Wednesday's Catch: '7 Questions to Determine if Your Advent Traditions are Still Meaningful' And More

7 Questions to Determine if Your Advent Traditions are Still Meaningful
Meghan Hatcher says planning for Advent is the perfect time to assess whether a ministry tradition is still serving its intended purpose. She suggests seven questions to help determine if a long-standing ministry is still offering people a transformative encounter with the Gospel, or if it’s time for a change.

5 Practices for Fruitful Congregations in a Post-Attractional Era
Robert Schnase’s five key practices — radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, risk-taking mission and service, and extravagant generosity — have helped thousands of congregations be more fruitful in ministry. In 2018, Schnase reframed these key practices to move beyond attractional assumptions and address the more challenging realities churches face today.

5 Turnoffs for Millennials Seeking a Church
Drawing on research conducted by the Barna Group, Jeremy Steele outlines some of the turnoffs for millennials when they visit new churches. An outdated digital presence and a lack of diversity top the list.

Greening Your Gift-Giving
This Christmas season take to heart John Wesley’s Rule for Christian Living: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can!”

Actually John Wesley said nothing of the sort but he did encourage the early Methodists to do good to others as the apostles encouraged all Chrstians.

See also: “Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly…” and Greening Your Celebrations.

4 Ways to Prepare Churchgoers for Their Next Church
Your church can equip those who leave to start at their next congregation as more mature disciples than they were when you first met them.

4 Functions of a Church Choir
Brian Hehn says a church can have a vital music ministry if its choir focuses on four key functions — leading and enlivening congregational singing, singing music that the congregation cannot, serving as a small group within the church for faith formation, and singing music that glorifies God and edifies the congregation.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like…Christmas?
...who doesn’t like seeing kids perform in church? (slowly raises her hand)…ME.

4 Steps for Developing a Digital Community Strategy
Deanna Bartalini and Claudia McIvor say gathering people virtually is not that different than gathering in person. Both require intentionality, as well as a plan, a place or platform to help execute the plan, advertising, and engaging with the people who gather. They outline four key steps in developing a digital community strategy.

You Can’t Deepfake In-Person Relationships
The embodied community of the local church offers a ready solution to this growing problem of deepfake technology.

10 Tips for Building Genuine Connections with Your Neighbors
Kay Kotan says we can no longer wait for people to come to church. The church must go out into the community and meet its neighbors. She provides ten easy strategies for your church to build genuine connections with your neighbors.

All Evangelism Is Important – But Is it Equal?
All evangelism is important but all evangelism is not equal. There is a difference between a church having an evangelistic invitation (e.g., altar call) during a worship gathering and a church sending members to share the gospel with unreached people groups. Yet, most people would say both of these churches are evangelistic.