Tuesday's Catch: The Thriving Rural Church and More

The Thriving Rural Church

While the vast majority of America’s land space is rural and a surprising number of ministry leaders in America have “served time” in rural churches, knowledge, vision and leadership for rural ministry is often overlooked in light of the need to reach the densely populated urban centers and suburban communities. Read More

See also Five Things Small Town Church Planters Wish Their Denominational Leaders Knew, 5 Benefits of Pastoring a Rural Church, Second Shift: Thriving in Bivocational Ministry, 3 Reasons Rural Churches Matter More than You Think, and Four Mistakes Rural Pastors Make (That All Pastors Need to Avoid)

Activists Protest USDA Changes That Threaten Free School Lunch

A proposed rule change to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, threatens free school lunches for a million or more children in the United States. Read More

It is unrealistic to expect church food pantries and community food banks to fill the gap this proposed rule change will create. Children will go hungry.

Five Ways to Address the Oversized Sanctuary [Podcast]

Church practices change with cultural norms. The norm in the church used to be everyone gathering at one time in one place. In this podcast Thom and Sam Rainer discuss changing church practices and five ways to address an oversized sanctuary. Listen Now

6 Key Questions to Ask of Your Sermon Before You Preach It

Before you preach your next sermon, take the time to answer these 6 questions. If you do, you’ll have greater clarity for the content of the message and the congregation will have greater clarity for the expected action from the message. Read More

5 Ways To Overcome Nerves Before You Preach

She took my hand, which was freezing cold, leaned over and whispered, "Are you nervous? Your hand is freezing." I nodded, "Yep." Read More

Toys R' Us Relaunch: What the Church Can Learn from It

What can the church learn from this reopening? Here are couple of biggies.... Read More

When I was involved in guest services and hospitality ministry at the Journey, we served a light breakfast (donuts, breakfast cookies, muffins, granola bars, bananas, etc.) as well as coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and bottled water BEFORE the service. This was especially appreciated by parents with young children.

The Inspirational, Interdenominational, Multi-Congregational Ministry Movement

What happens when local churches stop competing and start seeing themselves as multiple sites of God’s Church in a city? Read More

5 Ways to Cultivate a Heart for the Nations 

How can we cultivate a heart for the nations, even nations that may want to kill us? Allow me to offer five ways.... Read More

Half of Pastors See Opoid Abuse in Their Congregations

Nashville-based LifeWay Research asked 1,000 Protestant pastors about their personal connections to the opioid epidemic and how their churches are looking to address the issue. Read More