Tuesday's Catch: "Care for Your Community" and More

Care for your Community; Don’t Merely Consume From It

In the summer of 2010, Kaye and I were on vacation in New York City and we attended services at Redeemer Presbyterian church. Before the sermon, a young man stood in front of the congregation and prayed to the Lord on behalf of the whole congregation. He prayed specifically for the city they lived in and he prayed that the Lord would help the church not to “use the city” but to “serve the city,” that they would be a people who would “contribute to the city” and not only “consume from the city.” The language revealed the heart of the church and it was challenging to me. Read More

What John Stott Has Said About the Social Justice Debate

We don’t have to wonder what John Stott would say about the recent debate on the role of Christians and social justice. In his classic work Christian Mission in the Modern World, John Stott offers three main ways Christians have attempted to understand the relationship between evangelism and social justice. Read More

Tips for Church Planting on the Cheap

I know what it is like to plant churches with little or no change in my pocket, and maybe you do too. Many financial wisdom posts suggest that small steps such as cutting out that morning Starbucks coffee or banking the change from monetary transactions are first steps toward financial stability. It seems we are a little bit slower to consider the small steps in church budgets, but here is a start. Read More

Warning: Every idea has actually been utilized by real church planters.

How to Involve Your Small Groups in the Great Commission

It’s no coincidence that Jesus started his ministry by forming a small group. If anyone could have handled his mission by himself, it was Jesus. But instead, Jesus gathered a group of 12 to serve with him. Here’s why it’s so important that we mobilize our small groups to fulfill the Great Commission. Read More

Pastors Say 2018 Brought Economic Turnaround to Churches

The economic recovery has reached the offering plate, according to a study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research. Today, 8 in 10 Protestant pastors (79 percent) say the total offerings at their church this year are at or above last year’s levels, including 42 percent who say this year is ahead of last year. Few pastors (15 percent) say giving is not keeping pace with last year. Read More

There is also a correlation between increased giving and declining attendance. Increased giving is not necessarily an indicator of church or denominational vitality, as researchers found in a study of the Episcopal Church. As Episcopal congregations lost members due to demographic changes and other factors and weekend attendance declined, the remaining members typically responded by increasing their giving.