Tuesday's Catch: 'Four Signs Your Church Is Ready for a Turnaround' And More

Four Signs Your Church Is Ready for a Turnaround
Thom identifies four signs that indicate a church may be ready to move from decline to renewal.

Why the Co-vocational Trend Is So Important
Thom opens with a reality many church leaders are already experiencing: the traditional fully funded pastorate is no longer the norm in many churches. Financial pressures, changing attendance patterns, and shifting expectations are forcing churches to rethink ministry models.

But this is not simply a problem to solve—it is an opportunity to steward. In this conversation, Thom talks with Dr. Andy Miller, the president of Wesley Biblical Seminary, about why the co-vocational trend is one of the most important developments in the future of the church and how it can actually strengthen gospel impact.

Inside the parish-led fight against a $123M ICE facility in Texas
The parishes that won Socorro, Texas, running water in the 1980s are now fighting ICE's plan to convert warehouses into a mega detention center. And the town's water system is at issue again.

Also See: Released Texas pastors say immigration agents threatened family separation

One year later, people of faith should reckon with Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’
These policy choices are not merely budget decisions. They reveal our national priorities.

The hidden reality of appliance poverty
Cooking dinner in a microwave, using a neighbour’s washing machine or being unable to keep vital medication cold. These are just some of the situations that individuals and families find themselves in every day. White goods are essential for every home, but for many, when one breaks, or they move into a new property, affording them is out of reach.

This is also a problem in the United States. What resources are available to low income families varies from state to state, community to community.

God Told Me I Was to Come to Your Church Staff — and Other Crazy Stuff Like That
A minister of music once mailed me his resume with a note stapled to it. He’d been driving through my city, he wrote, when God told him he was about to become our next worship leader. I hadn’t opened a search. Nobody on staff had discussed a vacancy, because there wasn’t one. I wrote back and told him that as soon as the Lord told me the same thing, I’d be in touch.

That letter still bothers me. The man likely believed every word of it, and that’s exactly what makes “God told me” claims so hard to untangle. Sincerity and self-deception can look identical from the outside.

8 Things a Pastor Should Never Say From the Pulpit
Here are eight things a pastor should never say from the pulpit, and why each one costs more than it seems.

This historic divinity school is offering the first doctoral degree in ‘AI and Moral Agency’
Shaw University Divinity School hopes to be the first theological school accredited by the Association of Theological Schools to offer a doctoral degree in AI. Its first cohort begins in January.

Just 3 Things Families Need (and Want) From Your Ministry
Have you ever wondered why some families don’t attend church events as often as you’d hope? It’s easy to feel disheartened, but trust us, there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes in families’ lives. This article explores how ministry leaders can tune in to families’ needs and become even better faith formation teammates. We’ll look at the importance of being flexible and creative in our approach, and how small gestures can make a big difference in showing families that they’re valued and understood.

15 A+ Back-to-School Ideas for Children’s Ministry
These 15 A+ back-to-school ideas for children’s ministry will keep your kids from “checking out” at church!

Also See: Preschool and Early Elementary Message: Inviting Everyone

4 Keys to Preventing Children’s Ministry Burnout
I define volunteer burnout as a chronic emotional or spiritual state of exhaustion from prolonged ministry demands. Numerous factors can lead to this state of distress. So rather than trying to identify a list of causes, I want to highlight four ways children’s ministry directors can help prevent their teams from burning out.

Discipling a New Believer? Lay These 5 Foundations
In this article, I want to give you five foundation stones to lay down over five initial meetings with a new believer. I would encourage you to invite that new believer to commit to meeting once a fortnight five times to lay these foundations firmly in place.

A Muted World Requires Fresh Approaches to Evangelism
Followers of Jesus are called to be salt and light to the world, proclaiming the excellencies of his salvation to the nations. But how are we to speak this message to an accelerated world that’s moving too fast to hear anything?

Monday's Catch: "Why 'Friendly Church' Is No Longer Enough" And More

Why “Friendly Church” Is No Longer Enough
In today’s culture, friendliness is expected. It is no longer the factor that sets a church apart. Guests are not just looking for a warm welcome; they are looking for meaningful connection, clear purpose, and a place where they can belong.

A church can be friendly and still struggle to reach new people.

If we want to engage our communities more effectively, we must move beyond friendliness and toward something deeper, more intentional, and more transformative.

Dramatic Changes Are Ahead. The Small Church Can Guide Us.
Church leaders are facing huge demographic shifts, leading to smaller denominations, fewer resources, and leaner institutions. Allen T. Stanton gives us three lessons we can learn from small-membership congregations about how to flourish in a shifting landscape.

According to Ryan Burge's research, the number one factor predicting the future viability of a church is its ability to retain its children as they move into adulthood. How well a congregation does religious education and spiritual formation will determine whether its kids fall away from the faith when they become adults.

The Resilient Small Church
We often think of large churches as strong and small churches as weak. But Lovett H. Weems Jr. shares a powerful example of how size does not always bring resilience in the face of adversity. He explains how in some circumstances smaller churches can be less vulnerable and fragile than larger ones.

Detained pastor couple had religious worker visas, Assemblies of God leaders say
Pastor Nepthali Zozaya Saucedo, 36, said he and his wife, who came to the U.S. legally, were repeatedly pressured to sign voluntary departure papers but that they had refused.

ICE agents are least-trained law enforcement in America
Proper training and education for officers of the law should be mandatory for the safety of the public and our officers. However, ICE has made cuts to its required curriculum from an already short training program and failed to properly vet its officers.

Today, the quality of education and training received by people who want to make their way in the American workforce is expected to be as top tier in quality and as thorough as possible. This is true for doctors, firemen, lawyers and police officers, who are expected to responsibly carry firearms in public and deal with dangerous situations in a calm and capable manner on the regular.

But our federal government does not expect the same training and professionalism from agents of ICE.

Also See: Trump ‘border czar’ says ICE officer in Maine killing should not have cleared vetting

Warnock stumped by those who love Jesus but not the poor
Baptist preacher and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock said he is often stumped by evangelical Christians who claim to love Christ but blame the poor for being poor.

“I do not understand how it is that people who claim to be people of faith, people who say the name of Jesus more than anybody, the loudest voices of the Christian faith in our country, are often the meanest voices,” the Democrat from Georgia said during the 65th annual session of the Progressive National Baptist Convention in Washington, D.C.

The 1 thing cult experts want you to do when talking to your MAGA relatives
In an era where misinformation spreads faster than the truth, and political extremism often feels more like a full belief system than a policy stance, many of us have found ourselves in painfully surreal situations. Maybe it’s a relative who sends you a link to a fringe conspiracy site, or an old friend who insists the government is run by subterranean lizard people — and they mean it.

Often, these interactions aren’t just absurd or frustrating, they’re heartbreaking. How do you keep a relationship alive when someone you care about seems captured by a worldview that’s not only disconnected from reality, but openly hostile to yours?

America’s big cities are rapidly losing kids
With the nation’s fertility rate at record lows, the number of children under 18 is falling across the U.S. The decline is especially pronounced in big cities, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.

The story of St Maughold, patron saint of the Isle of Man
St Maughold was the patron saint of the Isle of Man. But who was St Maughold, and what do we know about him? This is the story...

Lay Preacher Training Informational Webinar
The role of lay preacher has been an important part of the church from its earliest days. As the clergy shortage grows and churches are under increased financial strain, the need for licensed lay preachers grows each year.

Celebrating 500 Years of the English New Testament
Churches, cathedrals and Christian groups across England are marking the 500th anniversary of the first printed English New Testament. This is the story...

Do the Gospels Contain Eyewitness Testimony? An Overlooked Aspect of the Debate 

Since the Gospels are Greco-Roman biographies, we should not be surprised that their authors would want to include eyewitness testimony. After all, the principle that historical accounts should be based on eyewitness reports (either directly indirectly) was an established value among all the ancient historians ranging from Herodotus to Thucydides to Polybius and even to Josephus.

But the issue isn’t just whether they would have wanted to include such testimony, but whether reliable eyewitness testimony was readily available. Put in the form of a question, were there named individuals in the early Christian movement who were understood to have witnessed the events related to Jesus of Nazareth and were actively engaged in transmitting their testimony about those events?

AI is an evangelistic opportunity but Christians must shape its future, summit hears
Artificial intelligence is creating fresh opportunities for evangelism, but Christians must help shape the technology's future before it is defined by those with "very different values", leaders at the Missional AI Summit in London said.

Practicing Christians use AI more than most Americans, Barna finds
Practicing Christians are using artificial intelligence in both their work and personal lives more than most Americans, and nearly half of them say they would trust the technology with their spiritual growth, according to a recent survey from Barna Group.

The findings come from a survey of 1,514 U.S. adults conducted in November 2025 and another of 442 Protestant pastors conducted in December 2025. Researchers found that even though practicing Christians already use AI more than their pastors, they still want their guidance on engaging with the technology. Only a minority of pastors, around 12%, feel prepared to give guidance on using AI.

How to Start a Financial Discipleship Ministry in Your Church
Effective financial discipleship ministries create disciples who transform the world through stewarding their finances God’s way.

Image Credit: St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Pennington, New Jersey

Sundays at All Hallows (July 26, 2026) Is Now Online

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

This Sunday is the Eighth Sunday after Trinity. This week has been a difficult one. Some parts of the country have experienced sweltering heat; others have experienced tornadoes, heavy rain, and catastrophic flooding. Yet the woes of nations around the world may eclipse those of the United States—war, famine, and an Ebola outbreak. Your prayers are asked for the people of the affected area in the United States and around the world for the restoration of peace between Russia and Ukraine and in the Mid East, and for all persecuted Christians.

The topic of this Sunday’s message in Jesus’ teaching concerning false prophets.

Readings: Jeremiah 23:16-24, 2 Peter 2:1-3, 13-22, and Matthew 7:15-21

Message: By Their Fruit You Shall Know Them

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/07/sundays-at-all-hallows-july-26-2026.html

Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.

If you are new to Sundays at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:

-It is recommended that after reading or hearing each lesson to take time to reflect on what you read or heard during the period of silence which follows each lesson. It is also recommended that you do the same thing after reading or hearing the message.

-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.

-If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.

-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

May Sundays at All Hallows be a blessing to you.

Saturday Lagniappe: 'How to Teach A New Hymn or Song to Your Congregation' And More

One way to beat the summer doldrums and to brighten church services on Sundays and other occasions is to introduce new hymns, worship songs, and service music. For example, have an old-fashioned hymn sing on a Sunday or weekday evening, followed by a meal and fellowship. Have the congregation sing for their supper. Sing congregational favorites and then introduce the new music. Be sure not to overwhelm the congregation with too much new music. Make it fun evening, one, however which emphasizes the importance of congregational singing to the worship of the church.

At St. Michael's we made enthusiastic congregational singing a priority, the kind of singing the late Howard Hanchey described as so enthusiastic that it knocks the church doors off their hinges. We selected hymns, worship songs, and service music that encouraged the congregation to do just that. No low drone at St. Michael's. We wanted St. Michael's to be a church known for its singing.

What I have observed from watching videos and livestreams of Episcopal church services and occasional visits to a local Episcopal church is the unimaginative use of music in the services and the lackluster quality of the congregational singing. In this issue of Anglicans Ablaze I  have posted links to a number of articles that can help a church improve the quality of its congregational singing. I am planning to post links to more articles in the near future, as well as several articles of my own. I have also posted links to Church Answer's latest Burge Report, two articles on silence, and four other articles.

How to Teach A New Hymn or Song to Your Congregation
Here are some practical considerations and suggestions for teaching a new hymn or song to your congregation...

Producing Pew Potatoes: Creating a Culture of Spectators
What is a “pew potato,” you may ask? It is a term I use to refer to a person in the church that takes on the characteristics of a “couch potato”–someone who sits on the pew in times of corporate worship and expects to be entertained without having to get involved in any way. Here is the sad truth: our churches, no matter the style of their worship, are producing and encouraging spectators in our corporate worship experiences to a large degree.

New Songs: A Worship Enhancer or Worship Killer?
Today’s post is my third installment discussing things we do to create a culture of spectators in our churches rather than creating an environment that helps people worship with heart, soul, mind, and strength in participatory worship. Be sure to read the last two week’s posts if you have not done so already.

Introducing New Songs
Last week, I continued my series on things we do to create spectators in our church rather than active, participative worshippers. I began my discussion of how new songs can be a worship enhancer or a worship killer. Be sure to take a look at that post if you have not yet done so.When new songs are first introduced, the people have to take their eyes off the Lord and concentrate on the task of learning the new tune. There are ways we can introduce new songs that reduce the negative impact and promote the tremendous positives.

9 Reasons People Aren’t Singing in Worship – Revisited and Updated
Ten years ago, I wrote the article, "9 Reasons People Aren’t Singing in Worship." Little did I know that this article would turn viral multiple times (in one day, over 100,000 people accessed the article), be published in eight languages, read in over 220 countries and territories, be viewed on this site over 1.5 million times, become the topic of podcasts and other’s blog posts and be republished on other platforms (with permission). Obviously, the content hit a nerve around the world. Worship leaders and people in the pew are realizing that there’s a great lack of participation in worship. I believe this article finally gave people some tangible understanding of why conditions of participatory worship had gotten so bad. Many of the people in the pews were saying when they read this, “YES. That is it. Finally, someone is voicing our concerns about congregational songs becoming less accessible to us.”

Nine Ways to Help Your Congregation Sing New Songs 

In my post further exploring Reason #1 of the "9 Reasons People Aren’t Singing in Worship," I stated:

The second most important concept to grasp is how we introduce new songs and the follow up to help them become part of the congregation’s vocabulary of worship.

Unfortunately, introducing new songs can kill worship. Therefore it is important that we introduce and reinforce new songs in a way that will quickly help people to make the new songs an expression of their worship. Here are nine ways to help your congregation become familiar with and sing the new songs you introduce to them...

Helping Your Congregation Sing!
Throughout Scripture, the command to sing is given to God’s people more than four hundred times. It is not an option, nor is it a recommendation. It is a command appropriate for everyone. The only requirement is to have a song to sing, and all Christians have a song to sing: the song of the redeemed. The great hymnist Isaac Watts said, “Let those refuse to sing who never knew our God.” We who do know God, who are redeemed, must never refuse to sing! There are no prerequisites to sing this song, other than to accept the redemption freely offered by God. When that occurs, God simply says, “Sing!”

Introducing Hymns to a Contemporary Congregation
I occasionally get questions about introducing hymns to congregations that do not sing them. Should a pastor introduce old hymns? And if so, how should we go about the process?

How do we introduce new music to our congregation?
The introduction of new music can be an energizing and enriching experience for a congregation, but for the music to be a benefit, those doing the introducing need to prepare carefully. First, it is important to know the congregation. Some congregations thrive on new hymns and easily accept a variety of liturgical settings. Others may find one new hymn every two or three months about all they can manage. Certainly a congregation’s tolerance for new things is an important guide for planning. Careful preparation with this guide in mind will help to smooth the way to successful introduction of new material.

The Burge Report: Why the 1990s Were the Most Consequential in Modern U.S. Religious History
The 1990s may have been the most pivotal decade for religious change in modern America. In this episode, we look at Ryan Burge’s analysis of young adults and the sharp rise of the religiously unaffiliated during those years. The surprising part of the story is that no single Christian tradition collapsed on its own. Evangelicals, mainline Protestants, Black Protestants, and Catholics all lost ground, while church attendance also weakened. The result was not just a momentary shift but a long-term realignment that still shapes the religious landscape today.

Faith is back in Democratic politics
After decades of watching Democrats dodge the God question, I think they finally have an answer.

Lay Preacher Training Informational Webinar
The role of lay preacher has been an important part of the church from its earliest days. As the clergy shortage grows and churches are under increased financial strain, the need for licensed lay preachers grows each year.

‘I Don’t Understand What I Read’: Bad Reasons We Neglect the Bible
This article recommends three strategies to help Bible readers overcome discouragement, dryness, and other defeaters to find consistent spiritual benefit from God’s word: Pray for illumination. Ask questions for insight. Consult study tools for instruction.

Worship in Silence
Silence is a precious commodity. We live in a noisy world. Not only do we have the sounds of automobiles and machinery in the streets, or the noises from computers and phones in our homes or offices. These beeps, clicks, bangs, and screeches are typical in our contemporary life. But there is also the noise of the human voice. Yes, it is most often words that are spoken. But how many words we must hear in a day! And how many of them are edifying or valuable? Our mass media and social media are constantly bombarding us with words, but so many words that we cannot possibly take them all in. Nor do we often take the time for stillness and silence in which to evaluate and consider them before new words are thrown at us.

Those of us who do manage to eke out some meaningful times of silence in our daily lives know that it is a great discipline to do so. And depending on one’s state in life it may be very difficult indeed. (I’m looking at you, parents of young children.) When we do find silence, it is almost always in solitude. When it comes to gathering in groups, silence is rarely on the agenda. Unless, that is, it is cultivated in a religious setting.

The Discipline of Silence in a World That Cannot Stop Talking 

The church cannot fix this well-trained hunger by merely padding the order of service with a minute of contemplative quiet. The problem runs deeper than scheduling. We have, by and large, lost the conviction that silence is a real spiritual discipline—one ordered not toward relaxation or mindfulness, but toward the knowledge of God.

How classical education can be an antidote to AI
AI is more likely to harm education than help it. Classical education will become ever more relevant.

Friday's Catch: 'Understanding Young Adult Journeys to Faith in the Church of England' And More

Young adults are finding faith online but it's personal relationships that bring them to church, report finds
Social media may be opening the door to Christianity for a growing number of young adults, but personal relationships are the "decisive factor" in leading many to church and to faith in Christ, according to a report commissioned by the Church of England.

"Understanding Young Adult Journeys to Faith in the Church of England" examines the stories of 30 young adults aged 18 to 30 who began attending Anglican churches for the first time during the five years following the Covid-19 pandemic.

The research, carried out on behalf of the Church by Theos think tank, paints a picture of a generation that is spiritually open and searching for answers.

Also See: New report explores young adult journeys to faith in the Church of England; Understanding Young Adult Journeys to Faith [Downloadable]

Is politics driving Gen Z away from church? New study raises questions
A new study has found that the close association between Christianity and US President Donald Trump has become a barrier to church attendance for many young adults, including a significant number who identify as Christians.

In 3 charts: White Christian nationalists’ love of ICE and concentration camps
As the empirical evidence for the threat white Christian nationalism presents to pluralistic democracy has mounted over the past decade, various insider defenders of conservative white Christianity — and even some mainstream white Christian theologians — have alleged the term is simply a cudgel. Those who qualify as Christian nationalists on public opinion surveys, they argue, only want to see a role for their faith in the public square.

According to these white Christian defenders, rather than capturing a genuine threat to democracy, Christian nationalism is a figment of the ungenerous imaginations of a woke secularist left.

The church's midlife crisis
Is your church having a bit of a midlife crisis? Is your church in the middle of a "What am I doing with my life?" existential dread? There is a minivan in my neighborhood with a bumper sticker that reads, "I'm not lost, I'm exploring." I suspect many of our churches would like to claim the same: kind of lost, not quite sure where we're going, and either in denial or completely oblivious.

How an Aging Church Can Reach Younger Families
Can an aging church grow younger? It can. The churches that pulled it off did not chase trends. They changed a handful of specific things, and those changes are worth copying.

Why People Leave the Church and How to Bring Them Back
Your neighbor used to sit a few rows back every Sunday. Now the car stays in the driveway. Ask why, and the reason is rarely the one you would guess. Most people who stop attending drifted during a busy season, moved to a new town, or got quietly worn down by something they saw. Here is the hopeful part. The research on people who have left points to a group that sits much closer to coming back than most churches assume.

Why Church Outreach Programs Fail: 7 Common Mistakes
A church can fill its calendar with outreach events and still remain inwardly focused. That is the hard truth behind why so many church outreach programs fail. The program changes the schedule, but it never changes the culture.

The Remarkably Ordinary Church
I was on vacation this past Sunday and didn't have to be anywhere, so I got to visit another church. We ended up attending a remarkably ordinary church.

I would hope that a part of a church's "ordinariness" is that is outward-looking and is evangelizing its community and making new disciples.

Pastor Burnout: 13 Causes Churches Cannot Ignore
After speaking with pastors who burned out or came dangerously close, I noticed the same patterns appearing again and again.

Lay Preacher Training Informational Webinar
The role of lay preacher has been an important part of the church from its earliest days. As the clergy shortage grows and churches are under increased financial strain, the need for licensed lay preachers grows each year.

7 Tips for Getting More out of Sunday Sermons
What if we opened our Bibles each Sunday expecting a taste like honey and a treasure like gold (Deut. 32:47; Ps. 19:10)? What would it look like to get the most from our pastors’ sermons? Here are some small practices that can strengthen our grasp on the precious truths being handed to us in these moments.

We Have Forgotten How to Mourn
During my first year as a curate, I traveled to New Mexico to bury a step-cousin. Someone showed up with ladders and dropped them off, and it took me a moment to understand what was happening. The expectation was that we would help dig the grave.

I stood there holding a shovel, and something I had carried for years began to come loose. My grandmother once told me how she had helped dress her own niece for burial, washing her, clothing her, and laying her out for the family. I grew up hearing stories like this. As a child, I took them for granted. As I grew older and moved into the mainstream of American life, I am ashamed to say I found them embarrassing. Primitive, even. Something we should have outgrown. Standing in that graveyard with dirt on my hands, I realized my grandmother had not been clinging to an old custom. She had been doing the thing itself. The rest of us had lost it.

Six Ways to Shepherd Kids Through Loss
Each child has different and unique needs, and while this list is certainly not exhaustive, here are six ways I have worked to shepherd my own kids' hearts through pain and loss.

5 Steps to Create a Discipleship Plan 

Could discipleship be both a foundational issue and the solution that solves some of the current needs churches face today?

How to Create a Discipleship Plan for an Established Church
The four steps in the DisciplesPath process can help any established church move forward with its unique discipleship plan.

Also See: DisciplesPath

20 Disciple-Making Truths Every Church Leader Should Know
My friend Peyton Jones has a new book. This one is called “Disciplology,” which is not really a word. But he has a habit if making up words. (See his “Church Plantology” book.)...

With his permission, I’m sharing 20 truths from the book that you might find helpful...

Thursday's Catch: 'Is the Era of Mere Christianity Over?' And More

Is the Era of Mere Christianity Over?
We may be entering an era marked by the continued decline of denominationalism alongside an increase in theological factionalism. (A subscription is required but it is free.)

VOICES: Churches have shrunk the Gospel
In many churches, Christianity has been reduced, not necessarily to something false or heretical, but to something much smaller than it is.

Even our understanding of the church’s mission — to exalt Christ, edify believers, and evangelize the lost — is understood in ways that confine Christianity. Worship only happens on Sunday mornings. Discipleship is the acquisition of biblical knowledge or the process of becoming more moral. Evangelism is about securing decisions for Christ.

What Successful Evangelistic Churches Actually Do for Outreach
Only 1% of churches have an ongoing emphasis on evangelism. Josh and Sam break down what successful evangelistic churches actually do.

Church Branding Isn’t Church Planting
What makes us like other churches is far greater than what distinguishes us from other churches.

When we — Baptists and Methodists — were all evangelical
It may now seem surprising to many United Methodists, and even more Baptists, that for most of our histories in the United States, all Methodists and Baptists were regularly designated as evangelical denominations.

The most important reason is that both traditions had established themselves as evangelical movements, and marginal ones at that, in their earliest days. In addition, in the early 20th century, as scholar David R. Bains notes, “all Methodists and Baptists, most Presbyterians, and many Episcopalians and Congregationalists would have once been placed firmly within the bounds of evangelical Protestantism.”

On Anglican Documents and the Declaration of Principles of the Free Church of England
Reformation era churches wrote documents to define the extent of the protest against late-mediaeval Roman Catholicism – the Augsburg Confession, Luther’s Catechisms, the Second Helvetic Confession, etc. The English documents are the Articles of Religion, the Homilies, and the Book of Common Prayer which are intended to hang together as the theological baseline for Anglicanism and its liturgical expression. The three hang together remarkably well and, even though Anglicanism broadened out somewhat even before the revolutions of the nineteenth century, they still provide the foundation of the Anglican tradition to the degree that to alter or abandon one is to run the risk of throwing the others out of balance.

‘This isn’t a peacekeeping initiative — this is a terror campaign’: Texas faith leaders condemn ICE deaths
A news conference inside the state Capitol brought together about two dozen leaders from the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, the South Central Conference of the United Church of Christ, the National Council of Jewish Women and other faith-related groups.

Also See: Texas religious leaders demand ICE accountability

Bertha heads for Gulf Coast, flooding worsens Eastward
Tropical Storm Bertha nears final landfall on the northwest Gulf Coast, but its greatest flooding threat remains focused farther east.

Also See: Tropical Storm Bertha makes second landfall in Texas; Emergency flood rescues as heavy rain triggers rising waters

West Texas diocese applies lessons from 2025 floods to its relief efforts after latest disaster
The impact of severe flooding last week in the central Texas counties known as the Hill Country is still being felt by residents. Since then, Episcopal congregations have joined community efforts to respond to pressing needs there — one year after the region was hit by an earlier round of deadly and destructive river flooding.

Maryland town countersues Episcopal church seeking to close overnight shelter
The legal battle continues to escalate between a Maryland town and an Episcopal church over the church’s overnight shelter for unhoused people. In response to the church’s lawsuit, the town of Ocean City has filed a countersuit, and it also has rejected the church’s permit applications for unrelated plumbing work.

Why Is It So Hard to Find a Bishop?
So far this year, five dioceses– Kansas, Lexington, Western New York, Tennessee, and Navajoland–across the Episcopal Church have extended their bishop searches.

Lay Preacher Training Informational Webinar
The role of lay preacher has been an important part of the church from its earliest days. As the clergy shortage grows and churches are under increased financial strain, the need for licensed lay preachers grows each year.

UN report finds many young people want to get married but find it hard to do so
A UN report has suggested that across the world young people want to get married and have children, but often find it difficult to do so.

5 Ways to Deepen Your Men’s Ministry
When you implement these strategies, you won’t just have more spiritual depth in your men’s ministry but also a healthier church as a whole.

Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (July 23, 2026) Is Now Online

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

This evening’s variable psalm is a metrical version of Psalm 34, “Tell His Praise in Song and Story,” written by the late Bishop Timothy Dudley Smith, one of the most prolific hymn writers of the Church of England in recent years. The tune is ABBOT’S LEIGH, composed by Cyril Taylor and named after the village and civil parish of Abbot’s Leigh in North Somerset, England, about 3 miles west of the centre of Bristol. If you are not familiar with the tune, read the lyrics as you would a prayer rather than attempt to sing them. You may wish to play the accompaniment softly in the background.

The topic of this evening’s message is miracles.

Readings: 1 Kings 17: 8-16; Mark 8: 1-10a

Message: Miracles

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/07/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows-july_01250503046.html

Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.

If you are new to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:

-It is recommended that after reading or hearing a lesson to take time to reflect on what you read or heard during the period of silence which follows the lesson. It is also recommended that you do the same thing after reading or hearing the message.

-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.

-If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.

-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

May Thursday Evenings at All Hallows be a blessing to you.

Wednesday's Catch: 'The 4 Most Overlooked Realities of a Healthy Church Turnaround' And More

The 4 Most Overlooked Realities of a Healthy Church Turnaround
Many pastors say they want a church turnaround when what they really want is for the church to get bigger. Those are different goals.

Tropical Storm Bertha threatens Gulf Coast with storm surge, potential flooding
U.S. Gulf Cost communities are preparing for potential flooding from storm surge and heavy rain with the second named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season nearing landfall.

Tropical Storm Bertha is expected to hit the U.S. Gulf Coast this week. The current forecast does not show the storm reaching hurricane strength, but it is still expected to bring storm surge and heavy rain to the southern U.S.

Trump's Christian support is driving half of Gen Zers away from church: study
Nearly half of Gen Z Americans say Christians' support for President Donald Trump is a reason they're less likely to attend church, according to a new study.

The Billy Graham Center Research Institute surveyed 2,365 Gen Z adults, ages 18-28, through NORC's AmeriSpeak panel between Aug. 9 and Sept. 26, 2024. The study was funded by the Lilly Endowment.

SBC leaders called an abuse crisis a hoax. Abuse survivors want an apology.
In an open letter, a group of survivors and advocates say that comments by SBC President Willy Rice and Texas pastor Jack Graham make it harder to address the issue of abuse in churches.

After another Texas flood, faith helps traumatized first responders endure
The vigilance of the first responders was one of many reasons this year’s storms brought fewer human casualties. But the preparation and quick response was tinged with sadness — knowing what to do was a stark reminder that last year caught so many by surprise.

Evangelical Alliance in the Netherlands calls for reforms after first young child killed to relieve suffering
An Evangelical alliance in the Netherlands has called for compassion and stronger palliative care after a child was killed under a new policy intended to relieve the suffering of terminal patients.

MissieNederland, the body representing Evangelical Christians in the Netherlands, said its response was "first and foremost one of compassion."

Who Is Apostle Kathryn Krick, and Why Are People Raising Alarms?
After new footage showed “revival” breaking out at a Texas book-signing, Christian influencers have issued new warnings about the woman who claims to be responsible.

CDC reports over 4,000 cyclosporiasis cases in 41 states amid outbreak
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has upped the number of cases of cyclosporiasis to more than 4,000 in 41 states.

Food safety is a concern affecting churches as well as households, restaurants, school cafeterias, and community feeding programs for the disabled and elderly.

Momentum grows for Anglican observance of the Feast of Creation in Christ
Several Anglican churches worldwide are preparing to observe the Feast of Creation in Christ this September. In July, the Church of England General Synod approved the addition of the observance into its liturgical calendar.

The Feast of Creation in Christ, also known as the Season of Creation, is a worldwide ecumenical Christian observance that begins with the Day of Prayer for Creation on Sept. 1 and ends with the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology, Oct. 4.

Several Anglican churches have already begun to institute the festival, including The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada.

Debunking Myths and Avoiding Episcopal Overreach: Conducting Clergy Searches According to the Canons
In our Episcopal polity, power is not concentrated in any one role or office. Each order of the Church has a part to play, and each player has canonical rights and responsibilities: bishop, vestry, and rector candidates.

The knowledge and practice of this used to be called “churchmanship” (in contrast to our contemporary associations with that term: high church, low church, etc.), and it is now a lost art. Recovering an understanding of the national canons — and how local diocesan canons must accede to them — will restore confidence and trust to a system that is not working.

Of the five Episcopalchurches in the region of Kentucky in which I live, only one has a full-time rector. The others are dependent upon retired priests to supply them. They may have a communion service on one or two Sundays of the month and major church festivals.

Why integrity matters: Lessons from William Wilberforce
In his new book, The Integrity Fix, author and Holy Trinity Clapham Rector Jago Wynne reflects on the life of William Wilberforce and his example of living with integrity across all aspects of his life. The book explores the meaning of integrity and some of the reasons for its decline in both society and the Church, while also thinking about how individuals can rediscover a more authentic and integrated way of living.

Contentment in Ministry: What We’re Searching for May Already Be Near
The message of contentment isn’t optional for those in ministry today. It’s deeply necessary for every pastor and church leader.

Required Listening: Gordon MacDonald's Advice Still Stops Leaders Cold
In this inaugural episode of Required Listening, Carey talks to Gordon MacDonald. For his 80th birthday, Gordon MacDonald wrote down the 15 leadership and life lessons he’s learned so far. He unpacks all of them here: how to stop cheating the people closest to you, how to survive doubt and obscurity, why you reinvent your interior life every decade, and how to ask the questions that open a heart.

Lay Preacher Training Informational Webinar
The role of lay preacher has been an important part of the church from its earliest days. As the clergy shortage grows and churches are under increased financial strain, the need for licensed lay preachers grows each year.

Why We Never Outgrow Scripture
In most areas of life, maturity means moving beyond the basics. Students move beyond introductory textbooks. Musicians move beyond scales. Professionals move beyond beginner manuals. Yet mature Christians do something unusual. After decades of following Jesus, they keep returning to Scripture.

It is not merely a habit of personal devotion. It is a feature of Christian discipleship. The believer who has walked with Christ for thirty years still returns to the Bible, rereading passages he has studied, taught, memorized, and heard preached countless times before. Why?

Image Credit: St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Armonk, NY

Tuesday's Catch: 'Half of Gen Z says Trump support keeps them out of church' And More

Half of Gen Z says Trump support keeps them out of church
A new study found that, even among Gen Z Christians, the strong alliance between Trump and Christianity has had a negative impact on churchgoing for many.

Science hints at Trump and MAGA’s insidious threat to truth – and it is ugly
PsyPost reports that casual disregard for reality poses a "uniquely potent threat" to public knowledge and belief.

People are more likely to believe false information when it comes from someone who ignores the truth altogether rather than a liar “who actively tries to deceive.” This is because repeating statements made by someone who is completely indifferent to facts “heavily increases how truthful those statements feel” to an audience.

Additionally, casual Trump-style disregard for reality appears to pose a deadly threat to community knowledge. According to researchers, the divide sits between a simple “liar,” — someone who knows the truth and intentionally tries to mislead an audience — and a “bulls——er,” who “communicates with little to no regard for the truth, evidence, or established facts.”

Also See: New psychology research reveals the insidious nature of bullshit

Donald Trump won't stop using a technique psychologists associate with narcissists
For years, mental health professionals have argued that President Donald Trump’s behaviors, which some have called “malignant narcissism,” are a detriment to the nation.

Much has been written about the president’s tendency to gaslight ― a form of psychological manipulation weaponized by narcissists to make victims question their own reality, memory and perceptions.

Also See: Trump is a 'psychopath' who converses 'only with himself': biographer

Trump supporters spread their beliefs like a disease: study
Multiple experts are warning that President Donald Trump is gradually eroding American democracy through his actions since resuming office in 2025. Now, a new study from the American Journal of Political Science explains how so many Americans are willing to go along with his authoritarianism.

How the Mitch McConnell Spectacle Ought to Teach Us About Age
From the Moore to the Point newsletter: the spiritual reason our elderly leaders refuse to give up power.

Church says Native American rituals "idol worship," won't leave reservation
A Christian church has refused to leave a Native American reservation after its pastor condemned traditional tribal spiritual practices during a sermon, sparking protests and demands for an apology.

State of Theology Finds Stable Theology Among Americans
The latest State of Theology study of Americans finds significant stability across a wide range of theological beliefs.

Also See: The State of Theology Insights Report Download

What Does “The Sins of the Father” Mean?
Ask ten pastors what “the sins of the father” means and you will get ten different answers. Some picture a curse traveling down a bloodline. Others picture guilt handed to a child who did nothing wrong. The phrase comes straight from the Ten Commandments, but that is not where the Bible leaves it.

The Glory of God Is the Living Man
Around the year 185, Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyon, wrote: “For the glory of God is the living man, and the life of man is the vision of God.” It is a sentence worth sitting with. The glory of God is displayed in a living man. That glory is the radiant, weighty, self-revealing splendor of the living God. And the life we were made for, the life that is truly life, consists in seeing God. Everything the Christian faith teaches about salvation, about Christ, about the work of the Holy Spirit, is compressed into those two clauses.

But who is “the living man”? And what does it mean to see God?

Why Volunteer Recruitment Is Harder Than Ever
Thom discusses why churches are finding it more difficult to recruit volunteers and what leaders can do to reverse the trend.

The Return of Evangelism: Why Outreach Is Working Again
Thom looks at why many churches are finding people more receptive to the gospel and how churches can take advantage of this opportunity.

Leaving a Church Well
No one wants to talk about leaving their church. Your church is likely filled with people who introduced you to Jesus, encouraged you in your walk, officiated your wedding, and maybe even officiated the funeral of a loved one. In a church community, we find counsel, comfort, and friendship. Church is where we worship, and often where God meets us. Though it’s filled with broken people, church is amazing.

So, why would we ever talk about leaving it?

We should talk about it because it happens. As a pastor, I hate to see people leave my church, but in the welcoming of new members and the good-byes as people move on, I’ve seen a handful of really good reasons to leave.

Lay Preacher Training Informational Webinar
The role of lay preacher has been an important part of the church from its earliest days. As the clergy shortage grows and churches are under increased financial strain, the need for licensed lay preachers grows each year.

AI company hit by hack entirely done by artificial intelligence
AI company Hugging Face says that it has been hit by a hack carried out entirely by an artificial intelligence system.

How Churches Can Prevent AI Scams, Impersonation, and Payment Fraud
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing ministry operations, but it is also creating new risks for churches. Today’s scams are no longer easy to spot. AI-generated emails, voice messages, invoices, and fake receipts can look and sound legitimate enough to fool even experienced church staff members.

As a result, churches should strengthen financial controls, improve verification practices, and require stronger online security measures before fraud occurs.

People have plenty of access to books. There are other reasons they do not read
The decline of book-reading is a common lament. Parents, teachers, and penurious authors will all tell you that the love of reading is in retreat.

Statisticians at the National Literacy Trust say that in 2025 the number of children who enjoyed reading in their spare time sank to a 20-year low: a “generational challenge”, in their words.

Men and Women Have Unique Discipleship Strengths, Weaknesses 

In general, women have higher discipleship scores than men, according to analysis from Lifeway Research’s State of Discipleship study.

Monday's Catch: 'NO FOOD OR REFRESHMENTS IN SANCTUARY: A Dangerous Sign' And More

NO FOOD OR REFRESHMENTS IN SANCTUARY: A Dangerous Sign
A guest walks into the worship center with a cup of coffee. An usher smiles, but then gently says, “I’m sorry, you can’t bring that in here.” The guest nods, takes another sip, and steps back into the lobby to finish it.

Nothing harsh was said. No one intended harm.

But something subtle shifted.

The issue isn’t coffee. It’s culture. Many churches would never say, “We care more about our building than people.” But sometimes, policies quietly communicate exactly that. A simple sign about food or drinks can reveal deeper priorities. And that’s where the concern begins.

Loving the Unengaged in Your Church
What could it look like for your church to intentionally love those who’ve become unengaged from the life of the church?

What Is a Pharisee? Here Are 12 Signs You Are One
Nobody sets out to become a Pharisee. It happens gradually, usually while you’re trying to do everything right.

The word gets thrown around a lot in church culture, almost always about someone else. The judgmental relative. The rigid elder. The pastor down the street who preaches more rules than grace. But Pharisaism was never really about them. It’s a pattern that can grow in any heart that starts measuring its righteousness instead of receiving it.

The Marxist Who Understood Sex Better than the UMC
The United Methodist Church (UMC) has removed Asbury Theological Seminary from its list of institutions approved to train its ministers. Hardly a bastion of right-wing Protestant fundamentalism, Asbury has nonetheless run afoul of the UMC. Why? The seminary has had the temerity to uphold the traditional Christian teaching on sex and marriage. Asbury’s conviction looks potentially costly, but what price should we place on such matters? Sexual morality isn’t just about behavior; it’s about the essence of human nature and society, involving the profoundest questions about personal relationships, social structures, and teleology—what human beings are for.

Could smartphones be behind falling birth rates? Study suggests iPhone plays major role
The introduction of the iPhone may have contributed substantially to America's falling birth rate, suggesting smartphones changed social behaviour in ways that led to fewer pregnancies, researchers have argued.

Exorcisms and The Episcopal Church: A 2024 Survey
The Episcopal Church has a curious, distanced relationship with exorcisms. Buried deep within The Book of Occasional Services is a page titled “Concerning Exorcism.” It includes a three-paragraph description that cites the church’s historical use of exorcisms and guides clergy and others to contact the bishop’s office for more information. But behind this paper wall exists a long tradition.

I have recently been compiling data from my survey of Episcopal bishops and diocesan officers about their use of exorcisms. The research results show how the Episcopal Church addresses exorcisms. One bishop stated that the ministry is unlike Hollywood portraits that influence our cultural views.

Lay Preacher Training Informational Webinar
The role of lay preacher has been an important part of the church from its earliest days. As the clergy shortage grows and churches are under increased financial strain, the need for licensed lay preachers grows each year.

New guidance published to help churches use AI wisely
Churches across the UK are being encouraged to take a more intentional approach to artificial intelligence following the launch of new guidance designed to help Christian leaders navigate the opportunities and risks of the rapidly developing technology.

Leaders Who Survive AI Won't Be the Most Skilled
61% of pastors are now using AI weekly or daily. I'm one of them. But here's what I keep thinking about. When AI can generate a polished sermon outline, a compelling vision statement, and a confident leadership take in seconds, the competency bar just got a lot easier to clear for everyone. Including people who haven't done the work you have.

So if competency is no longer the differentiator, what is?

So We’re Unmarried but Living Together—What’s the Big Deal?
The couples who show up already living together are not usually people testing your rules. Many are barely connected to church life at all beyond Sunday morning. That disconnect is actually the opening. A couple willing to sit down with you about their living situation is a couple willing to let you into their life. Handled well, this conversation becomes the doorway into real community, not just a lecture they endure once and avoid repeating.

There is no template that fits every couple. Two people who moved in together out of financial necessity are not in the same position as two people who did it to test-drive the relationship. Counsel the couple in front of you, not a category.

John Newton on the ABC’s of Progressive Sanctification
As a biblical counselor, I often work with people struggling with the slow process of sanctification. Believers trapped in the idea of total, instantaneous transformation wonder why it’s so hard to shed the baggage of their old life. The tension usually arises from confusion about Paul’s statement, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17).

The process of sanctification often feels more like slogging through mud than experiencing instantaneous change. There’s no question that Christ calls us to change through the Holy Spirit’s power. It’s true the Holy Spirit often uses our responses to experiences to help us grow. Life happens, we respond, and patterns emerge. In those patterns, we can see spiritual progress but also persistent weakness, which often points to sin. Confession and repentance of that sin leads to growth. Yet change is often gradual and, like all things that take time, frustrating.

Invite As Many As You Find
How free should we be with the gospel? How broad is the call of salvation? Who should be evangelized? There is a wedding feast coming, and there will be guests. And who will those guests be? It won’t be those who self-righteously decline the offer (Matt 22:3). It won’t be those who try to come in without being clothed in the righteousness of Jesus (Matt 22:11). So who then should we invite? Jesus clarifies this for us: “invite… as many as you find.” As many as you find. What a sweet word.

Saturday Lagniappe: 'Texas churches working to support families impacted by record-breaking floods' And More

Texas churches working to support families impacted by record-breaking floods
Churches in the Texas Hill Country opened their doors as flood displacement shelters on Thursday, taking in families whose homes and recreational vehicles had been swept away by rapidly rising rivers that killed at least two people.

At Calvary Temple Church in Kerrville, one of the churches providing help, volunteer Soyla Reyna spent hours managing a shelter that drew nearly 50 people through the morning, according to The Texas Tribune. They came seeking supplies and refuge after floodwaters tore through the region.

How a partnership between African churches is helping communities see again
Across much of Africa, churches have long been more than places of worship - they are also trusted centres of community life that step in where public services cannot reach.

The Global Fertility Crisis Is Worse Than You Probably Think
Everybody knows about the decline in birthrates. Fewer people understand why—or just how significantly it could transform society in the next few decades.

Start with Something
“If we start with something, work together, and stay ambitious, hope stops being a thing we wait to feel and becomes something we create.” —​Malala​ Yousafzai

Dodging Detours: Five Ways a Feasibility Study Protects Your Campaign from Pitfalls 

Sam talks with Mike Stadelmayer at Church Growth Services about the harm a failed campaign can do and how to avoid those failures.

Lay Preacher Training Informational Webinar
The role of lay preacher has been an important part of the church from its earliest days. As the clergy shortage grows and churches are under increased financial strain, the need for licensed lay preachers grows each year.

When God changes our plans: trusting Him through disappointment
We believe in a God who is faithful and able to do far more than we can ask or imagine. Yet life does not always unfold the way we expected. We pray, we persevere, we seek to be faithful and obedient, and still, a door closes; an unexpected diagnosis arrives; a relationship ends. Plans we held so tightly suddenly unravel. A dream we thought God had given us seems to disappear before our eyes.

How churches can adopt their own pet ministries
There is more to pet ministry than blessing animals once a year.

For over two decades, the Rev. Betsy Singleton Snyder and pet ministry director Gayle Fiser of Pinnacle View United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Ark., have helped United Methodist churches develop ministries that care for both pets and the people who love them.

Their new book, New Tricks: How Pet Ministry Can Transform Faith Communities and Change Lives, shares practical guidance for congregations looking to begin their own ministries.

Also See: Dog church welcomes people and pets

Sundays at All Hallows (July 19, 2026) Is Now Online

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

This Sunday is the Seventh Sunday after Trinity. The Gospel reading appointed for this Sunday is the Parable of the Weeds.

You may have sung hymns containing reference to corn and cornfields at a service of harvest thanksgiving. In the United Kingdom wheat is called corn and wheatfields corn fields. What is called corn in the United States is called maize. In other parts of the world maize is given a different name, for example, mealies in Southern Africa.

In this Sunday’s message we unpack the Parable of the Weeds and what it means for us.

Readings: Genesis 28: 10-19a, Romans 8: 12-25, and Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43

Message: A Lesson from the Cockle in a Cornfield

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/07/sundays-at-all-hallows-july-19-2026.html

Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.

If you are new to Sundays at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:

-It is recommended that after reading or hearing each lesson to take time to reflect on what you read or heard during the period of silence which follows each lesson. It is also recommended that you do the same thing after reading or hearing the message.

-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.

-If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.

-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

May Sundays at All Hallows be a blessing to you.

Friday's Catch: 'Clues for All Churches from Research on Very Large Churches' And More

Clues for All Churches from Research on Very Large Churches
The Hartford Institute for Religion Research consistently produces reports about congregational life in the United States that show trends important for church leaders to understand. Their Faith Communities Today research provides snapshots of congregations of all sizes across religious traditions in the country at five-year intervals. One special area of expertise with which they are associated is their analysis of trends among the very largest congregations, sometimes called megachurches. These are churches with in-person weekly attendance of 2,000 or more.

The Unchurched Next Door: New Tools and Insights to Really Reach Them - Replay
If you missed Thursday's webinar or would like to view it again, I am posting a link to a replay of the webinar and a link to the slides. The slides are downloadable.

The Unchurched Next Door: New Tools and Insights to Really Reach Them - Slides

Unchurched Receptivity Report
Discover how many unchurched people live around your church, how receptive they are, and where your greatest opportunities for outreach exist.

This tool will be very helpful in identifying the receptivity groups in the community and in tailoring efforts to reach and engage these groups for the church that is serious about the Great Commission

Americans’ Confidence in the Church Falls Back Near Record-Low
Fewer U.S. adults express the highest levels of confidence in the church, after a brief increase last year, according to Gallup.

How do we respond to Lindsey Graham's death? It matters.
Sen. Lindsey Graham has died. Why are people responding in such a tasteless way?

Also See: Children are hungry tonight because of Lindsey Graham

If the church doesn’t rise up for the disabled, who will?
Moving forward does not require first answering every question. The gospel calls us to simply take the next right step.

European Evangelicals Draw A Clear Distinction From Their American Counterparts
The European Evangelical Alliance, which represents some 23 million evangelical Christians on the continent, recently released an important report “European Evangelicals in Public Life: Our Identity and Contribution.” It summarizes who European evangelicals are, what they believe, and what their major stances are on current public policy issues.

Normally, such a statement would draw little attention outside its own circles. Its primary audience is European media and others in public life, which sadly are still all too likely to portray evangelicals in very different countries and contexts through stereotypes of American evangelicals. It also illustrates current tensions about America in the worldwide church.

Also See: Evangelicals raise concern about detention of families and children under EU's stricter asylum rules

How to Wait for Cultural Reckoning
After decades of steady liberalization, society appears to be having second thoughts about some aspects of America’s (im)moral revolution.

We may not want to hear it, however, Joe Carter has a point: We don't recognize the damage someone or something can do until they has already done damage. Even then we may refuse to recognize how damaging that person or thing is. This refusal serves only to compound the damage, to make it worse!

Lay Preacher Training Informational Webinar
The role of lay preacher has been an important part of the church from its earliest days. As the clergy shortage grows and churches are under increased financial strain, the need for licensed lay preachers grows each year.

Scripture that Sticks with Us Shapes Our Faith
I was born and raised in the Bible Belt, a region of the U.S. known to have higher church attendance. Like most people in my context, I grew up going to church most of the Sundays of my childhood.

Each Sunday, like most churches, a Scripture verse or two was read, and our pastor preached about the passage. As a kid I often left the service confused about how these pieces of Scripture fit together as a broader story.

While we should understand that one or a few verses can never adequately represent the Bible as a whole, there is still value in holding tightly to specific verses as they relate to our walk of faith.

Striving for Human Excellence (While accepting that you are still a fallen sinner)
What Christians need in a time of increasing artificiality (AI) is to lean into their humanity, into their distinctly human excellence. Human excellence, what I call magnanimity To Live Well, doesn’t mean perfectibility, but rather our innate capacity for greatness as God designed us, which shall be different based on each individual. But the remarkable thing is that every human being is created for their own kind of excellence, endowed by their Creator with gifts, skills, and talents to exercise for his glory and the good of their neighbor. We should strive to grow in these areas as well as in universal excellences like in kindness to others, in generosity, in grace, in peace, in the virtues, in the Fruits of the Spirit, all so that we can honor God and love our neighbor more. The goal is not to earn God’s favor or build an identity or become “good enough” for anything in particular, but to be faithful to God by living into what we were created to be: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). That’s all we are doing, walking in the good works which God created for us beforehand.

Paul Shows Us How to Confront Others with the Gospel
Spiritual truths are spiritually discerned. A special work of the Holy Spirit is necessary if people are ever to be brought to faith. Luke made that point explicitly in the case of Lydia’s conversion in the previous chapter of Acts, saying, “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul” (Acts 16:14). Without that work of the Spirit in a person’s heart, no one can come to faith in Christ.

Image Credit: Resurrection, Leawood, Kansas