Tuesday's Catch: 'Rebuilding the Local Church After a Decline' And More

Rebuilding the Local Church After a Decline

Rebuilding after a pandemic, moral failure, neighborhood decline, etc., is difficult. For the longest time, decline was seen as the pastor’s fault, but today it should be seen as a microcosm of a significant societal shift. Instead of ignoring the decline, the church has an opportunity to look at ways to rebuild from the loss.

Infusing Evangelism Into the DNA of New Churches
I must agree with Kevin Harney. Most new church plants are not intentional or strategic in carrying out the Great Commission in the community or neighborhood in which they were planted.

10 Reasons Church Attendance Is Declining (Even for Committed Christians)
This isn’t a post about why people are leaving the church (that’s a different subject). This is the first in a series of posts about church attenders who love God, appreciate the local church, and are even involved in the local church, but who simply attend less often. So, why all this attention? This trend isn’t going away…in fact, it’s accelerating. It impacts almost every church regardless of size, denomination, or even location. It probably marks a seismic shift in how the church will do ministry in the future.

Also see: "Weather Most Likely Reason for Churchgoers Skipping Services."

12 Ways Parking Lot Greeters Can Serve
Greeters make a difference in a church, and some of the strongest churches I know have them everywhere from the parking lot to the welcome center to the hallways to the small group rooms. Here are some things greeters can do in the parking lot....

VOICES: Bridging the opposing views of woman pastors
Do women qualify for the office of pastor? Two recent CP articles take opposite views and each offers useful observations about the issue. Is there a way to bring those two different views closer?

Our common call: How historic Baptist theology affirms my call to pastoral ministry
"I am more confident in my call to pastoral ministry because I know historic Baptist theology. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the common anointing for ministry are basic to Baptist thought and have helped me be more affirmed in my call from God as a woman serving as pastor of a Baptist church," writes Maddie Rarick, pastor of Meadow Oaks Baptist Church in Temple, Texas.

Theses on the North American Anglican Schism 

Cole Hartin offers five theses related to the ACNA-TEC split.

Regret About Transitioning: When Trans Teens Have Second Thoughts
The debate about trans kids involves important questions. Are minors old enough to make life-altering decisions about their own bodies? Are doctors rushing children into gender-affirming health care? What if kids later regret the steps involved with transitioning? Is detransitioning possible? Is it successful?

13 Principles for Teaching the Bible
As they seek to improve at teaching the Bible, every pastor and teacher should consider these principles with every text they teach.

Child Check in Systems for Churches
Choosing from all the child check in systems for churches that are available can be overwhelming, but there are a few features that are especially helpful in setting parents at ease. Here’s what to look for in your child check-in system.... 

Theology: The Missing Piece in Discipleship

If our understanding of the Great Commission is primarily a call to evangelism, we’ve forgotten a key piece: theology.

Religion shapes vaccine views – but how exactly? Our analysis looks at ideas about God and beliefs about the Bible 

This article examines the role of religion in vaccine attitudes and behaviors, based on the research conducted by its authors to date.