Thursday's Catch: 'Growing From the Ashes' And More

Growing From the Ashes
To rise from the ashes through revitalization, each team member (pastor, board member, and lay member) must be committed to understanding the problem, capturing the vision and willing to implement the steps to turn the church around.

They Knocked Down a Church in My Neighborhood
This week, construction crews finished destroying a church building in my neighborhood. I drove past last weekend to mourn one final time. The white columns and colonial steeple still stood. But the sanctuary, offices, classrooms, and fellowship hall had already been chewed into dust by excavators.

Embracing Creative Outreach in Your Ministry
I believe every church should embrace creativity to reach new people with the gospel. Any church can learn to do this if they live out these five principles.

Churches Less Likely Than Before to Provide Help for Those With Opioid Addiction
Compared to five years ago, pastors are less likely to say their churches provide help for people dealing with opioid addiction.

Church Members Who Do This One Thing Will Be Your Most Committed Members
Thom and Jess examine factors that predict church member commitment. You might be surprised that one factor predicts commitment more than others.

Can We Predict Future Church Attendance by Race, Age, Gender, Education, and Income?
While Americans' demographics can't always predict future church commitment, a couple of areas are beginning to show some correlation. Jess and Thom examine these two areas.

The Global Methodist Church will meet in Costa Rica. Sexuality is not on the agenda.
The new denomination, with 4,715 congregations, will meet to adopt a constitution and iron out its governance structure.

‘Seven Hypotheses’ Stir Debate in Canadian Church
The Anglican Church of Canada has seen precipitous decline in recent decades, and a church commission says it needs to change its structures “to enable a greater capacity within the church to proclaim the Gospel.” “Reimagining the Church,” a report from the Primates’ Commission on Proclaiming the Gospel in the Twenty-First Century released in August, lays out seven “hypotheses” that mostly focus on colonialism, structure, and expenses, and commends them for churchwide discussion.

Losing Motivation 

As a pastor, if you have discovered your motivation has taken a vacation and left you behind, you are not alone. Many others are in this place, and it’s challenging to regain a sense of direction, motivation, and stamina once you’ve entered burnout mode. The good news is, you can rediscover your motivation. It might take a little thoughtful creativity, but we have some tools to help get you there.

10 Questions Every Small Group Leader Should Keep in Their Bible
Picture this. It is 90 minutes before small group. You just got in from mowing the lawn and are in bad need of a shower when you get this text: So sorry I won’t be able to teach tonight. Can you lead group for me? Thanks! If this ever happens, you will be glad you have these ten questions tucked in your Bible. They can be used for any Bible passage—kind of like an already-prepared-meal. Simply read this week’s Bible passage and ask these ten questions. Obviously, some will apply better than others to any particular passage.