by Larry Osborne
Senior Pastor
North Coast Church, Vista, CA

I find that “sticky church” principles are important for lots of reasons. But one stands out above all others. I don’t see any way we can bring people to full maturity and fulfill the back half of the great commission without first producing the kind of significant long-term relationships that velcro people to one another and our local churches long enough to get the task done.

What do you think?

Some of my friends in ministry seem to devalue and even dismiss long-term, deep friendships as if they get in the way of real ministry. A small group that stays together for years isn’t applauded for its community. Instead it’s labeled as ingrown, self-indulgent, and a death-knell for evangelism.

Perhaps the problem...

by Larry Osborne
Senior Pastor
North Coast Church, Vista, CA

North Coast started as a small Bible study that fit into a living room. While we are much larger today, we face the same core issue we faced then. How do we reach people for Christ and retain them long enough to disciple them to maturity?

That’s where “stickiness” comes in. It goes beyond assimilation to the development of tightly velcroed personal relationships. It connects people to one another and the word of God – not just to the church organizationally.

Why is this important? It’s not just to keep people from leaving the church. It’s to fulfill the great commission.

Jesus didn’t only say go...