Wednesday's Catch: 'Giving is up at churches and people are back....' And More

Giving is up at churches and people are back, but clergy are still thinking about quitting
While life at local congregations has returned mostly to normal, the future remains uncertain.

5 Encouraging Church Trends Right Now
A recent report presents five trends that can give church leaders and members hope that the post-pandemic reality continues to improve.

The New Golden Handcuffs for Pastors (It’s Mortgage Rates)
The real estate market is encouraging some pastors to stay put. For now.

Bad Church Stewardship Ideas: 4 Mistakes Churches Make
As we seek to cast a vision for real generosity, we need to first begin by asking ourselves if what we are doing is working. Are we treating the symptoms or addressing the heart?

4 Ways to Talk About Money in Your Church
How do you talk about money in your church? Talking about money is not always easy. This sensitive topic often gets brushed under the rug in the church. The truth is that we need to have conversations about money if we want to keep our churches running. It’s important to be willing to talk about finances openly and honestly. But how do you do it? How do you break the silence?

New Mohawk translation of the Bible published
The completion of the Bible in the Mohawk language is being celebrated in Canada this month. The Mohawk translation was carried out mostly by Harvey Satewas Gabriel, of Kanesatake, Quebec, and took over 17 years to complete.

Can It Be Forgotten?
We may well worry about decline in religious affiliation or the moral failures of our Christian communities, but what if there is an additional, more intimate problem in the life of the church — a failure in our adherence and attention to the sacred page?

Why Youth Group Involvement Is Down (and What to Do About It)
When kids don’t attend consistently, it’s hard for youth ministers to connect relationally, build community, or disciple effectively.

Bike Ministry on a roll at Sarah Jane Johnson UMC
The Bike Ministry grew from a summer youth outreach effort 16-years ago that included workshops where participants worked on their own bikes, side-by-side with volunteers from the Southern Tier Bike Club, gaining repair and regular maintenance skills. While many were reached and served that summer, church and bike club leadership saw first-hand just how many children are without bikes. In talking with folks from other outreach ministries, they learned about the benefits bikes would be for some adults too

Two Reasons Why Our Evangelism Isn’t Working
One in five Americans don’t believe in a deity. Less than half of the population attends religious services on a regular basis. Our evangelism isn’t working. People simply find our evangelism unbelievable. Why? While a person’s response to Christ is ultimately a matter that rests in God’s sovereign hands—something we have no control over—a person’s hearing of the gospel is a matter we do have control over and responsibility for.

American belief in fixed binary gender is growing
The percentage of Americans who believe only two fixed genders exist is steadily increasing, and more than a quarter claim young people are being coerced into being transgender, according to new polling data from Public Religion Research Institute.

NJ challenges Ocean Grove Christian group’s limit on private beach access on Sundays
Ocean Grove, a New Jersey community in Neptune Township founded by Methodist ministers in 1869 as a “Christian seaside resort” has been warned by state officials that their longstanding tradition of limiting access to their privately owned beach before noon on Sundays during the summer months to accommodate church services and maintain the character of their community is a violation of state law.