Are 64% of Pastors Losing the Ability to Preach?
64% of pastors are now using AI for sermon prep. That number isn’t the problem. How it’s being used might be.
Universities across North America are bringing back oral exams because students are turning in perfect papers — and then can’t explain a single word of them when questioned face to face. Professors aren’t doing it to catch cheaters. They’re doing it because students are actually losing the ability to think.
Nobody in the church is asking whether the same thing is happening to pastors.
The Reality of Church Hoppers: A Pastor's Honest Perspective
Summer often exposes a quiet reality in many churches: some members begin shopping for a new congregation. In this episode, Josh and Sam address why this happens and how leaders should respond. If you’ve faced it, you are not alone. Every long-tenured pastor has.
7 Deadly Statements of Church Members (and How To Respond)
Most churches do not collapse because of a scandal. They decline one sentence at a time. Words have meaning, and when church members repeat certain words often enough, those words begin to reflect the priorities and passions of the church itself.
The Myth of the 'Stable Church'
There is a hopeful spirit among United Methodists today despite challenges. People know that the future will be rooted in a strong Wesleyan ethos but that things must change just as John Wesley changed, often reluctantly, to meet changed circumstances. One goal I had in writing An Aura of Hope: United Methodism’s Next Chapter in the United States was to offer church leaders clues that can guide them in discerning God’s next faithful step for their congregation. A recurring theme of the book is an invitation for congregations to focus on the people God has given them in their communities. Thus, ministry does not so much begin with serving members but rather membership begins with ministry with the people God has given us we do not yet know. Most churches will discover that this model was exactly what church life looked like in their first years of existence.
United Methodists Bolster Ties in Canada
The United Methodist Church and The United Church of Canada, which share Wesleyan roots, have formed an interim covenant as they work toward full communion. Adding urgency to the growing cooperation is migration of United Methodists to Canada. The move also comes as the Council of Bishops prepares to hold its Leadership Gathering in Canada with the blessing of The United Church.
‘The Office of Pastor Is Limited to Men’—Albert Mohler’s Amendment to SBC Constitution Passes Initial Vote.
Before the conclusion of the morning session, Registration Secretary Don Currence reported the amendment passed.
“At the time of that ballot, it was 11,671 messengers registered, with 8,074 messengers casting ballots,” Currence shared. “In favor, there was 6,028 votes in favor, which represented 76.66%. As for opposed, there was 2,026 votes, which represented 25.9%.
He added, “There’s 20 disallowed votes, which was 0.25%.”
A change to the SBC constitution requires a two-thirds vote by messengers at two consecutive annual meetings. Messengers will vote at the 2027 Annual Meeting in Indianapolis to decide if the Truth and Unity amendment will be adopted into the constitution.
Also See: Bulletin: Debate cut short on Mohler amendment; SBC approves amendment strengthening ban on women pastors
Willy Rice, Florida pastor and abuse crisis skeptic, elected SBC president
Rice’s win is a triumph for critics who argue that the nation’s largest Protestant denomination has lost its way in recent years.
Trump’s meeting with Orthodox Christian patriarch sows confusion
The Greek Orthodox leader expects to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later this month.
Overture to require monogamy for clergy prompts pushback in PCUSA: 'Spiritual coercion'
A proposed rule to mandate monogamy among ordained clergy, including those in homosexual relationships, has prompted pushback from three committees of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
The overture, which was submitted by the Presbytery of Sierra Blanca in New Mexico to be considered at the PCUSA's General Assembly later this month in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, would amend the denomination's Book of Order to require clergy "in any relationship of a sexual nature" to be "living in a monogamous one."
Americans growing more conservative on sex, gambling and divorce: Gallup poll
The percentage of Americans who believe that sex outside of marriage and birth control are morally acceptable has declined, as a new survey shows the public embracing more conservative attitudes on hot-button social issues.
Gallup released the most recent installment of its annual Values and Beliefs Poll Tuesday, finding that attitudes on a range of moral issues have shifted in a more conservative direction compared with the previous year.
What CAN Women Do in the Church?
According to the surely never-wrong Al Mohler, no female should ever function in a pastoral/preaching role over a man. Yes, she can serve in the church, but she cannot have the title of pastor or exercise any spiritual authority over any male.
So, what follows here is something I wrote a long time ago as I wandered in the world Mohler espouses, while also going deep into biblical studies, including gaining expertise in Greek and Hebrew. I did leave out some relevant details to protect loved ones.
Why sophrosyne, an ancient Greek virtue, matters more than ever in the age of AI
For the Greeks, sophrosyne was an ideal second to none. It’s just as important today, in an age of internet addiction and misinformation – but harder to come by.
Leading Faithfully in a Changing Church: An In-depth Interview with Karen Stewart
How can church leaders navigate a rapidly changing cultural landscape while sustaining meaningful, faithful, and adaptive ministry? In this interview, Jonathan Page is joined by Karen Stewart as they discuss her new role at the Lewis Center for Church Leadership, her decades of experience in local church ministry and organizational leadership, and her vision for reimagining innovation, intergenerational engagement, and leadership formation for today and tomorrow’s church leaders.
The Biblical Role of a Pastor: 5 Facts Most Church Members Get Wrong
Ask 10 church members to describe the role of a pastor and you may get 10 different answers. An employee. An errand runner. An executive the board brought in to keep the customers happy. Scripture disagrees with every one of them, and the gap between what the Bible teaches and what congregations assume is quietly damaging churches.
Should Pastors Preach for Conversions?
In the churches where I first came to know Jesus Christ, no service was complete without an invitation, a time for people in the pews to respond to the message by making their way down the aisle. During weeklong revival services, “Just as I Am” inevitably ran out of verses before the preachers ran out of steam. With every head bowed and every eye closed, the preacher would call for “one more, just one more” as the pianist continued to play. As a child, I watched those visiting revivalists through half-closed eyes, waiting for the furtive nod that would bring the invitation to an end.
Whatever you may think about invitations in general or about those preachers’ particular methods, one thing is clear. They were not afraid to preach for conversions. Calling for conversion was part of what they did and how they lived.
Neither were the preachers and prophets whose words the Holy Spirit preserved in the pages of the New Testament.
Perspectives: What IS scripture, pt. 1
It’s no secret that the United Methodist Church has undergone a disheartening and divisive split over the last several years. Indeed, the tensions that eventually produced the present schism existed long before my birth and were sewn, sometimes incoherently, into the original 1968 union.
In truth, my heart grieves this division because I think the so-called traditionalists (now largely represented by the Global Methodist Church) and the so-called progressives actually need each other. I think the progressives need the traditionalist emphasis on scripture and historic orthodoxy, and I think those traditionalist-evangelicals need the justice-oriented emphasis of their progressive siblings, not to mention the reminder that the tradition is not a monolith. So I, for one, did not rejoice when our denomination split. Not least because I have friends, companions, and colleagues on both sides of the fracture.
Equipping Men for Spiritual Leadership at Home and in the Church
Equipping men for spiritual leadership requires a shift in our approach—moving from program-based training to relationship-based development. Aaron Summers offers guidance for building intentional mentoring relationships, prioritizing character formation, and creating a culture where men are equipped to lead and multiply leaders in the next generation.
5 Spiritual Dangers of Skipping Church (and When It’s OK)
Empty seats tell a story. Walk into almost any church on a Sunday morning and you will find names on the membership roll that have not been in the room for weeks. My own denomination’s annual reports show the same pattern year after year. Millions claim membership, yet far fewer actually gather for worship on a given Sunday.
That gap is more than a statistic. For people who profess Christ but regularly skip church, it is a spiritual hazard. Scripture treats gathering with God’s people as essential to the Christian life, not as one option among many.
How Can We Sense God’s Leading in Our Lives?
A reader sent me this question: I really want to follow Christ but at times I become anxious searching for God’s Spirit within me. How can I hear God’s voice and know that He is clearly speaking to me?
Knowing God’s voice, I think, comes from abiding in Christ, as we see in John 15. A vital part of that is His Word abiding in us. Confession of sin is also important, so our relationship with God isn't hindered by our sin. The wisdom and input of others—not just any others but very godly others—is certainly helpful. But in the end, there is a supernatural aspect to following God’s leading that’s more than knowing what the Bible says and listening to others.Image Credit: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Marion, NC
Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.
This Thursday is the feast day of Saint Barnabas the Apostle. He is one of the New Testament saints for which The Book of Common Prayer has provided propers, prayers, Scripture readings, and other liturgical texts, since the first Edwardian Prayer Book of 1549. Saint Barnabas is also called the encourager. You learn more about him from the Wikipedia article, “Barnabas.” In his devotion to the Great Commission and his willingness to give someone a second chance after they have made a mistake, Barnabas is a model for modern-day Christians.
This Thursday evening’s message offers a set of practical guidelines for evaluating and selecting books, videos, and other teaching material for use in equipping individuals and groups for the life and ministry of a disciple of Jesus.
Readings: Ecclesiastes 12: 9-14; Acts 9:26-31
Message: What Is Taught in Sunday School Matters
Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/06/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows-june.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.
Why Successful Churches Aren’t Turning the World Upside-Down – But the Outcasts Might
Where are the Christian innovators who will put a dangerous passion for Jesus ahead of personal ministry success?
3 Small Church Leadership Models That Work
f you have spent any time in small church leadership, you know the weight that sits on the question of how we structure pastoral ministry. It touches everything. Our finances. Our identity. Our sense of whether we are a real church or just barely holding on.
And somewhere along the way, a lot of us picked up the idea that there is one right way to do it, one biblical model, one setup that proves we are healthy and faithful and doing things the way they are supposed to be done.
That idea is not true. It never was.
Also See: Leading the Small Membership Church; The Biggest Difference In Big/Small Church Leadership
Bishop of Dallas urges parishes to eschew non-1979 BCP liturgies
This is the pastoral letter Bishop Robert Price sent to his diocese.
Conservative reformers win SBC presidency
For the first time in 35 years, a reform candidate has been elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, defeating an institutional candidate.
Florida pastor Willy Rice — who withdrew from the presidential race in 2022 — won the presidency June 9 in a ballot against South Carolina pastor Josh Powell. The vote was 57.56% for Rice and 42.16% for Powell, a more decisive victory than observers had expected.
BNG commentator Benjamin Cole wrote last week: “While Powell and Rice are themselves almost perfectly aligned on the convention’s basic confessional commitments and have separately endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment on women, the factions supporting each man could not be more divided.”
Also See: Willy Rice Elected as New President of Southern Baptist Convention
Albert Mohler Officially Proposes SBC Constitutional Amendment To Ban Women Pastors
During the first session of the Southern Baptist Convention’s 2026 annual meeting, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Dr. Albert Mohler fulfilled his promise to propose his Truth and Unity Amendment.
How to read the Bible in a time of biblical authoritarianism
Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has created a stir with his proposed amendment to the Southern Baptist Convention’s constitution. He claims anyone who takes issue with the amendment is opposing biblical authority.
The issue is not biblical authority, but biblical authoritarianism.
David French on the Last Ten Years
Our friend David French joins for a look back on what has changed since 2016 in American politics and American evangelicalism. Russell and David examine the influence of Pentecostalism, prosperity theology, church-growth culture, the missional movement, and New Calvinism, and how Donald Trump was emboldened by the culture they’ve cultivated. They wrestle with questions of power, certainty, leadership, gender, and why political identity has increasingly become a defining force within many Christian communities.
Theory explains Trump's power: Stupidity is more dangerous than evil
Whatever one’s opinion on President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement that carried him to office, it’s impossible to deny that they have transformed the United States. The simple description of what’s driving that change, says senior defense analyst Brynn Tannehill, is “fascism.” But as she elaborates, three psychological concepts are underpinning that autocratic impulse: social dominance orientation, the Dunning-Kruger Effect, and Bonhoeffer’s Theory of Stupidity.
Sea ice loss in the Arctic has triggered a critical tipping point that's destroying the food chain
The Arctic Ocean has crossed a tipping point that is wreaking havoc on the region's food chain, with potentially dire consequences for commercial fishing and the ocean's capacity to soak up carbon, a new study reports.
Scientists found that vast areas of melting sea ice in the Arctic are leading to a significant reduction in nitrate, a key nutrient that forms the base of the marine food web and thus underpins important regional fisheries. As the ice disappears, more light hits the water's surface, promoting the growth of microscopic, plant-like organisms called phytoplankton. When phytoplankton die, their cells sink to the seafloor and are decomposed by nitrate- and oxygen-consuming bacteria.
The new study, published May 28 in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, found that the bacteria are consuming more nitrate than the Arctic ecosystem can withstand.
Pride and the Gospel: the way of self or the way of Christ?
With June comes what is commonly known as “Pride Month”, a time dedicated to "celebrating" the LGBTQ+ community. While much could be said about the wider cultural conversations surrounding this month, I want to focus on the word pride itself.
The term was originally adopted as a response to the shame, rejection and mistreatment many people in the community experienced. In that sense, it is understandable why the language of pride emerged. Yet as Christians, our understanding of pride is shaped not primarily by culture, but by Scripture.
Developing Healthy Rhythms as a Pastor
Developing healthy rhythms in your everyday life is an important part of enjoying a fruitful ministry as a pastor.
Children's motivation and attitudes towards learning play a key role in academic success, study finds
A major new study led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London has revealed that noncognitive skills—such as motivation, curiosity, academic interest and self-belief—play a key role in translating children's genetic dispositions into academic achievement.
10 Signs You’re Attending a Good Church
It’s easy for me to spot the signs of a good church because I love the church. She is the bride of Christ and the key to cultural transformation. In that sense, every church matters. But let’s be honest. Plenty of churches leave much to be desired when it comes to making a real difference in their congregations and communities. When you plug into a church that is getting it done, it’s a true blessing.
So how can you tell the difference between a church that is merely busy and one that is genuinely healthy? Scripture gives us a remarkably clear picture.
The God of Small Churches
Most of us have a picture in our minds of what a successful church looks like.
It is large. It has a full parking lot. The worship team is polished. The children’s ministry is bustling. The pastor is well known.
We absorb this picture from our culture without even realizing it. Attendance becomes the metric. Size becomes the measure of success. And small churches, almost by default, begin to feel like failures.
I want to push back on that.
Growing Through Gospel Proclamation
“I couldn’t believe it,” says the Rev. Tom Phillips, rector of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Melbourne, Florida. “There I was, in front of a room full of high schoolers, quoting Cranmer.” As rector of Holy Trinity, Phillips engages regularly with the parish school, Holy Trinity Academy.
Christ declares that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45), and so it was for Phillips. “I thought to myself, What better way to share the good news with these young people than by quoting Article 11?—the one on justification, that our salvation in Jesus is a wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort. The students loved it!”
He adds: “This is what we are all about at Holy Trinity—in all things and at all times proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, and the gift of salvation in him, through the means we have inherited as Episcopalians.”
When Culture Trumps Strategy: When the Way We Plant Undermines What We Plant
I can think of too many people—good, sincere, kind, sacrificial core team members—who didn’t just leave a church plant, but eventually seemed to walk away from the faith altogether. Not because they stopped believing the gospel intellectually, but because of how they were treated while trying to build something for God. That should stop us in our tracks.
We’ve failed if people walk away from Jesus because of the way we tried to build His church.
A Place to Land
Iwas speaking over coffee with a younger friend recently (I’ll call her Theresa, some of the details are changed for sake of anonymity). She’s a sincere Christian who works in parachurch ministry. Theresa has graduate education in theology and ministry; she is well-read, thoughtful, and a sheer delight as a person. We were talking about church and having a place to land.
Easton church to challenge Ocean City in federal court in defense of homeless shelter ministry
St. Paul’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church is preparing to file a federal lawsuit against Ocean City, Maryland, after it received a citation from the resort town on June 8 for operating an overnight shelter for unhoused people on church property.
The church must pay a $1,000 per day fine or close the shelter, according to the citation.
Churches must disciple well and listen well in response to rise of Christian nationalism
Churches have a task on their hands to raise standards of theological literacy in their congregations amid growing Christian nationalism, while at the same time listening to and engaging with the concerns of people in their flock.
That was the message that came out of a webinar hosted by the Evangelical Alliance on Christian nationalism and the rise of far right and populist movements in the UK, some of which have found a degree of support among Christians.
SBC tries to move on from abuse crisis, will debate women pastors and immigration
More than 11,000 Southern Baptist church representatives will gather in Orlando this week, where they will debate women pastors and send out missionaries.
Ukrainian official calls for Russian church to be expelled from World Council of Churches
A senior Ukrainian government official has called for the Russian Orthodox Church to be expelled from the World Council of Churches, saying its conduct during the war in Ukraine violated the foundational principles of Christianity.
Viktor Yelensky, head of Ukraine’s State Service for Freedom of Conscience, made the demand at a seminar organized by the Collège des Bernardins, a Catholic research center in Paris, according to the Church Times.
Defense Department rejiggers list of recognized religions after backlash, narrows it to 30
The fast-evolving list was met with blowback from critics who suggested its changes were an attempt to impose Christian nationalism on the military.
Five Unusual Reasons Pastors are Let Go (and How to Avoid Them)
Unfortunately, pastoral termination is common. Most people think the most common reason is sexual moral failure. Others think it is doctrinal compromise. Neither of those reasons is in the top five. Jess and Thom look at five common reasons most people never consider.
Why Church People Criticize Pastors (And What to Do About It)
If you serve in any kind of church leadership, criticism has probably already found you. It comes in the form of a pointed email, a hallway conversation you were not supposed to hear, or a comment in a board meeting that lands harder than anyone intended. No pastor enjoys it. But how you handle it says everything about your leadership and your character.
Understanding why church members criticize their pastor does not make the criticism easier to receive. It does, however, make it easier to respond well. Below are seven honest reasons people in the church criticize their pastors, along with a practical, God-honoring response to each.
Five Reasons Pastors Should Consider Publishing a Book
The barriers to publishing a book have fallen dramatically. Some pastors are publishing books, but more need to do so. Jess and Thom look at the growth of books published by pastors and the reasons why pastors should consider it.
Ancient Letter Writing and How It Helps Us Read the NT
Why do Romans and Philemon feel so different? A distinction given by Adolf Deissmann helps make sense of this and sharpens our ability to read the NT well.
Deissmann distinguishes between letters and epistles (public writing). He points out that “A letter is something non-literary, a means of communication between persons who are separated from each other” (Light from the Ancient East, 228). And he distinguishes it from the epistle: “An epistle is an artistic literary form, a species of literature, just like the dialogue, the oration, or the drama” (229).
4 Reasons Hymns Still Belong in Your Worship Service
The worship war debate may have quieted in most churches, but the question underneath it never went away: should we still sing the old hymns? For many congregations, the setlist skews hard toward the new. Songs that are two years old feel dated. Songs that are two hundred years old feel ancient. But something gets lost when the church stops singing its history, and the loss is bigger than nostalgia.
There is a reason the church has sung certain songs for centuries. It is not inertia. It is not tradition for tradition’s sake. It is because those hymns carry weight that most contemporary choruses simply have not had time to earn yet.
Matt Boswell, a pastor and hymnist who has written and curated hymns for the church for years, makes a compelling case for keeping historic hymns in regular rotation. Below are four reasons singing hymns in church still matters, and why removing them from your worship diet costs more than you might think.
Parents play decisive role in passing faith to the next generation, study finds
Parents who actively practise and discuss their faith at home are significantly more likely to see their children remain committed Christians into adulthood, according to a major new study.
The report, 'Passing the Torch: How Faith Moves Across Generations', analysed data from over 60,000 adult Americans who were raised in Christian households.
Image Credit: St.Luke’s Episcopal Church, Asheville, North Carolina
Why Comparing Your Church to Other Churches Is Unhealthy
It is easy for ordinary churches to look at well-known ministries and feel inadequate. At Church Answers, we frequently hear church leaders say, “But we are just a small church.”
They see larger congregations, broader reach, and greater visibility. They hear stories of rapid growth and assume those outcomes are what every church should experience. Over time, those comparisons begin to shape expectations.
But comparison rarely leads to clarity.
Run to the Brokenness: Kevin Foster on How Your Church Can Stand Out by Serving Others (Ep 129)
“We don’t serve the broken to spark the latest church growth trend. We serve the broken because it’s what Jesus told us to do.”
Rural church rising…again!
“But I’m in a rural context—can fresh expressions work?” Throughout a decade of leading fresh expressions trainings, this is a frequently raised question.
I have served rural congregations for almost 15 years. In each of those congregations we cultivated multiple fresh expressions of church across an entire area, and the inherited congregations experienced new forms of vitality as a result.
Also See: When renewal springs from unexpected places
ACNA College of Bishops unanimously approves Episcopal Election Customary
The College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) today unanimously approved a final version of a new Episcopal Election Customary, completing a significant effort to strengthen the discernment, vetting, and election of bishops across the Province.
Anne Boleyn as architect of the English Reformation: A conversation with Martha Tatarnic
Queen of England from 1533 until her husband King Henry VIII executed her in 1536, Anne Boleyn was a central political figure in the English Reformation that marked the birth of Anglicanism. The king’s desire to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne drove him to break with the Roman Catholic Church and establish the Church of England. Yet the extent to which Anne’s religious beliefs shaped the church is not well-known, Anglican priest and author Canon Martha Tatarnic says.
Jack Graham Calls SBC Abuse Crisis a ‘Reckless Hoax’ Days Before Annual Meeting
On Friday, a few days before the Southern Baptist Convention gathers for its annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, SBC megachurch Pastor Jack Graham said in a social media post that the SBC has never had a “systematic sexual abuse crisis” and described what prompted a 2021 independent investigation by Guidepost Solutions as a “reckless hoax.”
ICE protesters who interrupted Minnesota church service won't face state charges, prosecutor says
At least four states — Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Kansas — adopted laws this year making it a crime to disrupt worship services.
How To Be a Good Friend to Your Pastor
Being a good friend to a pastor is not the same as being a good friend in general. There are pitfalls specific to the relationship. Here are four of the most important ones to avoid.
How to Use Scripture to Heal, Not Harm
For many abuse survivors, the Bible has been used as a weapon rather than as a source of healing. Yet Scripture reveals a God who aims to bring shalom and is fiercely concerned for the oppressed. In this episode of Logos Live, Kirk E. Miller sits down with Dr. Steven Tracy to tackle the sobering reality of how Scripture is often misused in contexts of abuse and how we can reclaim it as a source of protection and healing for survivors. Together they explore important hermeneutical principles for using and applying Scripture as a medicine rather than a poison.
What are the songs we sing teaching the church?
Sound doctrine is a non-negotiable. It’s required in our preaching, our discipleship, and our teaching. But do we apply the same care for doctrine to our singing?
Archbishop of Canterbury highlights benefits and risks of AI
The Archbishop of Canterbury has joined Pope Leo XIV in calling for AI to be the servant of humanity rather than its replacement.
Speaking in the House of Lords, Sarah Mullally, described AI as “a remarkable product of human creativity” that has opened up tremendous opportunities in many fields of life.
Preachers Pledging Not to Use AI for Sermons
For the Rev. Emily García, associate rector at Church of Our Redeemer in Lexington, Massachusetts, the goal was clear: “I wanted to state publicly what I do with sermon writing and how I don’t use generative AI for it,” García told The Living Church.
In late May, she posted a link on Facebook to the website of what she calls the Saint Dunstan Pledge for Preachers, encouraging clergy, lay leaders, and everyone else concerned with the technology to commit to not using it to write sermons, homilies, or reflections.
The 4 Temptations of Jesus (and How to Overcome Your Own)
The Bible tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way and, from that, He can understand our weakness. But do we understand the nature of those temptations that Jesus faced and, from them, understand our own weakness?
The clearest portrait of the temptations Jesus faced can be seen in the wilderness, where He faced four – yes, four – direct seductions.
Why Your Evangelism Isn’t Working (And What to Do About It)
Most people reject the gospel before they ever really hear it. Not because Christianity is untrue, but because the way it gets delivered makes people feel like a project. That distinction matters more than most pastors and church leaders realize.
One in five Americans say they don’t believe in God. Church attendance has been declining for decades. The numbers are sobering, and the natural response is to evangelize harder. But harder isn’t the problem. How we share matters as much as whether we share.
Jonathan Dodson, founding pastor and author of Witness, makes a sharp observation: a person’s response to Christ rests in God’s sovereign hands, but a person’s hearing of the gospel is something we are responsible for. The question isn’t just whether people receive the good news. It’s whether they’re actually hearing it.
Two failures keep showing up in how Christians share their faith. Both are correctable. And getting them right won’t just make your evangelism more effective. It’ll make you someone people actually want to talk to.
Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.
This Sunday is the First Sunday after Trinity. Trinitytide, the season of the Church Year in which it falls, begins at sunset on Saturday, May 30, 2026, the first eve of Trinity Sunday, and lasts until sunset on Saturday, November 28, 2026, the eve of Advent Sunday, the beginning of Adventtide. In the northern hemisphere Trinitytide encompasses the summer and fall months. It is the longest season of the Church Year. It is a season in which Christians focus on how they may grow as disciples as Jesus Christ and help others come to know and love him as their Saviour and Lord.
The topic of this Sunday’s message is faith.
Readings: Genesis 12: 1-9, Romans 4: 13-25, and Matthew 9: 9-13, 18-26
Message: The Footsteps of Faith
Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/06/sundays-at-all-hallows-june-7-2026.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.
5 Short-Timers Who Don’t Really Help Church Attendance
Every pastor has seen the sign: “Everyone Welcome.” The spirit behind it is real. You genuinely want the whole community walking through those doors. And yet, if you have led a congregation for any length of time, you also know the quiet discouragement of watching people walk right back out.
Here is the hard pastoral truth: one reason nearly every town in America has more than one church is that no pastor is equipped to be everyone’s pastor. You can work hard to close the back door, invest in discipleship, tighten your follow-up process, and still lose people. Not because you failed. Because of who they are.
There are five types of visitors who are almost never going to stick around. Knowing who they are won’t make their departure painless, but it will keep you from burning through your energy trying to hold on to someone who was never really there to stay.
6 Traits of a Church Disrupter (And How to Respond)
Every pastor has met one. They smile warmly on Sunday, send encouraging texts during the week, and quietly work against the church behind the scenes. The church disrupter rarely announces their presence. They are not the loudest voice in the room, and they are almost never openly hostile to leadership. That is exactly what makes them dangerous.
Unlike a church bully, who attacks directly, a disrupter works through whisper campaigns, weaponized questions, and carefully cultivated doubt. They can sit in any pew, carry any title, and be anyone from a founding family member to someone who joined six months ago. And if you are not watching for the signs, they can fracture a congregation before you realize what happened.
Here are six clear traits of a church disrupter, followed by practical steps leaders can take to address the problem while staying true to the gospel.
6 Types of Church Members Who Build Up the Body
The local church is one of the strangest communities on earth. It brings together people who would never choose each other on their own. And yet, by the grace of God, these people choose to love one another, serve one another, and stay. That is a powerful testimony to the world watching from the outside.
What makes it work? Not programs or personalities. It is the members themselves. Healthy churches are built by members who are actively committed to building each other up. Here are six types of members every church needs.
Signs Your Church Might Be Hiding Financial Misconduct
Most church members give generously and in complete trust. Some churches count on that. Learn how to spot financial wrongdoing while stewarding God’s gifts well.
Christians call for action against global hunger crisis
A trio of Christian organisations have signed a joint open letter calling on governments, institutions and people of faith to bring an end to world hunger and malnutrition.
Since the outbreak of hostilities between Iran and the Israel-US alliance, concerns have mounted that food may become scarcer, particularly in the developing world. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz caused a spike in oil prices but also inhibited the global trade in agricultural fertiliser.
Scientists warn Trump plan to axe US ocean monitoring system will leave world 'flying blind'
The Trump administration’s plan to dismantle an ocean observation system vital to understanding the climate crisis and marine ecosystems would “severely degrade” the accuracy of weather predictions and El Niño forecasts, with economic consequences for the US, European and American scientists have warned.
Scientists improve knowledge on sea level rise—and confirm it has been accelerating since 1960
Sea level rise is a direct consequence of human-induced climate change: global warming. It is relentless and very hard to stop. It arises from human-induced warming and the consequential expansion of the ocean, plus the addition of more and more water from melting glaciers and ice sheets. It will continue long into the future.
An international team of climate scientists has fully accounted for what is driving global sea level rise across the past six decades—resolving a stubborn mystery that has clouded our understanding of one of climate change's most consequential impacts.
Warming boosts natural methane emissions as microbes fail to keep pace
A new study led by Professor Mark Trimmer of Queen Mary University of London, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, explains how increases in natural methane emissions will be maximized under future climate warming.
Opinion: Living within our limits is the key to civilization’s survival
For reasons that psychologists have yet to explain, there are still people in the world who refuse to accept that global warming is a clear and present danger. Although they are a diminishing minority, climate scientists are still trying to find a way to convince them.
Maybe a few metaphors will help.
As polyamory gains visibility, monogamy faces a vote in the Presbyterian Church (USA)
A proposal that would require ordained clergy to be monogamous is on the docket at the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s General Assembly this summer.
The overture, CON-10, has generated strong reactions online but not yet earned broad support from PCUSA groups. A separate asks for theological studies on gender and sexuality, life-giving relationships and the Christian vocation of family that would support the denomination’s commitment to inclusion of different familial realities. Together, these overtures show that as polyamory gains visibility in broader culture, it may have policy implications, especially in theologically progressive Christian denominations.
This post and the next four posts are related to the issues of human sexuality dividing churches not only in the United States but also around the world. They reflect a variety of views on these issues.
Helen King’s motion for General Synod: a help or a hindrance?
At the July 2025 General Synod there was scheduled a debate on a potentially highly divisive Private Members Motion (PMM) from Mae Christie, a known critic of the church’s current teaching. It related to the place of Issues in Human Sexuality in the discernment process for ordination and was originally and rightly seen by many committed to the church’s current teaching and practice as undermining of that teaching. Much to people’s pleasant surprise, as a result of discussions and good will and careful amendment, it resulted in an outcome which secured widespread support across different views on sexuality. This, as Ian Paul noted on this blog, was in part because of the approach of the person who introduced the PMM in Christie’s absence:
Here we have someone who is clear he is campaigning for change in the Church’s doctrine of marriage, but recognises that this cannot be brought about by sleight of hand, and has worked actively with those upholding the Church’s historic teaching to come to a workable and reasonable agreement.
Episcopal Church plans celebration of 1976 LGBTQ+ resolution on ‘full and equal’ welcome
It was a single sentence, adopted 50 years ago by General Convention meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Today, LGBTQ+ Episcopalians credit that sentence with opening the door to five decades of progress toward full inclusion in The Episcopal Church.
This is the text of Resolution A069 in full: “Resolved, That it is the sense of this General Convention that homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church.”
Now, as The Episcopal Church approaches the 50th anniversary in September of the passage of that resolution, church leaders are planning a three-day conference on the past, present and future of LGBTQ+ involvement in the life of the church. The conference is scheduled for Sept. 3-5, and it will be held where it all began, back in Minneapolis.
The future of ecumenism - and why it has everything to do with divisions over human sexuality The recent visit by the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullaly, to see Pope Leo XIV in Rome is a reminder of the success of the ecumenical movement. Until the second half of the twentieth century the division between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church which opened at the Reformation would have made such a visit impossible.
However, the growth of the ecumenical movement during the twentieth century has resulted in such a visit being not only possible, but even unremarkable. It is now no big deal that the Archbishop of Canterbury has been to see the Pope.
Sinful Desires, Concupiscence, & “Gay Christians”
How would you feel if you met someone who self-identified as a “Racist Christian,” or maybe an “Adulterous Christian,” or even a “Wife-Beating Christian”? As a Christian, you would be concerned, as would many non-Christians. There’s just something about a Christian identifying themselves with sin. It’s unsuitable.
Christians are no longer identified by their sinful inclinations, desires, or actions, because they’re identified by their union with Christ. Though Christians still struggle with indwelling sin, their union with Christ includes the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit and a striving to turn from sin (not to continue to identify with sin). There are no “Racist Christians,” “Adulterous Christians,” or “Wife-Beating Christians.” There are only Christians who, by God’s grace and Spirit, strive to put partiality, sexual immorality, and anger to death in their hearts and live in ongoing repentance and faith in step with Christ.
5 Bad Ideas That Will Make Your Service Fake
We have all been there. Everything may sound fantastic, look attractive and was planned with purposeful intent. But, something just doesn’t seem right. You feel fake vibes when hoping for authentic ones. Regardless, what makes a worship service fake might be boiled down to a few things even though there may be many things we can put on a list. Here are five bad ideas that promote the “fake factor” in church worship services.
20 Years of Collecting Prayers from Church History: An Annotated Guide
When people ask how long I’ve been working on The Lord Is My Light—the liturgy for daily prayer coming out this fall—I struggle to answer. There’s a sense in which it’s been in development for more than 20 years, from the time an older woman in my Baptist church back home handed me The Book of Common Prayer. That gift whetted my appetite for more prayers from all eras of church history, and I’ve enjoyed finding gems here and there from our forefathers and mothers in the faith that I can make my own.
In the first church I served as a pastor, we had a nicely designed prayer room just off the foyer near the entrance, and every week I compiled materials for a simple daily office for the men and women (mainly older, seasoned saints) who would frequent that room. By adding ancient prayers to my routine, I felt those words becoming mine. Ever since, I’ve been perusing prayer books and marking the most moving and glorious prayers from saints and martyrs of the past.
US hits a scary mark for total number of measles cases
The number of U.S. measles cases surpassed the 2,000 mark this week for the second time in two years, federal data shows.
There have been 30 new incidents resulting in 2,030 confirmed cases so far this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. That’s inching closer to last year’s total of 2,288 cases, the agency noted.
This skill can protect kids from the harms of social media
To protect kids from the harms of social media, some of us have proposed banning social networks for young people or delaying the age at which they use them. One expert has another solution: teaching kids critical thinking so they’ll know how to be safe online.
The Surprising Reason Kids Can't Seem To Read Anymore
One of my daily challenges as a parent is getting my fourth grader to read for 30 minutes as part of her homework.
It’s not because she struggles with her reading skills; she actually reads well-above grade level. Like many kids of her generation, though, my daughter has zero interest in picking up a book. Why would she, when she’s got an iPad offering her nonstop entertainment via videos expertly designed for her short attention span?
Bad news for Anglican and Episcopal churches and Prayer Book Societies--children who refuse to read!!
Short videos may hinder learning by fragmenting attention and memory, study finds
Recent technological advances and the introduction of new digital media platforms have dramatically changed how people learn and source information about topics that interest them. Some recent studies have found that while browsing online or scrolling down social media platforms, users tend to spend under one minute on average on individual videos.
Therapists talk about the childhood punishment many adults never truly recover from
There’s a disturbing scene in “Marty Supreme” involving Marty, played by Timothée Chalamet, being spanked with a ping pong paddle by a character played by Kevin O’Leary.
It might seem like something from another era, yet corporal punishment — which refers to the use of physical force, such as spanking or hitting — is still a common form of discipline in many families.
Why ‘Cool Church’ Stopped Working (And What Does) For about two decades, a polished Sunday experience could fill seats. Hire a tight band, invest in production, land a charismatic communicator, and the people would come. That formula worked. And then, quietly, it stopped.
This is not an argument against excellence. Churches that gather people should gather them well. But across the church landscape today, something is shifting in ways that lights and haze machines cannot fix. The question worth asking is not how to become cooler. It is what comes after cool.
5 Dangerous Ways Churches Convince Themselves They’re Growing
The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. Making it clear with your leaders what is really happening in your church is the first step to creating an impact in your community. I’ve seen many church leaders try to convince themselves and their people that they are growing, which is dangerous because then you won’t be motivated to change or do what is needed to reach the people God is calling you towards. Let’s be honest…do you sense that you’re trying to convince yourself you’re growing when you really aren’t?.
Why Members Leave Their Church and Never Come Back
In this episode, Thom and Sam explore one of the most sobering questions church leaders face: Why do formerly active members quietly disappear for good? After years of research with people who once attended faithfully but haven’t returned to any church for at least two years, clear patterns emerge. Most departures aren’t dramatic or theological. They’re gradual.
Most people cooperate—and underestimate others' willingness to cooperate, global study reveals
The study "Homo cooperans: Understanding the nature of human cooperation" arrives at a clear result: 69% of study participants chose to cooperate. At the same time, the study published in the journal Science shows that people systematically underestimate the willingness of others to cooperate.
BWIM puts up a billboard in Orlando
Messengers to next week’s Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting who arrive in Orlando by plane will be greeted by a surprising billboard on their drive from the airport to the convention center.
Baptist Women in Ministry has purchased space on a billboard on Beachline Expressway near the intersection of Sand Lake Road — the most likely path for conventiongoers to take.
The billboard’s message: “God calls women to pastor, preach and minister. Matthew 28:8, Acts 2:17-18.”
Also See: The way we were
Why evangelicals should oppose the new farm bill's Save Our Bacon Act
Evangelicals have largely forgotten past generations of evangelicals who not only fought against the slave trade and inhumane working conditions but also against animal cruelty.
"The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel." Proverbs 12:10 NLT
Iowa megachurch warns property permit denial could impact ministry in at-risk community
An Iowa city has rejected a request from a multisite megachurch to relocate its original campus to a former bank building. Church leaders say the decision could ultimately force the congregation to leave the neighborhood it has served for years.
The Waterloo Board of Adjustment voted 4-0 last week to reject a special-use permit for Hope City Church, a congregation of about 3,600 members, that would have allowed it to move into a former Wells Fargo building.
Zoning codes, municipal redevelopment plans, and unfriendly boards, commissions, and councils can be significant obstacles for new church plants as well assisting churches. Annualconferences and dioceses selling off vacant church buildings for secular use compounds this problem.
Christian Idolatry? Evaluating Bethel Church and Bill Johnson
On June 14, 2025, Vance Boelter (allegedly) stalked and murdered Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and wounded Senator John Hoffman and Yvette, his wife.1 In the days immediately following the shooting, David French wrote an article in The New York Times titled “The Problem of the Christian Assassin.” In the piece, French broadly hints that Boelter, who attended the Christ for All Nations Institute in the 90s, is an “evangelical Christian” who belonged to the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). “Boelter,” French wrote, “wasn’t just a political assassin; he was a Christian assassin — and a person deeply connected to one of America’s most radical religious movements.”2 But is the NAR really an “evangelical Christian” movement?
NAR might be thought of as a “loose” affiliation of churches and organizations that share common doctrines and styles of worship. The vanguard of the NAR is Bethel Church in Redding, California, led by the charismatic (in both senses of the word) pastor, Bill Johnson, who has stretched Bethel’s influence over the entire globe through the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM).3
When You’re Too Weird to Lead
I’ve noticed that there are moments in church life when a man can feel the importance of a task before him and at the same time, think himself inadequate.
I know those moments well, because I experience them often.
In leaked document, Microsoft plots how to get people addicted to its AI
Some copywriter at Microsoft is getting a real stern talking to.
In an internal document obtained by 404 Media, the tech giant let slip that it wants to “make people addicted” to its new personal assistant AI agent, Scout — an alarming admission, given that AI companies have tirelessly fought against the criticism that they design their models to be as engaging as possible, to the point of being psychologically harmful and fueling mental health crises.
Some of what happens during youth can’t be reversed. It’s another reason to rethink kids’ screen time
Kara Alaimo is a professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University and advises parents, students and teachers on how to manage screen time. Her book “Over the Influence: Why Social Media Is Toxic for Women and Girls — And How We Can Take It Back” was published in 2024.
Need another reason not to give your kid screens? It may permanently alter their brains, according to a new paper that reviewed and reported on current literature.
3 Ways To Make Life Easier for Your VBS Volunteers
From Group’s vacation Bible school editors, check out these 3 ways to make life easier for your VBS volunteers!
Also See: 3 Ways to Treat VBS Volunteers Like VIPs
Virtue Signalling in the Church
Is it possible for a Christian to be more concerned about the appearance of godliness in their own lives, rather than the existence of it? To sound like they love God, but deep down actually fear man? To talk of virtuous deeds yet be substantially empty of them? I am living proof that the answer to those questions is yes. The worst part is, I find myself obsessed with projecting virtue not just in the secular spaces in which I operate, but in the stomping ground of my local church. The one place where virtue ought to be developed in a real and substantive way has instead become a home for shallow and performative signalling. Rather than being a place of willingly obscure sacrifice, it has devolved into a venue for not-so-subtle humble-bragging.
It is not unusual from a psycho-social perspective for human beings to have a different persona, or social self, for different sets of circumstances, a mask by which they conceal their real self. They may act one way with friends on a Friday night and another way with members of their church on Sunday morning. Being a disciple of Jesus entails acting the same way in whatever set of circumstances we find ourselves, that is, acting in accordance with Jesus' teaching and example.
What does your invite to the community look like?
At Upward Sports, we understand the importance of community! We also understand that each church is unique in their approach.
Our desire is to come alongside your church to advance your mission, reach families in your city, and promote Jesus through the avenue of sports. Together, we will customize the best sports experience for your church, strengthening your outreach efforts.
Upward Sports is one of the sponsors of Rainer on Leadership and Church Answers podcasts.
Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.
With Trinity Sunday we began the season of Trinitytide, a season of the Church Year that lasts until the season of Advent and the beginning of the new Church Year. Trinitytide, with Epiphanytide, is also known as the “green season” as green is liturgical color which is used during these two seasons of the Church Year.
In this Thursday evening’s message, we will be returning to our examination of the teaching of Jesus. We will be looking at what Jesus taught were the two greatest commandments.
Reading: Mark 12: 28-34
Message: The Two Greatest Commandments
Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/06/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows-june-4.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.
Breaking the Barriers to Church Growth
Students of church growth have identified several logjams where churches tend to get stuck. These sticking points are commonly called “church growth barriers.” When a church reaches a certain size, it struggles to grow beyond that size, whether 75, 200, 400, or beyond. Studying these barriers, we can find built-in dynamics of human relationships and communities that contribute to them. And we can discover helpful and biblical principles for breaking through them.
Specifically, one of the most powerful barriers in church growth is the “200 barrier” to church growth. The dynamics, leadership, and strategies required beyond 200 people in a church are dramatically different than leading a church under 200 people. So many churches get stuck below 200 and never grow beyond it. Thankfully, we can all grow in our leadership, so that we can prepare to break through barriers and reach people with the good news.
In this series, I want to walk through some best practices and principles for leading your church to grow. This first article will address two of the most powerful barriers that prevent churches from growing beyond 200. That said, the principles apply to churches of all sizes, and they start with church leaders and pastors.
Church Growth, Discipleship, and the Gospel of Grace
I think that often talking about growth gets pooh-poohed in Episcopal Church circles. “You’re just about butts in pews; this is a business model of measuring success”, etc. I think some of that is just defensiveness. But I do think it is important to articulate theologically why church growth matters, what theologically sound church growth would look like. Would you say you have a theology of church growth?
6 Steps to Eliminate Confusion for Unchurched in Your Worship Services
Our worship services often bring unnecessary confusion to non-Christians. Here’s how to communicate more clearly and effectively.
Why Some Pastors Stay for Decades (and Thrive in Their Churches)
In this episode, Josh and Sam explore what sets apart pastors who stay at one church for ten, twenty, or even thirty years and still lead with energy and joy. Long-tenured pastors aren’t just “hanging on.” They’ve built habits that sustain both their soul and their ministry. They’ve weathered criticism, resisted the lure of greener grass, and chosen faithfulness over constant movement.
Dallas bishop discourages use of expansive-language liturgies, favors ‘unity’ in 1979 prayer book
All dioceses in The Episcopal Church regularly rely on the 1979 Book of Common Prayer to structure their worship services. The bishop of the Diocese of Dallas wants his diocese’s congregations to refrain from using any other liturgical text, at least on Sundays.
Julian of Norwich pilgrimage site seeks funds for sustainable future
A church connected with a 14th century female mystic has begun a campaign to ensure its long term future as a both a parish community and a pilgrimage destination.
Mother Julian of Norwich was an anchoress attached to St Julian’s Church and scholars believe she took her name from it. Born in the mid-thirteen hundreds, Mother Julian took vows of poverty and chastity, and to be anchored to one place...
Julian is credited with writing the first known book in the English language authored by a woman. Revelations of Divine Love details a series of visions or revelations Julian received while seriously ill.
Magnifica Humanitas and Anglican Christian Socialism: We Have Been Here Before
This essay concludes a series on AI and Pope Leo XIV’s May 26, 2026 encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. A round-up with links to all essays will be available later this month.
Albert Mohler Revises SBC Amendment on Women Preaching Ahead of 2026 Annual Meeting
On Tuesday, Dr. Albert Mohler provided clarification to the Truth & Unity Amendment he plans to propose during the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) annual meeting next week.
Last month, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary announced plans to propose a motion to amend the SBC Constitution to clarify women’s preaching and leadership roles in SBC churches.
Also See: Understanding Al Mohler’s case against women
Report warns religious freedom protections in Mexico exist largely ‘on paper’
A new report by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has warned that despite Mexico's strong constitutional protections for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), many religious minorities continue to face discrimination, violence and displacement, while authorities frequently fail to intervene.
The report, Protection on Paper: The Situation of Freedom of Religion or Belief in Mexico, says that legal safeguards often exist only in theory, with serious violations continuing across several regions of the country.
UN issues sobering warning about looming El Niño
A new warning was issued on June 2 about the looming El Niño climate pattern.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations' weather agency, said there's an 80% likelihood of an El Niño event starting this summer.
The prospect of a strong El Niño raises fears of additional heat, including marine heat waves, piling on top of long-term climate warming. Forecasts are raising alarms globally because of the pattern's powerful influence over the world's weather, and a strong event could create ripple effects for months to come.
Why heavier rain can mean less usable water as global warming intensifies
A Dartmouth study shows that annual rainfall in much of the world has consolidated over the past four decades into heavier storms with longer dry periods in between.
The archeological record shows that heavy rains that made planting new food crops impossible and caused existing food crops to rot in the field preceded extended periods of drought that lasted centuries, caused widespread famine, and contributed to the decline and collapse of more than one ancient civilization.
Hail conditions on the move as winter crops face rising risk
A hailstorm can undo a season's work in minutes. It can strike quickly and unevenly, shredding wheat, bruising fruit, flattening crops—while also leaving neighboring paddocks untouched. In a new Nature Climate Change study, scientists from UNSW Sydney say the geography and seasonality of that risk is changing.
How to Plan a Year of Preaching (5 Principles That Work)
Here are five principles for planning a year of preaching that will serve you, your team, and your congregation well.
10 Theses on Intercession
The English word “intercede” comes from two words meaning to “go between”. The Greek word means to speak to someone on behalf of another. Intercession is one of the four central kinds of prayer, remembered by the acronym ACTS. In adoration, we praise God in our prayers (Ps. 34:1-3). In thanksgiving, we express gratitude to him (Ps. 9:1-2). In confession, we acknowledge our sins (Ps. 41:4). In supplication, we make requests, either for ourselves or for others—which is intercession.
Solving Your Top 5 Mission Trip Problems
A mission trip is like the Olympic steeplechase: You run as fast as you can over every imaginable obstacle to get to the finish line. Maybe your obstacle is the girl who shows up with five large luggage bags. Or maybe it’s the guy who’s wearing clothes that won’t work well in your context.
We’ve learned over the years that some “unforeseen” obstacles can be obliterated before they become significant issues. We want to attack mission trip problems in creative ways to streamline our trips and tear down barriers that keep us from our ministry focus.
Portsmouth Diocese records some of Church of England’s strongest attendance growth Church attendance across the Diocese of Portsmouth increased significantly in 2025, with new figures showing growth rates well above the national average.
Data released by the diocese shows weekly adult attendance increased by 3.3% in 2025, outperforming the national growth rate of 0.7%.
Peyton Jones: Reimagining Church Planting—Part 1
In the more than 25 years that veteran church planter Peyton Jones has been in ministry, he has served in almost every incarnation and context of church. He is founder of the New Breed Church Planting Network and is an expert in the field of missional engagement strategy. A self-described “accidental church planter,” Jones has planted in a Starbucks and in inner-city Long Beach, California, and serves as the church planting catalyst of the Western U.S. and Canada for the North American Mission Board.
Jones is also the host of the Jump School Core Team Training Series, managing editor of Church Planter Magazine and the co-host of the weekly Church Planter podcast. His latest book, Church Plantology: The Art and Science of Planting Churches (Zondervan), represents what he calls his magnum opus, distilling hard-earned principles of early-church-style ministry from his colorful and poignant experiences in modern contexts.
Also See: Peyton Jones: Empowering Every Believer—Part 2
Goma bishop calls for aid and prayer in face of Ebola crisis
Martin Gordon, Bishop of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has asked for prayer and international support as the country battles its 17th outbreak of Ebola in 50 years.
An outbreak was officially declared on 15 May, with the World Health Organisation declaring it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) two days later. So far it is estimated that around 250 people have been killed by the disease, with the number of suspected cases rising to over 1,000.
An Anglican Reception of Magnifica Humanitas
This essay is a part of a series on AI and Pope Leo XIV’s May 26, 2026 encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. A round-up with links to all essays will be available later this month.
“Prayer, Advocacy, and Ending Hunger” featuring Angelique Walker-Smith
How can churches move from charity toward advocacy? In this episode, Angelique Walker-Smith draws from her work with Bread for the World to discuss the church’s responsibility to address hunger and poverty through both direct service and systemic change. She notes that moving beyond charity models and embracing advocacy is a core expression of Christian discipleship.
Clean drinking water gaps linked to hunger and unsafe food worldwide
A new global study has found that people without access to clean drinking water are significantly more likely to experience food insecurity and food safety threats, underscoring the urgent need for coordinated global action to address these issues together.
Why the Arctic's rivers are rusting now and where toxic orange water could spread next
Scientists have identified the two biggest reasons that once-pristine rivers across the Arctic are growing cloudy with toxic orange iron particles that smother insects and suffocate fish.
‘Point of no return’: New Orleans relocation must start now due to sea level, study finds
Louisiana’s cultural hotspot could be surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico before the end of this century, authors say.
Also See: Climate-driven depopulation and adaptation realities in America’s coastal ground zero
Salt water intrusion up the Mississippi River has grown worse in the past four years despite efforts to contain it, threatening the fresh water supply of the city and the adjoining parishes. The primary cause is decreased rainfall in Ohio and other parts of the United States and Canada that supply the river with water.
Are "Real" Catholics as Conservative as Evangelicals?
Here’s a common occurrence for me on social media. I post a graph that’s really basic: how a bunch of religious traditions feel about a controversial political issue. Could be a pathway to citizenship for folks who came here illegally, could be access to an abortion, or maybe a question about gender identity. I have all the traditions listed: white and non-white evangelicals and Catholics, mainline Protestants, Jews, Muslims, atheists, etc. What the data consistently shows — across a wide variety of dependent variables — is that white Catholics are not as socially conservative as white evangelicals.
This makes a lot of anonymous people on Twitter very angry, of course. I’m guessing that many of them are Catholics who believe that Catholicism, correctly measured, will exhibit results similar to their evangelical cousins. The replies are always something like, “No, show us what REAL Catholics believe on this issue.” Which I think is shorthand for: I want you to only compare weekly attending Catholics to weekly attending evangelicals. Their assumption is that if I do that, the statistical differences will disappear.
Why Teaching Deep Theology Matters to Your Church
We often shy away from teaching new believers deep theology. But the church is called to disciple believers into theological depths.
Evangelical churches are not the only churches suffering from a lack of theological depth.
Healthy and Helpful Accountability
Healthy church leadership depends on accountability, but not the kind rooted in guilt, control, or micromanagement. Jonathan Page outlines three principles for creating a culture of accountability that is restorative, chosen, and mutual—helping churches stay focused on their mission even during the slower rhythms of summer.
Tech podcast warns AI leaders 'envisioning a deity of sorts': 'Delusion of grandeur to think you can create God'
Do tech gurus at the forefront of the AI movement believe they’re creating a species seen as “superior to humans”?
That’s the question raised in the latest episode of the "All-In Podcast", where panelists took aim at what one described as the "Dr. Frankenstein theory" motivating certain AI labs to achieve so-called artificial general intelligence (AGI) in the pursuit of creating a digital “deity.”
1 in 5 US adolescents have turned to a chatbot for mental health help
Would you trust an AI chatbot to be your therapist, medical professional or confidante? New research shows that one in five American adolescents between the ages of 12-21 – or around 8.2 million – are turning to Big AI’s chatbots for help with their mental health.
That marks a more than 40 percent increase in the past year, rising from just one in eight the previous year, a 1,009-person survey from the non-profit research institute RAND found.
5 Imperatives for Maximizing Your Summer Recovery Days
Even if you refuse to do any of those things during your day off, they won’t disappear. They’ll be waiting for you upon your return, so no need to worry! Here’s some “veteran advice” for your summer recovery days...
Parents ditch kids' phones as screen-free childhood movement spreads across US
Parents across the U.S. and abroad are joining efforts to delay smartphone use and reduce children's screen time.
Why it matters: Concerns about smartphones' effects on children are fueling broader efforts around offline socialization, digital wellbeing and screen-free childhood initiatives.
Also See: The book fueling a movement against screens in schools; Cell phone bans are good for kids. They're not enough.
Leaving the Building: ‘Community Care Day’ Gathers Congregation for Service Effort
A random weekday dog-walk epiphany prompted a new ministry effort in Greenwood, and its impact is reverberating in big ways.
Laundry of Love Brings Clean Clothes, Compassion to Edisto Fork
What began as a deeply personal experience for the Rev. Ellis White Jr. has become a lifeline of grace and practical help for neighbors facing financial strain.
The Laundry of Love Ministry at Edisto Fork United Methodist Church was born out of his desire to ease a simple but often overlooked burden: the rising cost of doing laundry during these tough economic times.
