Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Tuesday's Catch: 'Christmas No Longer Most Popular Holiday in America' And More

Thanksgiving is the most popular and well-known holiday in the country, topping Christmas and other festive days on the popularity list.

A Christmas Reminder: 8 Reasons Why People Aren’t Coming Back 
Greg Atkinson shares a number of reasons why guests will not return for a second visit to a church, which he has identified as a mystery worshipper.

Think You Know the Christmas Story?
Michael J. Kruger identifies five common misconceptions about Christmas.

The Curious History of Christmas
As day dawned over England on December 25, 1647, the nation woke to the strangest Christmas of all: no Christmas. For the first time, Christmas had been canceled.

Christian Life, Ministry and Mission in the 2020s: Current Points of Debate
"In my first article I argued that there is a growing consensus among reformed evangelicals about how best to encourage Christian life, ministry and mission in our current Western cultural context, " writes Mikey Lynch. "The discussion has gently moved on. There are now different points of discussion. This article will outline some of these points and share some notes of commentary on them."

The Undeniable, Irresistible Resilience of the Small Church
There is an undeniable, irresistible resilience of the small church. Small churches are not better than big churches. Big churches aren’t better than small ones. The arguments we have about size are silly, dangerous and missing the point.

Pastoral Oversight and the Musical Ministry of the Church
Songs are shepherding tools. We think of the word preached as a tool of the shepherd, and it is. We think of prayer as a shepherding tool, and it is. We think of baptism and the Lord’s Supper as shepherding tools, and they are. But do we think of the songs as shepherding tools?

4 Ways Discipleship Is Broken in the U.S. Church
Here’s the present reality. When it comes to discipleship in the American church today, there are some broken parts. What are they? Here are at least four.

3 Essential Practices for New Christians
Christmas services will soon be here and we’ll be communicating the message of salvation through Christ. That IS good news. And the great prayer of the Church is for an extraordinary number of people to say yes to Jesus in Christmas services around the world. What is our responsibility to these New Christians? Like with a newborn to our own families, new believers deserve the very best of love and intentional care.Helping new Christians grow in their faith is core to the mission of the Church.

Christian Friendship, and 3 Reasons Why 2 Are Better than 1
As human beings, we were not meant to live in isolation; we are meant for each other. That “each other” includes all kinds of relationships - marriages, church groups, and just basic friendships included. In all these cases, two are better than one.

No comments: