Become Mission Ready

For more than 25 years, I served as a senior pastor in churches across the country—large, small, rural, and urban. I know firsthand the weight that pastors carry, especially those leading normative-sized (100 in attendance or less) congregations where the work is endless, the resources are thin, and the expectations feel impossible to meet. The fact is that 60% of Protestant churches in the USA have 100 or less in attendance each Sunday, and many mainline Protestant churches have attendance of less than 60.

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Carpenters Circle and the Mission Ready Model is designed for churches attending 200 or less. 

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I’ve led churches through seasons of growth, decline, conflict, healing, rebuilding, and renewal. I’ve seen what happens when a church has clarity, and I’ve seen what happens when it doesn’t. Along the way, I learned that most churches don’t struggle because of lack of passion or faith—they struggle because they lack simple systems, clear roles, and supportive structures that help the mission move forward.

Carpenter’s Circle and the Mission Ready Model was born out of that experience.

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I created this space to give pastors what I continually lacked: practical tools, simple frameworks, and a community of support. So many "solutions" are program-based, complicated, and based in academic theory.

 

My goal isn’t to overwhelm you with another "silver bullet solution" - they don't exist, by the way. I offer you clarity, structure, and peace—so you can lead well, protect your people, and multiply your church’s impact, without burning out.

 

I've led a church to grow from 300 in attendance to 800 in 40 Days. No "packaged silver-bullet program" delivered this result. It was a systematic effort of about one year. I led, learned, listened, and executed a plan, not a program. I can teach you the same system.

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I've developed volunteer teams of over 100 and learned the power of events by working with Dove Award winning artists, New York Times best-selling authors, and Grammy Award winning artists. I've learned how to systematically connect your message to a community you probably feel wouldn't be receptive. And, I've achieved the mission by learning how to lead.

 

Along the way, I've learned to protect the people and the assets with the proper policies and procedures. I'm a former licensed insurance agent, real estate agent, and general manager of a Trip Advisor Traveler's Choice Award winning vacation rental property. I led this property from almost closing to achieving a ranking in the top 1% of properties in the world, a year-over-year revenue bump of 23%, and did it with a staff of two!

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Whether you’re navigating conflict, monetary struggles, rebuilding trust, strengthening governance, creating healthy systems, or simply trying to catch your breath, you don’t have to lead alone. Carpenter’s Circle exists to stand beside you, cheer you on, and equip you for the mission God has given you.

 

Your church matters. Your leadership matters. Your calling matters. And you don’t have to carry it by yourself.

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Keith E. Powell

founder, carpenters circle