
The Good Book Blog
The Ten Hats of a Pastor
Gary McIntosh — October 25, 2021
What do pastors actually do? While the answer to many may seem obvious, others ask the question with honest curiosity. It really is difficult to...
The Good Book Blog
Adapting to Culture
Gary McIntosh — July 20, 2020
My wife and I recently visited a church that took us back in time. Upon entering thelobby of the church building, we heard piano music coming from...
Talbot Magazine
Shelf Life
Recent publications from our very own Talbot faculty.
Gary McIntosh, J P Moreland, Charlie Trimm, Michael Wilkins — November 14, 2018
"Scientism and Secularism"; "Fighting for the King and the Gods"; "Building the Body"; "In His Image"
Biola Magazine
How to Become an Effective Mentor
Gary McIntosh — October 22, 2018
This issue’s Last Word comes from The Good Book Blog, the faculty blog of Biola’s Talbot School of Theology. This adapted article was originally...
The Good Book Blog
Mentoring Relationships
Gary McIntosh — June 06, 2018
Recent research among church planters, as well as turnaround pastors, has revealed that having a coach is a predictor of success. This should not...
The Good Book Blog
When to Leave the Stage
Gary McIntosh — May 14, 2018
A generation of baby-boomer pastors are facing retirement age. Spanning an eighteen year gap from 54- to 72-years-old, approximately 10,000 boomers...
The Good Book Blog
Origin of Spiritual Gifts Profiles
Gary McIntosh — November 02, 2017
A while ago, I received an email from Ed Stetzer asking if I knew when spiritual gifts inventories first became prevalent. I gave him a quick reflection based on what I remembered at that time, but his question created a curiosity that sent me on a longer investigation. While this is certainly not the final word on the question, it may serve as a beginning point for other researchers. Here is what I have discovered ...
Talbot Magazine
Shelf Life
Recent publications from our very own Talbot Faculty.
Gary McIntosh, Ryan Peterson, Scott Rae, Kenneth Way — June 15, 2017
Growing God’s Church: How People Are Actually Coming to Faith Today; Introducing Christian Ethics: A Short Guide to Making Moral Choices; The Imago Dei as Human Identity: A Theological Interpretation; Judges and Ruth, Teach the Text Commentary Series
The Good Book Blog
Building Board Unity
Gary McIntosh — February 07, 2017
A number of years ago, professor Robert Munger of Fuller Theological Seminary conducted a survey to determine the satisfaction of board members. One of the questions he asked was, “Since serving on a church board, do you feel your spiritual life has improved or declined?” The answer? Eighty percent of board members said their spiritual life had declined while serving on a church board. How would you answer that question? Unfortunately, for many board members, the answer is not positive ...
The Good Book Blog
Reflect on Your Life
Gary McIntosh — March 01, 2016
The new year is always a time of reflection. Many people make resolutions to lose weight, exercise, continue education, and a host of other plans. Whether or not you make resolutions, the new year is a good time to reflect on your life and ministry ...
The Good Book Blog
What Is the Church's Priority?
Gary McIntosh — August 03, 2015
One might think that church leaders would naturally agree on the priority of mission. However, this is not the case. Debate continues today between those who say the priority of mission is to do well in whatever form it takes, while others contend that our priority is to preach the gospel of salvation. Building on the salvation motif found in the Gospel of Luke, this article suggests that the priority of the church is to preach the gospel of salvation.
The Good Book Blog
The One Year Rule
Gary McIntosh — January 08, 2015
Several years ago Charles Arn and I surveyed pastors and asked them to identify the most frustrating part of their job. Can you guess the most frequent response? “Getting laypeople to help with the work and ministry of the church” ... One of the major reasons people are reluctant to serve in and through a church is the feeling that they’ll be stuck in the position for ever, or at least a very long time ...
The Good Book Blog
What Person Led You to Faith in Christ?
Gary McIntosh — October 29, 2014
It was twenty-five years before church growth researcher Win Arn, building on the initial discoveries of Donald McGavran, conducted one of the largest studies of how people come to faith in Christ and to the church in the United States and Canada. Arn’s Institute for American Church Growth surveyed over 17,000 persons in 1980 asking, “What or who was responsible for your coming to Christ and to your church?” Arn published his findings in The Master’s Plan for Making Disciples, and church leaders were astounded ...
The Good Book Blog
What Is a Leader?
Gary McIntosh — July 16, 2014
People have studied leaders for centuries. To study leaders is to analyze the characteristics of individual people who demonstrate the ability to gather a group of followers. However, the study of leadership is a relatively new discipline dating from about the year 1900. To study leadership is to inspect the interactions a leader has with his or her followers. Both areas of study require one to define a leader. So just what is a leader? ...
The Good Book Blog
Barriers to Evangelism
Gary McIntosh — May 20, 2014
New churches are usually much more effective at winning new people to faith in Christ than older churches. For many reasons, as a church grows older, it develops barriers that keep it from making new disciples. The list of evangelistic barriers is long and complex, but the following are a few insights as to why churches become less effective at evangelism. Once a church recognizes some of the barriers, it can then take action to eliminate them ...
The Good Book Blog
Run Through the Finish Line: Doing Ministry Well
Gary McIntosh — May 05, 2014
How can we finish well? Hebrews 13:7-8 gives us the primary clue. “Remember your leaders,” the writer commands, “those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (ESV). The key to finishing well is obvious from this passage of scripture: we learn how to finish well by observing others and imitating their faith.
The Good Book Blog
Are You an Anticipator or an Avoider?
Gary McIntosh — March 20, 2014
While watching a recent car race on television, I was impressed by the new technology that racing teams are using to improve performance. Advanced computer technology now allows crew chiefs to monitor nearly every aspect—fuel usage, engine pressure, wheel alignment, and numerous other aspects—that affect the performance of the car. In fact it’s possible to know the exact set up of an automobile so precisely that another car can be set up just like it. With all of the technology, one might think that race cars would be set up so much alike that very little difference would be observed on race day. But, some cars continue to do better at winning than others.
The Good Book Blog
Reducing the Intrusion of Email
Gary McIntosh — February 27, 2014
You may have heard it said that email is dead. But, don’t believe it. According to a report in Harvard Business Review (June 2013), based on a survey of 2,600 workers in the USA, UK, and South Africa, people continue to spend four hours of every working day dealing with e-mail. The reason? They like it, trust it, and find it an effective collaboration tool.
The Good Book Blog
Top Factors in Growing Churches
Gary McIntosh — June 23, 2013
A recent check on Amazon.com discovered that over 25,000 books are listed under the category of Church Growth. This is an amazing number of books given the fact that the North American Church Growth Movement is only forty-one years old. With such a large number of books written on the topic of church growth, it is only natural to ask if there is any consensus on what factors are found in growing churches in North America. What are those factors? I thought you’d never ask!
The Good Book Blog
Long Pastoral Tenure Can Hurt Your Church
Gary McIntosh — June 14, 2013
One of the little known facts of church growth is that pastors can stay too long. Long pastoral tenure can actually harm the growth of a church. Generally, the first twenty years of a pastor’s tenure are quite healthy, but it is very rare for a pastor to lead a church through a third decade with vitality and growth.
The Good Book Blog
The Information Age
Gary McIntosh — May 19, 2013
Peter Drucker wrote that in our knowledge-based society, information is the key resource and building block for every type of organization. Information is the new money, currency upon which organizations rise or fall. How may a local church respond to the new currency of information in today's world?
The Good Book Blog
Advertising for A Growing Church
Gary McIntosh — May 12, 2013
Good doctrine, good fellowship, good worship, and good prayer. Do they guarantee the growth of a church? Not necessarily. Sometimes churches do not do well, even though they have the basic ingredients. So, what's the problem? For some, it's a lack of communication to those in and outside the church.
The Good Book Blog
The Last Ten Minutes
Gary McIntosh — May 03, 2013
You don't have a second chance for a good first impression. When it comes to first-time guests at your church, that statement is especially true. And it's that first impression guests leave with that determines whether they will be back. So, what is it that goes into a good first impression? Or, for that matter, a bad one?
The Good Book Blog
Who is Your Target Audience?
Gary McIntosh — October 12, 2012
While reaching the whole world with the gospel is the mission of the Christian faith, lifegiving churches recognize that the world is made up of many different audiences. Since different groups of people have quite different cultures, needs, and methods of communication, a church that intentionally tries to reach a specific group with the message of Christ, will normally be much more effective than one that tries to reach everyone with a general attempt. Every church should have a sign that says, "Everyone Welcome," but a deliberate strategy must be in place or they will only see accidental growth.