Wednesday's Catch: '7 Ideas for Fostering Connections with Unchurched People' And More

7 Ideas for Fostering Connections with Unchurched People
Three in 4 pastors say fostering connections with unchurched people is a top priority. Here are seven practical ways to engage with others.

5 Reasons People Are Drifting From Church
There’s a big difference between missing a Sunday and disconnecting from your church. Life is busy! Vacations, travel for work, kids have travel ball, and the needed recharge at the lake or cabin is wonderful. That’s part of life. But when part of life turns into a different life, it may be time to re-think your new trend and the possible results...When it comes to church, drift leads to distance and distance leads to disconnection.

‘This Effort Falls Woefully Short’—Christian Leaders Denounce 2024 Republican Party Platform for Compromising on Abortion
The 2024 Republican Party Platform, which the Republican National Committee (RNC) adopted Monday, July 8, has drawn sharp criticism from Christian leaders for softening the party’s stance against abortion. The platform comes from presidential candidate and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and has also received criticism for the process by which the RNC adopted it.

Trump is for one thing and one thing only--Trump!

The problem with Trump’s change of heart on abortion
Trump’s reason for being pro-life depends on the potential outcome of the child in the womb, rather than the fact that there is a child in the womb.

America in the Midst of a ‘Generational Transformation’ of its Moral Landscape
What Millennials began, Gen Z is accelerating, regarding the generational transformation of the nation’s moral landscape. This, according to new data from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University’s American Worldview Inventory 2024.

Ministers of Propaganda decodes false gospel of Religious Right
Celebrity preachers, entrepreneurial theologians, parachurch leaders and conservative pundits have sold millions of Americans a false gospel that legitimizes discriminatory social arrangements, argues Scott Coley in his provocative book, Ministers of Propaganda: Truth, Power, and the Ideology of the Religious Right.

When You Feel Too Paralyzed to Pray
Sometimes, Christians chafe against the idea of using prewritten prayers, thinking spontaneous prayers are more spiritual. But prewritten prayers need not be dry, rote, or unspiritual. Rightly done, using another’s words can be a spiritually fruitful practice.... How can we incorporate prewritten prayers into our spiritual life? Here are a few tips.

Watch Out for Extreme Heat Effects at Church-Related Children's Events
Extreme heat can mean scheduling church-related outdoor children's events at times for less warm times of day, packing plenty of water and taking frequent breaks in shade.

4 Ingredients to Take Your Preteen Ministry to the Next Level
While not all great ministry models look the same, I believe there are four core ingredients to embed into any preteen ministry to take it to the next level. I call these four ingredients the secret sauce.

5 Summer-Time Crafts, Games, and More!
Make a splash this summer with these sizzling new games, crafts, and ideas that’ll make kids come back for more.

8 Dazzling Summer Ideas to Use in Children’s Ministry
Amaze kids and families with these eight dazzling summer ideas that’ll help them grow closer to God.

Upholding the Great Commission amid sociopolitical turmoil
The entanglement of politics and religion can lead to a distortion of biblical truth and a selective interpretation of Scripture to justify partisan agendas.

5 Keys to Energize Your Evangelism this Year
Starting off the new year, many establish new goals, whether in areas they feel completely confident in or in areas where little notice has been taken. Sharing your faith is key to growing closer to God, but is often an aspect of discipleship in which believers feel they have a lot of room to grow. Whether you’re a rookie or a pro at witnessing to others, here are five tips to energize your evangelism goals.

What if the Unreached Don’t Want to Be Reached
In God’s providence, some people grow in cultures with fewer barriers to the gospel, others with more. However, everyone, even a person raised in a Christian home, has natural walls against the gospel. Fundamentally, the difference is not whether one wants or doesn’t want to be reached, but how much one doesn’t want to be reached.