Saturday Lagniappe: '10 Things Church Visitors Never Want To Hear' And More

10 Things Church Visitors Never Want To Hear
A first-time guest decides how they feel about your church in the first few minutes, often before the music starts. One careless sentence at the door can undo a month of invitations. The words your people use on a Sunday morning carry more weight than your signage, your bulletin, or your sermon series.

You have been a visitor somewhere yourself. You know the feeling of walking in and hoping nobody says the wrong thing. Most of the phrases below are not cruel. They are casual, well-meant, and said by friendly people who would be horrified to learn they cost a guest a second visit. Here are ten of them, and what to say instead.

The Church Summer Slump: What Every Pastor Should Know
Many pastors feel it every year: “I hate summer attendance!” In this episode, Thom and Sam unpack real-world insights gathered from conversations with pastors across the country about the predictable, and sometimes preventable, summer slump.

Why the 1990s Changed Everything in American Religion-Replay
If you missed Thursday's Church Answer's webinar with Sam Rainer and Ryan Burge, l am posting this link to the replay and the following link to the slides.

Also See: Why the 1990s Changed Everything in American Religion-Slides

While the 1990s Decade of Evangelism was a denomination-wide flop in the Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Church continued its slide down what Ryan Burge describes as a "ski slope," my parish grew rapidly during that period, going from two services on Sunday morning to three and a midweek service on Wednesday night. We did not experience any decline in attendance until the first decade of the 21st century. It was precipitated by a church split which initially began as a disagreement over a proposed building project but became a conflict over the leadership of the parish's rector. This dispute led to the resignation of most of the members of the vestry and the loss of the music director and a third of the parish's member households. The election, confirmation, and consecration of Vicky Gene Robinson as the first openly gay bishop in a major Christian denomination believing in the historic episcopate would have a profound negative impact across the diocese, resulting in a diocese-wide drop in attendance and giving and the subsequent disbanding and closure of two new works, both of which had been enjoying substantial growth.

Missouri Program Helps Congregations’ Challenges
Sometimes a congregation and a bishop are faced with complex decisions concerning the future of a church – maintain or close? Change or abandon?

An innovative program from the Diocese of Missouri – Requiem or Renaissance – provides a process and a way forward to face the tough choices, while focusing on opportunities and spiritual health.

To Preserve or to Repurpose?
Is it more faithful to preserve a dying congregation — or to repurpose its financial assets for new life?

VOICES: Church hurt is real. Could microchurches be the cure?
The last eight years or so have been rough on the Church — scandals, COVID, deconstruction, church hurt, political polarization, pastoral burnout, institutional distrust, etc. But there’s some exciting good news. There’s a movement of microchurches that is challenging the prevailing church model and bringing healing to people who would otherwise give up on church.

The emphasis is small group discipleship that ministers to people individually, leadership/missional development of every member, and “minimal ecclesiology” to avoid the pitfalls of denominations. It is the antithesis of the “launch large” strategy of church planting organizations for the last few decades.

It’s difficult to know how many of these microchurches exist in the USA, but a moderate estimate would be around 20,000. BraveFuture.org lists a collective of 28 networks. In March, I attended their conference in Tampa, where workshops helped people navigate the microchurch concept. Many churches don’t belong to any kind of network and go uncounted.

There’s a revolution taking place in local journalism – but churches could be missing out
Scores of new independent local media titles are opening up across the UK, the US and other countries, as enterprising journalists seek to bridge the gap left by the decline of traditional newspapers.

In the UK, an estimated four million people live in ‘news deserts’ without a dedicated news outlet, as the move of advertising to ‘Big Tech’ social media platforms and readers seeking their news online – and for free – have led to many local newspapers closing down.

Over a million abortions took place in the US last year
Abortion estimates released by the Society of Family Planning’s #WeCount project show a slight increase in abortions and highlight how telehealth abortions are undermining state abortion restrictions in the post-Dobbs era.

The #WeCount project report published earlier this month estimated that 1.13 million abortions took place across the United States in 2025. The Society of Family Planning’s (SFP) research initiative stated that the number of abortions in 2025 was slightly higher than it was in 2024.

Also See: Does the U.S. Have a Fertility Crisis?; The potential impacts of the U.S. birth rate decline

If mainline and evangelical churches are to arrest and even reverse their present decline, they need to have more children as well as make more converts to Christianity, according to research findings.

3 Things the Church Got Right in My Journey Through Gender Dysphoria
It’s important for the church to show love to the individual facing gender dysphoria. Here are three actions for the church.

The Return of Enthusiasm in Modern Evangelicalism: Recovering the Spirit Through the Means of Grace
Last Sunday, the church celebrated Pentecost—the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the church. And yet one of the great errors of contemporary Evangelicalism is the return of Enthusiasm. Not “enthusiasm” in the modern sense of excitement, but Enthusiasm in the historic Reformation sense: seeking God apart from the outward means He Himself has ordained.

Nine Different Personality Types Shaping Church Staffing Roles
Every church staff has a mix of personalities. Some people dream big. Others keep the calendar organized. Some quietly hold the team together, while others create tension that must be addressed. A healthy church staff does not require everyone to be the same, but it does require wisdom to understand how different people work together for the mission of God.

Overcoming Discontent: Chris Maxwell on Finding Contentment in Life and Ministry (Ep 130)
“Face your questions, your own wounds and your hurts, and refuse to let business take the place of that calmness and contentment that the Lord has for us.”

How to Conduct Faithful Pastoral Visits: A 10-Step Guide
Every pastor I know agrees that visiting church members in their homes is a good thing to do. Generally, none would dispute that a shepherd should do his best to know the sheep in his flock. But are pastoral visits a prescribed practice? Are they scripturally necessary or simply beneficial?

How to Handle Church Conflict Biblically Without Tearing the Church Apart
Handle church conflict the way Jesus handled the cross. Refuse to retaliate, refuse to take sides in a power struggle, commit the outcome to God, and protect the unity of the church above winning the argument. No issue is worth tearing a church apart.

Experts give warning about AI consciousness
We are in danger of making a fundamental mistake about artificial intelligence, a group of researchers have warned.

A new paper from neuroscientists at the Université de Montréal and Johns Hopkins University says that we need to be sure to distinguish between AI’s intelligence and it actually being conscious.

How Churches Can Prevent AI Scams, Impersonation, and Payment Fraud
Not every message that sounds like your church’s pastor or leader is actually that person.

In today’s world, an AI-generated voice memo, video clip, or text thread can trick church staff into sending real money to criminals.

Summer Ministry’s C+ Temptation
outh ministry in the summer has always been a struggle for me. Ministry momentum slows way down because my teenagers refocus their time on summer jobs, family vacations, camps, and trips to grandma’s house. Attendance is frustratingly inconsistent: Without warning, we can go from 24 kids to 87 kids any given week. And that drives me a little crazy.

If I’m honest, I’m often tempted to give summer ministry my C+ effort. I’m not saying it’s right, it’s just how I feel. When our numbers are down we have fewer musicians for the student band, fewer student leaders to help with the “meat and potatoes” of our ministry, and fewer adult leaders I can count on. I can schedule and plan with my “A” game, but if something always happens to mess it up, it hurts motivation.

Summer Is a Liar
Jesus reminds us that real love is defined by the way we love our enemies, so I guess we need to honor summer back. Summer means well. Here are a few tips we use to maximize our time during the summer months, without driving us insane.

Friday's Catch: 'Is the Bible Invited to the Juneteenth Cookout?' And More

Is the Bible Invited to the Juneteenth Cookout?
God doesn’t want to abolish only slavery but also the whole world order in which slavery exists.

Alex O’Connor Says Scripture Supports Slavery. He’s Wrong.
When read as a unified whole, Scripture tells a story that dismantles oppression and makes slavery unimaginable.

In Richmond, churches retrace the path of the enslaved to confront their own history
Just as the country prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence — and Juneteenth — Virginia Episcopalians are trying to reckon with the role of their city and their denomination in slavery as a founding reality of the United States.

For preservers of lynching history in the US, Juneteenth is a religious reckoning
The Equal Justice Initiative’s Bryan Stevenson says confronting America’s lynching history is a matter of faith that demands truth-telling and repentance — especially on America’s most recently recognized national holiday.

Is this the civil rights moment of our day?
The hard-won gains of the civil rights era are steadily being eroded by political pandering to white anxiety in the midst of growing diversity.

Also See: ‘Show up and do something,’ ACLU leader urges

Democracy as a moral practice, not just a system
A common life depends on whether we’ve learned how to live with those we didn’t choose without needing them to become something else. Character formation produces people who refuse to use a lie even when the crowd is asking for one.

Fewer Americans believe faith is good for the country
A new opinion poll from Gallup has suggested that while most Americans believe their country would benefit if more people were religious, the proportion has declined.

Nearly two thirds (65 per cent) felt that more religious people would be good for their country, down from 75 per cent who agreed with that view in 2013.

How have the events of the last two decades contributed to this change in attitude?

VOICES: Inside ‘The War for Normal’: How a Christian conference ended up selling Nazi propaganda
To a nerdy homeschooled teenager in the deeply churched South, conferences were a normal part of life. I remember singing martial psalms in the Blue Ridge Mountains during an all-day family seminar, being introduced by my pastor-grandfather to Tim Keller at a beachside denominational assembly, and the thunder of fireworks at a Jamestown quadricentennial.

But I would have been shocked, as many were online this week, to discover a conservative protestant conference with a vendor hall table hosted by America’s best-known Neonazi publishing house, stacked with materials glorifying Adolf Hitler. This was reality at the ironically named “The War for Normal” conference in Ogden, Utah. The conference was put on by New Christendom Press, a protestant publishing house associated with a local independent Reformed congregation called Refuge Church.

Christians urged not to 'demonise' each other over politics
Pastor Jonathan Oloyede, founder of the National Day of Prayer & Worship, has issued an open letter calling upon Christians of all political persuasions to set aside their differences and follow the example of Christ in seeing the humanity in those they disagree with.

Oloyede, a convert from Islam, noted that the national conversation around a range of issues, from immigration to war and from government failures to economic injustice had become “increasingly heated”.

Conceding that much of the anger around such issues stems from genuine hurt and legitimate grievances, Oloyede warned that such anger threatened to further divide both the Church and wider society.

Episcopal Church seeks to offload Manhattan headquarters in ground lease for affordable housing
After decades of deliberations about relocating from their midtown Manhattan headquarters in New York City, the Episcopal Church is now looking to offload the nearly $52 million property at 815 2nd Avenue through a long-term ground lease with a group that would redevelop the 12-story building into affordable housing.

A ground lease agreement typically allows tenants to rent land from the property owner for a period of 99 years or more. In the case of the Episcopal Church, which also owns the large building on the land, the tenant would own all improvements to the building. If the lease expires without renewal, ownership of the building could revert to the church, and the development group would have no claim to the property.

Also See: Episcopal Church to market its NYC headquarters building for possible sale, redevelopment; Episcopal Church Center in NY Will Soon Hit the Market

Church of Ireland ready to welcome Anglican, Episcopal leaders from 38 provinces to ACC-19
Representatives from 38 provinces of the Anglican Communion, including The Episcopal Church, are expected to travel to Belfast, Northern Ireland, from June 28-July 4 for the 19th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council, and the Church of Ireland is ready to welcome them.

Festival celebrates Anglesey pilgrimage route
The Diocese of Bangor has announced a festival celebrating a 57-mile pilgrimage route on the island of Anglesey.

The route, known as Llwybr Cybi a Seiriol (The Cybi and Seiriol Path) takes its inspiration from the story of two sixth-century saints, Cybi and Seiriol who are said to have set up religious communities at opposite ends of the island.

Is the culture of silence helping the conservative cause in the Church of England?
The secrecy around recent ‘alternative Anglican ordinations’ in London raises serious issues about the culture of the conservative evangelical constituency in the Church of England.

Professor Andrew Atherstone, a member of the General Synod and author of a biography of the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, has reported on these alternative ordinations.

ACNA Provincial Council kicks off in Tulsa
The 17th Provincial Council of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) opened Wednesday evening, June 17, at Cornerstone Anglican Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Bishops, clergy, and lay delegates from across the Province gathered for the Opening Eucharist, beginning three days of worship, fellowship, prayer, and legislative work that will continue through Friday, June 19, 2026.

Pastors announce formation of The Baptist Network
A group of Baptist pastors announced formation of The Baptist Network to foster collaboration and encouragement between minsters and congregations in a time of intense social and political conflict in the American church.

“While affirming historic Baptist convictions, the Network seeks to create spaces of connection for leaders who desire to prioritize the kingdom of God above political ideology, institutional tribalism and unnecessary division,” the coalition said in a June 12 news release.

“The Baptist Network is not a new denomination, nor is it an effort to encourage churches to leave their current affiliations. The Network strongly encourages pastors and churches to prayerfully consider remaining in friendly cooperation with the Baptist fellowships, conventions and associations where God has called them to serve.”

Pope Leo is very popular, though partisan polarization is growing, survey finds
More than three-quarters (78%) of US Catholics expressed favorable views of Leo, and about one in 10 (12%) expressed unfavorable views.

Report documents Trump admin’s neglect of children in detention
An average of 25 children age 3 or younger are in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody daily while no fewer than 500 infants and toddlers have been detained since President Donald Trump took office last year, according to a study by The Marshall Project and MS NOW.

“Parents in ICE detention have complained of substandard conditions that frequently left their young children sick, isolated and regressing in their physical and intellectual development,” according to the analysis of data obtained by the Deportation Project, a group of attorneys and academics who share federal immigration records.

Also See: Nonprofits aiding immigrant kids say Trump admin intimidating them

Support for patriotic July 4 church services drops sharply among pastors
As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day and the nation's upcoming 250th anniversary, fewer Protestant pastors believe patriotic displays belong in church worship services.

A new Lifeway Research survey released Tuesday found that only 45% of Protestant pastors say it's "important to incorporate patriotic elements into worship services" held on or around the Fourth of July.

“Magnifica Humanitas”. The Chart of Roman Catholic Humanism and Its Theological Problems
t is not a written rule, but a recognizable pattern: the first encyclical of a Pope sets the tone of the whole pontificate and Pope Leo XIV’s “Magnifica Humanitas” (MH) – released after one year since his election – does exactly that. The document will probably shape the future papal teaching as its overarching framework. As the subtitle indicates, the Pope’s concern is “on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence.” This is going to be the main concern of his reign as Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.

Also See: Series Round-Up: Magnifica Humanitas & AI; A deeper look at Pope Leo's encyclical: Catholic social teaching's purpose in AI age

Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (June 18, 2026) Is Now Online

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

How does faith come? In this evening’s message we will give thought to that question.

Reading: Romans 10:11-21

Message: How does faith come?

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/06/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows-june_02068483037.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.

Thursday's Catch: 'The Main Reason People Don’t Become Church Members' And More

The Main Reason People Don’t Become Church Members
Church membership works best when you emphasize vision, values, teamwork, and life change. Growth still matters, but aim it at the growth of the person, not the growth of the church.

The Top Ten Most Common Low Attendance Days in Churches
Every church has them—the Sundays when attendance predictably drops. Drawing from feedback from over 400 church leaders, Josh and Sam break down the most common low-attendance days and why they occur.

Why NOT To Build A Bigger Sanctuary
I know the blessings and the very real challenges that come with having a church sanctuary that is full. I also understand the arguments for building something bigger. Hear me well…I realize there are times when building a bigger sanctuary is the best and wisest thing to do. But that is not necessarily the case for every church. In fact, building something bigger can sometimes backfire in ways you didn’t expect. This is why you, your leaders, and your congregation need to “count the cost” and carefully, prayerfully think through your theological, philosophical, and pastoral convictions as it relates to space.

The size and use of your sanctuary will greatly affect the culture of your church moving forward. Let me humbly offer a little different perspective on this topic, especially for those of you in churches that are outgrowing your space. Here are 5 reasons to potentially NOT build a bigger sanctuary...

At the Episcopal parish which I had helped to plant in the mid-1980s and where I ministered for 15 years, the proposal to build larger sanctuary or worship center exposed divisions in the congregation, which resulted in a church split and a loss of a third of the parish's member households. The parish entered a period of decline, exacerbated by the events of 2003 and the negative impact that those events had upon the Episcopal Church's public image in the diocese, and was reduced to mission status. It had been the fastest growing parish in the diocese.

Grant applications for new Episcopal communities now open
New Episcopal communities interested in applying for a grant from The Episcopal Church are invited to register for an informational webinar on July 1. Because the grant process has undergone significant updates, those considering applying are encouraged to carefully read all the new application materials and attend the webinar, which will include time for questions and answers. Grant applications are due July 15.

This new granting approach grows from a 2025-2026 churchwide assessment that included a network of church-planting leaders and looked closely at what is working well in Episcopal dioceses and congregations, where gaps exist, and how best to empower local efforts through flexible, context-driven models of funding, coaching, and other forms of support.

'They have already suffered enough': Central African clergy respond to US deportation
Faith leaders say they would welcome migrants deported from the United States but question the decision to send vulnerable people without ties to a nation still healing from years of sectarian violence.

'Not a day off': For Juneteenth, some faith leaders promote political causes
‘As we acknowledge the contributions of the African American community to America, it’s appropriate for us to lead the way in unifying and making a call for unity,’ said evangelist Alveda King, niece of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

New York’s ‘Season of Freedom’ is among Episcopal commemorations planned for Juneteenth
The holiday Juneteenth, which celebrates Black freedom in commemoration of the end of American slavery, also will serve in the Diocese of New York as the start of a “Season of Freedom” to mark the United States’ 250th birthday.

Study: Climate change brings too much rain for Maine to absorb
A new study from Dartmouth College showed climate change is consolidating rainfall into heavier storms, leaving less water for the land to absorb.

Researchers said when a year’s worth of rainfall is packed into bigger storms, it can lead not only to more flooding but to more dry days between storms and even drought.

Perspectives: The Moral and Relational Crisis Beneath American Division
One of the deepest questions many activists, organizers, faith leaders and community leaders ask today is this: Why don’t people seem to care anymore?

After violence, cruelty, corruption or public dishonesty, many people feel exhausted and bewildered. It can seem as though empathy itself is disappearing. Some conclude that America is in a moral crisis.

Others argue that we are facing a relational crisis — a collapse of trust and connection between people and groups. The truth is that we are living through both. We are experiencing a moral-relational crisis.

We Don’t Hate and Then Harm—We Harm and Then Hate
Mistreat someone, and over time, your antipathy toward them will grow. Treat someone unfairly, and over time, you’ll feel a growing sense of contempt. The harm comes first. The hatred follows.

Confessing Sin, Then and Now
The words and phrases we use to confess our sin imply something significant about our understanding of sin.

The 1928 revision of the American Prayer Book makes a number of significant changes in the American Prayer Book, which Steven Wedgeworth does not acknowledges. This is also true of the 1662 revision of the English Prayer Book. The changes that revision made in the English Prayer Book are not inconsequential. It only became the so-called "gold standard" by default.

10 Tips for Becoming an Excellent Bible Interpreter
Becoming a skilled interpreter of Scripture is not a complicated task. It is hard, but it isn’t complicated. God does not hide the riches of his Word from the simple; he hides them from the proud and ungodly. Right interpretation, then, is first a matter of personal character and piety, and then a matter of methodology.

Here are ten basic tips. There is much more to say, of course, but you must start here.

Why a neuroscientist worries outsourcing thinking to AI could weaken your brain's defenses against dementia
A neuroscientist worries some people are letting AI do too much of their thinking.Over time, she says, that could weaken cognitive reserve, a key defense against dementia."How you use AI, not how often, will determine its impact," Vivienne Ming told Business Insider.

Why I’ve started reading like a medieval monk
Importantly, the process of reading was, for the medievals, not some kind of fact-acquisition. Wisdom, for them, was not seen to be in a set of ideas. It was in our encounter with words, with friends, and with God. Knowledge acquired from reading was only “useful” insofar as it helped us to become more connected to God.

Neuroscientists discover previously unknown cognitive benefits of reading physical books
A new study published in the journal PLOS ONE provides evidence that reading comic books on physical paper helps the brain absorb and connect story details more easily than reading on a digital tablet. The findings suggest that physical books provide stable spatial and tactile cues that lower the brain’s workload when a reader tries to recall complex plot points later. This research offers fresh insights into how digital reading formats might subtly alter human reading comprehension and memory.

What we lose when we stop writing by hand
This week, we explore how the ways we teach handwriting in the classroom have changed over time, and the impact it’s having on education as a whole. Plus: What are we missing when we don’t write by hand? We find out all of that and more on the latest episode of Explain It to Me, Vox’s weekly call-in podcast.

Scientists Have Found A New Human Sense And It's A Bit Mystical
We are all familiar with our main senses, right?

Sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and a myriad more depending on which scientist you speak with. In fact, according to the Sensory Trust, we could have over 20 of them.

Now, researchers at the Queen Mary University of London have unearthed a new sense that is a little different to the main ones we’re familiar with.

6 Principles for Building a Youth Ministry
The hardest part of starting a student ministry is just that: finding the place to start. Most pastors haven’t led student ministry, and some may have never participated in it, having come to faith later in life. Even those who have led student ministry in the past face a drastically changed cultural climate.

What does it take to build a student ministry? Here are six principles to start the student ministry ball rolling.

8 Practical Tips for Getting Kids Into the Bible
Want to get kids into God’s Word? (Who doesn’t?) Here are 8 practical tips for getting kids into the Bible.

Wednesday's Catch: 'How Did We Get Here? Where 70 Years of Church Growth Took Us' And More

How Did We Get Here? Where 70 Years of Church Growth Took Us
...somewhere in the middle of the growth, a question started following me around that I did not have the courage to say out loud.

Are we making disciples? Or are we making church attenders who need us to keep producing for them every single week?

10 Dangerous Myths About Church Growth That Are Quietly Destroying Congregations
Most church growth advice assumes one thing: a bigger crowd is the goal, and anything blocking it is a problem to fix. That assumption quietly drives a lot of bad decisions. Pastors copy a model that worked somewhere else, pour money into a building or a program, and still watch the room stay half empty. The issue is rarely effort. It is the myths underneath the effort.

These ten beliefs about church growth sound spiritual, even obvious. Read closely and most of them fall apart. Some are merely unhelpful. A few are dangerous enough to wreck a healthy congregation while everyone congratulates the leader for trying.

Why Your Church Needs Senior Adults: 8 Roles Older Believers Fill
Some of the most committed people of prayer in any congregation are older. They have prayed through decades of crises, answered prayers, and long silences, and they have stayed faithful anyway. That kind of endurance is rare and worth building around.

If your church does not have a prayer ministry, this is the place to start. Invite senior adults to lead it and most will say yes. Pair that conviction with a clear discipleship pathway and you give their prayers a structure that shapes the whole body.

Church Payroll Mistakes To Avoid: Employee vs. Independent Contractor Explained
Churches often rely on a mix of paid staff and outside workers to carry out ministry.

Musicians, custodians, bookkeepers, and technology and other specialists may serve a church in different ways.

But an important question arises whenever someone is paid for their work: Is the person an employee or an independent contractor?

It’s a critically important question because it addresses how income taxes are handled under federal tax law.

How Christians Can Celebrate Juneteenth
Church leaders are often called to shepherd their congregations through complex cultural conversations. Nathan A. Finn encourages us to see the holiday as an opportunity for discipleship, helping believers reflect on America’s history while pursuing Christ-centered reconciliation and service.

Utah bishops oppose massive federal immigrant detention facility in their state
The Episcopal bishop in Utah has joined with her counterpart in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in opposing plans to build a massive immigrant detention facility in their state.

Also See: Trump empties Florida’s alligator Alcatraz amid soaring costs

Episcopal Network Partners with AME Church to Open Community House
A network of intentional communities connected with Episcopal parishes in the Boston area has launched a new community house in connection with an African Methodist Episcopal church. Christened Jubilee House, it received its first eight residents over Memorial Day weekend.

Gloucester churches come together to bless River Avon amid pollution concerns
Churches in the Diocese of Gloucester have taken the concept of praying for good health, but also taking one’s medicine, into a whole new realm.

On Sunday Tewkesbury Abbey and St Mary’s Magdalene, Twyning will be gathering to bless the River Avon as part of a broader campaign against river pollution.

Should the ACC Endorse the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals? Answer 3 of 3
The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-19) will convene in Belfast, Northern Ireland from June 27 to July 5, 2026. This essay is the third of three essays each responding to the same question, Should the ACC approve the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals? Covenant hosted Answer 1 and Answer 2 earlier this week. Each essay brings a very different perspective and a different answer. Readers may also wish to see a series of essays on the NCPs which appeared on Covenant in 2025 and another series evaluating the Abuja Affirmation which appeared on Covenant in Spring 2026.

New poll: 250 years in, Americans prefer religious diversity
A new poll by PRRI shows two-thirds of Americans still prefer a nation made of many different faiths, despite the growth of Christian nationalism in the public square.

Are Altar Calls Biblical? 4 Mistakes That Quietly Distort the Gospel
Walk into most churches and the altar call feels like the natural close of a sermon. People come forward, the music swells, and the moment feels holy. But that familiar scene hides a question many pastors never stop to ask. Is the altar call helping people trust Christ, or is it quietly putting something in front of the gospel that does not belong there?

Used well, an altar call points people to Jesus. Used carelessly, it can confuse the very message it is meant to deliver. The difference is not small, and most of the danger hides in habits we rarely examine. Here is what the altar call gets right, where it goes wrong, and how to invite people to Christ without tripping over your own method.

Is AI Out of Control?
As AI quietly integrates into everyday tools and church practices, ministry leaders are finding that their choices are increasingly shaped by forces outside their control. A survey by researcher A. Trevor Sutton on technology use in congregations points to how quickly new technology can be adopted, both willingly and not.

One flu shot change may have big consequences for older adults
Receiving a higher-dose flu shot may reduce hospitalizations for older adults, according to a new study.

6 Ways to Prepare Men in Your Church for Fatherhood
The local church has a role to play in developing men into godly fathers. Here are six ways the church can help prepare men for fatherhood.

Who Should Disciple Children: The Church or Parents?
A few summers ago, my son tagged along with a friend to another church’s Vacation Bible School. When my wife picked him up on the final day of VBS, we assumed that would be the end of our family’s connection to that local church. Instead, it was just the beginning.

Every week after the VBS, the kids’ ministry team sent parents a simple email—not just reminders about upcoming church events, but practical resources to help us continue spiritual conversations at home. As a parent, that meant a lot to me.

They understood something many churches miss: Church programming is an important part of a child’s faith formation, but discipleship of the next generation can’t stop there. Children’s ministry should be a partnership between the church and the home.

When It Comes to Outreach, Where Is the Fruit?
There are between 350,000 and 400,000 churches in the United States. Imagine if every one of these communities of believers was equipping each congregation member to share their faith in natural ways?

Sadly, the vast majority of churches aren’t engaged meaningfully in outreach. A small percentage of churches are seeing people come to faith in Jesus on a regular basis. An even smaller number are discipling these new believers into Christian maturity.

I have the honor of talking with top evangelism leaders, denominational executives and pastors around the world, and I keep hearing similar themes. Almost every church leader desires to see healthy growth through people coming to faith in Jesus. Most of them live with ongoing disappointment in this area of their church ministry.

I’d like to clarify some of the primary roadblocks to consistent and effective outreach in the local church, and suggest a practical step for each to begin reversing this trend of loss in evangelistic fervor.

Tuesday's Church: Plan the Route to Church Health

Plan the Route to Church Health
As you consider planning the route to health, there are two statements we believe would be beneficial for you to keep in mind, perhaps even post on your desk to remind you of their importance...

Six Lessons Learned from Adopting a Church (A Real Case Study)
Several years ago, Sam Rainer led his church to adopt a struggling church in the same town. He wrote the lessons he learned one year after the adoption. Thom interviews Sam about these lessons that are worth recalling.

Webinar: Why the 1990s Changed Everything in American Religion
What if the most important decade in recent American religious history was not the 1960s, the Moral Majority era, or the pandemic years, but the 1990s? In this webinar, Ryan Burge and Sam Rainer examine the decade when religious affiliation, church attendance, and generational religious identity began to shift at a pace the United States had not seen in modern times. Using General Social Survey data, this webinar shows why the 1991–1998 period was a genuine inflection point, especially among young adults, and why many of the church trends leaders are dealing with today were set in motion during that decade. Church leaders will learn how to interpret the long arc of religious change, separate myth from measurable reality, and think more strategically about ministry in a post-1990s religious environment.

One Consequence of Methodism's Pilgrimage to Respectability: Did Divisions Result in a More Well-to-Do Denomination?
Dr. Albert C. Outler, an important teacher and mentor for me from seminary days until his death, understood and appreciated the conventional reasons given as causes for divisions over the years. However, he saw something else going on across these breakups. He found that most schisms in American Methodism were rooted primarily in matters of “ethos,” and “social, ethnic, and structural issues.” Historian Nathan Hatch takes this assessment further in saying that even in the division of the northern and southern churches in 1844, “fault lines of class, education, and social status within a single denomination may have been more significant than sectional tension, even between northern and southern churches.”

While theological and social issues were obviously factors, it is useful to consider the extent of class in historical divisions. It appears that Methodism began what Hatch has appropriately called its “pilgrimage to respectability” by the 1840s, when the Methodist Episcopal Church had become the largest denomination in the country.

Has the Episcopal Church's divisions produced a more elitist denomination, one out of touch with a large segment of the US population?

William Augustus Muhlenberg at 150
In 2027, the Episcopal Church will mark 150 years since the death of William Augustus Muhlenberg—priest, educator, reformer, and one of the most important figures in the history of Episcopal education. His name remains attached to schools, hospitals, and institutions. Yet Muhlenberg’s lasting significance lies not primarily in what he founded, but in the theological priorities that shaped his work: above all, the belief that education is one of the church’s central means of forming persons for leadership, responsibility, and service to the world.

Should the ACC Endorse the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals? Answer 2 of 3 The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-19) will convene in Belfast, Northern Ireland from June 27 to July 5, 2026. This essay is the second of three essays each responding to the same question, Should the ACC approve the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals? Answer 1 of 3 may be found here. Each essay brings a very different perspective and a different answer. Readers may also wish to see a series of essays on the NCPs which appeared on Covenant in 2025 and another series evaluating the Abuja Affirmation which appeared on Covenant in 2026.

An ACNA Provincial Council 2026 primer 

This is an important and exciting week for the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). Representatives from across our province head to Tulsa next week for Provincial Council. Representatives to Provincial Assembly will join for a virtual Assembly just a few short days afterwards. In my dual capacities as Chair of the Governance Task Force (GTF) for the ACNA and Director of Anglican Governance Ministries for the American Anglican Council, I wish to provide a primer on five canonical matters to be considered and address some of the various concerns that have been raised in recent weeks.

The legislative process of the ACNA bears a striking resemblance to the "democratic centralism" of the Soviet era Russian Communist Party. Its "wheel of provincial review" is cosmetic. The bishops vet all legislative proposals made by the governance task force and the governance task force gives more attention to input from the bishops than it does any other source. Note Andrew Rowell's denigration of floor amendments and parliamentary debate, procedures which recognize that the bishops are not the only stakeholders in the ACNA and which give a larger role to the clergy and laity not only in the legislative process but also in the determination of its future direction.

Disclosure Day: What does Spielberg’s latest film tell us about the Church?
It’s a noteworthy event when a new Steven Spielberg film comes out. The master of cinema has produced such masterpieces as Jaws, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, and Schindler’s List amongst his 37 films. Two of his major films, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and ET-the Extra Terrestrial, have looked at the theme of visitors from outer space. His latest, Disclosure Day, released this summer, returns to that theme.

I have to admit what intrigued me was the claim made by some that Spielberg thought this would cause Christians to rethink their faith. It turns out that he made no such claim – he actually asked a broader theological question - “Is God only the God of this planet, or the God of everywhere life might exist?".

Honesty about Our Habits
Moral and spiritual disaster is usually the result of a long pattern of laziness, worldliness, and neglect. Men do not go to bed faithful and focused Christians and wake up the next morning as apostates. Apostasy is incremental, slowly moving away from the standard, a series of small compromises, each one based upon the previous, until one day you wake up and wonder how you ever got so far from where you were before.

Life is like swimming in a river. You cannot simply tread water and stay in one place. You are either exerting yourself in order to swim upstream, against the current, or you are being driven downstream by the forces that surround you. We are becoming more like Christ or less like him, every day. We are resisting the flesh or relenting to it, dying to our sin or dying from it.

Don’t Just Settle for Youth Ministry. Embrace It.
Local churches need youth pastors committed to more than two-year ventures. They need leaders who have a long-haul discipleship vision, who don’t merely settle for youth ministry but embrace and commit to it. Why should youth ministry leaders pursue longevity in their ministry roles? Here are several reasons.

5 Lessons We Learned from Launching the Energize Youth Ministry Conference
Youth leaders came to be inspired—and ended up inspiring us as well.

Monday's Catch: 'The Invisible Church' And More

St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Des Plaines, IL, Final Service, January 6, 2026

The Invisible Church: Why Your Community Does Not Know Your Church Exists
A church can sit on the same corner for decades and still be largely unknown. The building is visible. The people inside are faithful.

But to many in the community, the church is invisible. They pass by without noticing. They live nearby without engaging. They may not even know what the church believes or why it exists. This kind of invisibility is rarely intentional, but it is increasingly common. And it comes at a cost. If people do not know who you are or why you matter, they are unlikely to come.

Churches must move from assumed awareness to intentional visibility.

Looking forward to surprising transformation
As a 26-year-old often referred to as “the lady pastor” by the community I serve, you might expect that my story would be about a young pastor sent to a rural church that is declining, and that continued to decline. Surprisingly, this is not one of those stories. The Sunday before I arrived at my placement there were 25 people in the pews, and this last Sunday we had 98. We have had around 70 consistently participating in worship, and somehow this rural United Methodist church a mile away from four other Methodist churches continues to thrive.

If you’re wondering how that happened and how a young, inexperienced clergywoman managed such a transformation, let me assure you: it wasn’t me. And I don’t have some new solution to offer every church, even those who may look remarkably like mine. All I know is what seems to have worked here, and what God seems to be doing with this congregation.

Why My Generation Is Drunk on Nostalgia
Raised in a culture that’s constantly changing and almost entirely online, my generation is becoming increasingly desperate to experience “the good old days.” We’re drunk on nostalgia.

Nostalgia is most clearly defined by a sense of longing. It’s an intangible ache that the present moment is lacking in some essential way, and that a better way of life is buried in a long-gone era. We know that the world we’re living in is falling apart. We know that the digital age we were born into isn’t working...

We’re a generation utterly consumed with nostalgia. And it’s not even nostalgia for a life we remember living. How did this happen?

Nostalgia for "the good old days" may help to explain the attraction of some members of Gen Z to the ambiance of the older liturgical church traditions like Eastern Orthodoxy.

I grieve for SBC women
I grieve for girls and young women who are members of Southern Baptist churches who are told their calls to ministry are mistaken.”

What Do You Do When Christian Nationalism Comes to Church?
Russell answers two questions from listeners asking what it looks like to oppose Christian nationalism while still pursuing the unity of the church.

Should the ACC Endorse the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals? Answer 1 of 3
The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-19) will convene in Belfast, Northern Ireland from June 27 to July 5, 2026. This essay is the first of three essays each responding to the same question, Should the ACC approve the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals?Each essay brings a very different perspective and a different answer. Readers may also wish to see a series of essays on the NCPs which appeared on Covenant in 2025 and another series evaluating the Abuja Affirmation which appeared on Covenant in 2026.

Navajoland postpones June 13 bishop election until sometime in the future
The Episcopal Church in Navajoland’s Standing Committee announced June 11 that it would, for a second time, postpone its bishop election to an unspecified date in the future.

“After prayerful consultation and discernment, the election has been postponed to a future date. This is a postponement of the election process, not a cancellation,” the Standing Committee said in the June 11 statement. “Both nominees remain in the process and will continue to be considered when the election is reconvened.”

Mothers’ Union marks 150 years of faith in action at anniversary service
On the evening of June 10, Mothers’ Union celebrated 150 years of faith, service and transformation at a special anniversary service at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. It gathered over 1500 members, senior church leaders, supporters and partners from across the Anglican Communion and charity sector.

It was an important celebration of a movement which has grown from a small parish initiative in Hampshire, to a global Christian organisation of four million members in over 80 countries. The service gave thanks for the vision of Mary Sumner and the countless members who have sustained the movement over 150 years. It also marked the beginning of the next chapter in Mothers’ Union’s story as it continues to grow its impact across the Anglican Communion and beyond.

Life beyond burnout: how Christians can grow in the desert seasons
In her latest book, What Grows in Weary Lands, author and Anglican priest Tish Harrison Warren explores spiritual exhaustion, resilience and the quiet work of faith in the difficult seasons of life.

She draws from personal experience and ancient Christian wisdom - specifically that of mystics and monks - to examine the realities of modern burnout and how periods of weariness and doubt can become places for deep faith and hope to grow.

Seven Things to Do to Prepare for Spiritual Warfare
Do you want to be ready when you face spiritual warfare? Do you want to be prepared when you encounter attacks from Satan and his host of demons? The Bible tells us to get ready (Eph 6:10-14a). How can you prepare for spiritual warfare?

Here are seven things you can do to get ready. These seven means-of-grace will train you to be ready for any sort of satanic attack, whether it is a dramatic attack (threatened by a demon-possessed person, Mark 5, Luke 8), an assault on your beliefs (2 Cor 10:3-5), or a mundane temptation (1 Cor 7:5; 1 Thess 3:5). Here are seven ways you can prepare for spiritual attack.

Warning Signs Before a Pastor Falls (They’re Almost Always Present)
Every time a pastor falls, people closest to the situation say the same thing: They saw the signs but didn’t know what to do.

Why Pastors Leave Ministry: What Former Pastors Say About Stepping Down
Pastoral resignation stories travel fast. A scandal here, a burnout confession there, and it can start to feel like pastors are abandoning the pulpit in droves. The research tells a different story. Pastors who leave ministry early are rare, and the reasons they give almost never match the headlines.

Lifeway Research surveyed former senior pastors in four Protestant denominations who stepped down before retirement age. Their answers reveal what actually drives pastors out of ministry, what keeps most of them in some form of ministry afterward, and what current pastors and churches can learn before it happens to them.

How to Choose Small Group Curriculum for Your Church
Here are three critical actions to take to help you make a wise choice about the small group curriculum used in your adult ministry.

Making Time for God: A Simple Plan You Can Actually Keep
Most people do not lose their time with God in one dramatic decision. They lose it five minutes at a time, until a week goes by and they cannot remember the last time they sat still with an open Bible. If that describes the season you are in, you are not failing. You just need a plan small enough to keep.

Image Credit: St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Des Plaines, IL

Sundays at All Hallows (June 14, 2026) Is Now Online

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

This Sunday is the Second Sunday after Trinity. The topic of this Sunday’s message is the role that Jesus’ disciples play in God’s harvest.

Readings: Exodus 19: 2-8a; Romans 5: 1-8; and Matthew 9: 35 - 10: 23

Message: The Harvest Is Still Plentiful

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/06/sundays-at-all-hallows-june-14-2026.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: 'Never Devalue the Value of Two' And More

Never Devalue the Value of Two
A mission-driven ministry never devalues the church, no matter its size. While the angels rejoice when one person is redeemed, Christ himself is present even in the smallest church. When two individuals meet together to mutually encourage one another, they become the local manifestation of the universal church. A church is not determined by the size of the building, the variety of programs, or the number of individuals on staff. The church encompasses believers mutually encouraging one another in the faith and advancing Christ’s kingdom in their sphere of influence. A church of just two people is so important to Christ that he is personally present when they gather (Matthew 18:20). What determines the vitality of the church is the presence of Christ and the mission it has to reach its community with the gospel. If the value of one person is essential in developing our soteriology and missiology, then the value of two is essential in forming our ecclesiology.

Also See: Never Devalue the Value of One

Sustaining Rural Ministry
In recent years there has been a renewed interest in rural ministry. Books were written, mini-conferences were established, and web pages were built to equip rural churches and encourage those serving in the neglected landscape of rural communities. But in this wake-up call to recognize the value and importance of rural communities and churches, the question remains: Is this a fad or a movement? The danger we face is that this becomes one of the latest ecclesiastical fads that generate excitement and interest but soon fade into the foggy distance of forgotten memories. In his article, "A Movement or a Fad?" David Fitch points out, "The difference between a fad and a movement is that a movement produces long-term enduring change. A fad, on the other hand, feeds off something that already exists: a cultural awareness, a disenchantment, or even a novel idea and expands on it. Through media, publishing, and viral exchange, it becomes a sensation that sells books, creates a lot of activity, makes people feel something exciting, but in the end it doesn't produce enough substance to sustain lasting change in history."[i] Fads are comparable to a lake. The waters are still and tranquil. When you throw a rock into it, there is a splash and ripples, but soon the water returns to tranquility. Movements are like a river. The flow of the water is continuous, always moving, constantly changing its course to adapt to new impulses...

5 Things I Love About Rural Ministry
What do I love so much about ministry in a small place? At least five things.

Ministering in Rural Places
Christian congregations serving rural areas are places of worship, prayer and spiritual formation. Like churches everywhere, they make sacred the pivotal moments in the lives of individuals and families through baptisms, weddings and funerals and are places where Christian traditions are passed on to new generations.

Yet congregations in rural areas often play larger roles in supporting the civic life of their communities. They host town meetings because a sanctuary may be the largest meeting place for miles around. Many also provide space for social and community service organizations and may house their community’s only child-care center.

What Is a Microchurch, and Is It a Good or Bad Development?
A microchurch is a local community of God’s people seeking to love God and its neighbors by participating in God’s mission in a simple and relational way in its context. In other words, it’s the church in micro form! Microchurches find their purpose and identity in being God’s sent ones. That missional grounding shapes their worship, discipleship, and life together in their neighborhoods. They usually meet in one another’s homes, often sharing a meal in the context of their worship gathering (though during COVID, many have had to adapt to online gatherings). Leadership is circular rather than triangular, and the integrity, posture, and accountability of the primary facilitators is critical for the healthy formation of the community.

5 Cultural Trends Driving the Growth of Microchurches 

Microchurches are the primary form of church in the New Testament and in most movements around the world. However, they have often struggled to be recognized as such in the Western world, which includes my homeland of Australia. Given what we see in the early church, it’s clear that “microchurch” is simply a new name for an old idea. It is a form that has existed throughout time in different movements, such as the Moravian Revival and other non-Western church-planting movements that have brought the gospel into new places.

The Difference Between Small Groups and Microchurches
A few weeks ago, I was facilitating a preconference at Exponential Central titled, Starting, Leading, and Multiplying Networks of Disciple-Makers and Microchurches. During the discussion, a leader shared, “We are a church of small groups and highly committed to prioritizing them over the weekend service. Now, we want to transition further. We want to transition our small groups into a decentralized network of microchurches. What are your thoughts on that?”

Gulp. These moments are tricky. I had so little context about their story, but a wealth of experience to share—experience that I knew might sound like “bad news” for their hopes of transitioning small groups into microchurches. I had personally led similar initiatives in two large churches where I served as pastor and had access to numerous other churches on comparable journeys through my coaching endeavors.

So, I threw up a mercy umbrella and offered the following story as a provisional response...

The Overlooked Group Fueling Conservative Evangelicalism
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 in this clip from the full conversation, which you can find here...

2 Pseudo-Christian Religions That Claim To Be Christian
Two of the fastest-knocking religious movements in the world insist they are Christian. Both send missionaries to your door. Both talk about Jesus, salvation, and the Bible. And both teach a Jesus the apostles would not recognize. That is what makes a religion pseudo-Christian, and it is why every church leader should be able to explain the difference.

A mysterious 'cold blob' in the ocean has puzzled scientists. A new study says it's an ominous sign
In the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Greenland and Iceland, a large patch of water is doing something very strange. While the rest of the ocean heats up, it’s been getting colder. A new study says it has the answer to this mystery — and it’s an ominous sign the world is hurtling toward one of the most alarming climate tipping points.

We think norms spread by imitation, but one deceptively simple rule tells a more human story
A paper appearing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences offers a strikingly simple answer to a longstanding question: How do people learn and settle on shared social conventions, from everyday habits to workplace norms? Researchers from the CUNY Graduate Center, the University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University have found that people do not primarily learn by copying others or by calculating the most likely choice. Instead, they follow a two-stage process—sampling behaviors at first, then committing once enough evidence accumulates.

Would you return a favor? Scientists say it depends on the relationship
When a friend buys you a cup of coffee, it's likely that next time, you'll return the gesture. This type of reciprocal generosity has been well-documented in behavioral economics studies. However, anthropologists and other social scientists have known for decades that in the context of relationships where one person has more power, status or influence, reciprocal generosity is usually not the norm.

5 Biblical Ways To Heal Broken Relationships in the Church
Every pastor eventually learns the same hard lesson. The people who wound you most in ministry are rarely strangers. They are close friends, board members, core group leaders, treasurers, and sometimes your own children. Broken relationships are not a sign that your ministry is failing. They come with the territory of ministry itself, and Scripture tells leaders to expect them.

To heal broken relationships in the church, Scripture gives a clear pattern: be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger (James 1:19-20). In practice, that means addressing conflict quickly, filtering anger through the gospel, talking face to face instead of over text, and owning your part in the breakdown.

Establishing A Daily Rhythm of Prayer
Although God certainly delights in our obedience, the various spiritual disciplines we are assigned in Scripture are not ways to please him by mechanically “doing spiritual things.”

This is one of the dangers of Prayer Book worship.

Human psychology tricks can bypass AI safety guardrails
Artificial intelligence systems programmed to refuse harmful requests can be persuaded to break their own safety rules when prompted with classic psychological techniques. A recent study published in PNAS provides evidence that these models respond to human-like persuasion strategies, suggesting a hidden vulnerability in current safety protocols. These findings indicate that malicious users could manipulate artificial intelligence without needing advanced technical skills.

Leading OB-GYN group releases vaccine advice differing from CDC's
The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists published a vaccine schedule for pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding people on June 10, saying it was seeking to provide the public "reliable, evidence-based information on maternal immunizations."

"Changing national recommendations coupled with rampant vaccine misinformation are resulting in confusion for both patients and health care professionals," ACOG president Dr. Camille A. Clare said in a statement.

Thirteen other medical societies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the National Medical Association, endorsed the new schedule, which differs from the version released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year.

Want your children to keep the faith? Study points to 1 key factor
Amid ongoing discussions about religious participation among younger generations, a new study has found that children whose parents attended church weekly were more than twice as likely to attend church regularly as adults.

The study, “Passing the Torch: How Faith Moves Across Generations,” released in June by the Institute for Family Studies and Communio, draws on data from four national studies involving thousands of Americans raised in religious households. Researchers examined which factors most effectively help children retain their faith into adulthood.

For years, reading struggles seemed obvious. This massive analysis points to a very different cause
For decades, the common explanation for why children struggle to read has stayed remarkably consistent. Smart kids read well. Kids who don't simply aren't smart enough. And when children strain over a page, the assumption has often been that something about how they see the text is getting in the way. By this logic, reading comes down to intelligence and visual processing.

Lunch shaming is happening in schools—what parents need to know
“Lunch shaming” is happening in schools, leaving some kids too anxious to eat in the cafeteria.

Traditionally, the term referred to schools publicly identifying students who could not afford meals.

But today, it has taken on a new meaning—one shaped by smartphones and social media.

Image Credit: St. Matthew's-in-the-Pines, Seale, AL (Episcopal Asset Map)

Friday's Catch: 'The Unfinished Calling' And More

The Unfinished Calling: How Older Believers Are a Gift to the Church
“The Unfinished Calling” is a challenge to adults of all ages to commit themselves to nurture the next generation of disciples in the church.

Also See: The Unfinished Calling - An 8-Part Series by Rev. Joe Novenson

Thinking About Eastern Orthodoxy: A Primer for Evangelicals
The majority of American evangelicals view Eastern Orthodoxy as a small group of odd folks who smell of incense and are basically just ethnically oriented (Russian, Greek) Pope-less Catholics. The only real theological difference they could cite between the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholicism would be the Papacy. Everything else looks and sounds the same.

Over the past few years, however, there has been an uptick in interest in Eastern Orthodoxy. Most believe this has been prompted by the fact that Pope Francis made it very hard for Roman Catholicism to argue that it is the “ancient church” when it is clear Francis (and Leo) are not overly concerned about “Apostolic tradition” or the “ancient” views of pretty much anyone at all. So folks fleeing a surface-level evangelicalism that has no understanding of church history, nor its place in that history, have been turning to Eastern Orthodoxy as an alternative. In this article, I’ll point out 1) why East/West dialogue is difficult, 2) how Eastern Orthodoxy is not as ancient or stable as people often think, and 3) some of the main divisions between Protestantism and Eastern Orthodoxy.

Bishop of Dallas revises liturgy ban -- exhorts clergy to stick to the 1979 BCP

This is the follow-up pastoral letter from Bishop Robert Price.

Southern Baptists oppose amnesty, political violence, women pastors at annual meeting
In a departure from resolutions dating to 2006, the SBC’s new statement does not mention a path to legal status for immigrants.

Come on, ring those bells
It may be true that no man is an island, but the Southern Baptist Convention is working hard to isolate itself from the world.

After a decade of holding back the most strident far-right forces in the convention, this year voting “messengers” opened the gate and let them saddle the horses. And they did so through blatantly political processes.

The denomination that protected predators just banned prophets
God calls women to preach. This is not a progressive talking point or a cultural accommodation. It is a theological fact, attested across centuries of Christian witness and confirmed in the lives of countless women who have heard the Spirit’s voice and answered it.

The Southern Baptist Convention has decided otherwise.

Why I feel betrayed by the SBC
Is the gospel somehow diminished when it comes from the mouth of a woman? Can Jesus not save if Jesus’ story is told by a woman? Is God’s grace somehow blocked by the gender of the messenger?

The ridiculous attack on women in ministry
God can call literally whomever God wishes to do God’s work.

A Pentagon list overhaul puts Mormon church’s Christian identity back in the spotlight
Most Latter-day Saints do see themselves as Christians. But there are many prominent Christian clergy and scholars who disagree, citing core differences in how they view God and the Trinity and revere a scripture that is not part of the two-testament Christian Bible.

Also See: Doug Wilson calls Mormons 'polytheists' amid Pentagon dust-up over Christian labels

What Does It Mean to “Apply” the Bible?
Disciples are followers of God’s Word. So why do we so often wonder what to do with the Bible? Making sense of the words is one thing. Applying them to my life is another. What must I do to behave “biblically”? Does it require a rigid step-by-step method?

There are entire books that try to clarify what application is, but it is not as complicated as we might think.

How Churches Can Help Young Adults Apply Biblical Principles to AI
Churches need to help young adults use AI with biblical wisdom before they are formed by a tool instead of conformed to Christ.

A Biblical Guide to Giving Your Testimony
When the apostle Paul tells his own story, he doesn’t focus on how bad he was before Christ. He emphasises Jesus. That instinct runs counter to much of what passes for testimony-giving today, where the drama of a former life tends to take centre stage and the gospel itself gets relegated to a supporting role. The personal story matters, but it is the garnish, not the main course. The focus of any testimony ought to be the person and work of Jesus: who he is and what he came to do.

I have found Paul’s testimony in 1 Timothy chapter 1 a simple and practical framework to use in helping people prepare their testimonies for camps, baptisms, youth groups, and church gatherings.

Image Credit: St. Michael's Episcopal Church - Kingsport, TN