Why Easter Doesn’t Often Connect With Unchurched People (And How To Change That)

Chances are there will be far more people in your church this weekend than normal.

And chances are a good number of them normally don’t go to church.

What’s so sad is that many unchurched people will walk away from the most powerful story ever told unchanged, unaffected, and they won’t be back (until next year…maybe).

Why?

That’s a great question, and the good news is once you know why, you can do something about it. Read More

When Easter and April Fools’ Day Collide

This year April 1 falls on a Sunday—Easter Sunday. The annual celebration of hoaxes is the same day that Christians worldwide celebrate Jesus’s resurrection. That doesn’t sit well with a comfortable faith. No one likes being called a fool.

But Christians have a long history of being called fools. In Jesus’s day, the religious types knew that no Messiah dies like a loser. And the intellectuals knew that no one rises from the dead. So when Christians started claiming that a disgraced and condemned criminal was the living ruler of heaven and earth, everyone knew who to laugh at. Read More

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10 Reasons Why People Reject the Gospel

If the gospel is the “good news about Jesus,” then why do so many people reject it? If Christians bear this “good news,” how can they better share it using methods that are effective in today’s post-Christian world?

Evangelism In a Skeptical World offers actionable advice for making the unbelievable news about Jesus more believable. It also explains why people often reject this news in the first place, equipping Christians to make it more enticing to non-Christians they know.

Here are at least ten reasons why people often reject the gospel, and what you can do about it. Read More

Saturday Lagniappe: "The Crux of Christianity" and More

The Crux of Christianity

The Christian faith is particular. It is centred on God’s rescue mission: a particular person and a particular set of events; the person of Jesus Christ and the work he came to do. Read More

Credentials Are Not Competence, an excerpt from 15 Things Seminary Couldn’t Teach Me

The maturity needed to be a godly under-shepherd comes only through days, weeks, months, and years of labor in the vineyard of the Lord. Read More

Planning, Planting and Pastoral Ministry

The Scriptures have much to say about the importance of planning. Read More

When You Struggle to Preach

Nathan Loudin examines the three choices that confront a preacher when his preaching becomes a struggle. Read More

Communicate Better by Doing These Five Things Today

Better communication skills are something that all Christians need. Here are five they can develop. Read More

Study: Atheists Find Meaning In Life By Inventing Fairy Tales

Atheists often snidely dismiss religion as a fairy tale. Yet a study finds the meaning atheists and non-religious people attribute to their lives is entirely self-invented. Read More

5 Reasons We Take the Cross for Granted

It’s Easter week, and I’m thinking of the cross today.

Three years into my Christian walk, I traveled to Israel for the first time. I couldn’t wait to get to the place where Jesus died – to stand where He had suffered on my behalf. I did not know then that scholars differ on the location of Golgotha, but one possible site most caught my attention. The site was “Gordon’s Calvary,” a small hill with a rock face that looked like a skull and three trees planted at the top. To my surprise, though, what halted me was not the hill itself – it was the crazy, chaotic, busy, noisy, smelly, crowded, loud bus station directly in front of the hill.

Watching the commotion, I couldn’t fathom how so many people came to the station, hopped on a bus, went to work, returned to the station, and then headed home each day while completely ignoring the place where Jesus may have died. It was as if the cross never existed and the Son never died.

Fast forward more than forty years. I’m a lot older now, and my life’s much, much busier. I come and go, come and go. My calendar’s full. I travel across the country and around the world. My email box is never fully empty. There’s always some other place to be, some other lesson to prepare. I awaken with stuff to do and go to bed with stuff still on my mind. I’m not a lot different from those folks who hopped on and off the bus on that warm Jerusalem day many years ago. And, I’m afraid that in my busyness, I’m also guilty of just walking past the cross.

Here are some reasons many of us will make that same mistake today.... Read More

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Obscene, yet Beautiful

Was Easter Borrowed from a Pagan Holiday?

Anyone encountering anti-Christian polemics will quickly come up against the accusation that a major festival practiced by Christians across the globe—namely, Easter—was actually borrowed or rather usurped from a pagan celebration. I often encounter this idea among Muslims who claim that later Christians compromised with paganism to dilute the original faith of Jesus.

The argument largely rests on the supposed pagan associations of the English and German names for the celebration (Easter in English and Ostern in German). It is important to note, however, that in most other European languages, the name for the Christian celebration is derived from the Greek word Pascha, which comes from pesach, the Hebrew word for Passover. Easter is the Christian Passover festival.

Of course, even if Christians did engage in contextualization—expressing their message and worship in the language or forms of the local people—that in no way implies doctrinal compromise. Christians around the world have sought to redeem the local culture for Christ while purging it of practices antithetical to biblical norms. After all, Christians speak of "Good Friday," but they are in no way honoring the worship of the Norse/Germanic queen of the gods Freya by doing so.

But, in fact, in the case of Easter the evidence suggests otherwise: that neither the commemoration of Christ's death and resurrection nor its name are derived from paganism. Read More

Don’t Just ‘Prove’ The Resurrection. Talk About Why It Matters.

Why did Jesus rise from the dead?

In my experience most Christians can’t answer this question very well. I suspect that the reason is that they have hardly ever heard it taught. One of the most common answers I’ve heard over the years is that Jesus rose ‘to prove that he is God’. But the Bible never identifies this as the reason, and there was surely ample proof already available for Jesus’ divinity given the number of miracles that he performed in his public ministry.

The Trinity, miracles, predestination, the resurrection… We spend most of our time trying to prove that these things are true rather than explaining what they mean and why they are important.

The problem is that some of the more difficult Christian doctrines tend to be reduced to apologetic hurdles to get over rather than being treated as central, interconnected parts of the Christian message. The Trinity, miracles, predestination, the resurrection… these are the kinds of topics that present difficulties to our secular worldview and logic. We therefore spend most of our time trying to prove that these things are true rather than explaining what they mean and why they are important. They become mere facts to prove, not Christian truths to cherish. There is no depth or content to them.

This is what has happened to the resurrection. Like Hollywood’s addiction to thoughtlessly regurgitating high-grossing movies as sequels, the resurrection becomes little more than a sequel to the cross. It’s there but it isn’t really necessary since all the important things happened in the first movie. Read More

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Friday's Catch: "What’s Next? After-Easter Ideas" and More

What’s Next? After-Easter Ideas

Take time for reflection after your Easter services. Read More

To Be or Not to Be an Evangelical

Do Christians need a term or label to identify ourselves? Read More

What Do You Do When Scripture Feels Dry and Lifeless

Given this question, most of us would start with, “Please, tell me more,” or perhaps, “What’s up?” Without knowing the direction of such a dialogue, let’s assume that the person is actually reading Scripture and Scripture seems to be yielding very little. Read More

J.D. Greear: Are We Missionaries or Imposters?

Do we really believe the gospel? Has its truth set our hearts ablaze? Can we really believe and not care? Read More

Ever Heard of the ‘Great Commission’? 51% of Churchgoers Say No

For some time evangelicals have said they’re suffering an identity crisis. A new study may tell us why. Barna reports a majority of churchgoers are unfamiliar with the term “The Great Commission.” Read More

Is the Megachurch Era Over? Yes. And No. (And Other Contradictory Answers)

Megachurches aren't going away. Nor should they. But we need to make room for other models, too.

In recent years there’s been a lot of talk about the impending demise of the megachurch.

But is the era of the megachurch really drawing to a close?
I have four answers to that question:

• Yes
• No
• I hope so
• I hope not

Let’s look at these four contradictory responses one at a time. Read More

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Purchase
Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of under 250

How to Know if You Are a Replanter - Revitalize & Replant #034 [Podcast]

A couple decades ago, pastors would have never desired to go to dying churches. With replanting, now they are enthusiastically moving to churches to replant them. Listen Now

Your New Church Is Established. Now What? [Podcast]

Tony Merida talks with Tyler Jones and Joby Martin on what to do when your church plant becomes a healthy, established church. Listen Now

Seven Signs that Easter Happened

In anticipation of some more theological reflections on Easter, here are some observations about its basic historicity.

Scholars and apologists often point to the Easter resurrection as the most important piece of historical evidence for the truth of Christianity. That of course, is right and proper—Paul himself uses it (1Cor 15:5-7). But I think there are some other little bits of evidence in the Easter story that are persuasive in other ways. Here are seven odd and incidental details that that point to the eyewitness origins of the Gospel accounts. Read More

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4 Things We Can Learn from Judas

It’s easy to dismiss Judas as a villain or a victim, but I’m struck by the fact that, in many ways, he was just like me.

Judas was a follower of Jesus and a preacher of the gospel, but there was a doublemindedness about him. In the end, he abandoned the faith he once professed.

Here are four things that are easily overlooked in the story of Judas. Read More

Thursday's Catch: "Christ and the Love of Neighbor" and More

Christ and the Love of Neighbor

When Jesus and the New Testament writers summarize the law as loving God and loving our neighbor, they have in mind active love. Read More

9 Specific Reasons People Don't Trust Pastors

If you read this blog regularly, you know my love for pastors. I am a pastor, and I have great respect for those who lead God’s church. At the same time, my consulting work and my speaking schedule have given me opportunities to speak with people who no longer trust pastors. I’ve previously written about general reasons that folks lose trust in pastors, but I’m adding today some specific reasons I’ve heard more than once. I’m afraid that many people unfairly characterize all pastors based on only one or two examples; nevertheless, here are some of the more specific reasons they’ve lost their trust.... Read More

Are “Altar Calls” a Good Idea? [Video]

When a Christian minister preaches the gospel, there has to be an invitation. But that invitation is a call to repent and believe—not to physically relocate your body at the end of the service. Watch Now

What We Lost When We Lost Our Hymnals

Tim Challies takes a look at what churches lost when they abandoned hymnals for the multimedia projector. Read More

One loss that Tim Challies does not mention in this article, which I have previously posted on Anglicans Ablaze, is the disappearance of congregational singing altogether in a growing number of churches. While supposedly freeing the members of the congregation to worship God in song, unencumbered by a book in their hands, the abandonment of hymnals and the adoption of the multimedia projector has contributed to this development.

Let’s Ditch the Guilt on Evangelism

Why don’t we all experience this same burning desire to share Jesus with others? Why does it become a matter of being pushed down a guilt-tripped path rather than a strong desire to share the life-giving news of the most precious relationship we have? Read More

Lord, Have Mercy on 67% of Us

A Lenten research roundup of what Americans think of sin. Read More

Vatican: Claim That Pope Denied Hell's Existence Is Unreliable

The Vatican disputes the claim of Italian atheist Eugenio Scalfari, that Pope Francis does not believe in the existence of hell. Read More

The Rainer Report: Church Sickness #1: Attitudinal Angst [Video]

Attitudinal Angst is when members are more interested in having their own desires and preferences met rather than being a serving member of the body of Christ. Watch Now

The Burning of the Wooden Shoes

It was a painful decision for my father to leave the Christian Reformed Church of North America (CRC). He was pulled apart over it. He expressed all of his concerns to the new minister. "The direction you're taking," my father said, "is undermining the Great Commission of Jesus." Immediately, the pastor yelled back, "this is what's wrong with you Reformed people." My father retorted, "But aren't you Reformed?" That is a great question.

By being raised in the CRC I learned a lot about what can happen to a church. I have been a pastor in a confessional Reformed church for almost 15 years now. As I watch the shifts and listen to the discussions, this all seems like déjà vu. What took the CRC thirty to forty years to accomplish, in jettisoning her Reformed heritage, seems to be taking some NAPARC churches about a decade. I am particularly concerned for the PCA, but they are not the only one. There are other Reformed denominations following suit, but the PCA, at the moment, appears to be leading the pack.

The most disturbing part is that many seem completely oblivious to the shifts. Among a new generation of Reformed pastors and churchgoers, there seems to be little awareness that the project they are pursuing, and the shifts they are pushing, have already been tried and have ended with catastrophic consequences in the life of a major Reformed denomination. Read More

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9 Sins the Church Is Surprisingly Okay With

The story Chris Gordan recounts is a familiar one to many Anglicans. The same thing has happened in the Anglican Church at the provincial, diocesan, and local level. There is a discernible connection between the tolerance of a number of the sins listed in Frank Powell's article and the theological drift of denominations like the Christian Reformed Church of North America  and the Anglican Church of Canada, the Episcopal Church in the USA, and now the Church of England. Even a relatively new jurisdiction like the Anglican Church in North America is vulnerable to this drift as I have written elsewhere.

8 Ways to Pray for Easter Events

I fear that many churches plan for weeks (or months) for Easter weekend, but then pray for only minutes over the weekend’s events. To counter this tendency, I encourage you to use this list to lead your congregation to pray with intentionality and direction through the rest of this week. Read More

Wednesday's Catch: "Is Jesus a Copy of the Pagan Gods?" and More

Is Jesus a Copy of the Pagan Gods? [Video]

We know more about Jesus than any other person in antiquity. Watch Now

Evidence for Jesus’ Empty Tomb [Podcast]

In this episode, Mikel Del Rosario, Drs. Darrell L. Bock and Gary Habermas discuss the historical Jesus, focusing on evidence for his empty tomb. Watch Now

What Is the Mercy Seat?

One of the most important paragraphs in the Bible may very well be Romans 3:21-26. Read More

Pastoral Training in the Local Church

The fruit of this article comes from a recent multi-case study research project completed by Andrew Hancock as part of the Doctorate of Education program at Southern Seminary. Read More

Preaching Difficult Doctrines (Without Splitting the Church!)

The history of Christianity and of any denomination is a narrative of spats, splits, and schisms. Many churches and most denominations were born not of an intentional tactic to reach more people but as a reaction to a personal or doctrinal conflict. Doctrine does not have to be divisive, however, if a pastor will employ a few basic strategies as he teaches the Word. Read More

The 10 Commandments of Great Worship Team Members

Sometimes I lead the worship band and sometimes I play in the band. Both are important roles and have specific responsibilities to do them well. As both a leader and a player/singer, here are my ten most important rules as a team member.... Read More

10 Ways Christians Should Respond to Opposition

Outrage. Fear. Confusion. Anger. Nostalgia. Withdrawal. Many of the ways we Christians respond to opposition are far from ideal. Read More

How to Talk to Atheists and Skeptics about Jesus

Chances are, at least one of your friends or family members doesn’t believe that Jesus was raised from the dead. Here are some suggestions for communicating the most central Christian claim to others—and not only at Easter dinner! Read More

7 Way Churches Limit Transfer Growth into Their Congregations

If you haven’t heard the term, “transfer growth” occurs when church members move their membership from one church to another. Of course, there are times when this kind of growth is legitimate growth. At the same time, though, transfer growth can be problematic (see “10 Reasons Transfer Growth Can Be a Problem”). Given these potential issues, here are some ways I’ve seen churches limit transfer growth into their congregation. Read through them, and let us know your thoughts. Read More

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Is Your Church an Evangelizing Church?

Church growth methodology in a number of ways is analogous to farming. Some farming methods may result in a bumber crop; other methods may result in a poor crop or no crop at all. But farming methods alone do not determine the end result - the quality of the seed, the quality of the soil, the amount of rain fall, the amount of sunshine, and other factors and ultimately God determine whether the harvest will be a bountiful one.

Some folks dismiss the church growth movement on the grounds that it gives too much credit to human effort for the growth of a church and does not give any credit to God for a church's growth and promotes the idea that pastors can duplicate the results that other pastors have seen, simply by adopting their methods. I agree to a large extent with this criticism but believe that they also throw the baby out with the bath water. I see God as operative behind our efforts. I also see the methods that we adopt to be like farming methods. We chose them based upon our knowledge of the soil, the crop, the climate, and so on and pick those that are most likely to work, using our God-given reason and the Holy Spirit's guidance to make the right choices. We select the field, till the soil, plant the seed, tend the young plants but it is God who makes the seeds germinate and the young plants grow. The yield is also in his hands.

De-Conversion

De-conversion is the reverse of conver­sion. While some creep away from the faith like a gliding glacier, the de-converted are glaciers calving off, crashing into the sea with devastating effect. Read on with holy fear.

Paraphras­ing Dr. Michael Kruger,

De-conversion stories seek to convince Christians that their 'outdated, naïve beliefs' are no longer worthy of assent. People tell how they once thought like you, but have now 'seen the light'. Christian­ity has never lacked people, who once in the fold, later left. They tell their stories with a conviction, passion, and evangelistic zeal to make a televangelist blush. Today, these powerful stories are high profile, wide-spread throughout the internet.1

Also, today de-converted people have greater zeal. They don't leave quietly, as they might have genera­tions ago. Now their purpose is to 'evangelize' the found rather than the lost sheep. In their minds, they are missionaries, compelled to help Christians realize their 'mistake'. Modern examples of people in the de-conversion business include Bart Ehrman, Rob Bell, Peter Enns, and Jen Hatmaker. We could add the "Jesus Seminar" and, for the UK, Steve Chalke.2

They experienced overwhelming 'aha' moments.3 The Bible suddenly jarred with their intellectual integrity, personal sensitivities, or cultural proclivities. Whenever that happens, the Bible loses out. Scripture speaks of de-conversion with terrifying seriousness. The technical, theological word is 'apostasy'. (Hebrews 10:31) Read More

Last Minute Easter Resources You Can Use NOW

Anyone who’s on staff at a church knows precisely how many days are left before Easter. For churches, Easter is the biggest deal on the church events calendar. Arguably, it’s also the biggest deal on the world calendar, which is why we are so eager to share our Easter celebration with the world!

We know you’re probably far into your yearly Easter prep, but we wanted to share some resources that will still prove helpful as you put the last minute touches on your programming this year. (Plus, if you’re a little behind the Easter power curve, these Easter resources definitely help you!) Read More

Tuesday's Catch: “Is Allah just another name for God?” and More

Is Allah just another name for God?

In this video Dr. Bruce Lowe, assistant professor of the New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary Atlanta, discusses a major difference between Islam's view of God and orthodox Biblical Christianity's view of God. Watch Now

10 Things You Should Know about Open Theism

In recent years there has appeared a radical departure from traditional theism that has come to be known as the Openness of God theory or Open Theism. Although there are numerous components in this new view of God, in this article I only take note of ten of them. You should also know that what follows is not a critique of the openness theory, but simply an explanation of its basic ideas. Read More

Seven Ways the Reformation Renewed Worship

We usually think of the Reformation of the 15th Century in terms of doctrinal renewal.... But we also owe the Reformers a debt for the renewal of worship. Here are some of the key areas.... Read More

9 Reasons a Church Choir Is Important

I like a choir, and I think a church without one might be missing something. I am not arguing here that every church should have a choir (I, in fact, attend a young church that does not have one), but I do think a choir is worth considering. Here’s why.... Read More

The State of the Choir

Jamie Brown acknowledges that a "holy discontent" about the direction of choirs in modern worship has been building for several decades in his life. He is not alone. Read More

The Case for a Choir, Pt. 1

While the congregation is the most important music group in the church, a choir can make an important contribution to the worship life of God's people. Read More

Sing God a Simple Song: Exploring Music in Worship for the Eighties

Originally published in the mid-1980s, Betty Pulkinghm's Sing God a Simple Song is full of insights that will also prove helpful in twenty-first century worship, particular in churches that value multigenerational worship and congregational singing. Availiable free in PDF format. Read More

Why the Next Generation Does Not Know Christianity Is True

The next generation doesn't know Christianity is true, because we haven't been showing them that Christianity is true. Read More

5 Steps for Disciple Multiplication

A simple tool for apprenticing followers of Christ who can apprentice others. Read More

7 Summer Outreach Ideas

Summer is a time when things aren’t so chaotic and people are a little less tense. They can relax a little. The squash is out of season and the holiday festivities are out of sight. And it is a GREAT time as a church to make yourself known in your community. We’ve got seven ideas for you to do this this summer. Read More

Ten Types of Churches That Need Revitalization

A short list of the main reasons churches decline to a place where they need revitalization.

I care about church revitalization. I have led churches that were successfully revitalized, and I have led churches that ultimately closed. I have researched the process with hundreds of churches, and written books and articles about it. I’m a big church planter guy as well, but most churches are plateaued or in decline, and need to experience revitalization.

There are a number of reasons churches get into a situation where they need a turnaround. Part of leading a successful turnaround is knowing how a church ended up so close to death. Most churches start out with life because there was either a person or a team that had a vision of growing the kingdom of God. They don’t start out with the idea that they will be an insignificant part of their community.

But something happens along the way. I have come up with a short list of the main reasons churches decline to a place where they need revitalization. Read More

Does your church fit one or more of these descriptions?

Seven Critical Issues before Your Easter Service

There is the usual anticipation and excitement with church leaders as we begin Holy Week and lead toward Easter Sunday. I have noticed at Church Answers and social media an unusually high number of questions about preparation for Easter Sunday. Of course, by this point, most of the plans are complete; it would be difficult to make major adjustments right now.

But you can address seven critical issues before the weekend arrives. Allow me to address each individually. Read More

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Preacher’s Toolkit: How Not to Preach an Easter Sermon

No preacher wants to lay an egg on Easter or any other unique Sunday, but we’ve all done it. These big days in church life are teeming with opportunity and filled with pressure and expectation at the same time. We get so caught up in logistics and planning that we sometimes forget to think through how to preach on these days.

When it comes to your Easter sermon, here are four things not to do. Read More

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How to Pray All Day

“Pray without ceasing,” Paul says. Simple words, but a seemingly impossible challenge. How can you be expected to pray all the time? In chapter 54 of their work A Puritan Theology, Joel Beeke and Mark Jones dive deep into Matthew Henry’s great book A Method for Prayer to distill what he says about the importance of praying through all of life’s circumstances. As it turns out, there is no great trick to it. What follows is at times transcribed and at times adapted from A Puritan Theology. Read More

20 Truths from Small Church Essentials

St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Amenia Union, NY

Just because a church is small, doesn’t mean it’s broken.

Karl Vaters’ new book Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of Under 250 has just released and it’s a great read for pastors and leaders of smaller churches. Karl has been a small church pastor for 30 years, is the author of The Grasshopper Myth: Big Churches, Small Churches, and the Small Thinking that Divides Us (2013), and travels extensively to churches and conferences to speak about leading a small church well. Below is what I found especially helpful.

1.Church leaders often wring their hands over the “problem” of small churches, and how to turn them into big churches. Like most prejudices, however, our problems with small churches aren’t what they seem. Just because a church is small, doesn’t mean it’s broken (pg. 10).

2.Just because we don’t have a kickin’ worship band does not mean we’ll settle for passionless worship (pg. 43).

3.On average, about one-third of the big church principles can be applied in a church of 200 and about one-fourth in a church of 100 or fewer. To know which third to keep, I have to understand how big churches and small churches are different (pg. 50). Read More

Image Credit:Daniel Case, Creative Commons

Six Future Projections about Churches That Are Becoming a Reality - Rainer on Leadership #417 [Podcast]

This resource-laden podcast walks through six predictions for the future of churches. We’ve seen these trends over the past few years and now they are becoming a reality. Listen Now

Easter: Someone Rejects the Gospel—Now What?

Your Easter visitors may simply come because they want to spend time with family, get free brunch or let their kids enjoy the petting zoo or egg hunt. Listening to the sermon may just be the price of admission. These people may also hear that Jesus rose from the dead for the first time, and like any new message, reject it. Use that as an opportunity! Here’s how.... Read More

Saturday Lagniappe: "Successful Pastoral Successions with Dennis Gingerich" and More

Successful Pastoral Successions with Dennis Gingerich [Podcast]

One way or another, every church is going to lose its pastor. Yet very few congregations are preparing for that. Would your church survive if your lead pastor suddenly had to step back from leading? Listen Now

Pastors Who Build Healthy Church Relationships Take the Initiative

You’re the leader. You must take the initiative, especially with relationships in the church. Many pastors rigorously protect their study time in God’s Word. The same intensity applies to personal relationships. Read More

4 Ingredients For Making Sermons Stick

One constant that remains essential in every church is preaching. Ed Stetzer talks about how to help your listeners apply what you preach. Read More

What Does It Mean to “Examine Oneself”? [Video]

In 1 Corinthians 11:28, Paul tells us to “examine ourselves” before we eat of the bread and drink of the cup. But what does that mean practically? Watch Now

9 Ways to Establish Sexual Norms for Your Children before the World Does

As a parent, you are in a race against the culture to establish what is “normal” in the area of sexual behaviors and attitudes. The sexual revolution has lowered the age at which children are exposed to sexual activity. Young children are shown homosexual marriages through children’s television shows. Kindergarten classes celebrate reveal parties for transgendered 5-year-olds. Parents cannot afford to wait. If the culture establishes a secular sexual ethic early on, then a biblical sexual ethic will seem odd and out of place. However, the converse is also true. Read More

Bible Q&A: What Should I Do If I Am Doubting the Goodness of God?

A Christian struggles with the absence of the fruit of the Spirit in himself and the continued presence of evil. The questions he asks may be questions we ourselves have asked. Read More

U.S. Church Attendance May Be Declining, but Not among Evangelicals

Evangelicals definitely have problems to address, but they aren’t the Christian group in danger of extinction in the United States—that’s mainline Protestants. Read More

God’s Commitment to Church Planting

I have been a pastor in Washington, DC, for more than two decades. How many election cycles is that? More than a few generals and journalists, senators and Hill staffers have come and gone since I first arrived.

It is not uncommon for young people to show up with grand visions of the changes they can make. And Christians in politics should fight for good changes. It is one way to love our neighbors. The trouble comes when people try to use the mechanisms of the state—the power of the sword—to bring heaven to earth.

If cynicism more often characterizes the older generations in politics, utopianism is the more common desire among the younger. Aside from the fact that utopianism has been the source of some of history’s greatest atrocities, it fundamentally misunderstands God’s plans for history. Nothing in the New Testament teaches us to expect that Christ’s kingdom shall come, and that his will shall ultimately be done on earth as it is in heaven, thanks to the work of presidents or prime ministers.

But there is one place we should look for the firstfruits of heaven on earth. The local church.

“Jesus loves the church entirely.”

How does Jesus regard the church? And what does Jesus call the church to do and to be? Jesus loves the church entirely. And just as Jesus represents heaven on earth, so he calls the church to do the same. Read More

The Holy Spirit Is Not Pixie Dust

Jared Wilson always seems to get me.

Whenever I read his books, I feel like he’s in the room, responding to my questions and thoughts. His writing is that accessible and enjoyable, and his latest book, Supernatural Power for Everyday People: Experiencing God’s Extraordinary Spirit in Your Ordinary Life, is no exception. Read More

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Friday's Catch: "The Moment of Truth: Its Reception" and More

The Moment of Truth: Its Reception

During the trial of Jesus, Pontius Pilate asked a question that has resounded through the ages: “What is truth?” That is the key question for today, when the idea of absolute truth is increasingly and soundly rejected in our culture. To help us understand what is at stake, we are examining the conversation between Jesus and Pilate in John 18. In the first post, we looked at the rejection of God’s truth as that which lies behind all sorts of evil in society today, and in the second post, we looked at the reality of truth. This post will look at the reception of truth. Read More

Can Leadership Be Learned?

Is leadership something we’re born with, or is it something we learn? Read More

7 Principles to Lead as Jesus Led

Gene Wilkes has helpfully categorized seven principles that we can take to heart to inspire our leadership. I have personally found these helpful in different leadership positions I have been in. Read More

Speak the Truth With Boldness and Love

Pastors preach what they believe God tells them. Read More

7 Things to Do When You Can't Even Pray

I’ve been there – when the anguish of life is so heavy that you can’t even speak . . . even to God. Yet, not praying hardly seems to be the right thing to do in those times. So, here are some things to do when you’re struggling so much that you can’t even pray.... Read More

Three Reasons to Pray for Governing Authorities

Juan Sanchez addresses what has become a thorny issue for some Christians in today's political environment in the United States - praying for governing authorities. Read More

Spread the Word: Don’t Overcomplicate It

How can we learn to share Jesus by both word and deed without freaking out? Read More

Six Things You Must Give Your Congregation to Have a Successful Revitalization - Revitalize & Replant #033

As the leader of a church’s revitalization, you have to be able to provide certain things to the people and the community. Today, Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe cover six key components. Listen Now

10 Dangerous Myths About Church Growth

There’s a lot of discussion that goes on about church growth: What causes it; how to generate it, prepare for it, launch it, build it, cultivate it and even, to some degree, manufacture it. Many of the discussions are helpful, but there are a number of subtle beliefs that still creep up that aren’t healthy. In fact, they’re downright superstitious and, at times, dangerous to the church.

I’ve collected these myths over many conversations, coffees and lunches with church leaders and I’d like to share them with you. Read More

Does Attracting A Crowd Make Discipleship Harder?

Going along with the crowd has never been the Jesus way. Standing apart from the crowd? Now that sounds like Jesus.

Drawing a crowd to church may not be the best way to start people on a path to discipleship.

In fact, I’m beginning to think that it may hurt our discipleship efforts more than help them.

For at least a generation now, the predominant thinking in most of the pastoral training I’ve received has gone like this:

• Do whatever is needed to attract a crowd
• Use the opportunity to preach the gospel in a compelling way
• Know that a significant percentage of the crowd won’t come back, but...
• If the crowd is big enough, the small percent who stay will be enough to grow your church
• Those who stay can be discipled

I used to believe that method was the best way to build a strong church. I’m finding it harder to believe with every passing day.

Drawing a crowd may not just be unhelpful in discipleship, but possibly counter-productive to it.

When a person’s first encounter with the gospel (and their second, and their one-hundredth) is as a member of a crowd, they can get a twisted perception of what discipleship means. They start to think that Christianity is about being a passive observer, consumer and judge of religious content.

That perception, once established, is almost impossible to dislodge. Read More

5 Ways We Get the Great Commission Wrong

The missionary imperative of Jesus at the close of Matthew’s Gospel (28:18-20) is a key text for Christians:

18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (CSB)

But it’s easy for us to take some wrong turns in our understanding of Jesus’ instruction. Here are five ways we sometimes get the Great Commission wrong. Read More

Mary Magdalene: Five Things You Should Know

That Mary Magdalene was a prostitute is just one of the many depictions of her put forward over the centuries. She has also been made out to be the seductress of Jesus (for instance the film “The Last Temptation of Christ”), Jesus’s wife (a myth debunked by Duke scholar Mark Goodacre – see note below), or a promiscuous woman. None of these claims are supported by the biblical texts.

The Catholic Church formally rejected this characterization of Mary in 1969, but it continues to be perpetuated through Easter sermons, as well as books and films like Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), The Passion of the Christ (2004), The Da Vinci Code (2006) and most recently, Risen (2016), a Columbia Pictures film starring Joseph Fiennes. [2] Read More

image: juniaproject.com

Thursday's Catch: "The Best Leaders Give Their Vision Away" and More

The Best Leaders Give Their Vision Away

The best leaders allow others to own the vision besides them. Actually they encourage it. Read More

What Churches Do with the Wrong People on the Bus

I’ve written before about being in the wrong seat on the bus.... In each case, readers have asked what to do if they have the wrong people on the bus. Here are some of the responses I’ve seen in dealing with such churches in consultations.... Read More

Death By Ministry

Is pastoral ministry a dangerous profession? Eugene Cho shares the facts. Read More

The Pastor and His Books

Pastors are people of the Book and people of many books. It is unavoidable. But what of these books of ours? How should we approach our reading? As a person who loves books and spends great a great amount of time and money investing in books, here are a few rules by which I try to live. Read More

An Argument Against Living Biblically

After viewing several episodes of the CBS sitcom Living Biblically, pastor Josh Hussung asks this critical question: "Do we – particularly in the context of ministry to young people – sometimes promote similar misunderstandings of the Bible?" Read More

Empathy & Evangelism

Empathizing with others leads to greater effectiveness in evangelism. Read More

Monergism's Ever-Growing Free Online Theological Reference Library

Monergism.com is a free, comprehensive online theological library comprised of Reformed Christian resources designed to bring glory to Jesus Christ alone. Learn More

The Top 10 Reasons Leaders Stop Leading

Just because you have a leadership position doesn’t mean you are leading. That’s a sobering thought.

All of us who carry the responsibility to lead must be honest about the question, “Are you leading?”

It’s so easy to be busy, work hard, even feel exhausted and not actually be leading. In fact, in many cases the leader is working so hard and is so busy, they don’t realize they are not leading.

Here are 12 quick tests for leading (You don’t do every one of these every day, but they are all part of your leadership life.) Read More

90 Second Leadership – The Pyramid of Influence [Video]

Let’s talk about the Pyramid of Influence. John Maxwell is famous for saying, “Leadership is influence; nothing more and nothing less.” I would tend to agree, and you likely would too. The problem is that a lot of us don’t know how to build influence, especially when we’re new to a team. Watch Now

More 90 Second Leadership Videos

LifeWay Leadership has quite a few of these leadership development videos on its website. LifeWay Leadership Pipeline also offers resources to help church leaders to equip new church leaders.

The Rainer Report: Seven Potentially Deadly Church Sicknesses [Video]

This video is the first in a series of videos in which Thom Rainer covers in further detail seven categories of hindrances that keep churches from achieving health and vitality. Watch Now

Related:
Seven Potentially Deadly Church Sicknesses

The Word-less “Church”

Many American churches are in a mess. Theologically they are indifferent, confused, or dangerously wrong. Liturgically they are the captives of superficial fads. Morally they live lives indistinguishable from the world. They often have a lot of people, money, and activities. But are they really churches, or have they degenerated into peculiar clubs?

What has gone wrong? At the heart of the mess is a simple phenomenon: the churches seem to have lost a love for and confidence in the Word of God. They still carry Bibles and declare the authority of the Scriptures. They still have sermons based on Bible verses and still have Bible study classes. But not much of the Bible is actually read in their services. Their sermons and studies usually do not examine the Bible to see what it thinks is important for the people of God. Increasingly they treat the Bible as tidbits of poetic inspiration, of pop psychology, and of self-help advice. Congregations where the Bible is ignored or abused are in the gravest peril. Churches that depart from the Word will soon find that God has departed from them. Read More