Making disciples involves crossing generational barriers. To realize the Great Commission, disciples must engage every generation around them.
From the Rise of the ‘Nones’ to the Indifference of the ‘Never Weres’
A sociologist observes the changing tides of American antireligion.
Why Church Autopsies Are Important
Mark Clifton and Thom Rainer delve into the painful issue of examining why churches died. They do so that future deaths might be prevented. They also show how churches today can move to health rather than death.
8 Reasons Why God Calls Us to Wait
I must admit the waiting is difficult for me too.
Spiritual Formation for Faltering Faith
Wendy Alsip reviews Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warren.
Episcopal Church loses nearly 60,000 members, sees drop in worship attendance: report
In a local church increased giving is not an uncommon reaction to declining attendance and a shrinking congregation. It is not a sign of church health.
I was involved in church planting in the Episcopal Church in 1980s and the early 2000s. Among the observations that I made during that time is that Episcopal churches tend to grow with the community if they are engaged in the community and reflect the demographic make-up of the community. What happened to the two church plants in the early 2000s was that the denomination embraced a level of diversity far greater than the level of diversity embraced by communities in which the two new works were located. This damaged the public image of the two congregations. One was forced to shut down completely; other survived for several years as a shadow of its former self. Existing churches such as my former parish which I had helped to plant were also impacted. In the region in which I presently live the two churches that were thriving before the COVID-19 pandemic were located in communities where there was substantial diversity in the community due to its size or to the presence of a university in the community.
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