The Three Phases of the Stealth Migration of Denominationally Affiliated Congregation to Becoming Non-Denominational
Typically, congregations do not shift from denominationally affiliated to non-denominational overnight. They go through phases that take years or even decades. This is partially why the first half-century—1975-2025—of the transition of denominational Protestantism to non-denominational focused on new congregations launched by entrepreneurial leadership.
I believe the next fifty years will focus on denominational congregations following the lead of those who have come before them, sharing what they have found within the non-denominational movement.
Cross Carrying & Hope Sharing
Is there anything to be said about the Great Commission that hasn’t already been said? Pastors and thinkers, theologians and writers, podcasters and bloggers alike have spilled ink and shared opinions to the point where it often feels like the Great Commission has been discussed more than it has been practiced.
In all our church discussions surrounding the Great Commission, have we somehow talked ourselves out of doing it?
From what I have observed over more than four decades the Episcopal Church excels at dissuading itself that it needs to evangelize the unchurched and spiritually disconnected and to make more disciples as our Lord commanded, not suggested, not encouraged, but COMMANDED!
Your Church Needs This More Than a New Coffee Bar
Kimberli Lira wrote this after cancer took her husband. It asks the question most church growth plans skip: who is actually sitting in your seats on Sunday, and what do they need?
Before Your Church Plants, Ask Why
Healthy churches multiply. The reason God saved us is the same reason we plant churches. It’s all for the glory of God.
Also See: Before Your Church Plants, Ask How
Winning the Gap: Why the Next Phase of a Proven Multisite Strategy May Begin Portably
The strategic question: When the next location is part of the plan, why wait years for a permanent facility before beginning ministry in the community?
All of the church plants in which I was involved from the mid-1980s on, two Episcopal, one United Methodist, and two Southern Baptist began portably, in a tennis clubhouse, a living room, a maritime museum conference room, a firestation, and a student union banquet room.
Christian leaders issue ‘sober and urgent call’ for Western Church to prepare for disruption
Christian leaders Steve and Esther Uppal have issued what they described as a “sober, urgent call” to Christians and church leaders in the West, warning that they believe a period of major disruption may be approaching.
Speaking in a video published by Revival Times on September 4, the couple said they had sensed throughout 2026 that the Church should prepare spiritually for “great change and challenge”.
Pope Leo says existential concerns about AI 'should be taken seriously'
'If someone were to ask me, am I in panic mode? No, I sleep at night,' the pope said. But, he doesn’t believe the warnings regarding AI are 'fake news, as some have said.'
Clergy Age Trends in the United Methodist Church: 1985-2026
Notice in the chart below the change between 2000 and 2015 when the percentage of elders between 35 and 54 dropped from 65 percent in 2000 to 38 percent in 2015, with the percentage of elders between 55 and 72 increasing from 30 percent in 2000 to 55 percent in 2015. This major adjustment in the elder makeup reflected the aging of the historically large baby boom generation. In 2000, the youngest boomer was 36, and the oldest was 54. By 2015, the youngest boomer was 51, and the oldest was 69. By 2026, there is a rebalancing of the middle and older age cohorts. In 2026, elders between 35 and 54 are relatively close to that age group’s presence in the total population between 25 and 72. Older elders are still disproportionately represented compared to the same general population pool. Young elders below the age of 35 continue to be represented well below the presence of their age group among the general population ages 25 to 72.
JRR Tolkien to join CS Lewis in Westminster Abbey’s Poets’ Corner
J.R.R. Tolkien, the devout Catholic author whose Christian beliefs helped shape The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, will be honored with a memorial in Poets’ Corner at London’s Westminster Abbey, alongside his close friend and fellow Christian writer C.S. Lewis.
Westminster Abbey announced that the memorial to the author, scholar, linguist and artist is scheduled to be unveiled during a dedication ceremony in spring 2027, coinciding with the 90th anniversary of The Hobbit and the 50th anniversary of The Silmarillion.
Preach Sermons, Not Commentaries
Sermontaries inform, sermons transform. Greg Morse explains the difference.
A surprising number of Americans use AI for spiritual reasons. Here's what they told us
The poll found that 11% of AI users have sought spiritual guidance from artificial intelligence, while 13% have used the technology to generate prayers, and 15% say they have used it to study Scripture.
A Crisis in Formation: How AI Is Shaping Teenagers and Their Spiritual Lives
For many students, AI is deeply woven into the rhythms of ordinary life. Teenagers are using tools like OpenAI ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and other AI systems to write essays, summarize readings, generate study guides, brainstorm captions, process emotions, and even ask spiritual questions they hesitate to bring to parents, pastors, or mentors. AI increasingly functions as a tutor, assistant, pastor, parent, editor, counselor, and companion all at once.
Students are not merely active users of AI; they are also passively shaped by it. Large language models are now embedded throughout the digital ecosystems teenagers inhabit—often in ways they barely recognize. AI is no longer confined to academics or productivity. It is influencing social media feeds, entertainment, gaming, advertising, online shopping, and countless other spaces that shape young people’s desires, imaginations, habits, and identities.
The Church cannot afford to view AI as merely another technological development. We must think about it theologically, pastorally, and formationally. The central question is not simply whether AI is “good” or “bad,” but what kind of people these technologies shape us to become. We are all discipled one way or another; the real question is whether we can recognize who or what is discipling us.
The Hidden Apologetic of Humility
A Christian apologist should be confident in the doctrines of the faith, but confidence in Christianity doesn’t negate the need for humility.
The Place of Congregational Singing in the Worship, Ministry, and Life of the Church
As you read the Old Testament, particularly the Book of Psalms, you will come across numerous verses about offering thanks and praise to God in song, declaring God’s mighty deeds in song, and the like. In the Old Testament we read that songs were composed to celebrate important events in the life of the community as well as the life of the composer. Songs were also composed to warn future generations of how the people of Israel had failed God in the past and not to make the same mistakes. They were also composed to lament the passing of a king or some other important or famous person.
While the New Testament has less references to singing, it does contain a number of songs or fragments of songs.
While the worship of the Temple had trained choirs of Levites who sang songs of praise and thanksgiving to God and who played various musical instruments to accompany their singing, the ordinary people took part in the singing. Singing in Old Testament times was not exclusively the domain of professionals. Nor was it in New Testament times.
Jesus and his disciples sang a hymn, most likely Psalm 116 or a portion of that psalm, after they had eaten the Last Supper together. In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul talks about sharing a song, a teaching, or a prophecy at church meetings and the importance of whatever is done strengthening everyone who is present (1 Corinthians 14:26-33). In his letters to the Ephesians and the Colossians he urges the churches at Ephesus and Colossae to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).
While some churches choose not to use musical instruments in their worship of God because the New Testament is silent on the use of instruments in Christian worship, it must be pointed out that the same churches permit the use of other things that are not mentioned in the New Testament—pews, meeting houses, electric lights, pulpits, and the like. They are selective in the application of this principle. The New Testament contains no prohibition against the use of musical instruments and therefore we are free to use them in our worship.
At the same time, I recognize that a congregation can greatly benefit from learning to sing without accompaniment of any kind The members of the congregation get to hear their combined voices and this itself can have a positive effect on their singing.
In The Art of Public Worship (1920) Percy Dearmer, Anglican priest, author, hymn writer and translator, and editor of The English Hymnal (1906), observed that when members of a congregation sing together, they have a natural tendency to harmonize their voices. Others have observed that when one or more strong voices are singing the tune of a hymn, the rest of the congregation will match their voices to the voices of this individual or group of individuals.
A congregation can benefit from strong musical leadership, but it need not be in the form of a choir or the vocalists on a worship or praise band. A cantor or precentor can lead the congregational singing.
If the voice of the cantor or precentor is electronically amplified, the amplification should not be so loud that the congregational singing cannot be heard. This may mean that the cantor or precentor should step back from the microphone, or the amplification should be turned down. The music of a worship service should not be one long solo. A cantor or precentor can perform special music, but this should not be their principal task, which is leading the congregational singing.
A small ensemble can also lead congregational singing.
When an organ or electric guitars and a drum kit are played too loudly, they can drown out congregational singing but also discourage it.
Hand drums like the bodhran (or Celtic frame drum), the cajon (or box drum), djembe, or steel drum may at times be preferrable to a set of drums and cymbals played with drumsticks. Every song does not require drum accompaniment.
For small churches a good quality upright piano is best musical instrument to accompany congregational singing. The congregation can hear the notes of a tune more clearly when played on a piano, and unlike a grand piano, the sound of an upright piano travels outward, not upward, and electronic amplification may not be required.
During World War I Percy Dearmer found that men were more likely to join in singing hymns accompanied on a piano in an informal setting than they were accompanied on an organ, in the more formal setting of a parish church. This and the abysmal state of organ music in the early twentieth century led him to propose a moratorium on organs in churches.
A number of percussion, string, and wind instruments can be used in Christian worship—hand bells, chimes, gongs, muyu (Chinese woodblocks), claves, angklung, hammered dulcimer, autoharp, cello, violin, Appalachian dulcimer (or mountain dulcimer), mandolin, lap harp, penny whistle, recorder, flute, oboe, ocarina, melodica, uillean pipes, and bag pipes, just to name a few. Songs can also be accompanied by rhythmic handclapping and foot-stamping.
The musical talents of members of a congregation can be used to ornament and enrich the worship of the congregation and to offer thanksgiving for these talents to God. Employing someone’s musical talents is one way of assimilating them into a congregation.
Among the reasons that people join a particular church is that it provides them with opportunities to employ their talents, life experiences, interests, acquired skills, and spiritual gifts in ways that are meaningful to them.
A number of principles can be inferred from the Scriptures on what kind of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs should be used in our worship. Those who are responsible for planning the music for a particular service of worship should give careful consideration to these principles in selecting psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs for that service.
Except for special music, they should be songs whose words and tunes the average singer in the congregation can master and sing without too much difficulty. This means that the tune should be in the range of the average singer in the congregation.
They should give expression to thoughts and feelings to which those who sing them are able to relate.
They should offer praise and thanks to God.
They should extol God’s character and his deeds.
They should encourage and strengthen those hearing them.
They may take the form of prayer and supplication.
They may give expression to the congregation’s repentance from sin and its confidence and trust in God.
They may commemorate or celebrate particular events in salvation history such as the birth, life, ministry, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.
They should include old songs, those which have been passed on from one generation to the next, as well as songs of recent composition. The number of familiar songs should exceed the unfamiliar ones.
Congregational singing is an integral part of a congregation’s worship of God. It is not as we too often hear preparation for the sermon. The purpose of the songs is NOT to put the congregation in the right frame of mind for the sermon. Singing together a congregation affirms not only its common faith but also its shared identity. It reinforces the bonds that unite it. To the visitor, it gives witness to what it believes. To its own members, it offers encouragement and support.
Every song in a service does not need to be related to the text of the sermon but it does need to be suitable for the place in the service where it is used, and it should not give a contradictory message to the sermon. It should also be appropriate to the season of the liturgical year if a church observes the liturgical year. This does not mean that every song must be a seasonal one, but it does mean that the song should not be unsuitable for a particular season. Some psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs can be sung year round while others lend themselves only to a particular season or occasion.
I would argue that the care we put into the selection of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs for a particular worship service is as important as the care that we put in the preparation of the sermon for that service. Songs have a stickiness that sermons don’t. If we hear the words and tune of a song enough times, we will internalize it. We will catch ourselves singing a snatch of the song or humming its tune. But we won’t do that with any sermon that we hear.
Worship leaders who are always using new songs week after week and never giving the congregation enough time to learn them, do not appreciate the value of congregational singing. The songs we sing in our worship services are one of the ways that we not only reinforce our faith but pass on our faith to others. They are part of past generations’ witness to us.
We do the young people a great disservice when we neglect to use the hymns and other sacred music of those who have gone before us and offer them a steady diet of throwaway songs, the latest entries on the list of the most popular contemporary Christian and praise and worship songs, songs which, while they may appeal to young people’s musical tastes and preferences influenced by contemporary secular music, do not always accurately convey what the Scriptures teach and consequently are doctrinally unsound. Young people who are fed such a diet will miss out on the benefits of full exposure to the Christian Church’s rich heritage of hymns and other sacred music, a heritage to which Christians around the world have contributed and which stretches back to the early centuries of the Church. They will not develop an appreciation of the musical legacy that they have been left, nor will they acquire a mature understanding of the role of music in Christian worship. They will be led to believe that the sole purpose of worship music is to elevate their mood and to make them more receptive to a preacher’s message.
In our rapidly changing and often unpredictable and chaotic world many young people feel a need for greater stability. They also feel a need for continuity with the past and are drawn to what in their minds represent such continuity. The use of hymns and other sacred music that spans more than one generation can help meet these needs.
The heavenly worship in the Revelation to John provides us with a model for our services of public worship on Sundays and other occasions. A helpful exercise is to compare the heavenly worship of Revelation with our own worship services. The great multitude of the redeemed are not listening the hosts of heaven praising the One seated on the throne and the Lamb, they are joining in their voices to the angels! The heavenly worship of Revelation is doxological and so should be our worship services.
The members of a congregation cannot fulfill their role as worshipers if they have not been given ample opportunity to learn the words and tune of a song. They are reduced to passive spectators to someone else’s worship when they should be active participants in the various acts of worship on Sundays and other occasions.
Unless a concerted effort is made to involve the congregation in these acts of worship, acts of worship such as singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, leading prayers, reading Scripture, presenting the people’s offerings, and the like, our worship services are worship in name only. They are nothing more than a choir or band concert with a lecture or inspirational talk tacked on to it.
Whatever they are, they are not corporate worship. Corporate worship engages the whole Body of Christ in its local manifestation—a particular congregation of the faithful gathered in one place to pray, sing, learn, and worship together.
This is a simple truth that we need to grasp as Christians. We cannot worship God through a proxy, through someone else. We must honor and reverence God ourselves.
The people of Israel thought that in offering sacrifices to God and observing the festivals and the new moons as a nation, they were performing their religious duties to God. God’s response which was spoken through the Old Testament prophets was to point to their attention that their hearts, the place where it mattered most, were far from him. They were not as a people living their lives individually and collectively as he had instructed.
Jesus himself reiterated this message: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” When Jesus talks about worshiping God in spirit and in truth, he is talking about we ourselves worshiping God, not someone else worship God on our behalf. The honor and reverence that we offer God must be our own and must come from within us.
While we may not be accustomed to thinking of it this way, congregational singing, like prayer, is a means of grace, a channel through which God’s grace flows to us. Indeed, congregational singing is a form of prayer. For this reason, we should not sing a song part way through and then stop. If we do not want to use all the stanzas of a song, we should carefully edit the song beforehand so that the stanzas that we sing make sense. Singing the first and last stanzas of a song, a common practice in a number of churches that I have visited mutilates the sense of the song and does not show it the respect due the song as prayer.
While congregational singing is not the only form of worship that we can offer God, it is an important one in corporate worship. It therefore behooves not only the leaders of a particular congregation but also the members of that congregation to ensure that it is not neglected. The congregation should not only be given ample opportunity to sing but also every effort should be made to make congregational singing a positive experience for everyone. This includes helping the members of the congregation to develop an appreciation of the importance of congregational singing not just in their services of public worship but also in their other church functions.
For Methodists singing hymns together whenever they gathered has long been a part of their ethos and tradition. My maternal grandfather was a Wesleyan, and we sang hymns at home and on family outings. During my early school years, I attended a Church of England elementary school and then two English village schools and began the school day with hymns and gospel songs. I suspect these hymns and gospel songs helped to form and shape my faith.
Congregational singing is a vital ingredient in our services of public worship, and we should not allow the singing of one small part of the congregation to take its place. Just as the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is a foretaste of the Wedding Supper of the Lamb so are our united voices a foretaste of the heavenly worship that goes on unceasingly before the throne of God. Let us glorify God in all that we say and do. But especially let us glorify God with song.
Where Evangelical Churches Are Losing Ground Fastest—and It Is Not Where You Think Ask most church leaders where evangelical Christianity is losing ground fastest, and they will probably name New England, the Pacific Northwest, or one of America’s largest cities. Those places certainly have relatively small evangelical populations.
But a small evangelical presence is not the same as a rapidly declining evangelical presence.
The more surprising losses may be occurring in rural communities and traditional evangelical strongholds. In many of these places, evangelical churches remain numerous and highly visible. But their connection to younger generations is disappearing.
Translating Data Into Discipleship
Anyone can learn to turn data into discipleship if they understand the process’s holistic nature and what it takes to make disciples.
The Volunteer Model Is Breaking
Jess and Thom discuss why this reality has reached a crisis stage in many churches.
Why Church Guests Don't Come Back
Jess and Thom spend a good bit of this podcast discussing this issue.
Survey finds Gen Z most likely to identify as religious
Generation Z adults are more likely than older Americans to describe themselves as “religious,” even as many also engage in practices at odds with Christian teaching, according to a new survey.
The Harris Poll released a survey Thursday based on responses from 2,136 U.S. adults collected July 1 to 4. The poll grouped respondents by generation: Generation Z (ages 18 to 29), millennials (30 to 45), Generation X (46 to 61) and baby boomers (62 and older).
Why New Age spirituality isn’t neutral
The Evangelical Alliance’s recent ‘Spiritual Curiosity’ resource makes an important observation about the moment we are living in. After years in which Western culture has often been described as becoming increasingly secular, many people are once again openly interested in spiritual things.
That spiritual curiosity tells us something important: human beings are searching for meaning, hope, guidance and something beyond the purely material world. The problem is not the recognition that there is more to life than what we can see; Christianity agrees that there is. The question is where we go looking for answers.
Scary, Angry Churches Make Scared, Angered Christians
From the Moore to the Point newsletter: A system that scares you can sometimes keep you compliant, but whatever can ultimately direct your life is your god.
The Word of God and the Mission of God
Commitment to the translation of the Word and engagement in mission has long been central to Anglican history, though it may be more accurately associated with evangelical Anglicanism. This emphasis aligns more closely with Cranmer than with Hooker, appearing to privilege the Word over the sacraments. It would be a mistake, however, to interpret this emphasis as a simplistic or modern understanding of sola Scriptura coupled with a narrow mandate to preach the Word to the far corners of the earth.
At the heart of the early Anglican Reformers’ emphasis on translation into the vernacular was a deep confidence in the word—or, more precisely, the Word of God, for the true agent in this story is God himself. The Anglican Reformers drew on a patristic emphasis on real presence, not only in the sacraments but in the Word as well (Hans Boersma explores this patristic emphasis in Scripture as Real Presence). The Word of God is powerful precisely because God chooses to make himself present to us in it.
Why we sing: Music, spirituality and the search for meaning
Singing is a practice so deeply embedded in Christian worship that it can easily be taken for granted. Yet singing occupies a distinctive place in the life of the Church: Christians sing in celebration and lament, at weddings and funerals, alone and together, and in words ranging from ancient psalms to contemporary worship songs.
What, then, does singing make possible that speech alone cannot?
That question ran through ‘Reasons to Sing: Singing, Spirituality and the Search for Meaning,’ a two-day conference at the University of Birmingham that brought together theologians, musicians and researchers to explore the physical, social and spiritual dimensions of singing.
Songs of Praise celebrates 65 years with special anniversary episode - and finds a new generation online
The BBC’s long-running religious programme ‘Songs of Praise’ is marking its 65th anniversary with a special episode celebrating its history and changing place in British broadcasting.
First aired on October 1, 1961, the programme has since produced over 3,240 episodes, recording hymns and worship songs in more than 2,000 churches, chapels and cathedrals across the UK, as well as in locations ranging from beaches and stadiums to concert halls and cruise ships.
Why My Church Does Not Sing Songs by Bethel, Elevation, and Hillsong
Afew years ago, I proposed to my fellow elders at Grace Fellowship Church that we stop singing songs by Hillsong. Though there were only a couple that were part of our repertoire at the time, I thought it would be wise for us to consider removing them. After some clarifying discussion, we agreed that we would stop singing those two songs, and that we would not add any more. In what follows, I want to explain my reasoning and explain why it also extends to a couple of today’s other major songwriting groups, Bethel and Elevation.
AI Is Trying to Erase Death. Here's Why Christians Should Be Concerned
What if AI doesn't just change how we work, but how we grieve?
We're entering a world where AI can recreate the voices, faces, and personalities of people who have died. What sounds like science fiction is already here, and I believe it's one of the most important conversations the church needs to have.
In this video, I explore why AI "resurrection" is so tempting, why I believe it's a counterfeit to Christian hope, and how pastors and church leaders can help people navigate this new reality with wisdom, truth, and compassion.
The Christian faith has never promised escape from death. It promises something far better: that because of Jesus, death doesn't get the last word.
How AI has made child sexual abuse more prevalent
It all begins with a single screenshot from Instagram, Snapchat or some other social media.
The photo itself is nothing remarkable — a casual selfie, a holiday memory, a sports photoshoot, a prom photo. You know the kind. Billions of photos like these are shared on social media every single day. These are the kind of photos that get printed out and framed by grandmas all over the world.
But this photo — instead of getting a like, a comment or a special place on grandma’s wall — gets turned into something completely different.
AI Friendship vs. Real Friends: Annie F. Downs on Why Christians Need to Stay in the Secular World
Annie F. Downs joins the show to talk about why every leader needs a personal board of directors and who actually belongs there.
We discuss why AI friendship can never replace the real thing and why Christians need to stay in the secular world instead of retreating from it.
Plus, we get a massive update on her recent marriage and what that does to her singles ministry.
Loving the Stranger, Shaping the World
International Student Ministry (ISM) remains one of the most strategic but consistently underappreciated facets in world missions today. To date, there are over 6.9 million international students worldwide—that is, students who attend institutions of higher learning in countries other than their places of origin and nationality. North America (primarily the United States and Canada but also including Mexico) remains a highly popular destination for international students, hosting approximately 2.1 million international students and scholars.
Students from around the globe have historically flocked to North America’s colleges and universities because they are among the best the world has to offer. A key consequence is that many of the world’s political leaders both past and present spent their formative years as international students in Canada and/or the U.S. The implication of this for ISM is obvious: Christian outreach to international students has the potential to impact, powerfully so, the global political sphere spiritually.
This Sunday, September 27, 2026, is the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity. Last Tuesday, September 22, was the Autumn Equinox and the first day of Fall. The days and the nights have already grown cooler, a welcome relief from the summer heat.
Beginning this Sunday, we will be using new service music for the remainder of the Season after Trinity, as was announced last Sunday. The MP3 of the simple piano accompaniment for the new metrical versions of the Benedictus and the Te Deum contains no vocals, just the tune played on the piano. Each accompaniment begins with a brief introduction.
The settings are widely used hymn tunes, KINGSFOLD and TALLIS’ CANON (EIGHTH TUNE). KINGSFOLD is a folk tune set to a variety of texts in England and Ireland. Ralph Vaughan Williams introduced it as a hymn tune in The English Hymnal (1906) as a setting for Horatius Bonar's “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say.” TALLIS’ CANON (EIGHTH TUNE) is one of nine tunes which Thomas Tallis contributed to Archbishop Matthew Parker’s The whole Psalter translated into English metre, an early English metrical psalter published in 1560. It is the tune to which Bishop Thomas Ken’s evening hymn, “Glory be to God this night” is set and with which that hymn is generally associated.
TALLIS CANON (EIGHTH TUNE) is also a round which, according to the Psalter Hymnal Handbook (1988)—
“…most congregations can easily sing in two parts, especially when women sing the first part and men sing the second. The congregation could also sing the hymn as a four-part round (each entry at four beats). Try also to sing unaccompanied (organists could sound the first phrase of each entry and then sing along).”
In this Sunday’s message we take a look at Philippians 2: 1-13 and what that passage teaches us about humility.
Readings: Ezekiel 18: 1-4, 25-32, Philippians 2: 1-13, and Matthew 21: 23-32
Message: A Christian Is Humble
Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/09/sundays-at-all-hallows-september-27-2026.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.
How to Build a Church That Outlasts Your Leadership
What can medieval cathedral builders teach us about church leadership? Notre Dame took over 200 years to build — surviving wars, plagues, and leadership transitions — yet many modern churches can't survive a single pastoral transition. In this episode, Scott and A.J. explore why so many churches collapse when a long-tenured pastor leaves, and what you can do to build something that lasts far beyond your tenure.
Also See: How to Build a Church That Outlasts Your Leadership
The Burge Report: Why Gen Z Might Be the Least Mobile Generation in American History
Americans are moving far less than they did in previous generations, and Gen Z may become the least mobile generation in American history. In the 1950s, about 20% of Americans moved each year. By 2019, that number had fallen to roughly 11%. Even more surprising, younger adults are more likely than older generations to say they have lived in the same local community their entire lives. Nearly half of those born in the early 2000s report never having moved from their local community.
Ryan and Sam discuss how this trend also has implications for churches. People who stay rooted in one place appear somewhat more likely to remain connected to religious life than those who move away. Moving disrupts habits, relationships, and rhythms—including church attendance. For many dechurched people, the issue may not be a conscious rejection of faith, but the loss of a weekly rhythm after relocating.
Everyone Else Forgot Gen X. Has Your Church Done the Same?
Gen X is old enough to lead and young enough to adapt. In many churches, they already chair the finance committee, teach the adult class, and keep the lights on. Most leadership plans still skip them. Here is what the research says about this generation, and four ways to stop overlooking the people holding your church together.
Newsdesk: Hope for TEC and the ACNA?
What happened in the Chip Edgar misconduct case? And what does it reveal about the continued, if fractured, relationships between the Episcopal Church and the ACNA?
Today’s newsdesk begins with two bishops, ecclesial discipline, and the complex landscape that is Anglicanism in South Carolina.
From there, we explore what this brings to light about the ACNA’s ongoing relationship with the Episcopal Church; how the 39 Articles, Jerusalem Declaration, and Abuja Affirmation offer clarity and hopeful surprises; and remaining questions about Christian friendship, leadership, and engagement across divides.
In a state of division, even with a call to “principled disengagement” of Global Anglican Communion from Anglican Communion relationships, it turns out that the lines between divided denominations aren’t as clear as they seem, and that the principal founding documents of the ACNA and Global Anglican Communion are more generous and realistic about inter-Anglican relationships than you might expect.
Bishop Edgar receives censure from ACNA College of Bishops over Porter-Gaud affair
"...the Anglican Church in North America’s College of Bishops have sentenced Bishop Edgar to a censure with no accompanying pastoral admonition. There are no restrictions to his exercise of his episcopal office and, this action puts to rest the official response of the Province to the Chapel dedication at Porter-Gaud."
ACNA College of Bishops deposes Derek Jones
"The College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America deposed Derek Jones from the Sacred Ministry on September 23, 2026.
"This is in response to his guilt of four canonical charges against him, as determined by the Court for the Trial of a Bishop. The facts now established show that over a period of many years he has offended against God and the Body of Christ through acts of wickedness, cruelty, and abuse of power against chaplains with limited recourse."
At the time of Derek Jones' reception into the ACNA and its episcopate I raised a number of questions about the appropriateness of his reception and the thoroughness of the ACNA's vetting of non-Anglican bishops and episcopi vagantes seeking to transfer their episcopal ministry to the ACNA. The ACNA leadership commissioned George Conger to write an article dismissing the validity of my concerns. In deposing Jones, the College of Bishops has largely vindicated those concerns. Hopefully in the future the College of Bishops will be more cautious as to who it admits to the ACNA's episcopate.
Welsh bishops pull back from same-sex marriage bill, call for theological reflection The Bench of Bishops of the Church in Wales has announced it will not introduce legislation to permit same-sex weddings in Welsh Anglican churches in April 2027 as previously planned, saying further theological reflection is needed before the province takes that step.
The decision, disclosed in a report to the Governing Body meeting in September, puts the brakes on a trajectory that had appeared to be leading inexorably toward same-sex marriage legislation within months.
Also See: Southern Africa synod rejects gay blessings at Makgoba’s final meeting
Study suggests strong correlation between gender transitioning and psychiatric treatment
Research from Finland has suggested that people seeking gender reassignment surgery are substantially more likely to need referral for psychiatric treatment.
The study, which was published in Acta Paediatricia, looked at just over 2,000 young people who contacted Finnish gender clinics between 1996 and 2019, and compared them with a sample of over 16,600 people from the rest of the population.
Court cases test United Methodist governance
As a matter of United Methodist church law, the season of church disaffiliations is over. However, legal disputes related to church property and other aspects of The United Methodist Church’s governance persist in civil courts across the U.S. Also See: HPUMC sought to be ‘legally insulated’ from UMC strife
Exploring the Significance of the “Trust Clause”
The “trust clause” became a familiar, if sometimes confusing, concept for many during the period when disaffiliation was possible for United Methodist churches for reasons of conscience related to human sexuality policies. When that period ended on December 31, 2023, one might have thought talk of the “trust clause” would have receded from the news. However, a current incident is bringing this issue and others related to polity and governance back to the forefront, and news of these concerns suggests it would be helpful to examine them further.
John Wesley introduced the "trust clause" to prevent Methodist Socities that chose to leave the movement from taking their building with them. The buildings in which Methodist Societies met were often purchased or constructed with money collected fom several Methodist Socities. Wesley's concern was that the loss of the building would have a negative affect not only on those Methodist Socities which had raised money for its purchase or construction but also on the movement as a whole.
Episcopal employee insurance rates rising as much as 14% in 2027, further straining church budgets
Episcopal dioceses and congregations are getting a first look at the 2027 health insurance landscape, and it will be expensive.
Pennsylvania diocese plans to build affordable clergy housing on underused sites
Clergy need housing, but housing is expensive in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One thing the Diocese of Pennsylvania, which spans the five-county metro region, has is available space on which to build.
That combination of factors sparked an idea that now has become the diocese’s latest experiment in adaptive reuse of church properties. The diocese recently announced the launch of a new initiative that has identified at least three Episcopal properties for construction of affordable housing units that will be offered for rent to diocesan clergy and for priests who have been called to serve at churches that no longer have rectories.
The initiative coincides with the diocese’s ongoing Transformation Initiative. The diocese’s emphasis is on new uses for underutilized church properties, including to ease the financial burden on congregations struggling to maintain aging facilities.
Also See: Diocese of Pennsylvania’s Transformation Initiative envisions new uses for 26 church properties
Returning Festival of Choirs invites singers to Cambridge, England in August 2027
Festival of Choirs Ltd is delighted to announce the return of its eponymous Festival to Cambridge, U.K. from Aug. 3-8, 2027. Following the conspicuous success of the inaugural Festival, which took place in the historic University city last month, this landmark event will bring together choirs and individual singers from around the world for an inspiring week of music-making, learning, and cultural exchange.
Criticize like a Christian Many of the Bible’s most faithful figures were critics. However, it’s not easy to find a good example of a Christian critic today. Most of our criticism is online, and even among believers, it’s often ugly.
We should be critics, but we should be distinctly Christian critics. Here are three principles for criticizing like a Christian.
What Makes Preaching Boring (And How to Fix It)
Boring preaching has one thing in common. It answers questions nobody in the room is asking.
Maybe your sermon really is irrelevant. Maybe it only seems that way to the people listening. Either way, the signs are easy to read. People check their phones. They stifle yawns. After the service they talk about the weather and steer clear of the sermon. They are telling you that you solved a problem they don’t have.
Here is how to spot it, why it happens, and five questions that will fix most of it before Sunday.
Magnify Your Ministry Voice: Ed Stetzer and Corey Alderin on Using Tech to Reach Your Community (Ep 137)
“Online church is not the goal, it's a tool, and it's a tool to get people into in-person community.”
What Should You Look for in a Church?
I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met who spent years in a church but were still starving spiritually. They attended churches that were friendly, vibey, full of entertainment, fun, and programs for the kids, but even after years of a generally enjoyable “Sunday experience,” they struggled to explain the gospel, navigate Scripture, regularly go to war against their sin, and confidently live the Christian life. Their homes were happy on the outside, but not thriving on the inside.
That kind of experience should concern us. The church you join shapes your view of God, your family’s convictions, and your habits of obedience. There are many churches that can give you what you want, but not all churches give you what you need.
Jesus loves His church and has told us how it should function and what to look for in a faithful place to entrust your soul care to. Here are five marks to look for (and cultivate)...
The Lost Art of Manners and Why Children Still Need Them
Whatever picture you may have in your mind, I want to suggest that manners are indispensable, especially in the education of children, and that the failure to train our children in them harms those we are called by God to teach.
As a child I was expected to conduct myself according to a particular standard of behavior, a standard which the adult members of my family themselves observed and modeled. When I deviated from these expectations, I received gentle reminders of what was expected of me, often in the form of proverbial sayings from the Bible and other sources. These expectations were not reinforced with a switch or a belt as a number of folks who spent their childhood in the South or come from working class backgrounds tell me was their experience. Nor was I expected to address my grandfather as "sir" or my grandmother and mother as "ma'm," an expectation of children that I regard as excessive and unwarranted to this day, a manner of address for strangers, not close family members. Grandad was Grandad, Nan, Nan, and Mum, Mum. Being courtesy, polite, respectful, considerate of others, and the like were treated as a part of the natural order of things, the way someone who received a proper upbringing behaved.
Sample Letter to Inactive Church Members Pastors Can Use
Every pastor carries a list of names they haven’t seen in a while. Some stopped coming after a move or a new job. Others still slide into the back row on Sunday and leave before the last song ends. A short, personal letter is one of the simplest ways to reach both groups.
Below you’ll find a full sample letter to inactive church members that you can adapt today, a shorter version for text or email, and a plan for the week after you send it. That last part is where most outreach either takes hold or quietly stalls.
How to Discover and Capitalize On Your Church’s Unique Voice
If you're copying another church, you’re not being the church God called you to be. And the kingdom of God is poorer for not having your voice in it.
Small churches try to imitate larger churches, even cathedrals, backward-looking churches try to recreate churches of the past, and denominations and dioceses or their equivalent try to force churches under their jurisdiction into same mold.
How small congregations can flourish
Small churches have distinctive strengths that The United Methodist Church should embrace, argues a new report from Wesleyan Impact Partners.
That’s important since most U.S. United Methodist churches, and Protestant churches in general, are small.
The report profiles nine congregations across the U.S. — most of which average 50 or less in worship but excel in community impact.
The congregations, which are thriving in both rural and urban settings, share certain qualities.
The rise of the Jim Crow theobros
A group of Reformed pastors and influencers has wedded old-school segregationist theology with the hypermasculinity of the manosphere and the savvy of the attention economy to preach and sell white supremacy, antisemitism and patriarchy to angry young men. Its audience is small but growing, and their movement has ties to powerful religious and political figures.
‘The Pendragon Cycle’ is a fantasy of Christian masculine power
Even as ‘The Pendragon Cycle’ attempts to entertain broad audiences, it also hopes to win territory in a culture war as a defense of white Christian men and their right to rule the world.
Michael Scott’s Christian nationalism
Evangelicals don’t need a highly unlikely and historically worrisome confusion of church and state to accomplish our goals.
World Relief, 3,500 Evangelicals Urge Trump To Raise Refugee Cap, Prioritize Persecuted Christians
World Relief is calling on the Trump administration to set a higher ceiling on the number of Christian refugees admitted to the United States. In a letter signed by nearly 3,500 evangelical Christians, the Christian humanitarian organization urged the president to “prioritize Christians and other religious minorities fleeing religious persecution.”
Also See: Trump administration again omits refugees fleeing religious persecution from US program
What Is Eco-Anxiety (and How Can the Church Help)?
A change in information diet is a good first step, but the church has something better to offer people struggling with eco-anxiety: hope.
Do We Make Too Much or Too Little of Angels?
Are evangelicals obsessed with angels and demons? Or do evangelicals not give enough attention to the unseen realm?
How you respond to this question will likely be driven, at least in part, by your background and church experiences, and perhaps your faith tradition.
What the SBC’s new survey on worship leaders says and doesn’t say
The Southern Baptist Convention released a large-scale study on worship leaders in SBC churches last week, and while the results may be alarming, they should not be surprising.
Your Greek Bible Is Changing. Don’t Freak Out. (Part 2)
This essay is the second part of a reflection on new resources for students of the Greek New Testament, including pastors and seminarians. Having discussed the basics of textual criticism in part 1, we turn now to the history of translation and then a review of the new resources.
5 Halloween Alternatives for Your Children’s Ministry
Check out these five Halloween alternatives for your children’s ministry so kids can still enjoy the fall season—without the scary parts.
Hallowe'en or Hallow Even is the eve of Hallowmas, All Hallows Day, otherwise known as All Saints Day. It is also known as All Hallows Eve. As an alternative to trick or treating, plan activities that focus on the feast day for which Hallowe'en is the eve, a feast day on which we commemorate the hallows, the holy ones, the saints of the Church.
Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.
The final hymn of this evening’s service is Percy Dearmer’s “God is love, his the care,” written in 1925 and published in Songs of Praise in 1926, a collection of hymns edited by Dearmer, and widely used in schools and with children. An expanded edition of Songs of Praise was published in 1931 and succeeding impressions have been published since that time. We sang hymns from Songs of Praise at Rumburgh Village School in the 1950s.
This evening’s service’s final hymn is the original version of “God is love, his the care.” Several alternative versions of the hymn have been produced, typically altering the language of the hymn and shortening it, but they fail to retain the sense of the original hymn. Dearmer wrote the hymn in the 1920s and his choice of language reflects the conventions of the time in which he wrote the hymn. The hymn should not be construed to exclude women. Where Dearmer uses “man,” he also means “woman.”
The tune is THEODERIC, also known as PERSONET HODIE. As well as an organ accompaniment, an optional simple piano accompaniment is provided for those who are more comfortable singing a hymn accompanied on the piano. No video of the complete original version of “God is love, his the care,” sung by a congregation, choir, or soloist, is available online.
This evening’s message is about loving God.
Readings: Deuteronomy 15: 7-11; 1 John 4:15-21
Message: A Lesson on Loving God from the First Letter of John
Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/09/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows_0197355064.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.
How to Jumpstart Church Growth from a Plateau
If your church has hit a plateau, this episode of the Church Revitalization Podcast gives you a practical, no-nonsense framework to get things moving again. Scott and A.J. walk through four key questions every church leader should honestly answer, covering community presence, follow-up systems, barrier removal, and mobilizing your people to serve. Whether you have been plateaued for a while or just feel like you need a kick in the right direction, this episode is packed with actionable next steps you can start on this week.
Also See: How to Jumpstart Church Growth from a Plateau
How to Prevent Your Discipleship Model from Aging Out with the Older Generations
Many churches are beginning to recognize that their discipleship systems are no longer working as well as they once did. The problem is not necessarily neglect. In many cases, the problem is that the model was built for a different era—one marked by more frequent church attendance, earlier marriage, more stable family rhythms, and Baby Boomers providing much of the volunteers.
That world is fading.
Josh and Sam discuss how churches that adjust their discipleship strategies now will be better positioned to disciple effectively ten and twenty years from today.
4 Guiding Beliefs of Today’s Culture
Having an intentional plan for discipleship is the best way to address these four guiding beliefs of culture today.
Where Have All the Vicars Gone?
The impact of the dearth of clergy is evident in almost every deanery in every diocese.
Edinburgh University ends divinity programmes as theology faces a changing future
The University of Edinburgh is ending its Bachelor and Master of Divinity programmes, marking a significant change for an institution whose history has been closely intertwined with theological education for centuries.
The decision comes as universities across Britain face financial pressures, changing patterns of student demand, and a reassessment of how theology and religious studies should be taught. It also follows a major decision by the Church of Scotland to concentrate its national ministerial training at the University of Glasgow.
>Catholicism in France has 'collapsed'
France, once known as the “eldest daughter of the Church” due to its high standing in Catholic Europe, is now a place of “injustices” and “discrimination” against Christians, a new report has stated.
The report, called "The Church’s Suffering and Hope in France", was released by the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) as Pope Leo XIV prepares to make the first papal visit to the country in almost two decades.
Narnia Among the Deathworks
t was Carl Trueman who introduced me to the idea of a deathwork, though the concept is Philip Rieff’s. According to Rieff, a deathwork is an assault on something that is hallowed to an established culture. It isn’t a critique or argument that the culture is untrue, but a means of profaning something that is sacred in order to make it seem ridiculous or repulsive. Trueman summarizes it as “the act of using the sacred symbols of a previous era in order to subvert, and then destroy, their original significance and purpose.”
Voices: Why the book of Enoch is not Scripture
How should followers of Jesus approach the book of Enoch? Should we really consider it inspired Scripture, on par with Genesis, Isaiah, and Daniel?
7 Quiet Church Leadership Mistakes That Slowly Damage a Church
Here are seven of them, what each looks like in practice, and what healthy leaders do instead. If your church feels stuck even though nothing is wrong on paper, one of these is probably part of the reason.
9 Things Pastors Should Stop Apologizing For
Most pastors can recite the complaint before the email arrives. The sermon ran long. The new service time is inconvenient. You took a Sunday off in July. Somewhere in that steady drip of feedback, many leaders pick up a habit of saying sorry for things that are simply part of the job.
Humility belongs in ministry, and pastors should own real mistakes quickly and without excuses. Apologizing for faithful work is a different habit. Over time it wears down a leader’s confidence and quietly trains a church to expect a pastor with no limits. Below are nine things pastors can stop apologizing for, plus a simple test for knowing when an apology is owed.
How to Ruin Your Church Leadership in 10 Easy Steps
It's tough to predict success in leadership—but failure? That's easy.
In this video, I unpack the 10 fastest ways to ruin your church leadership (and your life).
From neglecting your character to sacrificing your family, these "bad habits" will wreck your influence faster than you think.
But here's the good news: do the opposite, and you'll build the kind of leadership that lasts.
Also See: Why Leaders Self-Sabotage and How to Break the Cycle with Judah Smith & Dr. Les Parrott
9 Ways To Trim Your Text To A Preachable Size
Each time you select a passage of Scripture to preach on a given Sunday, you are implying that passage is able to stand alone.
20 Questions To Evaluate Your Sermon Before You Preach It
Before stepping into the pulpit, every preacher should run their sermon through an honest checklist. These 20 questions have shaped one pastor’s preaching for decades and still hold up today.
Your Greek Bible Is Changing. Don’t Freak Out. (Part 1)
With the arrival of the new school year, students are returning to universities and seminaries, and many are studying Greek to read the writings of the New Testament in their original language. This year, two significantly updated resources are available for students, pastors, scholars, and teachers wishing to learn more about the manuscripts behind our critical text. This essay is the first of a two-part reflection; the second appears tomorrow. Here I discuss some introductory aspects of textual criticism. In the next part, I will discuss the history of translations and review some new resources.
Why AI resembles a charismatic religious leader
AI can function as a charismatic figure without standing on a stage, establishing a church or gathering disciples, writes a scholar of religion.
Third of young people now turning to AI for friendship, research finds
A third of young people are now using an AI companion, according to new research.
The RELATE Project 2026, by Christian youth ministry Young Life, spoke to over 7,100 teenagers and young adults across 11 different countries including the US, UK, Argentina, Mexico, India and Nigeria.
For children and youth, Sunday is outnumbered
Do the math on an American childhood, and the church’s situation becomes uncomfortably clear.
A child in the pews every single week gets barely a hundred hours of church a year. Some leaders in the kids’ ministry space put the realistic figure closer to 40. Meanwhile the average American child spends some 2,000 hours a year on screens. Forty against 2,000. Sunday is outnumbered 50 to one.
You would not know it from our arguments. Congregations debate worship styles, curriculum choices, whether the youth room needs new couches. Denominations fight over the 40 hours as if these hours were the whole battlefield, while the 2,000 hours walk out the door unexamined, every family, every week.
How to Revitalize an Aging Congregation
Is your church community feeling the effects of an aging congregation? Don't worry - your best days may still be ahead! In this video, we explore three high-impact strategies to breathe new life into your church in just 90 days...
What this podcast offers is not a silver bullet, but three strategies that can help an aging church to overcome the deadly inertia that besets so many aging churches.
Revitalization through Outreach: Becoming Externally Focused
In this episode of the Church Revitalization Podcast, we tackle one of the most crucial elements of church growth and health: outreach. Many churches struggle with plateau or decline because they've lost their external focus. Discover the three essential steps to becoming an externally focused church...
Also See: Revitalization through Outreach: 3 Steps to Becoming an Externally Focused Church
How Big Is Your Church Actually?
Do pastors really know who's attending their church every week? In this episode of the Church Revitalization Podcast, A.J. Mathieu and Scott Ball dig into the common myth that "only half the church is present on any given Sunday"—and challenge assumptions about church attendance. They discuss the roots of this belief, why it persists, and, most importantly, why getting the real numbers actually matters for effective ministry and discipleship.
Learn practical ways to move beyond gut feelings and start gathering actionable data on church engagement—plus, helpful ideas for tracking attendance without burdening your team or your church members. Whether your church is large or small, knowing who's truly present is key to intentional shepherding, boosting engagement, and making better strategic decisions.
Also See: How Big Is Your Church… Actually?
Whoever regularly attends a particular service of your church, shows up at least twice a month, is a member of the congregation of that service, and qualifies as an actual member of your church, not the folks whose names are on the church's membership rolls.
Nostalgia vs Vision: Which direction is your church looking?
In this episode, our hosts A.J. Mathieu and Scott Ball explore the crucial shift from rearview mirror thinking to windshield thinking, emphasizing the need for honesty, humility, and collaboration to cultivate enthusiasm for the future. They discuss practical strategies for moving from nostalgia to a vision focus, while highlighting the significance of balancing tradition with missional engagement. Join us as we unpack the divide between nostalgia and vision, and discover how churches can leverage tradition to reach the next generation and their community.
Also See: Nostalgia vs Vision: Which direction is your church looking?
The world outside your church's front door is NOT the world of your church's heyday. Time to put away the news paper clippings that show a sanctuary full to overflowing.
Ways Being "Nice" is Killing Your Church Revitalization
Being nice sounds like a virtue, but in church revitalization it can quietly work against you. In this episode, Scott and A.J. walk through three specific ways that avoiding hard conversations and tolerating the wrong things in the name of kindness can stall or even sabotage your church's mission. The goal is not to be harsh, but to lead with the kind of courageous clarity that actually serves your congregation well.
Also See: Ways Being “Nice” Is Killing Your Church Revitalization
The Hidden Cost of Adding Too Many Church Ministries
Every church leader faces the dilemma: someone brings you an exciting new ministry idea, and it's easier to say yes than to disappoint them. But continuously adding programs creates calendar clutter, burns out volunteers, drains resources, and confuses your congregation about what actually matters. In this episode, we equip you with a practical three-question framework to discern when to say yes to new ministry ideas—and how to gracefully say no when needed.
Also See: The Hidden Cost of Adding Too Many Church Ministries
Four Church Communication Mistakes that Kill Momentum
Clear communication is essential for everything from teaching God's word to casting vision, yet many churches struggle with four common breakdowns that create confusion and stall momentum. In this episode, Scott and A.J. walk through the most frequent communication mistakes churches make—from drowning their congregation in noise to contradicting messages from leadership—and provide practical strategies to communicate more effectively.
Also See: Four Church Communication Mistakes that Kill Momentum
Churchgoers Increasingly Reject Some Biblical Truths
Churchgoers remain confident in their ability to understand and explain Scripture, but a growing number say biblical truths have lost relevance.
9 ways US Mormons are changing, according to Pew data
Latter-day Saints have grown more diverse and a bit less religious, and more of them are leaving the church, says a new report from Pew Research Center.
College of Bishops to weigh Western Gulf Coast deadlock alongside disciplinary sentences in Plano
The College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America meets this week in Plano, Texas, for a special session at which the bishops are expected to take up the unresolved episcopal election in the Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast together with sentencing in two disciplinary cases already decided against sitting or former members of the college.
A Committed Congregation
Dr. Dontá McGilvery invites churches to consider how they can help congregants move from discovering their God-given purpose to developing a concrete plan for living it out. By creating intentional spaces for discernment, planning, mentorship, and accountability, congregations can become places where people are not only called to serve the church but equipped to live faithfully into their callings beyond its walls.
Also See: The Vocation of Discernment: Every Congregation Needs a ‘VDC’
Preaching with Purpose: Crafting Sermons that Resonate in a Distracted Age
In Episode 256 of The Church Revitalization Podcast, we tackle the challenge of preaching in a world where attention spans are rapidly shrinking and distractions are everywhere. We explore how to craft sermons that resonate deeply while addressing the realities of modern life. We discuss the importance of capturing attention quickly, the power of storytelling in conveying deep theological truths, and the need for sermons that provide clear, actionable takeaways. This episode offers insights and practical strategies for delivering sermons that engage both the intellect and the heart.
Also See: Preaching with Purpose: Crafting Sermons that Resonate in a Distracted Age
Secure Check-In Software for Churches: 10 Features Every Church Needs
As churches grow past a certain size, the missing pieces of check-in processes start to show up in ways that matter: a misplaced allergy note, a mismatched pickup, a Sunday morning that starts twenty minutes behind schedule.
Here’s what a modern check-in system needs to get right, and how Subsplash Check-in approaches each piece.
The Impact of AI on Relationships, the Church, and Spiritual Development ft. Carey Nieuwhof
In this episode of Formation, John Ortberg sits down with Carey Nieuwhof to talk leadership, fame, faith, and what it means for the church to stay human as the world turns synthetic.
Carey Nieuwhof has spent the last decade in a chair few people occupy: hundreds of conversations a year with pastors, CEOs, authors, and public thinkers, watching up close what success does to a person's character. In this conversation with John Ortberg, recorded in the redwoods of Northern California, that vantage point turns into something more personal, a wide-ranging talk about leadership, fame, faith, and the strange new terrain of artificial intelligence.
The Analog Church: Why People Are Craving Real Connection
I see it everywhere now. What once felt like a quiet undercurrent is now showing up in plain sight: People are rediscovering the value of the physical, the tangible, the personal. Yes, even in this digital-first, AI-fueled, screen-saturated world, there’s a growing hunger for something slower, deeper, and more human.
Analog is making a comeback.
The Quiet Crisis of the 100–200 Attendance Church
This crisis is real and pervasive in American churches. Jess and Thom discuss why it is “quiet.” The church is often too large to operate relationally like a small church but too small to operate like a larger church.
Five Signs Your Church Is Becoming an Insider Church
These are much more dangerous than most church leaders and members realize. Jess and Thom discuss why.
Why Churches Stop Growing at Predictable Barriers
Every growing church eventually hits a wall, and in this episode, Scott and A.J. walk through three predictable barriers that slow or stall church growth. These are not problems that cause growth to begin in the first place, but rather real, pragmatic obstacles that show up when a healthy church is already moving in the right direction and needs to clear the path ahead.
Also See: Why Churches Stop Growing at Predictable Barriers
Three Things Growing Churches Do With Their Facilities That Declining Churches Don't
Growing churches and declining churches handle their facilities very differently — and it often has nothing to do with budget or building size. In this episode, Scott and A.J. break down three practical philosophies that healthy, growing churches apply to their physical spaces that plateaued or declining churches tend to overlook.
Also See: Three Things Growing Churches Do With Their Facilities That Declining Churches Don’t
Communicating with Your Church Before Strategic Planning Starts
Before a church begins the strategic planning process, how leaders communicate with their congregation can make or break the entire effort. In episode 349 of the Church Revitalization Podcast, Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu walk through three practical steps for preparing your church before strategic planning starts, covering everything from setting the right expectations to inviting the whole congregation into the journey. Whether you are just beginning to consider strategic envisioning or already have a planning team in place, this episode gives you a clear, actionable communication framework to build unity from the start.
How to Handle "We've Always Done It This Way" in Your Church
"We've always done it this way." It's the most common objection church leaders face when trying to move their congregation forward — and one of the most frustrating. In this episode, Scott and A.J. break down what this phrase is actually communicating, who tends to say it and why, and walk through a practical three-step framework for responding to it without blowing up the unity of your church.
Also See: How to Handle “We’ve Always Done It This Way” in Your Church
How Aging Churches Can Attract Young Families: 5 Game-Changing Strategies
Is your congregation aging and struggling to attract younger families? In this episode of the Church Revitalization Podcast, we explore practical strategies to breathe new life into your children's ministry and effectively connect with young families.
Also See: How to Attract Young Families to Your Aging Church: 5 Proven Strategies
5 Reasons Church Revitalization Fails (And How to Avoid Them)
In this episode of the Church Revitalization Podcast, Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu discuss five key reasons why revitalization efforts in churches often fail. They emphasize the importance of distinguishing between activity and genuine progress, recognizing demographic changes in the community, establishing accountability structures, navigating decision-making challenges, and avoiding the consensus trap that can hinder momentum. The conversation highlights practical strategies for churches to implement effective revitalization processes and the value of having experienced guides to support them.
Why I’m Not a Christian Nationalist
The same government power that favors your faith today can be used to suppress it tomorrow.
AI Worse for Mental Health Than Social Media? Andy Stanley & Holly Goddard Interview Carey Nieuwhof
We missed what social media would do to human flourishing. We can't afford to miss what AI is about to do, especially to the next generation.
Andy Stanley and Holly Goddard sat down with me to talk about AI, mental health, employment, the isolation it's accelerating, and why the church might be the one place AI can't replace.
Image Credit: All Saints Episcopal Church, Fairfield, North Carolina, Beth Yarbrough
The Counties with the Most Churches—and Millions Still Unreached
Drive through almost any American city, and you will see church buildings everywhere. Some occupy prominent downtown corners. Others meet in storefronts, schools, warehouses, and theaters. Their visible presence can create the impression that their communities have already been thoroughly reached.
The data tell a different story.
How Church Size Culture Is Affecting the Decline of Denominations
Church Size Culture often causes greater points of connection and disagreement than our theological traditions or denominational ties.
What Does It Take to Revitalize a Rural Church?
There are unique challenges in rural ministry. Here’s what it takes to lead revitalization in a declining rural church.
How the new General Synod could move beyond the present disagreement over same-sex relationships
In July the present General Synod of the Church of England came to an end. A new one will be elected in the autumn and inaugurated by the King in November. A key part of its agenda will be to consider the unfinished business concerning marriage and human sexuality left over from the Prayers of Love and Faith process which formed a central part of the business of the previous Synod.
The Sports Gambling Epidemic is Only Getting Worse
Young men are the hardest hit demographic of sports gambling’s rapid growth.
Mike Bowie: Dare to Shift!
The United Methodist Church is living through a defining moment. Congregations are experiencing decline. Communities are changing. Cultural expectations are shifting. Leaders are navigating unprecedented challenges. Some churches are struggling to understand their identity and mission in a rapidly changing environment. Others are wondering whether the strategies that sustained the Church for generations can still carry us into the future.
As I see it, both the Episcopal Church and the United Methodist Church need to prioritize planting new churches and revitalizing existing ones, as well as showing greater sensitivity to conditions on the North American mission field.
Former Bishop of South Carolina, the Rt. Rev. Dr. C. FitzSimons Allison, believes that Anglo Catholics do not take Reformation soteriology seriously by showing that without justification by faith dogma loosens their Gospel proclamation and become doctrines that must be believed, a law deprived of its grace. He has tried to build up on the virtues of Anglo-Catholics, their concern for doctrine, their love of the church and their witness to metaphysics and the numinous reality beneath the rational reductionism of mere physics and mere phenomenon. He wants them to know about how concerned he is about the distortions and foibles of the Anglo-Catholic tradition.
Why Aslan Is Male, and Why God Is a Father
Recent news outlets have announced that the forthcoming Greta Gerwig film, a cinematic portrayal of C. S. Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew, features the actress Meryl Streep as the voice of Aslan. At the risk of seeming dramatic, I was heartbroken. The Magician’s Nephew is one of my favorite books, and the character of Aslan has been chiseled into the Western world’s “social imaginary” (to use Charles Taylor’s phrase) for almost three quarters of a century. So, why is it such a big deal that Aslan’s voice is cast by a woman rather than a man?
Also See: The Magic Is Real
A national campaign spearheaded by the Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC) to raise funds for local child and youth ministry, Say Yes! To Kids (SYTK) began as a one-time initiative in 2021 before becoming an annual campaign the following year. But 2026 felt different for AFC staff, executive director Scott Brubacher says.
“We felt like this year the church got it,” Brubacher says. “The donations were coming faster and more immediately and it felt more organically charged … We felt like, ‘Ah, people get it now.’ It took a few years for us to get this cranked up and running, so we’re excited to see where it goes from here.”
Shine Your Light campaign aims to reach millions of lonely people this Christmas
Summer is over, school is back and so naturally thoughts are already drifting towards Christmas.
Following the success of last year’s Shine Your Light evangelistic campaign, organisers say they want this year’s efforts to be even greater and to give special focus to those struggling with loneliness during the festive season.
