Many seasoned Christians and churches struggle to know how to help adult converts navigate the ‘now what’ of faith.
I am personally convinced that one of the major reasons that many US churches are experiencing declining attendance is the failure of theses churches not only to engage in evangelism but also to adequately disciple church members and attendees. While it is tempting to blame a changing culture, I believe that we would do well by taking Jesus' advice and looking closer at home for the reasons for the declining attendance. Churches have also adopted worship practices which encourages a consumer mentality and passivity in church members and attendees. Practices of this type can be found in both contemporary and traditional churches. They may take a different form but they produce the same results.The Idolatry of Worship Service Flow
It appears the flow in worship is becoming the end goal, the measuring tool to gauge how successful a worship service was.
When it comes to worship flow, it is a balancing act between two extremes: we give it too much attention or we do not give it enough attention.Why You Should Use Hymns
Hymns, even hymns sung to the older tunes, can be integrated into a ervice of public worship with more recent compositions.
How to Help Students Learn to Be Wise
...now more than ever, teenagers need help developing their critical thinking skills so they can wisely discern truth from lies out there in the massive marketplace of ideas (Philippians 1:9-11). They’ll drown if they don’t learn how to evaluate and synthesize information from a Christian worldview. And these critical thinking skills pretty much always involve encouraging them to ask questions—tough questions.
What Can We Learn From Children’s Ministry in Ecuador?
In Ecuador, an amazing: 26.1% of the population is under the age of 15. This percentage represents almost 5 million people—a lot of young lives to reach for Jesus. If you were to include Ecuadoran teens ages 15 to 19, that’s more than 1 in 3 people across the country under age 20.It’s no surprise, then, that the largest-attendance church in Ecuador has a thriving ministry to children and youth. What is surprising, though, is that their approach is quite simple, something any church of any size might try.
The Six Laws of Technology
There is a fascinating article in the Wall Street Journal titled “The Six Laws of Technology Everyone Should Know.” It is based on the writings of Melvin Kranzberg, a professor of the history of technology at Georgia Institute of Technology.He wrote about these laws 30 years ago, based on examples taken from the Cold War. But they have become legendary among technologists, serving as something of a Hippocratic oath for all people who build things. It’s a fascinating list and worth thinking about deeply....
Is it ever OK to lie? Pastors and theologians respond
In a world where the truth is often tainted and an occasional white lie may seem more ethical than telling a brutally honest truth, many believers may wonder if exceptions exist to the Ten Commandments' prohibition on lying — or bearings a false witness.
Church in U.S. sees shift toward LGBTQ inclusion
In their regional meetings this spring and summer, U.S. United Methodists signaled their desire for the denomination to become more LGBTQ-welcoming. But even as they expressed openness to change some denominational policies, a number of annual conferences reaffirmed that United Methodists remain steadfast in their commitment to core Christian doctrines.
In abandoning the United Methodist Church socially-conservative clergy ad congregations may have facilitated the removal of the denomination's bans related to homosexuality by removing a major obstacle to the removal of those bands--themselves!
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