Thursday's Catch: ''Lessons from Church Autopsies' And More

Lessons from Church Autopsies, Part 1: Dealing with Denial

Between 8,000 and 12,000 churches close annually in the United States. Thom examines one of the leading factors in the death of churches: denial.

Lessons from Church Autopsies, Part 2: The Failure to Deal with Toxins
Between 8,000 and 12,000 churches close annually in the United States. Thom examines one of the factors in the death of churches: toxic church members.

Lessons from Church Autopsies, Part 3: Refusal to Accept Responsibility
Between 8,000 and 12,000 churches close annually in the United States. Thom examines some of the common excuses we've heard that lead to church death.

Before You Modernize Your Church Building
This article will walk you through the full menu of the best ways to modernize your church building, from visuals to sound system and security software.

YES in God’s Back Yard!
Richard Reinhard shares how some congregations are using their property to develop affordable housing and meet other community needs, as well as local initiatives to lower the barriers to this type of development.

9 Lessons from Nehemiah for Faith-based Property Development
David Bowers draws key lessons from the biblical story of Nehemiah to guide churches that are redeveloping their buildings or property to serve community needs. He says that such development is difficult, but doable, when approached with the correct spiritual and practical perspectives.

Working through the Stages of Grief when Cutting Your Budget Dan Pezet says a major alignment in a church’s budget can be accompanied by all the classic stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, and depression. By acknowledging these phases and allowing people to come to grips with their emotions a church will ultimately find its way to the final stage of grief—acceptance.

8 Ideas to Encourage Kids to Share God’s Love at School
We’ve compiled these super-smart ideas for you to help kids show Jesus’ love throughout the school year.

Bible Lesson: We Show Kindness by Encouraging Each Other
In this Bible lesson for all ages, kids explore Genesis 37 as they discover what it means to show kindness by encouraging others.

God Uses the Weakest Saints for His Powerful Ministry
God is inviting us into his work, to partner with him, not do the work for him. John 15:15 says he calls us friends, not servants, because servants don’t know what their master is doing. Jesus makes known to his disciples what he wants to do in the world, not necessarily because he needs us, but because he wants to use us, his willing vessels.