A Few Stray Thoughts on West Virginia's Supreme Court's Blocking of Church Property Suit

 

By Robin G Jordan, Monday, November 9, 2026

As I see it, the only way the West Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church will benefit from preventing the 33 disaffected congregations from disaffiliating from the UMC and the conference is from the sale of the buildings and properties which these congregations presently occupy.

One can suspect the conference’s leadership of cynically anticipating that the 33 congregations will suffer low attendance to point that these churches can be closed and the buildings and the properties put on the real estate market. If the churches in question are located in conservative communities, the conference’s leadership must realize a progressive replant at these locations will have negligible likelihood of flourishing and will fail.

The conference’s treatment of the former occupants of the buildings and properties at such locations will further damage the public image of the UMC in conservative communities, a public image already damaged by the ascendancy of the progressive wing of the United Methodist Church in the United States and further reduce the prospect of a successful replant.

The alternative explanation is that the conference’s leadership has lost touch with reality. The sixteen proposals of the recent Leadership Gathering suggest that this may be the case at the General Conference level.

To my way of thinking if the conference’s leadership was genuinely committed to our Lord’s teaching of loving one’s neighbor as oneself, of treating others as one would wish to be treated by them, and doing good to one’s enemies and to John Wesley’s principles of doing no harm, avoiding all types of evil, and doing good to others, it would not be keeping these churches from disaffiliating from the UMC and the conference but would be facilitating their disaffiliation.  

True unity comes from a common faith and a shared vision. It comes from within, from the heart. It cannot be imposed from the top down. When our Lord prayed for all believers, he prayed for those who will believe in him through the message of the apostles, that all of them might be one as he and the Father are one. The Father and the Son do not differ on what is important but are of one mind. God is not a divided God. This is the unity for which our Lord prayed for all believers. It is a work of the Holy Spirit and not that of human authorities, of those occupying positions of power and influence.

Forcing these 33 congregations to remain in the UMC and the conference is not going to bring their members around to the point of view of the conference’s leadership. It is more likely to cause further dissatisfaction with the UMC and the conference. It is also likely to cause more defections from the UMC.

What I have observed in United Methodist churches in my region is a willingness to remain United Methodist as long as they are left alone, not forced to embrace the progressive wing’s agenda. For the moment, loyalty to a particular church and a lifetime of being a United Methodist is what is keeping individual United Methodists from migrating to another church. However, if the progressive wing becomes more aggressive in pushing its agenda, which it gives every appearance of doing, they are likely to change churches or stop attending church altogether.

As for the churches that disaffiliated, the larger ones appearing to be holding their own. The smaller ones, however, are not doing as well as they hoped.

Despite the optimistic attitude of the UMC’s leadership, the issues that prompted the temporary disaffiliation measure and the departure of approximately 25% (about 1 in 4) of UMC congregations between 2019 and 2023 continue to have a negative effect upon the denomination, particularly in conservative rural areas. The official position the United Methodist Church in the United States took on these issues shows every indication of causing problems for the denomination for years to come.

Monday's Catch: 'Is religion making a comeback among young Americans? Study urges caution'

Is religion making a comeback among young Americans? Study urges caution
A growing number of young Americans appear to be attending religious services regularly, raising questions about whether the United States could be witnessing the early signs of a religious revival.

However, new research from Pew Research Center suggests that while there are encouraging signs of religious engagement among younger adults, the evidence of a broader resurgence remains inconclusive.

Preparing for Christmas Eve Guests: More Unchurched Guests Than Any Other Day of the Year [Webinar- Thursday, November 12, 2026, 1:00 PM Eastern]
Christmas Eve is one of the greatest opportunities your church has to reach unchurched people. In fact, our consulting and coaching work consistently shows that churches welcome more unchurched guests on Christmas Eve than on any other day of the year.

Is your church ready to make the most of this opportunity?

Join Thom Rainer and Sam Rainer as they share 12 practical ways to prepare your church for Christmas Eve guests. You’ll discover often-overlooked details that can make a lasting impression, common mistakes churches should avoid, and simple ways to turn a first-time visit into a meaningful connection.

Don’t miss this opportunity to prepare your church for one of the most important outreach days of the year! Reserve your spot for this free webinar!

West Virginia Supreme Court blocks lawsuit by 33 churches seeking to leave UMC
The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia has blocked a lawsuit from 33 congregations trying to leave the United Methodist Church.

The West Virginia high court issued its decision on Wednesday in State of West Virginia ex rel. Trustees of the West Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church, et al. v. the Honorable Mark Wills, Judge of the Circuit Court of Mercer County, Trustees of Madison United Methodist Church, et al.

Also See: State supreme court blocks church-property suit

George W. Bush sides with Texas megachurch that voted to leave UMC: report
Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush have reportedly sided with their longtime Texas church after it recently voted to leave the United Methodist Church amid a legal dispute with the denomination, with a spokesperson saying the couple participated in the vote.

George Bush, 80, and Laura Bush, 80, who have been members and frequent attendees of Highland Park Methodist Church of Dallas since the 1980s, have recently voiced support for lead pastor the Rev. Matt Tuggle.

Pastors react after Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa says it ordains women pastors
Pastors in the Calvary Chapel movement reacted with public statements opposing Char Brodersen’s announcement that Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, once the movement's flagship church, ordains women as pastors.

The Calvary Chapel Association (CCA) said through its Heartland Regional Team, which oversees affiliated churches in its region, that it sees no sound biblical basis for ordaining women to serve as elders and pastors and that the practice conflicts with the association’s distinctives.

Supporting families who are raising relatives’ children
When relatives take care of their family’s children, that arrangement is called “kinship care.” Kinship care describes a foster care arrangement that is not always recognized by state systems. Many family members provide care without assistance from child welfare programs. A December 2025 Government Accountability Office report found that for every child in state-supported kinship care, about 18 were outside it.

A Christian presence in every community?
The Church of England has relaunched its website, and it looks good (fortunately with a bit less of that wishy-washy purple). But one thing has not changed: a phrase sitting just under the logo: A Christian presence in every community (or a slight variation of it). It appears in Church Commissioners’ reports, in Synod papers, in press releases, and in almost every argument currently being had about the future of the parish. It sounds unarguable. Who could be against Christian presence?

Bu the phrase is doing a great deal of work, and it is worth asking a few questions of it. Where did it come from? What has it been taken to mean? Does it have any theological content at all—and if so, does that content cohere with what the Church of England actually says about itself in its formularies and its ordinal? And, most importantly, does it point us towards a strategy that might reverse decline—or one that might manage it gracefully?

My contention is that the phrase is a good one, but only if we recover the New Testament answer to the question: what is the presence of God in a community? The answer is not, in the first place, a building, or a PCC (!) or a vicar. It is a people.

I visited the relaunched Church of England website and found it far more difficult to navigate than it had been previously. Personally I also do not think the appearance of the website is an improvement.

Christianity Under the Progressive Gaze
It was a dramatic week. Politically speaking, there was a blue tidal wave that swept across the country, returning control of Congress to the Democratic Party. Elections are complicated, and it may be naive to think the wave indicates the public made its decision based on ideology. Rising costs, political dissatisfaction, an extremely unpopular war, and any number of other considerations likely had a lot to do with the outcome. I’m not convinced those elected have been given a mandate to implement Woke 2.0 — but I’m not sure that will stop them from trying to!

What interests me more than politics is the apparent cultural strength and growing respectability of progressive Christianity. In fact, a headline in The Guardian boldly declared: “A progressive understanding of Christianity won in the US elections.” In a society where historic Christian convictions — and I don’t just mean Reformed confessionalism but basic creedal Christianity — is often treated with suspicion, if not hostility, some expressions of “Christianity” seem to be enjoying a rather warm reception.

When God’s Gifts Become Things We Think He Owes Us (Warnings and Solutions)
A theology of gratitude makes room for suffering, loss, disappointment, and the very real limitations of human life. It teaches us to recognize God’s goodness without denying the brokenness of the world around us. Most importantly, it reminds us that our worship is not dependent on our circumstances but on the character of the God who remains faithful amid them.

Counterfeit Providence: Why Christians Must Reject the Conspiratorial Mind
According to Lifeway Research, up to half of US Protestant pastors say they “frequently hear members of their congregation repeating conspiracy theories they have heard.” It is tempting to minimize this problem by dismissing it as a simple intellectual error, which is perhaps concerning, but not anything more significant. In reality, however, conspiratorial thinking pushed to its extremes acts as a spiritual counterfeit to Christianity. It becomes a rival theology, carrying its own doctrine of providence, its own form of gnosis, and a rejection of genuine reason and truth-seeking. The Christian who adopts the conspiratorial mind has not simply gotten some facts wrong, but has begun to worship at a different altar, a broken cistern that can’t hold any water.

An Advanced Case of Syncretism
Lesslie Newbigin (1908–1998), a missionary in India and one of the first bishops of the Church of South India, was one of the most profound theologians of mission during the 20th century. His analysis of the challenges of initiating an authentic encounter between the gospel and late modernity remain prophetic and prescient. In his book The Other Side of 1984, he diagnosed the Western and especially English theology of his day as a “case of advanced syncretism.” His background as a missionary in India made him sensitive to the problem of intellectual and cultural syncretism. In an effort to be relevant to the culture being missionized, the missionary runs the risk of syncretism.

Syncretism is an uncritical assimilation of the gospel to the culture to such a degree that distinctive core Christian claims are relinquished and the gospel presented is not the biblical gospel but the endorsement of a worldview that is in opposition to the gospel. Voodoo, a religious tradition that emerged in Haiti in the 16th century and blended animism and ancestor worship from West Africa with Roman Catholicism, is a classic example. The opposite of syncretism is irrelevancy, that is, the presentation of the gospel in such a way that it cannot reach the culture. One of the clearest examples is using a language that people being evangelized do not understand. However, Newbigin recognized that as the established churches of the West attempted to re-evangelize an increasingly secular culture, their missionary efforts were thwarted by the longstanding capitulation of those churches to the presuppositions of the late-modern West about the character of truth and human nature. The churches of the West were failing in their attempt to create an authentic encounter between the modern world and the gospel because of the advanced syncretism of the churches. The goal of the missionary should be to avoid both irrelevancy and syncretism and instead aim for an appropriate inculturation that seeks points of contact but does not relinquish the distinctive claims of Christ, which are foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews.

7 Christian Habits Necessary for Pastoral Longevity
The habits necessary for a lifetime of faithful pastoral ministry aren’t that different from those necessary for a faithful Christian life.

Preaching in Paragraphs
Every preacher knows the terror of a blank screen. It is Tuesday morning—or even worse, Saturday afternoon—and the preacher sits and stares at his laptop. He has opened a new document in his word processor, and now the cursor stands idling on the page, patiently blinking. And the words aren’t coming.

Let us assume that the preacher has a text. Let’s also assume the preacher has done the work of exegeting his text. He has read it in the original language, looked up key words and topics, and took apart the text’s structure. He has crafted an outline and a theme statement. He went for a brisk walk so that he could meditate on how to preach the gospel from this text, and how to exhort his congregation. Useful work has been done, a few notes have been jotted down on a legal pad, but still the page sits blank, the cursor waiting.

My counsel to the uneasy preacher is to begin writing, one paragraph at a time. Before you dismiss this as unhelpfully obvious, allow me to explain.

What If Your Church Sings Hillsong and You Wish It Wouldn’t?
Afew weeks ago, I explained why my church does not sing songs by Hillsong, and, by the same convictions, songs by Bethel and Elevation. I tried to be clear that I do not understand this to be a matter of clear right or wrong, but rather a matter of wisdom and conscience. While this is a decision we have made for our church, I would not look down on churches that choose differently.

I wish I had addressed a related matter at that time: what should you do if you see this issue in the way I do, but the leaders of your church do not? In other words, what should you do if your church sings Hillsong, but you wish it wouldn’t? I want to offer just a few thoughts on that.

From Him, Through Him, To Him: Why We Worship a God Who Needs Nothing
Most of us half-believe that God needs our worship. We rarely say it explicitly, but it shows in how we talk. From the pulpit, in the middle of a worship set, or in our own prayers, we often say that God "wants" our praise. It sounds devout, and we usually mean something right by it, as the Father does seek true worshipers (John 4:23). But the word "want" carries more than we intend. Long before it meant desire, it carried the sense of lack. English inherited the word from the Old Norse vanta, meaning “to be missing,” and the older sense survives in the opening line of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice: "a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." We want what we do not have. Taken at its word, "God wants our worship" says that something is missing in God and that our worship supplies it.

Lectio Divina (Devotional Reading)
When was the last time you read the Word of God to drink deeply of his presence rather than prepare a sermon or a Bible study? Lectio Divina is one way you can read Scripture to abide in God’s presence and to experience His living Word for you today.

"Lectio Divina” (pronounced LEX-ee-oh dih-VEE-nuh) is a Latin phrase that means “divine reading” or “sacred reading.” It is an ancient practice used throughout early church history for those who were illiterate or didn’t have Bibles to read.

When Morningness Is Confused with Godliness
If you’ve found it fruitful to rise early to devote alone time to God, continue doing so with discipline and joy. But beware of imposing your own daily spiritual practices on others with a prideful narrow-mindedness that Scripture lacks.

Excessive sleeping can be a sign of sinful sloth (Prov. 19:15). But biblically, the godly Christian can please God just as much staying up late to worship as rising early. Both routes are biblical and blessed.

Saturday Lagniappe: 'Preparing for Christmas Eve Guests' And More

Preparing for Christmas Eve Guests: More Unchurched Guests Than Any Other Day of the Year [Webinar- Thursday, November 12, 2026, 1:00 PM Eastern] 

Christmas Eve is one of the greatest opportunities your church has to reach unchurched people. In fact, our consulting and coaching work consistently shows that churches welcome more unchurched guests on Christmas Eve than on any other day of the year.

Is your church ready to make the most of this opportunity?

Join Thom Rainer and Sam Rainer as they share 12 practical ways to prepare your church for Christmas Eve guests. You’ll discover often-overlooked details that can make a lasting impression, common mistakes churches should avoid, and simple ways to turn a first-time visit into a meaningful connection.

Don’t miss this opportunity to prepare your church for one of the most important outreach days of the year! Reserve your spot for this free webinar!

Christian Crusaders want another January 6
The Christian Crusaders are planning another insurrection on January 6.

Despite — or perhaps because of — a Democratic margin of victory so significant on Tuesday that not even Donald Trump could claim foul, some white evangelicals are not willing to accept defeat.

Also See: Here’s who’s behind the next Capitol insurrection

Secular voters are increasing. Can ‘the nones’ become a political force?
In the 2026 midterms, the Rev. Adam Hamilton and James Talarico emphasized their Christian faith but won stronger support among nonreligious voters than among Christians.

Lessons From Higher Education’s Decline That Could Help Revitalize Your Church
Hanover Research studies hundreds of colleges and universities every year. Their 2026 Trends in Higher Education report names five forces reshaping campuses right now.1 I read the report as a revitalization pastor, not a provost, and one thing jumps out immediately. I had this thought that every crack that seems to be in higher ed is a crack we might already know how to diagnose.

The institutions closing this year aren’t the ones with the worst problems. They’re the ones that never assessed the real ones. In this article, we will walk through the five cracks and discover how they apply to church revitalization.

Alister McGrath: New Atheism has ‘tanked’
Twenty years on from Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion, New Atheism has “tanked” according to one of the movement’s most outspoken opponents, former professor of divinity, Alister McGrath.

Should I Leave My Church? 9 Honest Questions to Answer Before You Go
Most people who leave a church never announce it. They miss a Sunday, then a month. The small group text thread goes quiet. By the time anyone on staff notices, the family has been sitting in the back row of another congregation across town since Easter.

The real decision came a long time ago. It came on a drive home, or at the kitchen table, when somebody finally said out loud what they had been thinking for a while: I don’t think this is our church anymore.

If you are at that table now, this article is for you. It is also for your pastor, who has watched this happen more times than most pastors wish to admit.

How Memorizing the Sermon on the Mount Reorders My Heart
By absorbing and obeying Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, we can create a feedback loop that enlarges his kingdom rule over our lives.

Sundays at All Hallows (November 8, 2026) Is Now Online

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

This Sunday, November 8, 2026, is the Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity and the Third Sunday before Advent. Adventide is a short liturgical season of four Sundays. It is a season of preparation and waiting for the celebration of the nativity of our Lord and most importantly his coming again in glory.

Among the practices associated with Adventide are decking the communion table with a blue frontal and the lectern-pulpit with blue paraments in keeping with the Old English Usage, Advent calendars, the lighting of a candle on the Advent tree, the hanging of Old Testament and New Testament symbols on the Jesse tree, the service of Christingle, and the hanging of the greens, the decorating of the body and chancel of the church with boughs of evergreen and sprigs of rosemary for the Christmas Eve Service and Christmas Day.

Adventide has its own hymns and carols. While members of the congregation may go caroling in their neighborhoods and communities during the Season of Advent, the singing of Christmas carols in church is best kept for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the Sundays and feast days of the Twelve Days of Christmas. The Twelve Days of Christmas and the Western Church’s celebration of our Lord’s birth do not begin until sunset on Christmas Eve. The secular Christmas season which begins earlier and earlier each year as merchants seek to increase their profits and reduce their inventories should not be allowed to intrude upon Adventide.

Is the way we worship in church what God desires from us? Does God desire something else from us and, if so, what does God desire? In this Sunday’s message we will offer what we believe is God’s answer to these questions as revealed in the Bible.

Readings: Amos 5: 18-24, 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18, and Matthew 25: 1-13

Message: What Does God Require of Us?

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/11/sundays-at-all-hallows-november-8-2026.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: 'Hope for the Rural Church' And More

Hope for the Rural Church: Charles Cotherman on the Value of Small Towns and Overlooked Places (Ep 140)
If ministry in small towns and rural areas is so important, why are they so often overlooked? And how can we start re-focusing our attention where it matters? My conversation with Charles Cotherman centers around his new book, Strip Mine Jesus: Hope for the Rural Church, Small Towns, and Overlooked Places.

New Hampshire church’s vitality helps it receive parish status
When St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Hampstead, New Hampshire, was named a parish, it wasn’t the church’s first big change since it was founded in 1962.

The congregation has worshipped in three different locations in southern New Hampshire, including one where the church building was moved to a new town, before settling in its current location in 1990. It began as a mission, then became a parish, and returned to mission status more than a decade ago.

“St. Christopher is the patron saint of travel, so it is interesting that the church has had this traveling kind of experience,” the Rev. Zachary Harmon, the church’s rector, told Episcopal News Service.

During the Diocese of New Hampshire’s annual convention on Oct. 23, it once again became a parish.

Real Difference in Church Growth? Thom Rainer on Reaching the Anxious Generation
Thom Rainer explains the difference he's discovered between what growing churches do and what declining churches do. It's simpler than you think. Plus, how can you help the Anxious Generation feel comfortable coming to church? Thom explains what the research reveals.

Three Creative Guest Follow-up Ideas
Your church is great at getting people to show up for the trunk or treat or fall festival, but what happens next? In this episode, Scott and A.J. share three creative guest follow-up ideas that go far beyond the usual "we'd love to see you Sunday" email: a family Advent kit, a full-size candy bar coupon, and a local holiday care package with a free breakfast invitation. Every idea is affordable, and you could put one into action this week.

How to Understand How Unbelievers Think
The longer you’re a believer, the less you think like an unbeliever. After you come to Christ, your interests and values change. Because I’ve been a Christian for most of my life, I think like a Christian. I don’t normally think like an unbeliever. Worse than that, I tend to think like a pastor, and that’s even further removed from an unbeliever’s mindset! That means I must intentionally change mental gears when seeking to relate to non-Christians....

Surprisingly, Christians often assume that non-believers think like them.

5 Signs Your Church Isn’t Ready for a Capital Campaign 

When church leaders begin dreaming about a new worship center, expanded children’s ministry space, a renovated campus or a more visible presence in the community, the conversation often turns quickly to a capital campaign. But is the congregation really ready?

Trump’s midterm defeat and its implications for Christians on both sides of the Atlantic
This week, millions of Americans went to the polls to elect members of Congress in the midterm elections. What might those results mean for US Christian voters, and will they have any impact here in the UK?

“How to Lead Your Church Through Political Division (Post-Election Advice)” featuring Dr. Tania Israel
How can church leaders foster connection and lead faithfully in communities divided by politics? In this episode of Leading Ideas Talks, Jonathan Page speaks with psychologist and author Dr. Tania Israel about navigating polarization to create congregations where people can belong despite their differences. She offers practical insights on how curiosity, intentional listening, and a willingness to examine our own biases can help leaders bridge divides and strengthen relationships within their churches and communities.

Imagining a Church Yet to Be 

The US United Methodist Church's discomfort with term "evangelism" and its distate for engaging in evangelism are not going to serve it well as has been the case for the American Episcopal Church which has similar attitudes toward evangelism.

Highland Park Methodist’s story is not a first
To close observers of The United Methodist Church, the current legal wranglings over Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas might sound familiar.

A similar story played out four years ago in Arkansas, in what was then the second-largest UMC church in the state. A primary difference is that the attempt by First United Methodist Church of Jonesboro to disaffiliate from the denomination happened during a special window created for disaffiliation. Even then, the final court ruling did not go the way of those wanting to exit.

Laurence Coughlan and the Newfoundland Revival
It has been said that Canada, unlike the United States to the south, has never experienced a nationwide revival. While this is true, there have been local awakenings from time to time that have had considerable impact. This series of articles aims to reintroduce these important stories to the Canadian church. The earliest example is probably that which took place at Conception Bay, Newfoundland, in the late eighteenth century.

As it gets harder to figure out what to eat, some Americans are turning to religion for answers
A scholar spent time with 4 alternative food movements to explore how religious Americans are choosing a ‘moral’ diet.

How the Lord’s Supper Fuels Spiritual Growth
Sometimes, in an effort to have biblically faithful theology, Reformed Christians speak only of what the communion elements are not. I’m painfully aware of my of shortcomings in this regard. This can inadvertently drive some believers to seek out a more “real” experience in other traditions. We can get caught up in debating the exact nature of the bread and wine and forget to ask the more pressing question: How should this meal change me today?

Will God’s Image Be Made Obsolete?
In the autumn of 2026, the most important term we need to learn is “recursive self-improvement” (RSI).

Today, humans design each new AI model. But not for long. The frontier labs are approaching a point where the models themselves do the research that produces their successors, with no human in the middle. This is AIs building better AIs, making their own choices about how to design their successors. Once the loop closes, capability could accelerate past anyone’s ability to keep up with what is being built, and there is no obvious way to reopen it.

We are not far away from RSI, and are collectively beginning to see the effects. The Hugging Face hack, bad as it was, was only the beginning. When AIs start building better AIs, their capabilities will lead them to steamroll right through all of our digital infrastructure. Perhaps they will steamroll right through us, as well, on their way to enacting a complete succession from humanity to AI.

Why can’t the builders of AI choose not to go down the route of RSI? Because no one in this story is a villain, and that is exactly the problem. Paul called this kind of thing the “principalities and powers,” and the late twentieth-century theologian Walter Wink spent a career arguing that the phrase names something real: the spirit of a system whose logic overrides the will of everyone inside it.

Your Thoughts Are Shaping Your Life
Our thought life matters more than we often realize.

The conversations we replay in our minds, the offenses we revisit, and the fears we entertain can shape how we see our circumstances and respond to the people around us. I know how easily my thoughts can become consumed by something that has happened or something I fear might happen. Before long, I find myself responding to the present through the lens of thoughts I have been rehearsing.

When we continually give our attention to fear or resentment, those thoughts can become familiar patterns. We begin to notice more reasons to be afraid or more reasons to remain offended. But the same is true when we learn to turn our attention toward God’s faithfulness. What we choose to dwell on helps shape the way we live.

This is an encouraging truth because our patterns of thinking are not beyond the reach of God’s transforming work. By His grace, we can learn to think differently.

Thursday's Catch: 'Your Church May Know Less Bible Than You Think (And What to Do About It)' And More

Your Church May Know Less Bible Than You Think (And What to Do About It)
America is moving rapidly into a postliterate reality, a sort of new Dark Ages, one in which we consume information in images and sound bites, all predigested for us by others. Consider the implications for a system of belief whose transmission from one generation to the next is staked on a book.

Not a Bible Professor? You Still Need to Be Biblically Literate
Biblical scholar Dru Johnson offers a useful distinction. Biblical literacy, as he describes it, means knowing what Scripture contains and how its parts work together.1 Biblical fluency is the ability to enter the world of Scripture and faithfully extend its principles to new questions. Literacy, then, comes first. By reading Scripture deeply over time, literacy grows into fluency. As it matures into fluency, biblical literacy shapes you, your field, your students, and your institution.

Here are five reasons biblical literacy matters for every professor.

The Pull of Rome and the Promise of Grace
As we consider the specific factors animating Romeward journeys, it’s helpful to understand the dynamics that motivate the process of conversion — in both directions.

Can Catholics Be Christians? Robby Gallaty Answers—And Gives a Warning to Protestants
Can Catholics be Christians? Pastor Robby Gallaty believes they can but says that, when they are, it is in spite of official Catholic teaching, not because of it. In a video explaining his position, Gallaty included a warning to Protestants not to add anything of their own to the finished work of Jesus.

Midterms were a victory for Golden Rule Christianity
Democrats owe much of their success in the midterm election to religious voters.

7 Cybersecurity Risks Every Church Leader Needs To Know About
Church cybersecurity risks extend far beyond suspicious emails. AI, human error, vulnerable software, data privacy, vendors, and insurance are changing the threat landscape.

And while cybersecurity can sound like an IT problem, it is increasingly a financial, legal, operational, and governance issue for churches.

You Preached the Sermon, But You May Not Legally Own It (Here's Why)
Most pastors assume the sermons they pray over, study for, write, and preach belong to them. Legally, that assumption is often wrong. Because of a doctrine called "work made for hire," the church—not the pastor—may hold the copyright by default. Sam and Thom explain how sermon ownership actually works, why silence in an employment agreement gets expensive, and how to fix it before conflict ever arises.

AI and the Gospel: navigating faith and evangelism in the digital age
As AI changes the way people search for answers, build relationships and explore faith, churches are facing new questions about how to engage with technology without losing the human connection at the heart of the Gospel.

4 Types of Questions Teenagers Ask: A Guide for Next Gen Leaders
Teenagers ask questions. Sometimes they ask us. So, let’s bless them for asking and get ready to walk with them.

Moving Past Christmas Distractions
It’s almost that time of year again—yep, Christmas. And oh, there are so many distractions to look forward to...

Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (November 5, 2026)

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

This Thursday evening’s message is the first in a series of four messages on what we can learn from the Gospels about Jesus’ teaching on prayer and his practice of prayer. We are going to look at each Gospel in turn, beginning with the Gospel of Matthew.

Reading: Matthew 6: 5-15

Message: In the School of Prayer with Jesus: Matthew’s Gospel

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/11/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.

Wednesday's Catch: 'Why Small Churches Stay Plateaued (And How To Break the Pattern)' And More

Why Small Churches Stay Plateaued (And How To Break the Pattern)
You’re stuck at 50 to 120. Faithful people. Generous giving. Nothing’s growing. You’ve tried everything.

The problem isn’t vision. It’s what Jewish culture calls “halakha.” The way of walking.

Reaching Gen Z With the Gospel: Why Authenticity and Community Matter
...authentic, transformative storytelling can help bridge generational and cultural gaps and bring Jesus to people who have not yet found a way in. It’s also an example of the sort of community that will carry this next generation’s faith forward.

Are young adults becoming more religious? New findings reveal a complicated picture
Younger Americans show mixed patterns in their religious beliefs and practices as religious identification, prayer and church attendance in the United States have remained relatively steady in recent years, according to a new Pew Research Center report.

The analysis, published Oct. 28 through the Pew-Knight Initiative, finds that Americans born between 2004 and 2008, who are now approximately 18 to 22 years old, reported relatively high levels of religious attendance.

2 in 3 Churchgoers Fail Bible Literacy Quiz
Perhaps unsurprisingly, those who attend church the most and read the Bible the most score the highest on a Bible literacy quiz.

Good Ground, Stony Places
Jesus told of a sower who went out to sow. Some seed fell by the wayside, some on stony places, some among thorns, and some on good ground. The Anglican Church in North America has borrowed the last image for its inaugural annual impact report, Good Ground: Giving Thanks for Provision in Season. It would have done better to study all four soils.

The report runs to 24 glossy pages and was posted on the provincial website in May. The file name still reads "Draft 3." It is handsomely designed and pleasant to read, with photographs of smiling planters and verses from 2 Corinthians 9 framing every section. Read closely, it is also a gloss: a fundraising brochure dressed as an accountability document, written in the dialect of the nonprofit consultancy and seasoned with the language of Zion.

Formation Into What?
Let me begin with a confession. When I first examined RenewalWorks, the discipleship ministry of Forward Movement, I assumed I was looking at a faithful initiative that the Episcopal Church's leadership had shunted aside. Here, I thought, was a program that spoke of Jesus, of Scripture, of spiritual growth, and here was a Presiding Bishop and a House of Bishops too preoccupied with property sales, strategic plans, and progressive causes to notice it.

I was wrong. The truth is worse.

3 Questions Every Church Should Ask to Prevent Fraud, Reduce Legal Risks, and Ensure Compliance
Strong church risk management starts with asking the right questions. Evaluate your church’s governance, financial controls, employment practices, and compliance safeguards to identify vulnerabilities before they become costly problems.

Pastors, Don't Make These Tax Mistakes!
Most pastors never receive formal training in clergy tax law. Seminaries focus on biblical languages, theology, and preaching but rarely on housing allowances, self-employment tax, or payroll classification. The result is that well-meaning ministers stumble into mistakes that can trigger audits, penalties, and years of back taxes. Thom and Sam discuss the common mistakes you can avoid.

The Retirement Questions Pastors Need to Ask Before Stepping Away
Jess and Thom interview Art Rainer, president of Christian Money Solutions, to find out the retirement questions pastors need to ask before stepping away.

More than half of teens turn to Jesus for advice but not more than parents, friends: Barna
While more than half of U.S. teenagers would turn to Jesus for advice about their identity, more say they would turn to their parents and friends first, and they ranked their mothers as their top choice for identity advice, according to new data from Barna.

In Reimagining Ministry for Gen Alpha, a report from Barna produced in partnership with Christ In Youth, researchers surveyed 1,500 U.S. teenagers, ages 13-18, from Feb. 14-17, to find out who they would feel most comfortable getting advice from if they had questions about their identity. The data show that mothers ranked highest among both teenagers in general and faith-activated teenagers, whom Barna describes as the most spiritually engaged teens in the survey.

10 Holiday Community-Building Ideas
The holidays can be a magnet for community building in your ministry. Here are 10 creative ways to connect with kids and capitalize on the natural energy the Christmas season generates.

When It Comes to Outreach, Where Is the Fruit?
Kevin Harney clarifIes some of the primary roadblocks to consistent and effective outreach in the local church, and suggests a practical step for each to begin reversing this trend of loss in evangelistic fervor.

Also See: Who’s in Charge?: Outreach Rarely Happens If No One Owns It

A Match Made in Heaven: Discipleship and evangelism
Too many people see discipleship (growing in Jesus) and evangelism (going with Jesus on a mission) as separate. They are not. Here is a little saying I came up with for myself and other Christian leaders:

Discipleship and evangelism are not enemies. Discipleship and evangelism are not just friends. Discipleship and evangelism are marriage partners.

5 Keys for Sharing Your Faith
Here are five important components that can help you be a peaceful presence of Jesus while you are seeking to share your faith and shine the light of Jesus.

Tuesday's Catch: 'Tradition Matters (As Long as It’s the Right Tradition)' And More

Tradition Matters (As Long as It’s the Right Tradition)
This article is the first in a series of articles I am writing on the place of tradition in the Anglican Church, specific traditions, and what may be described as the "traditional" Anglican church and the challenges it faces in the twenty-first century.

Six Essential Realities About Small Churches
Ninety percent of the churches on earth are under 200 people. Eighty percent are under 100. There may be no segment of the church that is more normative than the small church. But they may also be the most misunderstood.

Here are six truths about small churches that I wish every church leader knew and took into account...

Healthy Church Growth: 7 Types of Growth Pastors Should Understand
“All publicity is good publicity.”

This saying, often attributed to P.T. Barnum, was popularized in the early 1900s by theater producer George M. Cohan. The idea is that if people are talking about you, whether what they are saying is good or bad, it is all positive because you are getting attention.

A similar kind of thinking is making the rounds in many church circles: All growth is good growth. But after almost four decades as a pastor in the local church, I have learned that not all church growth is equal. Some ways your attendance numbers can increase honor God, but others can be unhealthy.

Let’s take a look at both Gospel-centric growth and complicated growth.

The Unshared Cup: Sitting Out Communion Before the King
At the service in Westminster Abbey marking King Charles III’s first inauguration of the Church of England’s General Synod, he could face a protest by ‘orthodox members’ refusing to take Holy Communion if they take the advice of campaign group Anglican Futures.

Episcopal Bishops Curry and Rowe hold funeral service for enslaved Africans' reinterment
Rowe praised the efforts of the southern Virginia diocese’s Bishop Susan Haynes and the Rev. Jan M. Brown, who led the effort.

When the church tries to ‘yeet’ Jesus
Clearly, an identifiable marker of the church is loving God and loving neighbor. However, at times, the church can feel more divisive than any political party or social club. At times, the church becomes its own political party and social club. In our modern political landscape, to love your neighbor is painted as a socialist tendency that threatens the very existence of our country as we know it. Or something like that.

Also See: ‘It’s all about Jesus, stupid’

4 Reasons Men Like Porn
Before asking good accountability questions, it helps to understand why pornography is so compelling. There are four core motivations that keep people coming back.

Why Most Leaders Fail (And How to Last in the Long Run) with Andy Stanley
Andy Stanley offers some piercing insights on the dangerous side of leadership: how leaders get off course, what happens when you develop a court or entourage that adores you but won't tell you the truth, why resisting being 'special' is so important, and how to leverage the gift of leadership well so you last in the long run.

Insights on Preaching from Seminary of the Southwest’s Next President

Weighing in on an issue that has possibly been debated since the dawn of organized religion, in the early 20th century the Associated Vestries of St. Louis reached a decision about sermon length.

According to the April 8, 1922, issue of The Living Church, the topic was raised after many vestrymen complained that their rectors preached too long, and with a post-Easter membership campaign in St. Louis looming. (The vestrymen thought newcomers would be discouraged by long sermons.) The decision: 22 minutes is long enough.

In addressing the same question a century later, the Rev. Dr. Ruthanna Hooke proposes nuance and context. Hooke has been teaching since 2003 as professor of homiletics at Virginia Theological Seminary. In August, the Board of Trustees of the Seminary of the Southwest announced that she was elected as the Austin-based seminary’s next dean and president.

Analysis Reveals Most Impactful Keys to Discipleship
Average churchgoers score low on discipleship, but they don’t have to be stuck. What has the greatest impact on discipleship?

Monday's Catch: 'The Power of Small Church Outreach' And More

The Power of Small Church Outreach
Kevin Harney shares three lessons he learned from two small churches he pastored, which he believes will encourage and help small church leaders in a wide variety of settings.

Also See: The Strengths of Smaller Healthy Churches

Anglican Dioceses Report Attendance Growth
New diocesan data for the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) released this past week shows a 2.55 percent jump in churchwide Average Principal Sunday Attendance in 2025, an increase of 2,509 from 96,009 in 2024 to 98,514 in the most recent reporting year. The data is viewable below in the PDF form it was provided in.

The numbers, drawn from the 2025 congregational report, place the ACNA among a small number of U.S.-based denominations including the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and the Assemblies of God (AG), each of which report annual growth of 2-3 percent. It does, however, mark a slowdown from the double-digit growth reported for each of the prior three years rebounding from the period of COVID restrictions at the beginning of the decade.

ACNA: Women's Ordination ... Again
It won't go away. Women's ordination has become the bête noire of the Anglican Church in North America. It is the recurring bad dream from which the province cannot wake. It is the guest who was never formally invited to the founding in 2009, yet has had a seat at the table ever since.

ACNAers who are hoping their province will make an about-face on this issue are in all likelihood engaging in wishful thinking. Such a an about-face would also in all likelihood lead to the breakup of the Anglican Church in North America.

Today’s UMC has only 3 megachurches
The UMC model is not often identified with megachurches, defined by Hartford Institute for Religion Research as having 2,000 or more people in average weekend worship attendance. Average weekly attendance at all UMC churches nationwide is about 100.

Analysis: Liberals Fall Short in C of E Synod Elections
After years of grueling arguments about same-sex marriage, the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith project mostly ran into the sand thanks to synodical arithmetic.

The House of Bishops initially hoped to push progressive reforms through on a simple majority basis on the floor of the General Synod, the C of E’s elected governing assembly. However, having belatedly taken advice from the church’s lawyers and theological advisers, the hierarchy last year acknowledged that making further progress on the issue would require a more complex and lengthy procedure under canon law.

Canadians admire and appreciate Jesus but remain wary of Christianity, survey finds
A new national survey has revealed a striking contrast in Canadians’ attitudes towards Jesus and Christianity, with many expressing “admiration and appreciation for Jesus” while associating the Christian faith with judgement, control and division.

The research, conducted by Angus Reid Group in partnership with Alpha Canada and The Message Canada, found that 76% of Canadians regard Jesus as loving and 73% as selfless.

However, 64% described Christianity as judgmental, 62% said it causes arguments, and 57% considered it controlling.

Religious identification, service attendance remains steady after years of decline: Pew
Religious identification and practice in the United States are holding steady after years of reported decline, according to new Pew Research Center data.

In a report published Wednesday citing data from its “Comparing Results Across Religious Landscape Studies," Pew found 70% of Americans surveyed in 2026 said they identify with a religion, compared with 71% in 2020.

Belief in ghosts and magic linked to faith and trust in science, study finds
A new study suggests that Americans who believe in God while placing strong trust in science and reason may be more likely to believe in ghosts, curses and other supernatural phenomena.

The research, published in the academic journal ‘Social Forces’ during the summer, examined how religious belief and what researchers describe as ‘secular rationalism’ can coexist.

Its findings challenge the assumption that people who move away from traditional religious authority will necessarily abandon supernatural beliefs.

St Thomas: the apostle, the missionary, the martyr, and the legend
The Acts of the Apostles tells the story of how the Good News of Jesus rapidly spread out from the Judean and Galilean heartlands of the faith within a generation. However, we can sometimes forget about the apostolic missionaries whose travels and preaching are not recorded in the New Testament, for these too made a huge impact on the geographical spread of Christian faith.

Of all the apostles, Thomas is perhaps the one whose reputation has travelled furthest from the New Testament heartlands and, indeed, from the Greco-Roman Mediterranean generally. In the Christian traditions of the East, he is remembered as the great missionary of the Persian and Indian worlds; a founder of ancient Christian communities; a martyr, and a leader whose legacy has shaped communities for nearly two thousand years.

An Interview with Trevin Wax about His New Book
Many believers admit their prayers lack depth. At times, we struggle to focus or simply don’t know what to say.

In The Lord Is My Light: A Liturgy for Daily Prayer, Trevin Wax has arranged 366 daily readings to encourage regular, prayerful meditation on God’s Word. Each entry pairs Scripture with prayers and confessions of saints throughout history. Look for us to publish an excerpt from the book in the coming weeks.

Here’s a conversation with Trevin about the book...

Many churches lack AI policies despite widespread support among pastors, study finds
Most Protestant pastors in the United States are using artificial intelligence (AI), but most of their churches have yet to establish policies or guidelines governing its use, according to research from Barna Group.

The findings form part of Barna’s wider ‘Faith & AI’ research, conducted in partnership with Gloo through its multi-year ‘State of the Church’ initiative, which examines how emerging technologies are influencing religious life and ministry.

They reveal a significant divide between church leaders’ recognition of the need for responsible AI practices and the measures currently in place within their congregations.

5 Ways Retirees Can Serve the Church
“Retirement at last! Now I can sleep as late as I want to. Now I get to do nothing all day.” Such is a popular description of how retirement looks to many people. I know some who would even add, “Now I get to play golf every day.”

Obviously, this does not reflect the Christian perspective of someone who understands that his chief end is “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever” (see Westminster Shorter Catechism 1; 1 Cor. 10:31; Rom. 11:36). This is not to say that sleeping later and playing golf are anti-Christian. However, there are some significant ways that retirees can still serve the church.

Sundays at All Hallows (November 1, 2026) Is Now Online

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

This Sunday, November 1, 2026, is All Saints’ Day. It is also the sixth year that All Hallows Murray has celebrated its patronal festival since the ministry was launched on June 10, 2020, on the eve of the feast day of St. Barnabas the Encourager.

The old Church Year is drawing to close. On November 29 it will be Advent Sunday, the first Sunday of Adventide, and the first Sunday of the new Church Year. For Adventide we will be switching to a traditional language service on Thursday evenings and Sundays. Before then I will post a tutorial to help those who are not familiar with the vocabulary and grammar of the older Prayer Books.

In this Sunday’s message we delve into what All Saints’ Day is and why we observe it.

Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Revelation 7:9-17, and Matthew 5:1-12

Message: All Saints’ Day – What Is It and Why Do We Observe It?

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/10/sundays-at-all-hallows-november-1-2026.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: 'Why Your 2027 Priorities Need to Be Finalized by December' And More

Why Your 2027 Priorities Need to Be Finalized by December 

January feels like go time, but if you wait until the new year to decide your church's priorities, you are already behind. In this solo episode, Scott explains why your 2027 priorities need to be settled before December, how to keep your budget from quietly starving your vision, and why a sluggish January start can cost you the whole year. You will walk away with three simple steps your team can take in the next few weeks so you hit the ground running on January 1.

Could one in six US Episcopal congregations be gone in a decade?
Anglican Watch, the self-proclaimed “unofficial watchdog” of the US Episcopal Church, has questioned claims that church attendance at the denomination is “stabilizing” as it predicts that one in six congregations could effectively disappear in the next decade.

In its latest Parochial Report, the Episcopal Church said Sunday attendance is stabilizing following a brief post-Covid bounce. The same report, however, showed a significant decline in the last decade, with the denomination losing around a quarter of its membership.

In 2015 the church had two million members. By 2025 that figure had dropped to below 1.5 million.

Church decline is not confined to the Episcopal Church but is affecting most US denominations with non-denominational churches siphoning off dissaffected churchgoers from these denominations. The Episcopal Church does, however, appear particularly ill-equipped to deal with its decline.

English Cathedral Could Close Next Year
Southwell Minster will close next year if millions of pounds cannot be raised for operating deficits and emergency repairs, warned its dean, the Very Rev. Stephen Evans. Rain pouring through its damaged roof and inoperable exterior lighting, he said, are symptoms of a financial crisis that has brought the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham’s cathedral to “the most critical point” in its 900-year history.

Rebekah Simon-Peter: Can a Denomination in Decline Plan for Widespread Renewal?
Can a denomination whose decisions are increasingly shaped by decline actually enact widespread renewal?

Spiritual renewal, however, does not begin from the top down. It begins at the local level and then like a wildfire spreads to wherever there is combustible material. It's a grassroots movement. United Methodist leaders should have learned that lesson from the history of their own movement: It did not begin with the Church of England's bishops or the larger number of its clergy and congregations. It largely spread outside the institution and not within it.

On being ‘just Christian’
Finding the truth in Christianity often is harder than it seems. Because of the complexity of the Scriptures and the confusion of conflicting traditions, the average Christian often is obliged to become a lay scholar and be prepared to defend their faith beyond what is practical for an average working-class person.

Because of this, many Christians get stuck in the shallow end of the pool.

Churches challenged to make single Christians feel fully part of church life
Churches should strengthen their welcome for single Christians and ensure they feel fully valued in the life of their congregations, speakers at the inaugural Single Friendly Church Network conference have said.

The conference, titled ‘Belonging’, was held to initiate Single Friendly Church Week, a campaign by the Single Friendly Church Network seeking to inspire a culture shift in churches across denominations so that people can feel valued regardless of their relationship status.

The fall of the Etsy witch
Last year, Pew Research Center found that nearly 1 in 3 Americans consult a fortune teller, tarot cards or astrology on a yearly basis, meaning Americans are about as likely to consult these practices as they are to attend religious services at least monthly. Scholars who study religion and modern witchcraft say the popularity of click-and-buy spells show that many buyers are seeking agency and guidance at a time of cultural upheaval.

Can Local Churches once again become incubators for pastoral ministry?
Maybe, though, it’s time to ask about what is lost in this typical journey from laity to clergy.

The Episcopal Church and other mainline denominations have a similar problem and local churches are suffering from a lack of leadership.

7 Things Organists Do That Drive Congregations Crazy
Church organists, we need to talk.

The never-ending hymn introduction. The unexpected key change. The reharmonization that nobody asked for. And, of course, the final chord that simply refuses to end!

In this episode of FROM THE TOWER, we're having a little fun with **7 things organists do that drive congregations absolutely crazy!

Church organists do need to learn how to properly accompany congregational singing.

6 Things That Happen When a Youth Group Focuses on Evangelism
Every youth pastor wants to see their students on fire for Jesus. But what’s the best way to help them get there? Youth ministry tradition says a weekly game, 20-minute sermon, and the occasional special event can do the trick. But tradition is losing its impact on today’s teens who need and want more. Instead, let’s look at 6 things that happen when you switch gears and start to focus on relational evangelism.

Friday's Catch: 'The Alternate Enchantment of the Reformation' And More

The Alternate Enchantment of the Reformation
The man so responsible for driving the theology of the English Reformation, Thomas Cranmer, declared that the Lord’s Supper was “no vain ceremony, no bare sign, no untrue figure of a thing absent” but “the communion of the body and blood of the Lord in a marvellous incorporation, which by the operation of the Holy Ghost, the very bond of our conjunction with Christ, is through faith wrought in the souls of the faithful, whereby not only their souls live to eternal life, but they surely trust to win to their bodies a resurrection to immortality.” Thus, the Reformers spoke of the sacraments as means of grace, not in the sense that they were works of merit by which we may obtain grace, but that they were the ordinary means by which God communicates grace freely to his people, without regard to any merit but Christ’s.

This understanding of the sacraments was at the heart of the alternate enchantment offered by Protestants. They did not seek an end of all enchantment but the triumph of true enchantment over false enchantment. For the view that the sacraments do not communicate Christ and the world does not exist under his perfect providence, we must look to the Radical Reformation, which was as much opposed to the Magisterial Reformation as it was to any doctrine of Rome. There we find the transformation of the sacraments into bare signs that testify to human decision, along with a suspicion of the body and physicality. The disenchanted world in which we live is more the child of the Anabaptists than it is of Luther, Calvin, or Cranmer.

The Future of Rural Churches: Challenges, Opportunities, and Hope - Webinar Replay
Nearly 9 in 10 rural pastors believe their churches will be stronger 10 years from now. What fuels that optimism, and what can church leaders learn from it?

Join Carol Pipes, Lifeway's director of communications, for a conversation with Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, and Jason McConnell, director of Rural Church Institute at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, as they unpack findings from a nationwide study of Protestant pastors serving in rural communities. Together, they'll explore the realities rural pastors face, the relational ministry strategies making the greatest impact, and practical takeaways for strengthening churches and reaching communities for Christ.

Also See: Rural Churches Today Insight Report PDF

Religious observance in US ‘stable,’ combined research says
Religion is showing signs of “strength and stability” in the U.S. while attendance at religious services has increased from the lows of the COVID-19 era, according to a study released Oct. 28.

The analysis conducted by Pew Research Center and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation presents a synthesis of polling this year and last year in addition to surveys tracked since 2020.

Researchers found 70% of adults identify with a religious tradition, a figure that has held steady over the past six years. Similarly, Americans who report praying daily has held steady in the upper 40% range, with 47% saying that in 2026.

Also See: Religious identification, service attendance remains steady after years of decline: Pew

Five dioceses receive assessment waivers as Episcopal Church approaches full compliance
The Episcopal Church is approaching full compliance with payments of its diocesan assessments, which are the largest source of revenue supporting the churchwide budget.

Each of the church’s 106 dioceses, after an exemption for its first $200,000 in annual revenue, is required to contribute 15% of the rest of the income to the wider church. Only five dioceses — Albany, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Florida and Navajoland — requested and received waivers from that requirement in 2026.

The five previously had received assessment waivers for 2025 as well, as did New Jersey and Southwest Florida. Those two additional dioceses did not request new waivers for 2026 and are expected to pay their full assessments for the year.

UMC bishop removes ministers from Dallas’ Highland Park; church says they will stay
In yet another escalation, the bishop said he was removing the Rev. Matt Tuggle, senior minister, and the Rev. Paul Rasmussen, former senior minister, ‘from all positions’ at the church.

Also See: UMC Bishop appoints new pastor to Texas megachurch that voted to disaffiliate

Gun Violence is a Public Health Epidemic
The nation watched in horror as reports from Bend, Oregon, brought news of a much too frequent tragedy occurring in the United States. Again, a catastrophic shooting kills and injures children and teachers at school. It traumatizes everyone involved and their whole community. The country grieves, and we seem powerless as a nation to stop such violence and death.

If the Church Did Its Job, Would the Parachurch Exist?
The parachurch exists because God’s commands naturally generate institutions beyond family, church, and state.

Neo-monastic community to launch in diocese of Niagara
Bishop Susan Bell has wanted to support a neo-monastic religious community in Canada for years—even before she became a bishop. Now, the diocese of Niagara has begun work to make that dream a reality..

Neo-monastic communities are groups of people who live out a commitment to religious devotion and contemplation—such as that described in the Rule of Saint Benedict for monks—in forms adapted to the needs and challenges of the modern world. They often observe offices of prayer, take temporary or permanent oaths and gather for worship, though they are less likely to be cloistered or sworn to celibacy than traditional monks or nuns..

The Rooted Leader: Eric Geiger on Leading Like Nehemiah
Shallow roots can spell disaster for people as well as for trees. When those people hold leadership positions, their “toppling” is often public and painful. Eric Geiger proposes a way to prevent that: by building up leaders who stay firmly rooted so they can produce lasting fruit. The senior pastor of Mariners Church in Southern California applies his business background, leadership training and ministry experience to strengthen leaders of churches, organizations and families. In his new book, The Rooted Leader (Tyndale), Geiger shares lessons from Nehemiah with modern-day leaders who face their own tasks of restoration and heart-change. For each of seven leadership fruits—vision, conviction, servanthood, perseverance, credibility, transformation and resolve—he delves into the intermingling roots that must thrive below the surface.

Here, Geiger discusses pastoral challenges, plus the perks of leading from a faith foundation. Church leaders who feel discouraged and at risk of being uprooted will benefit from his Bible-based wisdom.

Clergy opinions run gamut on AI use in sermons
Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in writing sermons has sparked a wide range of responses among Anglican clergy, from enthusiastic embrace of the technology to pledges totally opposing its use.

More than 150 preachers and church leaders, including about a dozen Canadian Anglicans, have signed the Saint Dunstan Pledge for Preachers, committing not to use generative AI to write sermons, homilies or reflections. The Rev. Emily Garcia, an Episcopal priest in the diocese of Massachusetts, created the online pledge on May 19—the feast of St. Dunstan, patron saint of metal workers and other craftspeople.

Half of Christian questions on ChatGPT are attempts to understand the Bible
Figures from OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, have shown that every week the AI chatbot receives around 70 million enquiries on the subject of religion.

Unsurprisingly it is the world’s two largest religions, Christianity and Islam that receive the lion’s share of interest.

The analysis, which looked at requests from September 2025 to September 2026 found that 45 per cent of religion-related interactions were about Islam and 34 per cent were concerned with Christianity.

Five Ways to Pray for Persecuted Christians
Sunday, Nov. 1, marks the annual International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. It’s a day for believers across the globe to unite in concentrated prayer for Christians suffering for the gospel.

Here are a few biblically-based ways to pray for the persecuted, along with a guide to a few specific nations to remember.

Thursday's Catch: 'The Problem Your Church Can Feel but Can't Name' And More

The Problem Your Church Can Feel but Can't Name with Gavin Adams
Most churches aren't stuck because they lack passion. They're stuck because of 48 layers of paint. Gavin Adams has a name for what's quietly slowing your church down, and once you see it, you can't unsee it.

Gavin Adams led Woodstock City Church for 13 years, growing it from 200 to 8,000. Now he coaches pastors around the world, and he keeps finding the same thing under the hood: the problem is almost never passion or theology. It's a design problem. And design problems have answers.

We get into why the ministry model that worked perfectly when you built it is already a little antiquated the next day, why churches keep bolting good things on until the whole engine slows down, and what the pandemic exposed about how many people missed church and never actually missed it. Then Gavin walks through where the redesign starts: eight words on a whiteboard, and the courage to be loyal to the mission instead of the model.

If you lead at the intersection of vision and execution and feel the complexity piling up, this conversation gives you language for what's happening and a place to start.

Your Bench Is Empty: What Growing Churches Do Before the Role Opens Up
Most churches don't think about leadership development until someone quits. By then, your only move is to post the job and hope. The fastest-growing churches don't work that way. They already know who's next.

At the start of 2026, I asked executive pastors what scared them most heading into the year. Nearly one in four named the same thing: staff health, team structure, and who's coming next. So for this final summer compilation, I pulled together four conversations that answer it.

Stop Losing First-Time Guests: What's Working at the Front Door Right Now
The biggest shift in first-time guests in 20 years just happened. Most churches haven't caught up yet.

Five years ago, 80% of young adults walked into church looking for community and 20% were looking for God. According to Greg Curtis at Eastside Church, that ratio has completely flipped. People are arriving with God questions burning in their hearts. They're not stumbling in. They're not browsing. They're searching.

The problem? Most of our front-door systems were built for the old reality.

Barry Manilow, the Spotlight Effect & Why Your People Are Closer to Inviting Than You Think
The weird psychology of why your church isn't inviting anyone — and what the research actually says you should do about it.

In 2000, a Cornell researcher made college students wear a Barry Manilow t-shirt and asked them to guess how many people in a room would notice. The students predicted half. The real number? One in four. That same gap is happening in your church right now — between what you're communicating about invitation and what your people are actually hearing.

We unpack the research (Barry Manilow t-shirts, tapping experiments, the collapse of social media reach, the rule of 29) and connect it to why most churches stall on invite culture. We lay out the five gears growing churches are actually turning to build invitation into everything they do.

If you're an Executive Pastor or senior leader wondering why your people aren't inviting their friends — even though you've been talking about it for months — this is the episode that will reframe the problem.

What the UMC Leadership Gathering Means for Church Leaders
Reflecting on the recent gathering of United Methodist leaders in Calgary, Canada, Jonathan Page identifies four key lessons for leading the church into the future: prioritizing younger and historically marginalized voices, turning vision into actionable strategy, leading from possibility rather than problems, and keeping Jesus at the center of the church’s mission.

Rising in Hope — But Hope in What?
The Episcopal Church has drawn up its plans for the 82nd General Convention, complete with new committees on artificial intelligence, racial justice, migration and the Holy Land. A committee for the salvation of souls did not make the list.

Executive Council approves 29 grants for new Episcopal communities seeking ‘next faithful step’
I have nothing against new church development or South Sudanese refugees and their families but in my corner of the Diocese of Kentucky, the Jackson Purchase, are four Episcopal churches which have no priest of their own and must rely upon supply priests, retired clergy from the Diocese of West Tennessee, for the administration of Holy Communion one or two Sundays of the month. Otherwise, they must make do without a priest. One of these churches hosts the Episcopal Campus Ministry at Murray State University. Has the national church and the diocese written off these churches, left them to hang out to dry?!  

Cut dioceses and restore parish authority, Church of England report urges
George Conger provides a thoughtful analysis of the "Wasted Money in a Diminishing Church" report.

Canadian gov't seeks to halt expansion of euthanasia based on mental illness
Canada is moving to change its law on medical assistance in dying (MAID) to add safeguards, allow advance requests and prohibit euthanasia solely based on mental illness.

Canada’s Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it was introducing the MAID Safeguards Act, also known as Bill C-41, which it says will “establish rigorous safeguards” for euthanasia.

An Empty House, a Full Table: Where Do Singles Belong in the Family of God?
The family of God is not a metaphor limited to Scripture or Sunday mornings. It’s the reality believers are called to live.

Keeping the Hallow in Hallowtide
Growing up in the South, I learned that Halloween was a touchy subject for some Christians. For lots of families, October 31 was a simple childhood pleasure: an evening of costumes, candy, and neighborhood block parties. For others, it was a holiday to avoid, one too tangled up with paganism and the occult to square with Christian faith. I still feel that tension, even though my view of the holiday has changed.

The New AI Discipleship Crisis
We're facing a new AI discipleship crisis — and almost nobody is preparing for it. AI answers instantly. God, as you know, sometimes doesn't answer at all. That gap between instant AI answers and God's silence is becoming one of the biggest discipleship crises the church has ever faced.

In this video, I break down why this new AI discipleship crisis is really about expectations — AI's instant, always-available answers are quietly reshaping what people expect from God. We'll talk about why a "predictable" God isn't God, it's a product. Why the real danger isn't people rejecting faith, but syncretism: slowly letting AI's immediacy define our spiritual expectations. And why the church might be uniquely positioned to offer something AI never can — the slow, real work of discipleship.

AI and religion: A modest proposal
In establishing safeguards for AI, some companies should attempt to build in not only rules of ethical behavior, but also, to the extent possible, a sense of what it means to be a flesh-and-blood being.

8 Ways to Help Your Kids Love the Church
While discipleship at home is extremely important and something every Christian parent should pursue, it can never replace the church. Reading Scripture together, praying as a family, and teaching our children about God within our homes are vital practices. Yet God's design for believers extends beyond the walls of our homes. He calls us to belong to a community of believers who worship, serve, and do life together.

Wholesome Talk in the Body of Christ
Dr. Dontá McGilvery reflects on Paul’s instruction to let no unwholesome talk come from our mouths and considers what that command requires in a divided world. Wholesome talk is not simply being nice; it is learning to speak truth, correction, encouragement, and even disagreement in ways that give grace and build up the pus MinistryBody of Christ.