Monday, December 23, 2024

Monday's Catch: 'Keeping the Twelve Days of Christmas' And More


Keeping the Twelve Days of Christmas
Whether we have had a meditative and reflective Advent or have been non-canonically celebrating Christmas since All Hallow’s, the 12 days are approaching, and it is wise to ask how we will keep them. As with all the Church’s seasons, there are some wonderful opportunities. I’d like to suggest a few ways of keeping merry not for one day, but for the season. Let’s mark the 12 days even if the commercial world has moved on to New Year’s and — God help us — Valentine’s Day.

How You Can Help Your Community Trust Your Church Again
This post is focused on how people outside your church see your church and, more importantly, what you can do about it.
Building community trust is still a task facing local churches just a little more than a week away from the beginning of 2025.
Christians in the Twenty-First Century: Churchgoers or Disciples of Jesus?
Like the preceding article, this article was also written in 2023. It is as relevant today as it was then, arguably even more so.
Christianity Today removed the article to which this article is linked.
5 Lessons for New Church Planters
Here are five lessons I’ve learned recently that I’m clinging to today and will return to as our church matures.

What was the star that the wise men followed?
At Christmas, we remember the wise men who followed a star to Bethlehem. But what was the star? This is the story....

Five Powerful Prayers for Your Christmas Eve Service
Most churches will have more guests during a Christmas Eve service than in any other service throughout the year. What will you say to God with all these new people listening? As pastors, we have the unique opportunity in a Christmas Eve service to lead our congregations—and numerous guests from the community—in prayer. These five prayers can serve as guides, helping to set a joyful tone and celebratory atmosphere for the birth of Jesus.

How (Not) to Use AI: Three Principles
This article might have been better if ChatGPT had written it. But I think I’m better off for having it written it myself. And in the long run, that’s more important to me.

Teens and Church: 6 Things Young People Need From You
Asking what teens want from church is the wrong question. What teenagers desire from a faith community doesn’t compare to what they need. So let’s look at the topic from that angle.

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