New research from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University indicates that the 6% benchmark measure of American adults with a biblical worldview, recorded in January 2020, may prove to be the high-water mark for the foreseeable future. In the first annual study of Americans’ worldview in the post-lockdown era, the national incidence, the CRC says, has declined to a mere 4%.
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Pastors are split on whether attending church services or simply participating in activities online counts as regular church attendance.
Have We Fruit
In this article Laceye C. Warner, Royce and Jane Reynolds Associate Professor of the Practice of Evangelism and Methodist Studies and Associate Dean for Wesleyan Engagement and Hybrid Programs at Duke Divinity School, Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina, explains how "For John Wesley personal experiences of grace lead individuals to share God’s grace with others producing fruit in community."
You may also like to read Dr. Warner's From Grace to Good Works; Growing in Holiness and Leading Simply.Seven Reasons We Preachers Don’t Always Know What Our Church is Thinking . . . and a Reason to Get a “Know Your Church Report”
Chuck Lawless explains why he is a fan of te "Know Your Church Report."
Sound Equipment Essentials for the Portable Church
If your congregation is a portable church that meets in a secular space each weekend, like a school gymnasium, community center, or outdoor space, you’re probably spending hours loading and unloading equipment. Being a portable church can have its challenges, but audio doesn’t have to be one of them. Full Compass can help you build a foundation of audio equipment that allows you to create a sacred space anywhere, under any budget. Let’s explore the gear you’ll need to fit your unique needs, streamline your set up, and do it all while wisely stewarding your congregation’s resources.
How to Use the Bible on Your Phone
Having access to the Bible digitally is a tremendous blessing for the church, and yet, this resource is often undervalued. Even as there are many reasons why you should open the Bible in print, here are five advantages to reading it on your phone or computer.
Your Personality Test Doesn’t Give You a Pass on the Fruit of the Spirit
The problem with personality tests ... is we can sometimes dismiss or diminish clear biblical standards that don’t align with our self-perception.
'Radical' expansion of assisted suicide in Oregon is 'too extreme'
This legislation and Canada's euthanasia laws should concern all who are committed to preserving human life, the elderly and people with disabilities, as well as babies in their mother's womb.
The decline of those with a biblical worldview reflects God's judgment in weeding out the nominals and lukewarmers. It is not a bad thing. But we do need to up our evangelistic efforts... correctly setting the sail so that when God decides to send His wind of the Spirit, we will be ready.
ReplyDeleteI personally prefer not to assume that I know what is God's judgment in this matter. Among reasons that there has been a decline in the number of people with what Barna defines as a biblical world view is that local churches have failed to present that worldview in a way that is understandable to people living in the last 100 odd years. There is also not agreement on what constitutes a biblical world view. Barna created his own definition for the purpose of his survey. Some might argue that a Christ-centered worldview is more important than a biblical one, seeing ourselves, the world, and others through the eyes of Christ. I agree that local churches do need to engage in evangelism which as been greatly neglected in the last few decades. I also believe that local churches will discover when they return to Great Commission (or embrace the Great Commission for the first time in some cases) that they will experience the Holy Spirit in ways that they have not been experiencing the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to empower each generation of his disciples to carryout the mission that he entrusted to the Church as represented by the first disciples. The reason many local churches do not experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit is that they are not faithful in carrying out this mission.
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