Monday's Catch: 'It Is Time to Stop Celebrating Church Transfer Growth: A Church Answers Research Article' And More

It Is Time to Stop Celebrating Church Transfer Growth: A Church Answers Research Article

“My church has been experiencing growth due to the decline of sister churches around the area. I feel sad for the declining churches, but this also creates a potential problem in my church: the complacent attitude of the members who believe that we don’t need to reach out to people. Can someone see the issue here?” 

46% Of Us Adults Now Unchurched
Barna makes these observations: “Attracting churchless people to corporate faith usually requires more than a few incremental refinements in outreach strategy and tactics. This is about more than improved marketing and having greeters at the church’s front door."

Trumpism Is Emptying Churches
The former president’s embrace of White Christian militantism coincides with a precipitous decline in religious affiliation in the US.

Also see: Linking the Decline in US Religious Affiliation to the Rise of Trump's Christian Nationalism

If You’re a Small Church, Stop Trying to Look Big
Why embracing your size, can make you remarkable....

I learned to avoid making this mistake from reading Michael Marshall's Renewal in Worship in the 1980s. At the time I was pioneering a new church plant and was involved in the planning of its worship services. We put into practice Bishop Marshall's recommendation that we tailor our services to our circumstances such as size, ministry target group, available resources, and the like, rather than try to imitate the worship of a larger church. It proved to be a wise decision. We would become the fastest growing church in the diocese.

'Forgotten Scot' who inspired Tolkien and CS Lewis
This year marks 200 years since the birth of George MacDonald, whose fantasy writing and ideas on faith inspired literary greats including JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis.

Embracing Collaborative Leadership: Moving Beyond the CEO Model
In recent years, churches and organizations have undergone significant shifts across various facets, spanning from attendance trends to resource allocation and volunteer recruitment. However, one prominent change stands out amidst this evolution: a transition towards collaborative leadership.

10 Tests of Good Praise and Worship Leadership
How is your praise and worship leadership? How do you know if you are a good worship leader? Mark Cole suggests a few guidelines that will help to quantify your answer to these questions.

7 Ways to Prepare Your Church’s Small Groups for Summer
Don’t lose sight of the fact that your groups need to prepare for the summer months when attendance typically declines for a bit.

Also see: The Next Big Thing in Small Groups

Christian students talk self-censorship, death threats and why sharing faith is not optional
A study recently published by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe (OIDAC) in 2022 revealed the reality of self-censorship, most prevalent among college students. A documentary film based on this study launched in January 2024. In it, students, who were identified only by their first names, admit to keeping quiet when they believe they should've spoken in name of their faith.

The Best Fuel for Your Ministry Fire
Losing heart? Try winning souls.

We do not "win souls" with our persuasiveess. Rather the Holy Spirit may use our words to move someone to repentance and faith.

How to Share the Gospel with Someone Struggling with Addiction
Addicts are people like everyone else. As such, they need the gospel like everyone else.

Trump says abortion should be left to states, declines to endorse national limit
Former president Donald Trump, who has wavered between highlighting and downplaying his role in curtailing abortion rights, suggested Monday that the politically volatile issue should be left to states, after months of mixed signals about his position.

At one time Trump was pro-choice. When he is not playing the victim at his rallies or appealing to his audience's fears and prejudices, he tells his audience what be believes what they want to hear, what will garner votes for him. One of the consequences is a tendency to vacillate on a number of issues. If, however, you look at his past conduct, his overall policies while he was president, and his more recent proposals, it is quite clear that he is not pro-life. Being pro-life involves more than being anti-abortion.

Trump’s perverted and violent rhetoric requires a response
Donald Trump reposted a video to his personal social media website depicting President Joe Biden with his hands and feet tied together in the back of a pickup truck. Disgusting, but what’s new? Observing Trump’s perverse rhetorics — visual and verbal — can produce Post Trump Traumatic Syndrome.

A neuroscientist explains how Trump is using existential fear to win the election 

The 2024 election is heating up, and Donald Trump is back to using his number one political strategy to grab Americans’ attention and galvanize his base: fear.

Trump’s history of politicizing murders is outrageous — and par for the course
Donald Trump has used yet another violent crime victim to boost his presidential campaign. Trump has faced backlash since Tuesday for invoking the name of Ruby Garcia, a woman allegedly killed by an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, and for lying about having spoken to her family.