The Truth About Multi-Site Churches: The Largest Multisite Study Ever Done
Warren Bird and Sean bust the "8,000 multisite churches" myth with real numbers from the largest multisite study ever done (there are only 1800).
Multisite churches are just 0.5% of all churches, yet they reach 10% of churchgoers, and that share is growing.
Tune in for an hour of the most detailed data on multisite churches ever done, and what you can learn in the process.
Also See: CityLife Church: Building a Culture of Multiplication
Breaking the 200 Barrier
When John Maxwell said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership,” I wanted to prove him wrong when I wrote the book Comeback Churches. I felt that something more spiritual or miraculous than leadership had to explain healthy, growing, transformational churches.
As it turns out, we researched over 200 churches only to learn that Maxwell was right: Leadership is key for churches that see growth and impact.
The Big Front Door for Guests Just About Every Church Misses
Most churches miss this front door, not because of a lack of awareness but because of a lack of effort. Over half of the unchurched believe church could be a great place to make friends, but nearly 60% say it’s too intimidating to visit alone. That’s a huge opportunity. Today’s episode highlights how friendship, follow-up, and one key ingredient—an invitation—can lower the barrier and open the door for gospel conversations. Thom and Sam discuss some key takeaways from their new research.
Also See: The Unknown Connection Most Unchurched Have with the Church, What Really Scares People Away from Church
Moving Men from Consumers to Contributors
Many churches struggle to move men from passive attenders to active contributors, and the gap is wider than most pastors realize. In this episode, Scott and A.J. dig into the statistics behind male volunteerism, explore why so many men feel like there is no meaningful place for their skills in the church, and offer practical strategies for identifying, inviting, and deploying the right men in the right roles. The conversation is honest, encouraging, and packed with actionable ideas any church can apply.
VOICES: Why are Christians leaving for Islam?
I recently posted a clip about the thousands of Christians who leave the faith to become Muslims, which drew a response that disturbed me almost as much as the loss itself. Most people basically said, “good riddance.” If they were truly Christians, some argued, they would never have left.
That response contains a theological truth about being truly born again, but it also carries a dangerous temptation. It allows the Church to explain every departure by looking only at the person who left and never at the community he or she left behind. Scripture does not permit that kind of self-exoneration. Before we ask what has happened to America, we should be willing to ask what has happened to the Church.
10 Ways Every Christian Can Strengthen Their Church
Do your church members know how to strengthen the church? Most believers want a healthy church. Far fewer could tell you what their own part in building one looks like on an ordinary Tuesday.
In the early days at Lancaster Baptist Church, I led a “Visit With the Pastor” almost every Sunday night. My goal was to give our young congregation the DNA of New Testament Christianity. Each session was a short, practical lesson on something like leading someone to the Lord, having family devotions, or encouraging new Christians.
One of those lessons turned up again decades later, in a place I never expected.
Declines in Young Clergy Reflect a Changed Culture
When the Lewis Center began publishing annual reports 20 years ago on clergy age trends in the United Methodist Church—and from time to time across multiple denominations, there were two common responses to the stark decline in the percentage of young clergy (under age 35). One was surprise and even shock at the findings. The other was to offer what might be logical reasons for the small number of young clergy.
Some suggested there may be less need for entering clergy since there are fewer churches and members now. Others said that young people are doing everything later now such as finishing school, getting married, even moving out of their family home! One person suggested we check to see if there were fewer people ages 25-35 in the population now. As it turned out, there was some truth in all the ideas shared.
However, it turned out that in each case, even when taking account of the possible causes offered, those factors did not account for the degree of decline in young clergy. For example, young adults as a percentage of the population had declined, but the proportion of young clergy declined far more. The same was the case for fewer churches and members. And for young people delaying entry into professions, we compared the age trends among dentists (who have a similar length of education) with those of clergy and found no comparable absence of young dentists.
Leadership Drift: 4 Gauges Every Leader Should Check
No leader ever wakes up and says, “Today I’m going to drift.”
Drift is always accidental. It’s subtle. Quiet. Unannounced. And if we don’t notice it early, it takes us somewhere we never intended to go—often not a good place.
Episcopal churches bless animals on St. Francis of Assisi’s feast day
Oct. 4 was the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology, and Episcopal congregations nationwide celebrated by welcoming “all creatures great and small” to church.
At these special “blessing of the animals” services, Episcopalians went to church with their pets, who received special blessings.
‘We don’t want to lose the Holy Spirit as well as our skills’: What AI means for the Church
Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of everyday life, from workplaces and schools to churches and Christian ministry. But as its use grows, questions are emerging about how Christians can embrace its benefits without outsourcing the thinking, relationships and spiritual formation that lie at the heart of Christian life.
The AI Christian Partnership has sought to help churches navigate those questions with a set of guidelines encouraging Christians to approach AI thoughtfully, ethically and in line with Christian values.
Christian Today spoke with Chris Goswami, founder of the AI Christian Partnership, about why the Church needs to engage with AI now, the opportunities for ministry and evangelism, and why questions about being human are increasingly important in an AI-driven world.
Jesus Chose Us to Continue His Mission
Do you ever find yourself going back to the basics of the faith? Sometimes I find it refreshing to simply hear the gospel and see what God has done in the past through his people. As I was working on my preaching schedule for the fall, I landed on the Book of Acts because it’s the perfect back-to-basics book of Scripture. It’s an opportunity for a spiritual reset as the seasons change and life starts to settle down a bit.
To truly understand the Book of Acts, we need some context. Acts is a direct continuation of the Gospel of Luke. Written by the same author to the same recipient, Theophilus, Luke wrote his gospel to offer assurance of the gospel. Acts continues this exact work as Luke lays out a biblical history, rich with the works of God and the fulfillment of Old Testament promises.
Despite common perceptions, Acts was not written as an apologetics manual or a guide on how to do church. Rather, the focus is on God’s powerful gospel work through the saints in the early church. If we lose sight of these foundations, we risk forgetting that it is God’s work alone that empowers the church today—and that is a dangerous place to be.
The Future of Church Revitalization: What the New Wave of Pastors Will Look Like
hurch revitalization is not new. In one sense, it is as old as the church itself. The New Testament is filled with corporate calls to repentance, renewal, and reform. If ever a church needed revitalization, it was Corinth, a chaotic congregation filled with controversy.
What is newer is the formal study of revitalization as a ministry discipline. For years, these churches were more often described as “comeback churches” or “turnaround churches,” and the work was often misunderstood. Many assumed revitalization was either a proving ground for young pastors or a temporary stop on the way to a more desirable ministry assignment. But that understanding is changing. We now know far more about what it takes to lead a struggling church toward health. We know more about the actions required, the strategies that matter, the metrics worth watching, and the spiritual warfare that often comes with the work.
And increasingly, we are learning that revitalization is not just about methods. It is also about the kind of leader who is willing to walk into hard places and stay long enough to make a difference. At Church Answers, we have hundreds of interactions with revitalization efforts every year, and a leadership profile is beginning to emerge. The new wave of church revitalization leaders is not defined by any one age bracket, personality type, or ministry style. But they do share several common characteristics.
Do Younger Churchgoers Want More Liturgy?
What’s going on here? Why is this report showing a significant minority of millennials and Gen Z believers wishing there was more liturgy in their church’s worship services?
To me, it makes sense. Just think about the world younger adults have grown up in. Their whole lives they’ve been told they must invent themselves, define their own truth, and curate their own identity. The drive for self-expression and identity-performance is exhausting. Adopting ancient elements in worship says: “You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You don’t have to come up with all the words on your own. The church was praying before you got here, and she’ll keep praying after you’re gone.” For people worn out by the pressure to be original, to pray the words of our forefathers and mothers in the faith is to settle our knees into the grooves of a prayer bench weathered and marked by the tears of those who have gone before.
Plant Churches to the Ends of the Earth
Christ’s scattered flock demands missionary church planting. Consider three truths.
Why Have (Most) Churches Stopped Using Spiritual Gift Inventories?
Thom reviews the history of a tool that received widespread use for three decades. He looks at the reasons why it has almost faded away.
Tennessee Bishops to Governor: Accountability Doesn’t Require More Death
All three Episcopal bishops in Tennessee appealed to Gov. Bill Lee on October 1, urgently asking him to commute the death sentence of Christa Gail Pike after a botched execution attempt left her alive and in critical condition.
Also See: Tennessee bishops call on governor to commute sentence after inmate’s botched execution
Seeing the Truth in Tennessee
What a botched execution does is take away the disguise. We have spent a long time making state killing look like medicine: a gurney, an IV line, a sedative with a clinical name, a curtain for privacy. The whole setup tells us that nothing violent is happening here, only a procedure. When the procedure fails, we see it plainly for the first time. It is a group of people in a room trying to make a woman stop breathing, and failing. My mother did in a Jeep Cherokee what Tennessee did by accident on Wednesday night. She described the thing truthfully, and once you’ve seen it described, it is hard to un-see.
Also See: ‘Bring back the electric chair,’ Tennessee GOP candidate urges after botched execution
United Methodist Church Split: The Aftermath
A look at the period following theUnited Methodist Church split and the effects that it has caused.
A Church Split Doesn’t Just Divide a Congregation, It Can Cost People Their Faith Forever The researchers behind The Great Dechurching estimate that about 40 million American adults have stopped attending church over the past 25 years. Most drifted away for ordinary reasons like a move or a crowded schedule. A smaller group, often called church casualties, left because of conflict, abuse, or harm. You can read more about why Americans are leaving church. A split is one of the fastest ways to add names to that second list.
800 years on: Why St Francis of Assisi still captivates the world
4 October is St Francis’s Day, when Christians around the world remember the life and witness of Francis of Assisi. This year’s observance has particular significance, marking the 800th anniversary of his death. This is the story...
Also See: St. Francis Among the Anglicans
The Pastoral Burden of Never Having “Off Hours”
Josh and Sam discuss how to avoid the “always available” trap of shepherding a congregation. Unfortunately, many pastors, if not most, are never truly “off.”
Before You Ask AI, Remember What It Means to Be Human
Artificial intelligence is advancing quickly, and like every powerful technology, it will almost certainly bring consequences we can anticipate as well as those we cannot. At the same time, I don’t believe fear should be the defining posture of the people of God.
Perhaps there is a better question for us to ask. Instead of simply asking, “Should Christians use AI?” maybe we should ask, “What kind of people is our use of AI forming us into?” That is ultimately a discipleship question.
3 Shifts To Help Students Thrive in Their Faith
There’s no better way for students to thrive in their faith than to get their eyes off themselves and onto Christ and His mission.
Practicing Whose Way?
Since publication in 2024, Practicing the Way has made some serious waves, selling over half a million copies within the first year of release. John Mark Comer presents his model of ‘apprenticeship to Jesus’ as the solution to the “problem of the so-called human condition” (p. xv). The book is for those investigating the Christian faith, those wanting to take their faith more seriously, and those who feel stuck in their Christian growth.
Comer’s books, podcasts, and sermons have had an impact on Christians I know here in Australia. In some ways, the book’s success is hardly surprising. Comer, a former pastor in the secular city of Portland, demonstrates a clear grasp of our cultural moment, as well as the ability to persuasively engage with a younger Christian audience. However, I ultimately found myself disappointed with the less-than-helpful answers that the book provides.
Fostering Connections in the Community and Church Through Sports
Josh Jordan, Family Life Pastor, from First Baptist Church Covington, LA joins Jess and Thom on the show to discuss how his church has used Upward Sports to engage families in their community.
How to Talk to Strangers
This is not a perfect list, but here are a few tips I’ve picked up. I hope they prove helpful.
This Sunday, October 4, 2026, is the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity. It is also the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis was a preacher, a friar, and the founder of the religious order of Friars Minor, or Lesser Brothers, also known as the Franciscans.
A friar is a member of a religious group of men whose members take a vow of poverty, promising to stay poor throughout their lives, but unlike monks do not live and work in a monastery. Rather they live and work in the larger community, helping the poor in various ways.
Francis also founded the Poor Clares, a similar religious order for women.
Most of my own knowledge of Saint Francis comes from The Little Flowers of Saint Francis, a collection of popular tales about Saint Francis and his companions, originally written in Latin and later translated into Italian and English. As I recollect, it was one of the first books of a religious nature, which I read as a youngster.
As well as his preaching, his miracles, and his works of mercy, Saint Francis is famous for his poem, "Canticle of the Sun" (Canticum Solis). Several translations of this poem have been set to music and included in hymnals and other collections of sacred music. The two translations commonly found in Anglican and Episcopal hymnals are William Henry Draper’s “All Creatures of Our God and King” and Howard Chandler Robbins’ “Most High, Omnipotent, Good Lord.”
In recent times a number of Anglican, Episcopal, Methodist, and mainline Lutheran churches have adopted the practice of blessing pets and farm animals on Saint Francis’ feast day. Roman Catholics traditionally celebrate the feast day with Masses, processions, and pilgrimages to Assisi, the birthplace of Saint Francis and Saint Clare.
If you are new to Sundays at All Hallows the MP3 of the simple piano accompaniment for the metrical versions of the Benedictus and the Te Deum for the remaining Sunday for Trinitytide, the Season after Trinity, contains no vocals, just the tune played on the piano. Each accompaniment begins with a brief introduction. The tunes, KINGSFOLD and TALLIS’ CANON(EIGTH TUNE), were picked for their wide use in hymnals and other collections of sacred music and the greater likelihood of familiarity to the singer.
The topic of this Sunday’s message is the Ten Commandments.
Reading: Exodus 20: 1-5, 7-20; Philippians 3: 4b-14; and Matthew 21: 33-46
Message: “Thou Shalt….”
Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/10/sundays-at-all-hallows-october-4-2026.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.
The Folly of Trying to Measure Success In Christ’s “First Shall Be Last” Kingdom
We need to measure what we can manage, but let’s not fall into the trap of thinking we have more control than we do.
5 Skills Every Pastor Needs to Grow a Healthy Church
Young adults who go to church are going more often than they have in years. Barna’s State of the Church research found the typical Gen Z churchgoer now attends 1.9 weekends a month, the highest rate Barna has recorded for young Christians. Across all churched adults, the average is about 1.6 weekends a month.
So more people are walking through your doors with real questions, and most of them will hear only part of what you say this month. Whether your church grows from here depends on how you lead. Here is the mindset that comes first, the five skills every pastor needs, and the obstacles that stall church growth most often.
Judge Rules ICE Likely Violated NY Parishioner’s Free Speech Rights
On September 29, a preliminary injunction against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took effect, barring the agencies from relying on a warning notice issued to author and journalist David Streever, a parishioner of the Diocese of Rochester and husband of the Rev. Hilary Streever. The order also bars the government from issuing similar threats or making good on the threats contained in the notice.
Streever had been at the center of what a judge said in a September 15 ruling was likely a First Amendment violation.
As ICE readies Louisiana facility for children and families, faith leaders hold vigil
Part of the Trump administration’s efforts to ramp up deportations, the facility — which will hold unaccompanied minors and families — is situated beside an airport that has become known as the country’s busiest hub for deportation flights.
East Tennessee bishop joins Southern faith leaders in supporting immigrants facing deportation
East Tennessee Bishop Brian Cole and ecumenical faith leaders from across the South gathered Sept. 30 for an event in Knoxville to express their support for immigrant families living in fear of the Trump administration’s push for mass deportations.
Here’s what to know about Pete Hegseth’s new Office of Religious Affairs
A memo announcing the establishment of the Office of Religious Affairs said it would ‘oversee research, technology, and analytical tools to support and assess spiritual fitness, spiritual readiness, and spiritual resilience’ of soldiers.
Virginia State University sued for forcing Christian groups under rule of single 'campus minister'
Two Christian student groups are suing Virginia State University (VSU), claiming the historically black school has discriminated against them by instituting a policy putting their clubs under the governance of a single university-employed campus minister despite doctrinal disagreements.
Women of Victory and Bethel Campus Fellowship filed a complaint against VSU last week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, over an August policy change that they say strips some religious student groups of their registered status and requires them to be absorbed into a university entity called Campus Ministries.
500 million Christians worldwide face Bible access restrictions, report finds
More than 500 million Christians worldwide face restrictions on obtaining or using a Bible, with government controls, extremist violence and pressure from families and communities making access difficult or dangerous, according to a new report.
The Bible Access List 2026 estimates that more than 250 million of these Christians face very difficult or severe restrictions, with believers in some countries risking imprisonment or death for possessing Scripture.
Published by the Bible Access Initiative, a partnership of Bible agencies and ministries, the assessment covers 106 countries and examines both barriers to access and shortages among Christians who want a Bible.
The NEW NARNIA Looks Terrible - The Magician's Nephew First Look Review
My thoughts on the first images and information about Greta Gerwig's adaptation of The Magician's Nephew, the "prequel" to Narnia.
On social media a major conflagration has erupted over Greta Gerwig's alterations and additions to the original story which go beyond adaptation of the story to the medium of film. Initially this increasingly heated controversy focused on Gerwig's reimiging of the Narnia Chronicles' central character and Christ figure Aslan but has expanded to her motives for this and other changes in the story.
Retrieve the Past. Retain the Truth.
Every doctrine is important, but not every doctrine is equally important.
We should show due deference to the Christian tradition, but Scripture still has pride of place as the sole, inspired, and inerrant Word of God.
The Cross of Creation’s Praise – On the Feast of St. Francis
The modern custom of blessing animals draws on a particular portrait of St. Francis of Assisi, an image of a friar with affection for animals. Absent, perhaps strangely, are the details of Francis’ relationship to creatures. The modern image of Francis typically leaves aside the ascetic and ecclesial shape of his life—the historical details—to encourage a sentimental environmental “stewardship.” But when Francis is invoked primarily as a symbol of environmental concern, detached from the evangelical poverty and obedience that defined him, the Church loses access to the fuller scope of the divine goods his witness discloses.
Why Preachers Should Pick One Translation (And Which One Is Best)
am welcomes Dr. Nijay Gupta back to the Rainer on Leadership podcast. Nijay is a senior translator for the New Living Translation, a Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary, and the author of several books, including "A Beginner's Guide to New Testament Studies" and "Tell Her Story." Today they discuss why preachers should commit to one primary translation in the pulpit, and why the New Living Translation is the best choice.
The New Living Translation (NLT) is not authorized for use in the Episcopal Church.
"Resolved, That Canon II.2.1 is hereby amended to read as follows:
Sec. 1. The Lessons prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer shall be read from the translation of the Holy Scriptures commonly known as the King James or Authorized Version (which is the historic Bible of this Church) together with the Marginal Readings authorized for use by the General Convention of 1901; or from one of the three translations known as Revised Versions, including the English Revision of 1881, the American Revision of 1901, and the Revised Standard Version of 1952; from the Jerusalem Bible of 1966; from the New English Bible with the Apocrypha of 1970; or from The 1976 Good News Bible (Today’s English Version); or from The New American Bible (1970); or from The Revised Standard Version, an Ecumenical Edition, commonly known as the “R.S.V. Common Bible” (1973); or from The New International Version (1978); or from The New Jerusalem Bible (1987); or from the Revised English Bible (1989); or from the New Revised Standard Version (19901989, 2022); or from the Contemporary English Version (1995); or from the Contemporary English Version Global (2005); or Common English Bible (2011); from The Revised New Jerusalem Bible (2019); or from translations, authorized by the diocesan bishop, of those approved versions published in any other language; or from other versions of the Bible, including those in languages other than English, which shall be authorized by diocesan bishops for specific use in congregations or ministries within their dioceses.
The NLT, on the other hand, is authorized for use in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. Note that the Episcopal Church's canon does permit diocesan bishops to authorize the NLT for specific use in congregations or ministries within their dioceses (if I am interpreting the canon correctly).
Other Anglican juridictions have similar canons listing what Bible translations may be read publicly in their cathedrals, college chapels, parish churches, missions, and schools. These restrictions generally do not extend to Sunday school classes, small groups, private devotions, or most importantly, to sermon preparation.
Fighting Lust
Strong’s Concordance says that lust is a strong desire or craving, especially for that which is forbidden.
James, in James 4:2, goes on to say,
“You lust and do not have, so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.”
These strong desires lead to terrifying results. They cause a severe lack of thankfulness, which leads to anger, fighting, arguing, and even murder. The problem is that we want something we cannot have, so we hurt each other to get it.
Lust, manifest as "a very strong sexual desire" and as "a a very powerful feeling of wanting something" is a major problem besetting the Church in our times, and has led to the downfall of both clergy and lay persons. It may also be arguably influencing doctrine and practice in some denominations and churches. Self-denial has fallen on hard times and self-gratification has taken its place.
12 Crazy Cool Church Outreach Ideas from Churches Just Like Yours
A Princeton church served three-course dinners on linen tablecloths and let every guest pay whatever they could. An Oklahoma City pastor started fixing up donated bikes so people without cars could get to work. A group of Kansas teenagers who barely knew how to sew made quilts for kids in crisis.
None of these started with a big budget or a marketing plan. Each one started when someone noticed a need nobody else was meeting and decided their church should do something about it.
These 12 church outreach ideas come from congregations profiled by Outreach Magazine. Some are large churches. Many are small. Every one of them gives you a pattern you can borrow this month, and the last idea on the list is the boldest of the bunch.
Jason C. Stanley: 5 Tips for Your Trunk-or-Treat
Tis the season for fall decorations, pumpkin spice, costumes, and Trunk-or-Treats. Soon, church parking lots and social halls will be transformed into a safe space for costumed children and their parents. While Trunk-or-Treats are fun, they are an excellent opportunity to meet your neighbors and develop relationships. Yet, it requires intentionality to ensure that a Trunk-or-Treat is fun and relationship-building. Here are five tips for your Trunk-or-Treat.
New documentary looks at the changing face of Christian churchgoing
‘Christianity at a Crossroads,’ by documentary filmmaker Martin Doblmeier, tells the story of congregational church life in the United States at a critical moment when growth has flatlined, younger generations are less religious and a raft of scandals have overtaken nearly every Christian denomination.
Why People Don’t Go to Your Church: 6 Fixable Reasons
Most pastors can name a family who visited once and never came back. Fewer can explain why so many people in their own neighborhood never visit at all. That second group is much larger, and you can’t welcome someone who never walks through the door.
People are still open to church. Barna’s 2025 State of the Church research found Gen Z and Millennial churchgoers attending close to two weekends a month, more often than any older generation. A Lifeway Research survey of 2,000 unchurched Americans found that most of them aren’t hostile to faith. When new people still aren’t showing up, the cause is usually something a church can change.
Here are six of the most common reasons, with a practical next step for each one.
63% of UK Evangelicals Downplay Sin: The State of Theology
How serious is our sin?
The State of Theology survey has returned to the United Kingdom, revealing what people really believe about God, the Bible, and salvation.
The results reveal significant confusion, even among professing Christians.
63% of evangelicals in the United Kingdom agree with the statement, “Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.”
ACNA Bishops Censure Edgar, Depose Jones
The Anglican Church in North America’s College of Bishops announced disciplinary sentences against two of its bishops and the failure of an inquiry into the recent trial of a third, while expressing an intention of “collective repentance” going forward.
Bishop Mariann Budde to resign, will remain in post during lengthy replacement process
‘I’m going to do all that I can to both lead well in this period and to ensure that there’s as much wind in the sails of the future leader and the diocese going forward as is humanly possible,’ Budde said in an exclusive interview with Religion News Service.
Also See: Washington Bishop Mariann Budde announces timeline for electing successor in 2028
Northern Indiana diocese releases detailed reasons for decision not to reunify with Indianapolis
The Diocese of Northern Indiana Standing Committee has released a lengthy statement outlining the reasons the diocese, in November 2025, decided it wasn’t ready for reunification with the Diocese of Indianapolis, saying the decision “came from a renewed understanding of our own identity.”
No single factor led to the votes at the diocesan convention last year, the standing committee said on Oct. 1. The Diocese of Indianapolis also voted on a resolution that acknowledged the reunification talks without moving forward with a plan to reunify. Both dioceses said they intended to “continue and expand this Season of Collaboration.”
South Carolina AG Takes Over Criminal Cases Connected to Pawleys Island Community Church
The South Carolina Attorney General’s (SCAG) Office has taken over prosecution of the criminal cases against five people, including the former pastor and his wife, connected to Pawleys Island Community Church (PICC) and the now-defunct Pawleys Island Christian Academy (PICA). In the meantime, the church is moving forward with nominations for up to seven new elders; in 2027, PICC elders will lead the selection process for a new senior pastor.
Woman Sues Willow Creek, Alleging Church Failed To Respond to Sexual Abuse Allegations When She Was a Teen
In a new lawsuit, a woman is claiming that in the 1990s, leaders of Willow Creek Community Church failed to respond to her allegations that a member of the church’s staff sexually abused her. She was a teenager at the time of the alleged abuse.
The woman is seeking more than $50,000 in monetary damages.
Think on these things
So, what do you think about? What fills your mind?
I don’t know about you, but so many things have filled my mind in these past few months. In the midst of a global war, environmental disaster, and the AI apocalypse, it’s been impossible not to play out all the worst possible scenarios for the future. Turning on the news certainly doesn’t help; neither does my social media feed.
What fills our thoughts will trigger and reinforce how we act. Both psychotherapists and spiritual counselors recognize this connection. The thought gives birth to the deed!
Pastoring Someone Through Anxiety or Depression
The greatest gift a pastor can give a person struggling with anxiety and depression is a solid biblical theology of mental illness.
A Church Offering Only Life Tips Is Giving ‘Self-Help With a Christian Vocabulary’
Most pastors would never admit it, but plenty of Sunday sermons could run in a corporate training room with a few edits. Swap “God” for “the universe,” pull the Bible verse off the slide, and the message still holds together: five ways to beat stress, three keys to a stronger marriage, how to find your purpose.
That is the problem. A church that offers only life tips is giving people self-help with a Christian vocabulary. The words still sound familiar. What sits underneath them has quietly changed.
Sociologists have a name for the faith this kind of preaching tends to produce. It’s called moralistic therapeutic deism, and it can grow in a church that never meant to teach it. Here is what it is, why churches drift toward it, and five questions to run any sermon through before Sunday.
New resource launched to bring evangelism and social action together
Christian charity Jubilee+ is launching a new resource designed to help churches connect their work tackling poverty with sharing the Christian faith.
Speak Jesus, a 44-page magazine, has been produced for individuals, church leaders, evangelists and teams involved in mercy ministries. It offers practical ideas and guidance for Christians wanting to share the gospel alongside meeting practical needs.
Intentional Evangelism: BLESS
BLESS equips every Covenanter to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with their neighbors, resourcing them with five missional practices to fulfill the Great Commission, demonstrate God’s love, and join God’s restorative work in the world. We begin with Prayer. Listen with care. Eat together. Serve with love. And share the story of God’s love. It’s that simple. It’s that powerful.
Also See: The BLESS Practices
Image Credit: Journey Films
Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.
This evening’s first lesson is taken from the Apocrypha, a collection of books and texts annexed to Anglican Bibles, but which Anglicans and other Protestants do not regard as divinely inspired like the Old Testament and the New Testament. According to Philip Edgcumbe Hughes’ A Re-Statement of the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, which is “designed simply to clarify the language and meaning of the Articles for the benefit of the modern reader,” Article 6 states, “The books known as the Apocrypha are read by the church as Jerome said, because of the examples they provide of heroic lives and faithful conduct; but the church does not use these books to establish any doctrine.”
Selections from the Apocrypha are found in the Daily Office and Eucharistic Lectionaries used in the various Anglican Churches.
Benedicite Omnia Opera, taken from the Apocrypha’s “Song of the Three Young Men,” is one of the canticles of Anglican Morning Prayer and Lutheran Matins. Benedictus Es Domine, also taken from the “Song of the Three Young Men,” is another canticle of Anglican Morning Prayer. Benedictus Es Domine and Benedicite Omnia Opera formed together a central feature of the ancient dawn office of Lauds, the forerunner of Anglican Morning Prayer and Lutheran Matins.
In this evening’s message we unpack 1 Peter 4:7-11 and examine what it means to be faithful stewards of God’s grace.
Readings: Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 38:24-34; 1 Peter 4:7-11
Message: Stewards of God’s Grace
Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/10/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows.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.
Could the Church face a ‘silver uprising’?
Churches are being urged to take seriously the contributions of older members - or run the risk of facing a ‘silver uprising’ of discontent from seniors in their congregations.
The warning comes as the United Nations marks Thursday October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons, dedicated to recognising the role of older people across the world. In the UK, the US and other western countries, populations are ageing, with many more people reaching retirement age and beyond.
Pope Leo’s visit to France shows how the church and country are changing
While the youth greeted the pope like a rockstar, European representatives welcomed him as a respected leader who supports multilateralism, reconciliation, justice and peace.
Also See: Pope urges Church to find its voice in secular France
1-year-old euthanized under new rules in the Netherlands allowing termination for sick children
Doctors in the Netherlands euthanized a severely disabled 1-year-old child, the first case reported by Dutch authorities under rules introduced in 2024 that allow ending the lives of seriously ill children between the ages of 1 and 12.
According to an assessment published by the Netherlands’ Review Committee on Late-term Abortions and Termination of Life of Neonates and Children, which reviews such cases, the doctor involved in administering the euthanasia “acted with due care.”
Andy Beshear: A faith that governs differently
Last Sunday, I heard Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speak about his newly released book, Go and Do Likewise: How We Heal a Broken Country, at St. Stephen Church, a prominent African American church in the heart of West Louisville.
As I sat in that crowded sanctuary and listened, two things struck me. First, here was a Democrat talking openly about Christian faith in a way qualitatively different from the white Christian nationalism that has hijacked the Republican Party. Second, and more importantly, he was talking about the role of faith in governance, not merely campaigning.
Southern Africa Rejects Same-Sex Prayers Again
The Anglican Church in Southern Africa’s Provincial Synod defeated two resolutions that would have nudged it toward blessing same-sex unions. Despite a series of attempts by progressives over more than a decade, the September 23 votes leave the church’s teaching and practice of marriage unchanged as Archbishop Thabo Makgoba reaches the end of nearly two decades of leading the province.
Evangelical Press Association to vote on dropping the 'e-word'
The group of journalists wants to change its name to the Christian Communicators Network, saying the word 'evangelical' has too many political overtones and a bad public image.
“My kingdom is not of this world” – why Christian Nationalism misses the mark
“Now who can hear Christ declare, that his kingdom is not of this world, and yet believe that this blending of church and state together can be pleasing to him?” – Baptist pastor Isaac Backus (1724–1806)
As an evangelical Christian, I am conservative—theologically conservative and, to the extent that I am informed, politically conservative as well. As a moral conservative, I am convinced that Christians ought to season society by advocating biblical principles and values in public debates concerning ethics and morality. At the same time, I reject the movement commonly known as Christian Nationalism. Although the movement is broad and far from unified on every point, I believe that its fundamental ideas are both unbiblical and counterproductive to the mission the Lord Jesus has entrusted to his church.
10 Ways Worship Leaders Accidentally Distract From Worship
Most worship distractions start on the platform. They usually come from people who love their church and want to serve it well: a long speech before the bridge, a mix so loud the room goes quiet, a key only the lead vocalist can reach.
These habits creep in slowly, which makes them hard to see from the stage. Below are 10 of the most common ways worship leaders pull attention away from God, with a fix for each one you can try at your next rehearsal. Two of them are newer problems that many teams have not talked about yet.
7 Tips to Help You Preach Persuasively
Do you want to teach your people the Bible in a way that makes sense and engages your people, ultimately compelling them to follow Jesus? Then you need to preach persuasively, just like Paul. (2 Cor. 5:11) At the same time, we are not simply pursuing public speaking tricks to make the audience think highly of us or deceive ourselves into thinking we can persuade people into the kingdom in our own strength. Again, to take such a stance is to be in lockstep with Paul. (1 Cor. 2:1–5) All we are really trying to do is to honor a beautiful text by working at speaking in a comparably beautiful way. That is, at the heart of it, what persuasion is. Persuasion is important, and persuasion is challenging. But it is a challenge worth pursuing. Here are seven tips (amongst an ocean of them) to help you preach persuasively.
Also See: AI, Sermon Preparation, and the Ministry of the Word
AI Promises Intimacy but Delivers Isolation
If social media came for our attention, artificial intelligence is now coming for our capacity for attachment. Chatbots that speak to us in a human voice offer themselves as best friends, lovers, and psychotherapists. As of 2025, over 70% of teens and nearly one-third of US adults rely on AI for companionship and emotional support, with many preferring these chatbot relationships over human ones.
52 Small Group Activities to Build Church Fellowship
Plenty of small groups can finish a 10-week study and still not know each other’s kids’ names. Shared experiences close that gap faster than another round of discussion questions. A burnt batch of burgers, a lost disc in the creek, a Saturday spent hauling boxes up a member’s stairs: those are the stories your group will still be telling years from now.
Below are 52 small group activities sorted by type, so you can match an idea to your group’s size, budget, schedule, and season of life. Some will fit your people perfectly. Others will spark a better idea of your own. Either way, the point is to do them together.
The Origin of “The Great Commission” and How It Has Shaped Contemporary Discipleship
Can the Great Commission help us better understand the call to Christian discipleship today? There is no denying that Christians are currently struggling with how to engage certain aspects of our cultural and political moment. Often, I hear ministry leaders using the language of crisis to describe the state of Christian formation and discipleship. Perhaps Christ’s command can help us grasp better the challenge and opportunity before his church.
Congregational vitality initiatives launch with unified focus, additional staffing, and upcoming networking and training opportunities
The Episcopal Church’s Congregational Vitality Department is initiating a renewed focus on church planting, revitalization, and redevelopment in concert with dioceses and local leaders. The work will be supported by three new staff positions and a yearlong series of webinars and in-person gatherings for professional development, leadership training, and networking opportunities for all Episcopalians interested in congregational vitality.
Learn more on the department’s webpage and sign up to receive updates.
How First Baptist Church Fernandina Beach Is Growing Through Conversation
The growth of First Baptist Church in Fernandina Beach, Florida, isn’t the result of a slick campaign or a reinvention of worship. According to Senior Pastor Zach Terry, it comes down to something far simpler: People want to be talked with, not talked at.
World Evangelical Alliance celebrates 180th anniversary
The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) has held an online celebration to mark its 180th anniversary. Hundreds of people from more than 22 countries attended, and the event was rebroadcast to accommodate different time zones.
Founded in London in 1846, the WEA now extends to more than 160 countries and territories. Through nine regional evangelical alliances spanning regions including Asia and Europe, it serves 650 million evangelicals worldwide. Commemorative gatherings were scheduled around the world on 27 September, designated “WEA Day”.
Wycliffe celebrates ‘remarkable moment’ as Bible translation advances at rapid pace
“The day is getting closer when everyone has access to God’s word in their own language, thanks to the amazing momentum in the work of Bible translation that has continued in the past 12 months,” Wycliffe Bible Translators has said.
The complete Bible is now available in more than 800 languages worldwide after another year of rapid progress in Bible translation, according to new figures from the Bible translation ministry.
Federal court dismisses JAFC suit against ACNA
A federal judge in South Carolina has dismissed the Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy’s lawsuit against the Anglican Church in North America, holding that the dispute cannot be decided by a civil court without intruding into matters of church discipline, governance, and polity. The dismissal for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction is without prejudice.
Western Gulf Coast sets Nov. 7 synod to elect Paul Donison as bishop; Great Plains transfer proposed
The Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast has called an electoral synod for Nov. 7 to choose its second bishop, with the Rt. Rev. Paul Donison standing as the sole nominee, while the Great Plains Missionary District is preparing to join the diocese if the election succeeds and the result is confirmed.
Update from the ANiE: Over one new church a month
Nearly six years after its founding, the Anglican Network in Europe has kept up a striking pace of growth: better than one new congregation added every month, according to official data from each diocese. Now it counts 121 local congregations, up from the 30 it started with when it launched in the 8 December 2020, by GAFCON Primates’ Council.
Averaged out, the growth from 30 to 121 congregations works out to roughly 91 new communities over about 69 months — or slightly more than one congregation added per month since its founding, a move that has held steady enough to become something of a talking point.
Former Long Island church to be sold for $11.8 million as two congregations merge
Two Episcopal congregations in the Diocese of Long Island began worshipping together this month through a merger that expects to benefit financially from the prospective sale of one of the two church properties for $11.8 million.
How Can Disciples Walk Faithfully in a Postliterate Era?
Is reading really on the verge of extinction? What do Christians stand to lose in a world that prizes short-form videos over the printed word—and how can we walk faithfully? I spoke with several Christian experts in literature and technology who shared their hopes and fears for a postliterate society.
What Clergy Age Trends Tell Us About Church Leadership
What can church leaders learn from the latest Clergy Age Trends report? Jonathan Page identifies three key takeaways for the church: cultivating calls to ministry among younger people, recognizing how changing family and vocational realities are reshaping itinerancy, and addressing the financial challenges that affect clergy recruitment and retention.
Evangelicals Must Reform Their Worship
Church isn't meant to be a dull routine or an entertainment-driven spectacle. It's a weekly heavenly ascent that transforms us to live the Christian life here on earth. Adriel Sanchez joins Michael Horton and Bob Hiller to discuss his book, Why We Worship: Experiencing Heaven on Earth at Church.
Active faith linked to happier marriages and lower divorce rates, study finds
People who regularly attend church are more likely to report happy marriages, according to a new report examining the relationship between faith and family life.
According to the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) study, they also reported a stronger commitment to marriage and greater sexual satisfaction than those who were less religiously active.
12 Reasons to Go to Church on Rainy Sundays
This article is adapted from one written by Frances Havergal and published in 1916.
Is It Worth Going to Church When I Can’t Even Be in the Service?
Should I even bother going to church when I’m not going to be in the service most of the time?
In the disorienting, frustrating blur of fresh motherhood, this is a crucial question. First, your baby always needs to eat and/or nap during the service. Then, he becomes mobile and wants to practice walking rather than sitting in the pew. Next, he learns a word and wants to shout it repeatedly at top volume. This leads to months—or years, if you have multiple children—of wondering, Will I ever sit through a whole service again?
The Case for (Sometimes) Wordless Evangelism
There’s scriptural warrant for preaching a wordless gospel through our actions after we’ve clearly proclaimed it in words.
Image Credit: First Baptist Church Fernandina Beach, Florida
The Three Phases of the Stealth Migration of Denominationally Affiliated Congregation to Becoming Non-Denominational
Typically, congregations do not shift from denominationally affiliated to non-denominational overnight. They go through phases that take years or even decades. This is partially why the first half-century—1975-2025—of the transition of denominational Protestantism to non-denominational focused on new congregations launched by entrepreneurial leadership.
I believe the next fifty years will focus on denominational congregations following the lead of those who have come before them, sharing what they have found within the non-denominational movement.
Cross Carrying & Hope Sharing
Is there anything to be said about the Great Commission that hasn’t already been said? Pastors and thinkers, theologians and writers, podcasters and bloggers alike have spilled ink and shared opinions to the point where it often feels like the Great Commission has been discussed more than it has been practiced.
In all our church discussions surrounding the Great Commission, have we somehow talked ourselves out of doing it?
From what I have observed over more than four decades the Episcopal Church excels at dissuading itself that it needs to evangelize the unchurched and spiritually disconnected and to make more disciples as our Lord commanded, not suggested, not encouraged, but COMMANDED!
Your Church Needs This More Than a New Coffee Bar
Kimberli Lira wrote this after cancer took her husband. It asks the question most church growth plans skip: who is actually sitting in your seats on Sunday, and what do they need?
Before Your Church Plants, Ask Why
Healthy churches multiply. The reason God saved us is the same reason we plant churches. It’s all for the glory of God.
Also See: Before Your Church Plants, Ask How
Winning the Gap: Why the Next Phase of a Proven Multisite Strategy May Begin Portably
The strategic question: When the next location is part of the plan, why wait years for a permanent facility before beginning ministry in the community?
All of the church plants in which I was involved from the mid-1980s on, two Episcopal, one United Methodist, and two Southern Baptist began portably, in a tennis clubhouse, a living room, a maritime museum conference room, a firestation, and a student union banquet room.
Christian leaders issue ‘sober and urgent call’ for Western Church to prepare for disruption
Christian leaders Steve and Esther Uppal have issued what they described as a “sober, urgent call” to Christians and church leaders in the West, warning that they believe a period of major disruption may be approaching.
Speaking in a video published by Revival Times on September 4, the couple said they had sensed throughout 2026 that the Church should prepare spiritually for “great change and challenge”.
Pope Leo says existential concerns about AI 'should be taken seriously'
'If someone were to ask me, am I in panic mode? No, I sleep at night,' the pope said. But, he doesn’t believe the warnings regarding AI are 'fake news, as some have said.'
Clergy Age Trends in the United Methodist Church: 1985-2026
Notice in the chart below the change between 2000 and 2015 when the percentage of elders between 35 and 54 dropped from 65 percent in 2000 to 38 percent in 2015, with the percentage of elders between 55 and 72 increasing from 30 percent in 2000 to 55 percent in 2015. This major adjustment in the elder makeup reflected the aging of the historically large baby boom generation. In 2000, the youngest boomer was 36, and the oldest was 54. By 2015, the youngest boomer was 51, and the oldest was 69. By 2026, there is a rebalancing of the middle and older age cohorts. In 2026, elders between 35 and 54 are relatively close to that age group’s presence in the total population between 25 and 72. Older elders are still disproportionately represented compared to the same general population pool. Young elders below the age of 35 continue to be represented well below the presence of their age group among the general population ages 25 to 72.
JRR Tolkien to join CS Lewis in Westminster Abbey’s Poets’ Corner
J.R.R. Tolkien, the devout Catholic author whose Christian beliefs helped shape The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, will be honored with a memorial in Poets’ Corner at London’s Westminster Abbey, alongside his close friend and fellow Christian writer C.S. Lewis.
Westminster Abbey announced that the memorial to the author, scholar, linguist and artist is scheduled to be unveiled during a dedication ceremony in spring 2027, coinciding with the 90th anniversary of The Hobbit and the 50th anniversary of The Silmarillion.
Preach Sermons, Not Commentaries
Sermontaries inform, sermons transform. Greg Morse explains the difference.
A surprising number of Americans use AI for spiritual reasons. Here's what they told us
The poll found that 11% of AI users have sought spiritual guidance from artificial intelligence, while 13% have used the technology to generate prayers, and 15% say they have used it to study Scripture.
A Crisis in Formation: How AI Is Shaping Teenagers and Their Spiritual Lives
For many students, AI is deeply woven into the rhythms of ordinary life. Teenagers are using tools like OpenAI ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and other AI systems to write essays, summarize readings, generate study guides, brainstorm captions, process emotions, and even ask spiritual questions they hesitate to bring to parents, pastors, or mentors. AI increasingly functions as a tutor, assistant, pastor, parent, editor, counselor, and companion all at once.
Students are not merely active users of AI; they are also passively shaped by it. Large language models are now embedded throughout the digital ecosystems teenagers inhabit—often in ways they barely recognize. AI is no longer confined to academics or productivity. It is influencing social media feeds, entertainment, gaming, advertising, online shopping, and countless other spaces that shape young people’s desires, imaginations, habits, and identities.
The Church cannot afford to view AI as merely another technological development. We must think about it theologically, pastorally, and formationally. The central question is not simply whether AI is “good” or “bad,” but what kind of people these technologies shape us to become. We are all discipled one way or another; the real question is whether we can recognize who or what is discipling us.
The Hidden Apologetic of Humility
A Christian apologist should be confident in the doctrines of the faith, but confidence in Christianity doesn’t negate the need for humility.
The Place of Congregational Singing in the Worship, Ministry, and Life of the Church
As you read the Old Testament, particularly the Book of Psalms, you will come across numerous verses about offering thanks and praise to God in song, declaring God’s mighty deeds in song, and the like. In the Old Testament we read that songs were composed to celebrate important events in the life of the community as well as the life of the composer. Songs were also composed to warn future generations of how the people of Israel had failed God in the past and not to make the same mistakes. They were also composed to lament the passing of a king or some other important or famous person.
While the New Testament has less references to singing, it does contain a number of songs or fragments of songs.
While the worship of the Temple had trained choirs of Levites who sang songs of praise and thanksgiving to God and who played various musical instruments to accompany their singing, the ordinary people took part in the singing. Singing in Old Testament times was not exclusively the domain of professionals. Nor was it in New Testament times.
Jesus and his disciples sang a hymn, most likely Psalm 116 or a portion of that psalm, after they had eaten the Last Supper together. In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul talks about sharing a song, a teaching, or a prophecy at church meetings and the importance of whatever is done strengthening everyone who is present (1 Corinthians 14:26-33). In his letters to the Ephesians and the Colossians he urges the churches at Ephesus and Colossae to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).
While some churches choose not to use musical instruments in their worship of God because the New Testament is silent on the use of instruments in Christian worship, it must be pointed out that the same churches permit the use of other things that are not mentioned in the New Testament—pews, meeting houses, electric lights, pulpits, and the like. They are selective in the application of this principle. The New Testament contains no prohibition against the use of musical instruments and therefore we are free to use them in our worship.
At the same time, I recognize that a congregation can greatly benefit from learning to sing without accompaniment of any kind The members of the congregation get to hear their combined voices and this itself can have a positive effect on their singing.
In The Art of Public Worship (1920) Percy Dearmer, Anglican priest, author, hymn writer and translator, and editor of The English Hymnal (1906), observed that when members of a congregation sing together, they have a natural tendency to harmonize their voices. Others have observed that when one or more strong voices are singing the tune of a hymn, the rest of the congregation will match their voices to the voices of this individual or group of individuals.
A congregation can benefit from strong musical leadership, but it need not be in the form of a choir or the vocalists on a worship or praise band. A cantor or precentor can lead the congregational singing.
If the voice of the cantor or precentor is electronically amplified, the amplification should not be so loud that the congregational singing cannot be heard. This may mean that the cantor or precentor should step back from the microphone, or the amplification should be turned down. The music of a worship service should not be one long solo. A cantor or precentor can perform special music, but this should not be their principal task, which is leading the congregational singing.
A small ensemble can also lead congregational singing.
When an organ or electric guitars and a drum kit are played too loudly, they can drown out congregational singing but also discourage it.
Hand drums like the bodhran (or Celtic frame drum), the cajon (or box drum), djembe, or steel drum may at times be preferrable to a set of drums and cymbals played with drumsticks. Every song does not require drum accompaniment.
For small churches a good quality upright piano is best musical instrument to accompany congregational singing. The congregation can hear the notes of a tune more clearly when played on a piano, and unlike a grand piano, the sound of an upright piano travels outward, not upward, and electronic amplification may not be required.
During World War I Percy Dearmer found that men were more likely to join in singing hymns accompanied on a piano in an informal setting than they were accompanied on an organ, in the more formal setting of a parish church. This and the abysmal state of organ music in the early twentieth century led him to propose a moratorium on organs in churches.
A number of percussion, string, and wind instruments can be used in Christian worship—hand bells, chimes, gongs, muyu (Chinese woodblocks), claves, angklung, hammered dulcimer, autoharp, cello, violin, Appalachian dulcimer (or mountain dulcimer), mandolin, lap harp, penny whistle, recorder, flute, oboe, ocarina, melodica, uillean pipes, and bag pipes, just to name a few. Songs can also be accompanied by rhythmic handclapping and foot-stamping.
The musical talents of members of a congregation can be used to ornament and enrich the worship of the congregation and to offer thanksgiving for these talents to God. Employing someone’s musical talents is one way of assimilating them into a congregation.
Among the reasons that people join a particular church is that it provides them with opportunities to employ their talents, life experiences, interests, acquired skills, and spiritual gifts in ways that are meaningful to them.
A number of principles can be inferred from the Scriptures on what kind of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs should be used in our worship. Those who are responsible for planning the music for a particular service of worship should give careful consideration to these principles in selecting psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs for that service.
Except for special music, they should be songs whose words and tunes the average singer in the congregation can master and sing without too much difficulty. This means that the tune should be in the range of the average singer in the congregation.
They should give expression to thoughts and feelings to which those who sing them are able to relate.
They should offer praise and thanks to God.
They should extol God’s character and his deeds.
They should encourage and strengthen those hearing them.
They may take the form of prayer and supplication.
They may give expression to the congregation’s repentance from sin and its confidence and trust in God.
They may commemorate or celebrate particular events in salvation history such as the birth, life, ministry, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.
They should include old songs, those which have been passed on from one generation to the next, as well as songs of recent composition. The number of familiar songs should exceed the unfamiliar ones.
Congregational singing is an integral part of a congregation’s worship of God. It is not as we too often hear preparation for the sermon. The purpose of the songs is NOT to put the congregation in the right frame of mind for the sermon. Singing together a congregation affirms not only its common faith but also its shared identity. It reinforces the bonds that unite it. To the visitor, it gives witness to what it believes. To its own members, it offers encouragement and support.
Every song in a service does not need to be related to the text of the sermon but it does need to be suitable for the place in the service where it is used, and it should not give a contradictory message to the sermon. It should also be appropriate to the season of the liturgical year if a church observes the liturgical year. This does not mean that every song must be a seasonal one, but it does mean that the song should not be unsuitable for a particular season. Some psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs can be sung year round while others lend themselves only to a particular season or occasion.
I would argue that the care we put into the selection of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs for a particular worship service is as important as the care that we put in the preparation of the sermon for that service. Songs have a stickiness that sermons don’t. If we hear the words and tune of a song enough times, we will internalize it. We will catch ourselves singing a snatch of the song or humming its tune. But we won’t do that with any sermon that we hear.
Worship leaders who are always using new songs week after week and never giving the congregation enough time to learn them, do not appreciate the value of congregational singing. The songs we sing in our worship services are one of the ways that we not only reinforce our faith but pass on our faith to others. They are part of past generations’ witness to us.
We do the young people a great disservice when we neglect to use the hymns and other sacred music of those who have gone before us and offer them a steady diet of throwaway songs, the latest entries on the list of the most popular contemporary Christian and praise and worship songs, songs which, while they may appeal to young people’s musical tastes and preferences influenced by contemporary secular music, do not always accurately convey what the Scriptures teach and consequently are doctrinally unsound. Young people who are fed such a diet will miss out on the benefits of full exposure to the Christian Church’s rich heritage of hymns and other sacred music, a heritage to which Christians around the world have contributed and which stretches back to the early centuries of the Church. They will not develop an appreciation of the musical legacy that they have been left, nor will they acquire a mature understanding of the role of music in Christian worship. They will be led to believe that the sole purpose of worship music is to elevate their mood and to make them more receptive to a preacher’s message.
In our rapidly changing and often unpredictable and chaotic world many young people feel a need for greater stability. They also feel a need for continuity with the past and are drawn to what in their minds represent such continuity. The use of hymns and other sacred music that spans more than one generation can help meet these needs.
The heavenly worship in the Revelation to John provides us with a model for our services of public worship on Sundays and other occasions. A helpful exercise is to compare the heavenly worship of Revelation with our own worship services. The great multitude of the redeemed are not listening the hosts of heaven praising the One seated on the throne and the Lamb, they are joining in their voices to the angels! The heavenly worship of Revelation is doxological and so should be our worship services.
The members of a congregation cannot fulfill their role as worshipers if they have not been given ample opportunity to learn the words and tune of a song. They are reduced to passive spectators to someone else’s worship when they should be active participants in the various acts of worship on Sundays and other occasions.
Unless a concerted effort is made to involve the congregation in these acts of worship, acts of worship such as singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, leading prayers, reading Scripture, presenting the people’s offerings, and the like, our worship services are worship in name only. They are nothing more than a choir or band concert with a lecture or inspirational talk tacked on to it.
Whatever they are, they are not corporate worship. Corporate worship engages the whole Body of Christ in its local manifestation—a particular congregation of the faithful gathered in one place to pray, sing, learn, and worship together.
This is a simple truth that we need to grasp as Christians. We cannot worship God through a proxy, through someone else. We must honor and reverence God ourselves.
The people of Israel thought that in offering sacrifices to God and observing the festivals and the new moons as a nation, they were performing their religious duties to God. God’s response which was spoken through the Old Testament prophets was to point to their attention that their hearts, the place where it mattered most, were far from him. They were not as a people living their lives individually and collectively as he had instructed.
Jesus himself reiterated this message: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” When Jesus talks about worshiping God in spirit and in truth, he is talking about we ourselves worshiping God, not someone else worship God on our behalf. The honor and reverence that we offer God must be our own and must come from within us.
While we may not be accustomed to thinking of it this way, congregational singing, like prayer, is a means of grace, a channel through which God’s grace flows to us. Indeed, congregational singing is a form of prayer. For this reason, we should not sing a song part way through and then stop. If we do not want to use all the stanzas of a song, we should carefully edit the song beforehand so that the stanzas that we sing make sense. Singing the first and last stanzas of a song, a common practice in a number of churches that I have visited mutilates the sense of the song and does not show it the respect due the song as prayer.
While congregational singing is not the only form of worship that we can offer God, it is an important one in corporate worship. It therefore behooves not only the leaders of a particular congregation but also the members of that congregation to ensure that it is not neglected. The congregation should not only be given ample opportunity to sing but also every effort should be made to make congregational singing a positive experience for everyone. This includes helping the members of the congregation to develop an appreciation of the importance of congregational singing not just in their services of public worship but also in their other church functions.
For Methodists singing hymns together whenever they gathered has long been a part of their ethos and tradition. My maternal grandfather was a Wesleyan, and we sang hymns at home and on family outings. During my early school years, I attended a Church of England elementary school and then two English village schools and began the school day with hymns and gospel songs. I suspect these hymns and gospel songs helped to form and shape my faith.
Congregational singing is a vital ingredient in our services of public worship, and we should not allow the singing of one small part of the congregation to take its place. Just as the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is a foretaste of the Wedding Supper of the Lamb so are our united voices a foretaste of the heavenly worship that goes on unceasingly before the throne of God. Let us glorify God in all that we say and do. But especially let us glorify God with song.
Where Evangelical Churches Are Losing Ground Fastest—and It Is Not Where You Think Ask most church leaders where evangelical Christianity is losing ground fastest, and they will probably name New England, the Pacific Northwest, or one of America’s largest cities. Those places certainly have relatively small evangelical populations.
But a small evangelical presence is not the same as a rapidly declining evangelical presence.
The more surprising losses may be occurring in rural communities and traditional evangelical strongholds. In many of these places, evangelical churches remain numerous and highly visible. But their connection to younger generations is disappearing.
Translating Data Into Discipleship
Anyone can learn to turn data into discipleship if they understand the process’s holistic nature and what it takes to make disciples.
The Volunteer Model Is Breaking
Jess and Thom discuss why this reality has reached a crisis stage in many churches.
Why Church Guests Don't Come Back
Jess and Thom spend a good bit of this podcast discussing this issue.
Survey finds Gen Z most likely to identify as religious
Generation Z adults are more likely than older Americans to describe themselves as “religious,” even as many also engage in practices at odds with Christian teaching, according to a new survey.
The Harris Poll released a survey Thursday based on responses from 2,136 U.S. adults collected July 1 to 4. The poll grouped respondents by generation: Generation Z (ages 18 to 29), millennials (30 to 45), Generation X (46 to 61) and baby boomers (62 and older).
Why New Age spirituality isn’t neutral
The Evangelical Alliance’s recent ‘Spiritual Curiosity’ resource makes an important observation about the moment we are living in. After years in which Western culture has often been described as becoming increasingly secular, many people are once again openly interested in spiritual things.
That spiritual curiosity tells us something important: human beings are searching for meaning, hope, guidance and something beyond the purely material world. The problem is not the recognition that there is more to life than what we can see; Christianity agrees that there is. The question is where we go looking for answers.
Scary, Angry Churches Make Scared, Angered Christians
From the Moore to the Point newsletter: A system that scares you can sometimes keep you compliant, but whatever can ultimately direct your life is your god.
The Word of God and the Mission of God
Commitment to the translation of the Word and engagement in mission has long been central to Anglican history, though it may be more accurately associated with evangelical Anglicanism. This emphasis aligns more closely with Cranmer than with Hooker, appearing to privilege the Word over the sacraments. It would be a mistake, however, to interpret this emphasis as a simplistic or modern understanding of sola Scriptura coupled with a narrow mandate to preach the Word to the far corners of the earth.
At the heart of the early Anglican Reformers’ emphasis on translation into the vernacular was a deep confidence in the word—or, more precisely, the Word of God, for the true agent in this story is God himself. The Anglican Reformers drew on a patristic emphasis on real presence, not only in the sacraments but in the Word as well (Hans Boersma explores this patristic emphasis in Scripture as Real Presence). The Word of God is powerful precisely because God chooses to make himself present to us in it.
Why we sing: Music, spirituality and the search for meaning
Singing is a practice so deeply embedded in Christian worship that it can easily be taken for granted. Yet singing occupies a distinctive place in the life of the Church: Christians sing in celebration and lament, at weddings and funerals, alone and together, and in words ranging from ancient psalms to contemporary worship songs.
What, then, does singing make possible that speech alone cannot?
That question ran through ‘Reasons to Sing: Singing, Spirituality and the Search for Meaning,’ a two-day conference at the University of Birmingham that brought together theologians, musicians and researchers to explore the physical, social and spiritual dimensions of singing.
Songs of Praise celebrates 65 years with special anniversary episode - and finds a new generation online
The BBC’s long-running religious programme ‘Songs of Praise’ is marking its 65th anniversary with a special episode celebrating its history and changing place in British broadcasting.
First aired on October 1, 1961, the programme has since produced over 3,240 episodes, recording hymns and worship songs in more than 2,000 churches, chapels and cathedrals across the UK, as well as in locations ranging from beaches and stadiums to concert halls and cruise ships.
Why My Church Does Not Sing Songs by Bethel, Elevation, and Hillsong
Afew years ago, I proposed to my fellow elders at Grace Fellowship Church that we stop singing songs by Hillsong. Though there were only a couple that were part of our repertoire at the time, I thought it would be wise for us to consider removing them. After some clarifying discussion, we agreed that we would stop singing those two songs, and that we would not add any more. In what follows, I want to explain my reasoning and explain why it also extends to a couple of today’s other major songwriting groups, Bethel and Elevation.
AI Is Trying to Erase Death. Here's Why Christians Should Be Concerned
What if AI doesn't just change how we work, but how we grieve?
We're entering a world where AI can recreate the voices, faces, and personalities of people who have died. What sounds like science fiction is already here, and I believe it's one of the most important conversations the church needs to have.
In this video, I explore why AI "resurrection" is so tempting, why I believe it's a counterfeit to Christian hope, and how pastors and church leaders can help people navigate this new reality with wisdom, truth, and compassion.
The Christian faith has never promised escape from death. It promises something far better: that because of Jesus, death doesn't get the last word.
How AI has made child sexual abuse more prevalent
It all begins with a single screenshot from Instagram, Snapchat or some other social media.
The photo itself is nothing remarkable — a casual selfie, a holiday memory, a sports photoshoot, a prom photo. You know the kind. Billions of photos like these are shared on social media every single day. These are the kind of photos that get printed out and framed by grandmas all over the world.
But this photo — instead of getting a like, a comment or a special place on grandma’s wall — gets turned into something completely different.
AI Friendship vs. Real Friends: Annie F. Downs on Why Christians Need to Stay in the Secular World
Annie F. Downs joins the show to talk about why every leader needs a personal board of directors and who actually belongs there.
We discuss why AI friendship can never replace the real thing and why Christians need to stay in the secular world instead of retreating from it.
Plus, we get a massive update on her recent marriage and what that does to her singles ministry.
Loving the Stranger, Shaping the World
International Student Ministry (ISM) remains one of the most strategic but consistently underappreciated facets in world missions today. To date, there are over 6.9 million international students worldwide—that is, students who attend institutions of higher learning in countries other than their places of origin and nationality. North America (primarily the United States and Canada but also including Mexico) remains a highly popular destination for international students, hosting approximately 2.1 million international students and scholars.
Students from around the globe have historically flocked to North America’s colleges and universities because they are among the best the world has to offer. A key consequence is that many of the world’s political leaders both past and present spent their formative years as international students in Canada and/or the U.S. The implication of this for ISM is obvious: Christian outreach to international students has the potential to impact, powerfully so, the global political sphere spiritually.
