Thursday's Catch: '5 Ways to See Potential in Church Decline' And More

5 Ways to See Potential in Church Decline
Finding any hope in a declining church may seem counterproductive. Still, even with the disappearance of members, a ministry can be reborn if a church and the leadership trust God in the process of rebounding from decline. In church revitalization, there is a tendency to give up before the church sees realized results. This is due in no small part to the high expectations of future growth and the need to understand that it takes time to rebuild after a long decline. Do not forsake small beginnings because God can and will use a small amount of faith and a small number of people to do something new. As author and self-help teacher Karen Salmoansohon said, “Hold the vision, trust the process.” Here are five ways to see potential in church decline.

The Burge Report: Higher Education Leads to More Church Attendance
The data may surprise you. Multiple studies confirm there is a positive correlation between higher education and church attendance. In other words, the more education you receive, the greater the likelihood you attend regularly in a church. Thom and Sam interview Ryan Burge to get the details about this phenomenon in American religion.

Fuel for the Heart in Seoul
Last Saturday I left Seoul, South Korea, after a week full of global reports, inspiring TED-style talks, powerful sermons, and jaw-dropping worship. he Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization—a globe-encompassing gathering of evangelicals, launched by Billy Graham in 1974 and held roughly every 15 years since—was a rousing success in my book. Three of us from Dare 2 Share were there—Debbie Bresina, Jason Lamb, and me—and we all agree that this event was both inspiring and challenging. Here are my top takeaways.

Anglican Network in Europe inaugurates third diocese
On Tuesday night in Manchester, hundreds gathered at the Church of Restoration in Wythenshawe for the inauguration of the third diocese of the Anglican Network in Europe and the consecration of their first diocesan bishop, Rt Rev Dr Gideon Illechukwu.

Pastor, Guard Your Church from Drift
In this article Collin Hansen offers two ways church members tend to drift today, and he presets one solution: godly pastors.

Avoiding the disaster of hyper-Calvinism
Hyper-Calvinists believe in God’s control so strongly that they fail to see any reason to do anything or to pray or to evangelise. After all, God will do what God will do, so why bother?

You Asked: Can I Pray to Jesus?
Many Christians pray to Jesus. But are they right to do so? It’s certainly a good question. I believe there are at least two sound reasons to pray to Jesus—-one theological and one scriptural.

Unpacking the State of Groups (Webinar Replay)
Would you like to know if your church's Bible study groups are "healthy"? Lifeway Research has conducted a large post-pandemic survey about groups and group ministry, and we have the answers! Spend an hour with Ken Braddy, Lifeway's Director of Sunday School, and members of the Lifeway Research team as they present insights from this survey during this fast-paced webinar. Discover some alarming trends, plus best practices and how to have a more vibrant group ministry in your church.

Also See: Small Groups Remain Key Aspect of Churches’ Discipleship Ministry and 5 Benefits of Limiting Group Size

Mentoring Doesn’t Happen Only in Coffee Shops
We don’t have to participate in a formal program or meet with a mentor every week to learn from other believers. Here are three ways mentoring can happen outside a coffee shop.

The World Doesn’t Need You to Be Angry
Remember, if Jesus said we’d be known as his disciples by our love for one another, what does it tell the people around us when we are as hostile and divisive as everyone else?