We are now entering a new era beyond the post-pandemic phase. We are in a “post post” pandemic era. It is significantly different than the months after churches regathered in-person. Most church leaders and members, however, have not adjusted to the rapid pace of changes accelerated by the pandemic and its aftermath. This reality can best be explained by five new challenges confronting churches today.
These obervations must be tempered by the growing awareness that COVID-19 is not seasonal like flu. It continues to mutate into new variations and surges of infections can occur at any time during the year. Churches cannot take a dismissive attitude to the virus as is sometimes taken on social media. Such a atttude is irresponsible where the health, safety, and well-being of a local church and the community or neighborhood to which it ministers is concerned.It’s Time for a Relational Inventory
It has been said that what you will be like in five years is based on two things: The books that you read and the people you spend time with. It is difficult to underestimate the impact of the people who surround you.
A House-Going Parson Makes a Church-Going People
In all the talk about how to reverse the Church’s decline, there is rarely much about the need to revive dependable, effective, and attentive pastoral visiting among clergy. Invariably our debates center on styles of worship or models of local ministry (usually limited to structure and governance), as though what clergy do outside of Sundays or within their office is immaterial. Indeed, when pastoral visiting is mentioned it’s often as one of the more obvious jobs that can be done by the laity and so is left for them to do alone. This is fundamentally to misunderstand the purpose of pastoral visiting.
When I was a teen, two members of the clergy regularly visited my home, the priest of the local Episcopal church and the pastor of a local Baptist church.My grandparents, my mother, and I attended the Episcopal church. My older brother attended the Baptist church.Who exactly is the pastor?
The pastor can be a friend of sorts, but not a buddy.
What belongs on the Lord's table?
What belongs on the Lord’s table? The short answer to the question is: “Whatever is needed for the celebration of the sacrament of Holy Communion, and little or nothing more.”
Whatever the denomination with which they may be associated, the communion table in too many churches is cluttered with things that are not necessary to a celebration of the sacrament of Holy Communion.8 Elements Common to Answered Prayers
The fictitious gods of the Greek pantheon were unbelievably capricious and vindictive. The true and living God of the Bible is the exact opposite. He tells us what to ask for, and even when we ask amiss, he grants us only that which is good for us and for his glory.
Convenience or Connection: What’s Our Ministry Motivation?
Is there an alternative to the now-traditional approach to Sunday mornings and mid-week that would utilize the budget (whatever it is) in an impactful way, reduce the reliance on reluctant volunteers, and increase the significance of the ministry within the congregation?
How A Pastor Can Feed the Flock Every Day on Social Media
Pastor, what if there was a way to triple the number of people in your church who: read the Bible each morning… pray daily for the church and its mission… remember and apply what they hear during your sermons… without adding a ton of work to your already busy schedule?
Why We Should Keep Sharing Christ, Even With the Same People
Has someone you love not become a Christian despite your best evangelistic efforts? Are you feeling like a failure? Keep sharing Christ! Below are reasons why perseverance in evangelism is right.
Three dozen NC churches have agreed to leave the UMC under approved plan
After a judge dismissed their lawsuit, the 36 churches in the Western North Carolina Conference agreed to leave under the denomination's exit plan. They will formally exit in November.
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