Friday's Catch: '5 Myths About Religion’s Collapse' And More

5 Myths About Religion’s Collapse
Overall, American Christianity is changing, not declining, but too many believe these myths about religion’s collapse.

The "Side-Door" Strategy: 3 Ways to Reach Your Community Without a Sunday Invite
Many churches default to the Sunday morning invite as their primary outreach strategy, but for a growing number of people, that front door feels intimidating before a relationship even exists. In this episode, Scott and A.J. walk through three practical "side door" approaches that churches can use to build genuine connections with their communities before ever asking someone to show up on a Sunday morning.

Growth Creates Problems. That’s Not Always a Problem.
Growth has a way of exposing holes.

And creating tension.

That doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. Sometimes it means something is growing.

A few realities I’ve observed in growing churches and organizations...

Gen Z and Loneliness
In early 2025, an app was created, several variations of which have since been released. The premise is that you can cancel plans with a friend without awkwardness. If you secretly want to cancel, you can go to the app and press a button. If the other person decides the same, the plans are cancelled. And if the choice is just yours, then the other person will never know that you didn’t want their company.

While this app does not seem to have gained much traction, it is a symptom of a concerning phenomenon.

How Privatized Spirituality Makes Us Lonely
If we lose organized religion, we lose a shared sense of reality, rituals, and morality. Why does a shared sense of reality, rituals, and morality matter? Because when these things are no longer shared but privatized, all their burdens fall to the individual.

Can the Church be Renewed?
Can the Church of England still be reformed and renewed? Amid doctrinal confusion, institutional failures, and widespread discouragement, is there reason for hope?

Anglican evangelicalism in the age of John Stott, Jim Packer and Dick Lucas: Surviving and thriving in a mixed-up denomination
How can evangelical Christians remain faithful, fruitful and outward-looking within a denomination marked by theological difference?

In the 2026 Annual Moore College Lectures, Professor Andrew Atherstone explores Anglican evangelicalism through the era of John Stott, Jim Packer and Dick Lucas. Drawing on British and Australian evangelical history, he considers ministry within a theologically mixed denomination, the growth of evangelical networks and theological education, and lessons for the church today.

Trinity Launches Holy Order, a New Podcast Exploring Faithful Christian Living in a Disordered World
Trinity Anglican Seminary announced the launch of Holy Order, a new podcast exploring how Scripture and the Anglican tradition—in all its richness and depth, both catholic and reformed—forms Christians for faithful living in a disordered age. Though produced by the seminary, the show is not about Trinity itself. Rather, it extends the seminary’s teaching ministry beyond the classroom, making the formative riches of Scripture and the Anglican tradition more accesible to the wider Church and the world at a time when many are seeking a deeper, more rooted faith.

Evening Arose in Eden: The Fall in Perelandra
Lewis’s view on the Fall can be seen most clearly, not in one of his essays or monographs, but in a work of fiction called Perelandra. It weaves a fantastical tale from Earth to Venus with green ladies and possessed scientists, but it is really a deeply theological text...

Why are women leaving churches and where are they going instead? A journalist explains.
Sarah Stankorb's latest book, ‘Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion,’ published on Tuesday.

Casual Christians have a harder time forgiving themselves, others: survey
Casual Christians struggle more than those who regularly attend church services and read the Bible to offer and receive forgiveness, even as research links forgiveness to greater flourishing and lower stress and loneliness, a new survey finds.

The American Bible Society released the sixth installment of its “State of the Bible: USA 2026” report last Thursday. The new chapter, titled “Forgiveness,” examines how Americans forgive themselves and others, and whether they believe they have received forgiveness from God. The findings come from a survey of 2,649 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 8 to 27.

Ministry Embellishment and the Heart of a Leader
One unfortunate reality I’ve seen in ministry is the temptation to make things look better than they actually are. The temptation often plays out as embellishing ministry impact so that congregants, volunteers, and financial supporters are pleased and willing to continue giving, serving, and attending. I sometimes wonder if it stems from a leader’s desire to cover up inadequacies or win approval.

Are Evangelical Worship Songs Driving Young Men to Eastern Orthodoxy?
I’m not denying the renewed interest in other Christian traditions. I’m simply pointing out how easy it is to discuss this renewed interest in a way that fosters a false narrative—that masses of young people are suddenly discovering and converting to Orthodoxy.

Male teens now outnumber females in church youth groups: Barna data
Bucking a decades-long trend of disproportionate female participation, male teenagers now outnumber their female counterparts in church youth group attendance among self-identified Christian teens in the U.S., according to a new report from Barna and the Christian youth ministry Christ In Youth.

The report, “Reimagining Ministry for Gen Alpha,” was based on a survey of 1,500 U.S. teenagers, ages 13 to 18, conducted Feb. 14 to 17.

Missouri church’s GoFundMe seeks to sustain food pantry as more people go hungry
St. Stephen’s & the Vine has raised $19,150 through GoFundMe as of Sept. 17. Based on current food costs and not counting additional emergencies, the money raised so far can at best keep the food pantry open for 38 weeks, or 9.5 months, according to the ministry’s operational expense average of $500 weekly.

The reality is that churches and other charitable organization cannot fill the gap that cuts to SNAP and other forms of public assistance have created, especially in a worsening economy due to tariffs and the war with Iran.

Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (September 17, 2026) Is Now Online

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

Near where I live was a beanfield. At the edge of the field morning glories grew among the bean plants. Their blue, trumpet-shaped flowers always reminded me of the flowers of the fields of this evening’s New Testament reading. To farmers, they are a nuisance weed. To me, they were reminders of God's grace. The morning glories and the beans plants among which they grew are now gone. The field is the future site of a new elementary school.

In this evening’s message we reflect upon God’s call to choose this day whom we will serve.

Readings: Joshua 24:14-25; Matthew 6: 24-34

Message: Who Do You Choose to Serve?

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/09/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows_01112852738.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: 'How to Start a Church Revitalization Process' And More

How to Start a Church Revitalization Process
Is your church plateaued, declining, or in need of a fresh vision for the future? In this episode of the Church Revitalization Podcast, hosts Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu go back to the basics and break down the essential steps for launching a church revitalization process today.

5 Questions to Ask Before You Attempt Church Revitalization
Here are 5 questions I would consider before I would attempt to help revitalize a church...

5 Ways to Incentivize Church Revitalization
Here are 5 ways to incentivize church planters to do church revitalization...

Church Revitalization – 7 Priorities Every Leader Must Get Right
...there are some areas where you need to be extremely intentional.

Here are 7 of them...

Three Types of "Gatekeepers" in Your Church
In this episode of the Church Revitalization Podcast, Scott and A.J. break down three distinct types of "gatekeepers" that show up in churches and how each one can quietly block healthy growth and mission. From information filters to change blockers to ego-driven power players, this conversation gives church leaders the language and insight to identify what might be holding their church back. The discussion is practical, honest, and backed by real consulting experience.

Three Fixes for Failing Strategies
Many churches abandon strategies too quickly, assuming an idea simply "didn't work" when the real problem may be in how the strategy was implemented. In this episode, Scott and A.J. walk through three key diagnostic questions to ask before scrapping a ministry initiative, helping church leaders check their work rather than just look it over.

Calls for Church of England to be 'rooted in scripture' ahead of General Synod elections
With voting due to begin for the Church of England General Synod in a matter of weeks, a group called the Alliance has called upon the Church to remain “rooted in Scripture” and to hold fast to “its historic teachings and the doctrines passed down to us across the generations”.

Describing itself as a “network of networks” made up of various traditions within the Church, the Alliance has released a “vision video” outlining the potential impact it sees the Church making.

Also See: Alliance Vision Video

The Church of England still playing the man—not the ball
The statistics show that the Church of England is running out of priests, and that the fall in numbers is worryingly consistent. That does not surprise me at all. The number of priests retiring early or leaving the ministry now outstrips the number actually retiring! Golly! And this is at a time of increasing instability and insecurity in our country (i.e. not at a time of ease and self satisfaction).

To me, this shows that we are not playing the ball, but rather, we are playing imaginary balls, as they are more compatible with the current Church of England culture.

"Playing the ball" is an English football (soccer) term, meaning "making a deliberate touch, pass, kick, or control of the football...with a legal part of the body."

Biblical Anglicanism spreads across Europe
A Biblically-orthodox Anglican movement is expanding across Europe.

The Anglican Convocation Europe (ACE) welcomed Spanish congregation La Comunidad Anglicana Evangélica de Valencia (CAEV) into its diocese.

When Eastern Europe appeared to be going Protestant
We often project later experiences back into history, consciously or unconsciously assuming an inevitability to what finally occurred. However, history is complex and, what now seems inevitable, did not always look that way in the past. The distribution of forms of Christian faith in Europe is a striking example.

The Religious Behavior Index: How Engaged Are Americans, Really?
Social scientists almost always measure behavior through the lens of religious attendance. It’s just the simplest, most straightforward way to do it. Nearly every survey includes the question, and it’s easy for a respondent to answer. But there are other metrics that tap into behavior, too. That’s what I want to explore today.

Also See: What Does it Mean to be 'Religious'?

‘Third Way’ Christianity: Inside An Unconventional Anabaptist Group
Followers Of The Way claim to offer a respite from America’s poisoned politics by living like early Christians. How successful are they?

What Has Changed the Most in Preaching the Last 20 Years?
Preaching has not changed in its core calling: proclaiming God’s Word faithfully to God’s people. But the context around preaching has changed dramatically. Josh and Sam discuss the major changes in preaching over the last two decades. Pastors today must still preach the text, but they also have to work harder to explain context, build trust, apply Scripture clearly, and communicate in a world conditioned by short-form content.

How to Align Your Sermon and Worship Service for Maximum Impact
Most churches run their preaching ministry and worship ministry on parallel tracks that never really meet. The result is a Sunday service that feels more like a playlist followed by a sermon than an integrated, unified experience. In this episode, Scott and A.J. explore the practical steps any church can take — regardless of size or style — to build real collaboration between the pastor and the worship leader so that Sunday morning becomes a cohesive whole.

While close collaboration between pastor and the church's music ministry team is desirable, every hymn and worship song does not need to be tied to the theme of the lessons and the sermon. This will transforms a church service from a doxological experience into a didactic exercise. Service planners need to strike a balance between a church service's horizontal and vertical dimensions and to make sure the music fits with the place in the service where it is used.

At AI conference, religious leaders confront what technology could cost humanity
The dangers of AI hung heavy over Tuesday's conference, including the faith-focused panel with evangelical, Catholic and LDS leaders.

Why Writing by Hand Beats Typing (in 6 Charts)
Typing may be faster, but the research shows that handwriting engages our brains in richer, more meaningful ways.

Wednesday's Catch: 'How Churches Can Measure What Really Matters' And More

How Churches Can Measure What Really Matters
What you measure shapes how you act, even in the church. Even in measuring discipleship.

Honoring Congregations of Every Size
The work of ministry must always be attentive to context. Many denominational assumptions need to be questioned and more sharply. The challenges of fewer people and resources will continue, and the church is always in danger of trying to return to previous forms. Negativism and pessimism do not serve us well, and, perhaps most importantly, everything the church does should move us closer to the purpose for which we exist.

What Makes a Flourishing Small Church?
While the cohort looked at United Methodist Churches, I think it extends beyond the UMC. And, while I could ramble on about the report, I wanted to highlight three notes that I have been thinking about since the cohort ended. The entire report is worth reading, though. It’s free, so download it here!

I should note that I’m not summarizing anything in the report. I’m drawing out my own analysis, based both on the time in the cohort, the report itself, and my work with small and rural churches across the country.

Also See: Flourishing Small Churches Report and Flourishing Small Churches Cohort Curriculum - Downloadable PDF

7 Paradigms Often Necessary for Church Growth
With the best visions, however, if you want to have a culture susceptible and open to growth then there are some common paradigms necessary for church growth. You have to think certain ways in order to reach a desired vision. In most every situation, an absence of certain actions or mindsets on the part of leaders keeps the church from moving forward.

C. S. Lewis’s Overlooked Apologetics Strategy
What we want is not more little books about Christianity,’ Lewis declared, ‘but more little books by Christians on other subjects—with their Christianity latent.

In Germany, right-wing ‘Christfluencers’ hope to follow the US religious right
Radicalized by COVID-19 and anger over immigration, right-wing pastors like Tobias Riemenschneider in Germany hope to gain followers by promoting conservative Christian views and politics. They have looked to religious right leaders and conservative influencers in the US for inspiration.

Why Our Baptist Forebears Wouldn’t Support Blasphemy Laws
Parliament ensured that the suppression of heresy was a political and legal function, rather than a theological issue to be administered by an independent church.

Why Gavin Ortlund Rejects Comparison Between Praying to the Saints and the Doctrine of the Trinity
Is praying to the saints a valid practice Christians can infer from the Bible similar to how Christians infer the doctrine of the Trinity, even though the Bible never mentions the word “Trinity”? Dr. Gavin Ortlund addressed this idea in a follow-up video on the Protestant view of praying to the saints and explained why he believes the answer is no.

Prioritize Public Scripture Reading During Church Services
We’re unlikely to make much progress in establishing a proper worship service if we don’t first prioritize the public reading of Scripture.

AI Parenting Advice: Is AI Is Sinful in Nature? And the Killer App Trap
Faith Tech's James Kelly sits in rooms with the people building AI companies and models, and he's blunt about what that means for your kids. He unpacks the Killer App Trap, why he won't let his own kids use AI companions yet, and reflects on how AI itself is subject to the fall.

Why Is No One Talking About AI’s Worst-Case Scenarios?
Why is no one talking about AI's worst-case scenarios? Here's what AI will do to your church if leaders don't prepare now.

Most church leaders are only having the AI policy conversation, is it okay to use ChatGPT for the bulletin, should staff use AI for sermon research? Those questions are fine, but they're not the conversation that matters.

The real question is what AI will do to your church: the jobs your people work, the income your donors have, the meaning they wake up looking for.

In this video, I walk through AI's worst-case scenarios nobody in your pastor network is warning you about — mass job loss, a mental health crisis, and a haunting conversation I had with Seth Godin about AI becoming a new religion. I also give the optimists a fair hearing.

This isn't meant to scare you. It's meant to prepare you.

What AI’s ‘Confessions’ Teach Us About Us
Why would we ever think the imperfect (us) could somehow create the perfect?

Live Outside of the Bubble
n the Christian life we have to maintain a careful balance. The Bible is very clear, we must not love the world: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). Within context, John identifies the “world” as “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride and life”—all of these things are “not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:16). We must not, therefore, engage in the moral, ethical, and spiritual rebellion of the world. To do such things is to love the world.

On the other hand, if we are to represent and reflect the redeemed image of God, then there is a sense in which we must love the world. “God so loved the world,” John tells us, “that he gave his only Son” to it (John 3:16). Moreover, Jesus commands us to love our enemies—to love unbelievers, even those who persecute us (Matt. 5:44). If we are supposed to love and pray for unbelievers, we must at some level interact with and get to know them. Recall that even Jesus supped with sinners and tax collectors (Matt. 9:11). He spent time with unbelievers in an effort to share the gospel with them.

Tuesday's Catch: 'Why Your Church's Front Door Is Bigger Than You Think' And More

Why Your Church's Front Door Is Bigger Than You Think
The Rainers discuss big opportunities to make the front door bigger and more effective.

Five Things Churches Keep Doing That No Longer Work
Jess and Thom review five areas where churches keep repeating mistakes.

As Pope Leo prepares to visit France, can its 'Catholic moment’ become a lasting revival?
Record numbers of young people are seeking baptism in France. As Pope Leo arrives to greet 80,000 of them later this month, the country's diminished Catholic Church is faced with the challenge of turning the burst of enthusiasm into a lasting renewal.

Also See: Catholic baptisms fall sharply across Ireland as births decline and secularisation grows

Al Mohler reverses course, rejects blasphemy laws after controversy
The longtime president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary said he erred in saying the government should be able to punish those who don’t believe God was part of America’s founding.

UMC launches pilot program to install solar panels on church buildings
The United Methodist Church has launched a program to provide solar panels to congregations across the United States, along with training to help churches advance sustainability efforts.

The General Board of Global Ministries Environmental Sustainability and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) U.S. Disaster Response have launched the UMC Solar and Battery Pilot Program.

Also See: Growing number of churches moving away from oil and gas amid rising energy prices

Does the ACNA Constitution Require Dual Integrities?
Whether women clergy should be ordained and licensed in the Anglican Church in North America has been a perennial issue dividing the ACNA since its formation and may eventually lead to the breakup of the denomination. In this article Steven Wedgeworth takes a look at what the ACNA's constitution says and unpacks its implications.

What to do with a Gospel text that asks us to forgive two days after 9/11?
Killings and torture lead to more killings and torture. A balance is never achieved. Vengeance inspires more vengeance.

6 observations about ‘online’ church
My current forced layup has recalibrated some of my thinking toward live-streaming church services. I have now watched a number of services online, across 5-6 different churches, where friends of mine are pastoring. Doing the very thing I don’t like to do (watch online) has given me time to think. What do I think about live streaming services? Well, here are 6 reflections on watching church services online. Two of these thoughts are potential goods that can come about and four are cautions and/or negatives connected with live streaming church.

Also See: The Cost of the Camera: Karl Vaters on Why I Changed My Mind About Church Live Streaming (Ep 136)

Virtual Morning Prayer builds unlikely friendships, community in the Diocese of New York
Every weekday at 8 a.m., over a hundred Episcopalians in the Diocese of New York log on to Zoom for Morning Prayer. From those on bus commutes to those sitting in living rooms, Bishop Matthew Heyd said, this daily service has brought the diocese together.

AI could become a ‘very dangerous master’, warns John Lennox
Apologist and Oxford mathematician John Lennox warned Christians that artificial intelligence could contribute to a generation becoming increasingly disconnected from Scripture and cautioned that technology meant to serve humanity can become a “very dangerous master.”

In a conversation with fellow apologist Wes Huff at the 10th annual Sing! Conference, Lennox reflected on the rise of AI, the resulting decline of reading and how Christians can faithfully engage a culture searching for meaning.

Also See: How much privacy should you expect at church?

Monday's Catch: '7 Signs Your Church is Ready to Reach New People' And More

7 Signs Your Church is Ready to Reach New People
If new people showed up this week, is your church set up to receive them? Here are seven signs your church is ready to reach new people.

The Problem of Ageism and Church Staff Near Retirement
Many churches say they value older adults, but their staffing decisions often tell a different story. Thom and Sam discuss how ageism is a real and often overlooked problem in church personnel decisions, especially for staff members approaching retirement. Churches may seek “younger energy,” cut older staff under the banner of stewardship, or assume older workers cannot adapt. But a healthy, multigenerational church should value a multigenerational staff and help older leaders finish well.

Young Christians, you need older Christians in your life!
Most churches, especially as they get larger, tend to have specialised children, youth and young adult ministries. If a church is large enough, perhaps it will also have a dedicated youth or university student worship service. At the other end of the demographic scale, it is common to see ministries or services aimed at shall we say more mature believers. This all makes a great deal of sense sociologically. Everyone gets to be with a group they are comfortable with. Each ministry can be tailored for a narrow audience, making things like music choices or teaching style simpler. So what’s the problem?

A Practical Guide for Church Families Supporting Seniors in Need
As congregations seek to care well for aging members, good intentions alone are not enough. Justin Black offers practical ways church leaders can organize consistent emotional, practical, and spiritual support so older adults feel connected, respected, and cared for by the whole church community.

HPUMC case tests limits of United Methodist connectionalism
If a Methodist church does not recognize the authority of its regional conference or its bishop, is that congregation still a United Methodist church?

In its legal dispute with the Horizon West Conference of The United Methodist Church, Highland Park United Methodist Church is pushing boundaries not often tested in the nation’s second-largest Protestant denomination.

Southern Baptist senior pastors saw a pay cut over past 2 years: study
Most senior Southern Baptist pastors have seen their pay packages and compensation decrease over the past two years, even as employer-sponsored healthcare availability for these leaders varies widely by church size, a new study finds.

Lifeway Research released its 2026 Southern Baptist Church Compensation Study on Tuesday. The report — a joint effort by Lifeway, Baptist state conventions and GuideStone Financial Resources — collected responses from 3,888 full-time senior pastors, staff ministers and office personnel at Southern Baptist churches.

Why Your Church Needs an Abuse Prevention Policy
The key purpose of an abuse prevention policy is to protect the vulnerable from those who may wish to bring them harm. A related purpose is to protect the vulnerable from those who may inadvertently bring them harm, thus distinguishing between someone who deliberately hits a child, for example, and someone who mistakenly knocks one over. In most cases, vulnerable people include children and those with special needs, though some churches may broaden it to better encompass the scope of their ministries...

How Below-Average Pastors Become Good Leaders
The focus of this article is on improving the ineffective rather than redeeming the unethical. These leaders are not malicious, just ineffective. They want to make ethical decisions, but they are oblivious to how their decisions affect others. What are some ways in which below-average church leaders can become better?

When the Church Bully Is the Pastor: Signs and What To Do
Diotrephes (pronounced dye-OT-ruh-feez) was a first-century church leader named in 3 John 1:9-10. The apostle John describes a man who loved being first, refused to accept John’s authority, spread malicious talk about him, would not welcome traveling believers, and put out of the church anyone who tried to welcome them. He is the clearest picture in Scripture of a church leader who bullies.

“The Leaders We Need Don’t Lead Alone” featuring Beth Ludlum
Collaboration is essential for the future of the church. In this episode Beth Ludlum, the Co-Director of The Hub for (Re)imagining Ministry and Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Wesley Theological Seminary, shares how moving beyond ministry silos can create deeper relationships, greater creativity, and new possibilities for the church. She also explores how building relationships, embracing vulnerability, and creating space for new voices can help churches imagine new ways of serving their neighbors and living out their mission.
8 Signs Your Churchgoers Are Seeking God 

The By-Products of Faithful Preaching
It is a basic Christian axiom that words do things. God speaks in creation, for example, and in the unfolding of salvation his Word became flesh. In the life of the church too, the Spirit uses our words to effect new realities—pronouncements like “I do” in weddings or “I forgive you” through tearful eyes. Preachers, in particular, put words together into sermons, which also by the power of the Spirit do things. Sermons may encourage or teach, warn or comfort. A sermon has a purpose (or function) that answers the “so what?” question lurking behind all our talking. Preparing a sermon in study and prayer, preachers ask, “What do I want this message to do?” and “What do I want my listeners to do as a result of hearing this message?”

8 Signs Your Churchgoers Are Seeking God
Churches become healthy when their people are faithfully seeking God, leading them to look and live like Jesus.

Also See: Are You a Part-Time follower of Jesus

Sundays at All Hallows (September 13, 2026) Is Now Online

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

This Sunday, September 6, 2026, is the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity. This year the Last Sunday after Trinity, also known as Bible Sunday, falls on October 25, 2026, six Sundays from this Sunday. You can learn more about Bible Sunday from this Christian Today article, “What Is Bible Sunday?” 

For this Sunday’s Invitatory Psalm, you have a choice as you did last three Sundays, either the original version of Michael Perry’s metrical paraphrase of the Venite (Psalm 95), “Come Worship God,” or the inclusive language version. The organ accompaniment for both versions is the same-- Joseph Francis Thrupp’s hymn tune EPIPHANY.

The topic of this Sunday’s message is Jesus’ teaching about forgiveness.

Readings: Genesis 50: 15-21, Romans 14: 1-12, and Matthew 18: 21-35

Message: What Did Jesus Teach about Forgiveness?

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/09/sundays-at-all-hallows-september-13-2026.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: 'Where have all the clergy gone?' And More

Where have all the clergy gone?
The root cause of many of our problems was the disastrous decision by those in what was then called the Advisory Board for Ministry (ABM) to push the average age of ordination up by ten years over about ten years. Just pause for a moment, and reflect on what that does to the age profile of clergy.

Sarah Mullally is outshining Justin Welby on assisted dying
Earlier this week, Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally wrote an opinion piece in the Telegraph urging MPs to vote against the reintroduced Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill when it comes before the Commons on Friday. The article restates her opposition to assisted dying, expressed in a speech in the House of Lords last year and again when the previous bill ran out of time in the upper house in April.

UK High Court rules Exeter breakaway congregation does not control FCE properties 

The High Court of Justice in London (Property, Trusts and Probate List) has held that the Free Church of England Central Trust—not the trustees of the congregation that withdrew from the denomination in 2023—is the charity trustee of Christ Church Exeter’s principal properties. The ruling turns on the legal meaning of “in union with” the Free Church of England and leaves unresolved the underlying accusation that the FCE has departed from its Protestant founding principles.

Christian Nationalism Since 2019: A Retrospective 

One of the greatest snags for the nationalist is what to do with people who, though within the geographic boundaries of the nation-state, are not of the “people” or ethnos or “imagined nation,” whether that be defined in terms of religion or race or something else. The advantage of federal unions and empires is that they have allowed various peoples or nations to exist with a level of harmony and peace; proper nation-states have a hard time coping with whatever “other” there may be in a country’s populace. But how have the self-identified nationalists and their allies been getting along since 2019?

The Suitors’ Days Are Numbered 

...multiple denominations and churches (even churches that don’t affiliate with a denomination) all around the world have been racked with scandal as sexual abuse has come to light in recent years.

It’s as if the Lord has seen fit to expose the corruption at all levels and remove any reason for denominational or tribal pride. There’s hardly anywhere any of us can look for a church tradition or Christian organization that isn’t, in some way, stained by this evil. The scandal of sexual abuse—the unbearable weight of story after story of spiritual shepherds abusing their authority and preying on sheep—has grown heavier and heavier.

Human trafficking, evangelicals and the ‘lifestyles’ of survivors
Victims and survivors were forcibly wrapped up in a sinful situation. But it was created by the sins of their traffickers, by which they found themselves unfree to experience anything else. Although they experienced and endured sinfulness, they are not the ones who sinned.

Rise of Hispanic Church Plants
In 2025, Lifeway Research worked with 16 denominations or similar groups to survey leaders at almost 300 new Protestant Hispanic churches to gain insight into what these new ministries look like. Sponsored by Exponential and the Church Planting Leadership Fellowship, the Hispanic Church Planting Study 2025 follows up on similar 2019 research. Here are some key findings...

Theology and the Episcopal Church with Kelli Joyce and Scott MacDougall
Today we get a taste of how two of the top theological and pastoral thinkers in the Episcopal Church more broadly consider theology and its role in Episcopal life, from personal formation to polity and Church unity, and they’re helping other Episcopalians to understand how they’re already “doing theology” together.

This podcast offers a window into present day theological thinking in the Episcopal Church. It is always a good idea to know what others are thinking even though you may not share their views.

You Don’t Have to Dread Your Vocation
Every Monday morning, I receive an email that reads, “Pastor, it’s Monday. Don’t quit.” The email comes from an important ministry that serves pastors, providing resources to help them persevere and thrive in ministry. As a pastor, it’s a ministry I appreciate very much. Pastoring can be lonely, and it’s always encouraging to receive practical help from others who are in the trenches of ministry.

However, as much as I appreciate this ministry, I’ve come to despise this weekly email. Every single week, at the very top of the page, I encounter the same five words in two short sentences. Every week, I delete it immediately without reading the rest of the email. To be honest, I’m frightened by the email. I know how easy it is for me to adopt a mindset of self-pity and dreadful loathing of what God has called me to do. I don’t need a weekly assist in this area. In fact, in my interactions with other pastors, I don’t think any of us need to be reminded that ministry is hard. I believe this messaging is dangerous.

Workarounds for the 2019 Anglican Standard Eucharistic Rite: A Guide for Reformational Anglicans 

I wrote this article five years ago. My observations and suggestions for the most part remain unchanged. The rites and services of the 2019 ACNA Proposed Prayer Book tend to be more pretentious than practical. For example, the entrance rite for both eucharistic rites is modeled on the late medieval entrance rite of a Roman Catholic Mass celebrating a visit from the Pope! The rubrics make no provision for a simpler entrance rite, one more suitable for a small congregation worshiping in a non-traditional setting like a firestation's community room.

Should the Bible Be Taught in Public Schools? Yes.
Many critics and even some conservative Christians have sounded the alarm that this comes close to violating the U.S. Constitution’s establishment clause by favoring Christianity over other religions. This, coupled with the mandatory posting of the Ten Commandments in Texas classrooms, has some nervous about the encroachment of Christian nationalism.

But I don’t think constitutionalists should be so worried.

Should the Bible Be Taught in Public Schools? No.
Machen is worth hearing on this issue precisely because no one can accuse him of theological squishiness or embarrassment about the Bible. He gave his career, his reputation, and eventually his denominational standing to defend the full authority of Scripture.

Why, then, did he so strongly oppose Bible reading in public schools? His reasons are worth considering today.

‘Come As You Are’: Inside The Journey Church’s Growth
The Journey Church in Newark, Delaware, has rooted its identity around one conviction: “We’re a real church for real people.” Located in a college town where the median age is just 22 years old, the church near the University of Delaware has found authenticity to be the ultimate growth strategy.

Friday's Catch: 'Ed Stetzer: Is Revival Here?' And More

Ed Stetzer: Is Revival Here?
"What are we to think about all of this talk about a religious resurgence and increased spiritual interest? What is really happening?"

A journalist coined ‘the Bible Belt’ 100 years ago – it’s been oversimplifying the South ever since
‘The Bible Belt’ has been used for a century to describe religion and politics in the South. But it captured just some of life in the region then – and doesn’t capture what’s going on today.

Episcopal services of remembrance planned as US marks 25 years since 9/11 attacks
It has been 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and Episcopal congregations in New York, Washington, D.C., and beyond are hosting commemorations this week as part of the nationwide tributes to the attacks’ 2,977 victims.

MPs vote against assisted suicide in 'victory for hope, compassion and life'
The House of Commons has narrowly voted against the legalisation of medically assisted suicide, with 286 votes against and 270 in favour.

Trump admin has admitted zero persecuted Christians this year
Donald Trump is about to have the distinction of being the first president in possibly 45 years not to permit the resettlement of a persecuted Christian or other religious minority through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

What the AfD’s victory means for German churches’ influence
The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) Party scored a pivotal victory for the far-right in Germany, an outcome churches fiercely fought to prevent. Their inability to stop it and the spread of the party’s anti-immigrant agenda expose a deeper rift in communities in which churches were a check on right-wing extremism.

Groups seek to prevent Trump from sending armed agents to polling places
A new lawsuit seeks to prevent the Trump administration from violating federal law by sending armed federal agents into polling places during the midterm elections.

Historic UK churches face growing maintenance crisis despite £2.6m in grants
The National Churches Trust has warned that historic church buildings across the UK are facing mounting financial and maintenance pressures, despite awarding more than £2.6 million in grants during 2025.

Russell Moore tells evangelicals their immigrant jokes aren’t funny
Russell Moore is at it again — this time calling fellow evangelicals to account for their gallows humor about immigrants.

In his latest Christianity Today newsletter, the former Southern Baptist ethics leader chides evangelicals for excusing their inhumanity toward immigrants by claiming they’re “just joking.” It not funny, he says.

Paul Graves: I Care About Indifferentism
"The dangers inherent in apathy infest every historical cultural movement and every religious tradition – especially toward people “not like us”. When we fall into the endless traps of indifference, it’s too easy to justify our not caring about others. And even about ourselves."

C. S. Lewis on Why God Seems Silent
Many love C. S. Lewis because of the heartwarming world of Narnia and the logical precision of Mere Christianity. But Lewis considered his true masterpiece to be Till We Have Faces, his dark retelling of an ancient pagan myth.

Seeing God at work in everyday life
In her new book, 605 Everyday Miracles, Alpha UK director Chloe Swart challenges the perception that miraculous healing is reserved for extraordinary people or church events.

How A Pastor Can Feed the Flock Every Day on Social Media
Now, thanks to modern technology, you can teach your people every day – without them having to physically gather.

However, it will require a shift in how you distribute your preaching and teaching.

Bible Study Evangelism 

Over the course of their lives, a majority of Christians will study the Bible with other Christians in a small group or one-on-one setting. These are great times to form relationships and deepen our understanding of Scripture. But have you ever considered using a Bible study as an evangelism tool? Sharonda Cooper has. And it’s given her some helpful insights into the best ways to invite our non-Christian neighbors into spiritual conversations through studying Scripture together.

Thursday's Catch: 'How Do We Know When to Shut Down a Church?' And More

How Do We Know When to Shut Down a Church?
Before concluding that a church should close, it should be tested from five different angles. No single test is decisive by itself. Together, however, they help pastors, elders, and sending churches discern whether Christ is calling a struggling church to persevere—or to conclude its ministry.

6 Signs Your Church Is Dysfunctional
...how do you know if your Christian organization or church is dysfunctional? Let me share some signs I have observed about dysfunctional churches.

A chapel near ground zero was a relief center after 9/11. Now, an exhibit honors its victims.
A new origami installation strings 2,977 paper cranes: one for each person killed in the attacks. The 'Ever Present' exhibition also features artifacts left there in the months after 9/11.

Also See: A World ‘Covered in the Dust of 9/11’

In direct appeal to Trump, Catholic bishops' president urges end of mass deportations of Haitians
The letter marks a shift toward a more direct and pointed tone in challenging President Donald Trump’s immigration policy.

Christians urged to pray ahead of assisted suicide vote
Christian policy-group CARE has urged believers to pray ahead of a vote in the House of Commons this Friday on assisted suicide.

A Church That Has Erred Is Still a Church
What, exactly, does the ACNA think the Episcopal Church is? I want to argue that the ACNA’s own authoritative texts have already answered that question, and that Dobbs’s letter applies a rule that those texts reserve for a different relationship altogether.

Olver has a point.

When we are not in control, where do we turn? 

Creation itself has a way of confronting us with our limitations. And perhaps that is not an entirely bad thing.

Where does our help come from?

In Praise of Ordinary Time
Ordinary Time is brimming with its own peculiar virtues, its own winsome charisms. These are, to be sure, usually more subtle and understated than the signs by which the more frenetic seasons call attention to themselves, but, like a fine aged wine, they are a delight to the senses of those who comes to appreciate them.

The Fight to Ban Superintelligent AI: The Race To Replace Humans Is Already On
The AI Frontier labs are building AI to do what YOU do, only faster and cheaper. And most leaders have no idea what's coming. Will Jones of the Future of Life Institute says this is the part nobody tells you: the more you lean on it to keep up, the more replaceable you make yourself.

In this video, Will Jones, an AI safety researcher, discusses fighting to ban superintelligence, walks through the race to AGI, what it does to your work, and whether you should use AI or resist it.

Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (September 10, 2026) Is Now Online

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

While the dog days of summer, the hottest, most humid time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, traditionally run from July 3 through August 11, the time of the year when Sirius, the Dog Star, appears near the sun, causing the ancients to associate the summer heat with their nearness, the hottest days in western Kentucky have so far been in the last few days, late August and early September. The heat is attributable to climate change caused by human activity and not to any star. Climate change has been a factor in several natural disasters that have occurred this year, including wildfires, landslides, and floods. Natural disasters are not the only cause of human suffering. Human beings are adept at inflicting suffering on each other. If we pulled back the curtain that conceals them from our eyes, we would also discover that spiritual forces exist in this world which also contribute to human suffering. Like climate change, we may not wish to admit their existence, much less how they influence us. In this evening’s message we look at some of the ways that these spiritual forces do influence us and why we should be on guard against their influence.

Readings: Deuteronomy 18: 9-22; Galatians 5: 13-26

Message: No, It’s Not the Wizard of Oz Behind the Curtain!

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/09/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows_0246935236.html

Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.

If you are new to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:

-It is recommended that after reading or hearing a lesson to take time to reflect on what you read or heard during the period of silence which follows the lesson. It is also recommended that you do the same thing after reading or hearing the message.

-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.

-If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.

-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

May Thursday Evenings at All Hallows be a blessing to you.

Wednesday's Catch: 'Armed Church Security Teams: Good Idea or Bad Idea?' And More

Armed Church Security Teams: Good Idea or Bad Idea?
The question of whether a church should have an armed security team is both practical and pastoral. Churches want to be welcoming places of worship, but they also have a responsibility to protect the people gathered on campus. An armed security team may be appropriate in some contexts, but it should never be treated casually. The decision requires clear policies, legal guidance, extensive training, insurance awareness, pastoral wisdom, and a churchwide commitment to safety that goes far beyond firearms.

Global Methodist Church reports growth in congregations, conferences, holds General Conference in Africa
More than 1,100 people attended the Global Methodist Church General Conference in Africa, with the theologically conservative denomination reporting considerable growth of congregations and regional conferences.

Founded in 2022 in response to the fierce debate over LGBT issues within the United Methodist Church (UMC) that led to a major schism in the mainline denomination, the Global Methodist Church (GMC) held its General Conference Aug. 30 to Sept. 6 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Another SC church accused of not limiting known sex offender
iThis publicity photo from Brookwood Church in Simpsonville, S.C., shows families with children leaving worship. (Via Facebook) A second Southern Baptist church in South Carolina has made headlines recently for allowing a registered sex offender to participate in congregational ministry.

Ministry Watch reported Aug. 31 that Brookwood Church in Simpsonville recently disqualified an adult male from serving in any capacity in the church, saying: “The man is a registered sex offender in South Carolina who was convicted in Georgia in 1983 for two offenses: Enticing a child for indecent purposes and child molestation.”

Richard Land says Mohler’s views defy Baptist principles
A veteran leader of the “conservative resurgence” in the Southern Baptist Convention has publicly challenged Al Mohler’s Christian nationalism.

Richard Land is the former head of the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He was a foot soldier in the conservative movement in the SBC, beginning from a position at Criswell College in Dallas and then rising to national prominence.

Now, in an opinion piece for Christian Post, Land is challenging Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and one of the most influential voices in the SBC today.

Church vows to plough on with Project Spire
Labour MP Marsha De Cordova, speaking in her capacity as Second Church Estates Commissioner for the Church of England, has said the Church fully intends to proceed with the controversial Project Spire.

The Project will see £100 million put towards communities allegedly impacted by the transatlantic slave trade. The leadership of the Church has defended the move as an act of repentance and restitution for its alleged connections to the slave trade.

Project Spire is arguably an example of the misguided priorities that are plaguing the Church of England and causing a great deal of harm at the parish level. Buildings go unrepaired. Parishes have no stipendary clergy. Rural England is especially neglected.

Christian, pro-life groups rally against assisted suicide
Christian and pro-life groups are asking supporters to urge MPs to vote against a resurrected assisted suicide bill, which is due for Second Reading in the House of Commons on Friday.

The bill has been put forward as a private member’s bill by Labour MP Lauren Edwards and is virtually identical to a bill put forward by Kim Leadbeater that failed to pass earlier this year.

Monastic Revival: The New Monastery on Iona
There is a new Orthodox monastery on Iona, an island in the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. Iona is best known for it’s early medieval abbey. This new community, however, matters for Orthodoxy, but not just for Orthodoxy. The recent revival of Orthodox monasticism on the island deserves be on the radar of Anglicans[1]. What starts in Iona has a tendency not to stay on Iona.

While I rarely see a need for a disclaimer, in this particular instance I must state that I do not share David Goodhew's positive assessment of the growth of Eastern Orthodoxy in the British Isles. I do, however, have no objections to "full fat Christianity" of the robust Protestant Anglican variety.

Let’s Reclaim ‘Evangelical’ for the Sake of the Global Church
Despite the excitement of evangelicalism’s expanding reach, American evangelicals are in a crisis of definition. Cable-news anchors and other culture shapers regularly use “evangelical” to reference a voting bloc more than than a Christian movement. Consequently, American Christians with historically evangelical commitments actively debate the term’s usefulness.

Conceding the use of “evangelical” to secular pollsters is deeply flawed by an American-centric gaze that forgoes meaningful connection with the global evangelical family.

Break from Stubborn Habits: Lead with Humility
When your usual door won’t open, have the humility to try other doors. The destination is what matters, not the route you take to get there.

Embracing the Lost Art of Silence and Solitude
In a world filled with chaos, the practice of silence and solitude has become harder than ever but is deeply needed among ministry leaders.

Sinclair Ferguson: Scripture gives Christians a song when ‘the world around you gives way’
Theologian Sinclair Ferguson told thousands of Christians gathered at the Sing! Conference that singing is woven into the fabric of creation and redemption, stressing that Jesus Christ, and not musicians or worship leaders, is ultimately the One who leads the Church in praise.

“There may be worship coordinators, there may be instrumentalists, there may be cantors, but there is only one song leader, and His name is Jesus,” Ferguson said Tuesday evening at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center.

Church Event Registration Software: 9 Things Every Church Should Know Before Choosing (2026)
Here are nine factors you should look for to make sure your church event software is easy to use for people registering, your admins, and your finance team.

AI Can Assist Your Work. But Should It?
Generative tools have expanded what actions are possible and sharpened our awareness that choices are required of us. Increasingly, we face pressure to use such tools simply because they’re there. Let’s explore how we can think ethically about using AI tools in the realm of work, particularly amid its demands and drudgery.

For help, we’ll look to Christian ethicist Oliver O’Donovan. Using his schema from Entering into Rest, we’ll appraise AI tools based on how they might serve us in our work, and also how they might deform us.

We Can't Let AI Writing Take Over the Internet
In January 1919, more than 2 million gallons of molasses exploded from inside a pressurized holding tank in Boston. A tsunami of syrup, which some reports said reached 40 feet tall, surged through the city’s North End, covering the waterfront, destroying buildings, and drowning dozens of residents.

As the historian Jill Lepore recently wrote in the New Yorker, the Great Molasses Flood is a morbid if apt metaphor for the effect that artificial intelligence is having on the internet. Gooey, disgusting, saccharine AI slop is flowing everywhere these days, gumming up your LinkedIn feed, oozing through Twitter and Instagram, and filling every square inch of the internet with treacly spam and viscous sham, including fake recipes for “glue-topped pizza” on Google; fake biographies on Amazon; and fake images of Trump and Jesus stuck all over the modal Boomer’s Facebook wall.

Is It in Spanish? The Question That Opened New Doors for Gospel Outreach
Developing programs and content that are uniquely designed to reach Hispanic communities means crafting them well from the beginning, using anecdotes, examples, and colloquialisms that speak right to the heart of the intended audience.

Tuesday's Catch: 'How Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene Is Growing Across Every Generation' And More

How Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene Is Growing Across Every Generation
Focusing on multigenerational growth is one reason Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene (OVCN) has flourished. Located in Oro Valley, a Southern Arizona suburb that has shifted from a retirement destination to a hub for young families, OVCN has expanded its congregation by continuing its outreach to older adults while appealing to the next generation of believers.

Churches make ‘significant’ contribution to essential services in local communities, study finds
Churches could be providing as many as a quarter of a million essential community services across England, according to new research.

Earl Spencer is right to raise concerns about the Church of England’s historic buildings
The light shone by Earl Spencer, brother of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, on the financial threat to Britain’s historic churches is significant. But it is noteworthy that his article in the Financial Times did not mention the £100 million the Church of England aims to spend on slavery reparations, which could have been going on frontline parish ministry instead.

The Incredible Story of First Baptist Church of San Francisco: An Interview with Dr. Ryan Blackwell
Jess and Thom welcome Dr. Ryan Blackwell, President and CEO of Lifeway, to The Church Answers Podcast. He shares the incredible story of First Baptist Church of San Francisco.

Five Giving Strategies Almost No Church Is Using
Jess and Thom share five innovative and rare strategies that increase giving in the church. They estimate that fewer than one percent of churches use any of these strategies.

Recovering Moral Authority
Driving past a church in my neighborhood, you cannot miss its huge banner facing the busy street: “God loves everyone—no exceptions.” Well, yes. But it also reflects a broader church culture in which the message of salvation from sin and the hard work of living a sanctified life are too often replaced by personal affirmations.

This is more than another example of what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace”—forgiveness without repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession. It’s emblematic of a larger culture in which everyone sees themselves as a leader, yet few welcome maturing discipleship that requires a spiritual course correction.

8 Ministry Staff Recruiting Red Flags
As staff recruiting in ministry world continues to evolve and become more competitive and sophisticated in recent years, churches and recruiting firms have developed a keen sense of red flags during the recruiting process that relate to whether a candidate is a good fit for your church or not. Those red flags may be a bit different from church to church but there are many red flags that are fairly consistent across the board.

Prayer Book as Precedent
The Book of Common Prayer is a profound resource and represents a rich religious heritage. Its influence runs throughout English literature and poetry. It has sparked and resolved debates and led to martyrdoms. Most importantly, the prayer book provides Christians throughout the world a means of prayer and mission formed by a sound doctrine of grace and adherence to Holy Scripture.

The American prayer book tradition, we argue, is a body of binding precedent—set at decisive moments in its history—that governs and informs liturgical interpretation, practice, and revision. This is not a historical claim, but a theological one about the nature of the prayer book tradition in America. In what follows, we aim to provide a narrative of key turning points in this tradition to aid readers in identifying the precedent contained in the prayer book and its implementation so they can use it soundly.

First Cornish musical setting of the Eucharist receives cultural award
The Cornish People’s Mass, a Eucharistic service entirely in the Cornish language, has been recognised with a prestigious award for its cultural significance. This is the story...

Also See: Oferen an Dasserghyans (Mass of the Resurrection)

How AI Will Change Church Giving (And What You Should Do Now)
Former Intel and VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger talks about what AI is doing to us and our churches. He unpacks the mental health toll of social media (and what’s coming next), the job loss scenarios leaders aren’t ready for, how AI will reshape giving in the church, and why engaging high-net-worth individuals matters now.

Plus: will the AI optimists or pessimists be proven right?

We need to rethink what it means to be a grandparent
Some grandparents are doing everything. Other older people would give anything to be needed.

That is one of the stranger paradoxes of modern family life. High housing costs, punishing childcare bills and demanding jobs are leaning hard on parents. At the same time, more people are having fewer children, having them later, or not having them at all.

These changes affect parents, of course. But they also reshape grandparenthood itself. For some, it is becoming overburdened. For others, it is slipping out of reach.

3 Marks of True Repentance
Repentance lies at the heart of the Christian message and forms the rhythm of the Christian life. The Greek word metanoia, often translated as “repentance,” speaks of a turning, a genuine change of mind, heart, and life that is not a one-time act but a way of living.1 True repentance is more than simply acknowledging our wrongs and feeling sorry for what we have done; it is turning from our ways and returning to God with conviction of wrongs, contrition of heart, and confession of sin. In doing so, we receive the abundant mercy of God in Christ.

It is important to understand that repentance does not begin with us; it begins with the gracious initiative of God, who turns our hearts from the things of this world back to himself. As Mark Boda writes, “God is in the process of transforming us from within—our behavior, our hearts, and our entire lives.”2 Thus repentance is more than a onetime action; it is a repeated act throughout the Christian life. Martin Luther captured this truth in the first statement in his Ninety-Five Theses: “Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite [in English, ‘repent’], willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.”3 Psalm 51:3–4 helps us see that true repentance is marked by clearheaded conviction, brokenhearted contrition, and openhanded confession.

Image Credit: Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene

Monday's Catch: 'Why nondenominational churches aren’t Baptist churches in disguise' And More

Why nondenominational churches aren’t Baptist churches in disguise
The claim that nondenominational churches are Baptists without the label has some basis in fact but isn’t ultimately accurate. And ironically, a whole lot of Baptist churches are acting more like nondenominational churches these days too.

If Gen Z is coming back to church, the real work is just beginning
The church’s purpose in a young person’s life must be entirely unique compared to any other institution.

Why so many women are converting to Catholicism
While American women are leaving organized religion at faster rates than men, some women are instead entering.

US closes door to Christians fleeing persecution, report warns
The United States is on track to admit zero Christians fleeing from the world's worst countries for persecution in fiscal year 2026, according to a new report from the global watchdog Open Doors and the Evangelical refugee resettlement agency World Relief.

The organizations unveiled their new report Thursday at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, documenting the state of Christian persecution worldwide and the number of refugees admitted into the U.S.

The release comes one month before the Trump administration is set to determine the number of refugees to be admitted to the country in fiscal year 2027, which begins Oct. 1.

Decline in marriage and relationships among factors driving global fertility slump - study
A growing “relationship recession”, alongside economic insecurity, delayed parenthood and changing attitudes towards having children, is contributing to an unprecedented fall in fertility rates around the world, according to a major new study.

The research - published in the ‘Reproductive BioMedicine Online’ journal - and led by demographer and deputy director of the Vienna Institute of Demography, Tomáš Sobotka, warns that the latest global decline in births is “more widespread, deeper and more permanent than previously anticipated”.

Kay Kotan: Creating New Spiritual Community
Creating opportunities for new community means more than adding another program or event to the church calendar. It’s about intentionally carving out places, spaces, time, energy, and focus for building new relationships in our neighborhoods. In a culture that is increasingly isolated and disconnected, the church has a profound opportunity—and responsibility—to create spaces where people can genuinely belong and grow spiritually together.

Should I Stay or Should I Leave My Church?
These four questions can help you walk in God’s will, whether it’s to remain at the church you’re at or trust Him when it’s time to leave.

Teresa Stewart: Small Congregation Worship Matters
Small congregations are crucial local laboratories. They are places of indigenous experimentation. Small congregations are diagnostic centers tasked with figuring out what the good news sounds like and looks like in each community. To help grow the kingdom in the years ahead.

4 Diagnostic Questions for Every Sermon
As we launch a new series of skills articles called "Back to the Basics," we asked a younger preacher (Daniel Fusco) and a veteran preacher of almost 25 years (Matt Woodley, Editor of PreachingToday.com) to weigh in on the four basics of every good sermon. Think of them as four simple, routine, diagnostic questions that will help you prepare every sermon. It's like going to the doctor's office for a routine checkup. They almost always ask the same set of questions: What's your weight? What's your temperature? What's your blood pressure? What meds are you currently taking? It's basic stuff, but it provides the baseline for the rest of your checkup. In the same way, these four questions provide the baseline for everything else in your sermon.

5 Ways to Help Your Student Ministry Volunteers Win
Every student ministry needs volunteers, but the goal can’t simply be filling enough positions to make Wednesday night work.

Image Credit: Purpose Church, Murray, Kentucky

Sundays at All Hallows (September 6, 2026) Is Now Online

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

This Sunday, September 6, 2026, is the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity.

For this Sunday’s Invitatory Psalm, you have a choice as you did last two Sundays, either the original version of Michael Perry’s metrical paraphrase of the Venite (Psalm 95), “Come Worship God,” or the inclusive language version. The organ accompaniment for both versions is the same-- Joseph Francis Thrupp’s hymn tune EPIPHANY.

In this Sunday’s message we take a look at what Christians are called to do when someone endangers their relationship with God, particularly a brother or sister in Christ.

Readings: Ezekiel 33: 7-11, Romans 13: 8-14, and Matthew 18: 15-20

Message: Love Intervenes

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/09/sundays-at-all-hallows-september-6-2026.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.