For decades, worship attendance has been the default metric for measuring church success. While some may argue it’s outdated or superficial, the truth is more complex. Let’s start with the sobering reality: Between 70% and 80% of churches in North America are either plateaued or declining. One of the key reasons? Less than 1% of churches maintain an ongoing emphasis on evangelism. Without a clear commitment to reaching new people, growth naturally slows or stalls. So, while attendance isn’t the only measure of health, it remains one of the most revealing.
How to Recruit & Retain Church Volunteers: Proven Strategies
A friend asked me, “How did you do it? How did you get everyone to volunteer and then continue volunteering?” It was a great question.
I had yet to stop and think about it. Well, now I have stopped, and as my mother would say, “I have had a ponder.” Here are my reflections.
Selfish, Lifeless, Loveless Christianity
It’s holiday season, which means it’s also hospitality season. It’s in the summer that so many people travel and in the summer that so many of us find friends or relatives dropping by for a day or for a week. As this summer began, I realized I would be both host and hosted in the weeks ahead and found myself pondering one half of one of the Bible’s commands.
Soul Food: 10 Months Post-Helene. 25,000 Meals. And No Plans to Stop
n Helene’s immediate aftermath, floodwaters lapped at Clyde Central United Methodist Church. But that just made it easy for first responders — they paddled rafts up to the church doors to deposit waterlogged and weary evacuees.
Selfish, Lifeless, Loveless Christianity
It’s holiday season, which means it’s also hospitality season. It’s in the summer that so many people travel and in the summer that so many of us find friends or relatives dropping by for a day or for a week. As this summer began, I realized I would be both host and hosted in the weeks ahead and found myself pondering one half of one of the Bible’s commands.
Soul Food: 10 Months Post-Helene. 25,000 Meals. And No Plans to Stop
n Helene’s immediate aftermath, floodwaters lapped at Clyde Central United Methodist Church. But that just made it easy for first responders — they paddled rafts up to the church doors to deposit waterlogged and weary evacuees.
Sometime shortly after that, as the Pigeon River slowly receded, Denise Teague wandered through the doors looking to help out wherever she could. With some other dazed volunteers, she cobbled together an ad-hoc dinner for aid workers and anyone else who needed the food, and served it out of Clyde Central’s Fellowship Hall. Nine months and over 25,000 meals later, Teague has essentially never left.
Dangerously high temperatures continue for much of US this week
More than 185 million people across from South Dakota to Florida and up the East Coast to Boston are on alert for widespread, dangerous heat on Monday and into the new work week, and parts of the Southeast could experience the brunt of the sweltering conditions.
Dangerously high temperatures continue for much of US this week
More than 185 million people across from South Dakota to Florida and up the East Coast to Boston are on alert for widespread, dangerous heat on Monday and into the new work week, and parts of the Southeast could experience the brunt of the sweltering conditions.
The highest temperatures on Monday will be focused in the southeast from the Carolinas to Florida where extreme where heat indices -- that is, what the temperatures feel like when humidity is factored in -- are forecast to be between 105 and 113 degrees.
Also See: Deadly wildfires in Turkey, Greece force thousands to evacuate in searing heat8 Things to Know About New Research on Earth’s Rapid Drying and the Loss of Its Groundwater
The continents are rapidly drying out and the earth’s vast freshwater resources are under threat, according to a recently released study based on more than 20 years of NASA satellite data. Here are the report’s key findings and what they portend for humankind....
A top US medical body has expressed “deep concern” to Robert F Kennedy Jr over news reports that the health secretary plans to overhaul a panel that determines which preventive health measures including cancer screenings should be covered by insurance companies.
Fearing Medicaid coverage loss, some parents rush to vaccinate their kids
Throughout the country, pediatricians say anxious parents are concerned about access to routine childhood immunizations, especially those with children on Medicaid, the government insurance program for low-income families and people with disabilities. Medicaid covers 4 in 10 children in the U.S.
The demands of pastoral ministry are relentless. Between counseling sessions, sermon preparation, leadership meetings, hospital visits, and the emotional load of caring for a congregation, it can be easy for a pastor to operate in constant motion. Yet amidst all this activity, Scripture and experience alike point to a vital practice that often goes neglected: solitary time. It’s not simply about taking a break—it’s about cultivating space for spiritual clarity, personal renewal, and a deeper connection with God.
Teach Your Congregation to Worship Every Day
Sunday morning worship is central to the life of the church, but it was never meant to be the only time believers connect with God. For many, worship is confined to a weekly service—songs, Scripture readings, and sermons that last an hour or two. Yet, Scripture paints a much broader vision. Worship as a lifestyle, not a once-a-week appointment. As church leaders, we have the opportunity—and responsibility—to teach our congregations how to worship every day.
Five Reasons Your Worship Music May Not Be Clicking
Church Answers does two major types of evaluation of music in church worship services. The first approach uses a secret guest to get their first impressions. In the second approach, Church Answers uses a trained and highly competent church musician to evaluate the music from both a philosophical and technical aspect. Sam and Thom look at five common issues in these technical evaluations.
Singing Anyway
... we all have reasons to refrain from showing up and singing. But we should do it anyway.
Has Your Church Tried Servant Evangelism? 3 Ways to Start
For many churches, evangelism brings to mind programs filled with door-to-door visits, gospel tracts, or street preaching. While these approaches have their place, they don’t always resonate with today’s culture. Increasingly, people respond not to arguments but to acts of kindness and authenticity. This is where servant evangelism offers a compelling alternative—a way to show the love of Christ through simple, tangible service.
The challenge for many, though, is not so much the message itself, but how to share it. So how can we better communicate our faith and extend genuine invitations to church? Here are seven practical tips to help....
Also See: New global study shows freshwater is disappearing at alarming ratesTop medical body concerned over RFK Jr’s reported plans to cut preventive health panel
A couple I know, a local farmer and his wife, just returned from a trip to Ontario, Canada, where they have a second home. They report that the corn (maize) is only half the normal size it should be and has already begun to tassel, two bad signs, due to the serious drought conditions in the province.
A top US medical body has expressed “deep concern” to Robert F Kennedy Jr over news reports that the health secretary plans to overhaul a panel that determines which preventive health measures including cancer screenings should be covered by insurance companies.
Fearing Medicaid coverage loss, some parents rush to vaccinate their kids
Throughout the country, pediatricians say anxious parents are concerned about access to routine childhood immunizations, especially those with children on Medicaid, the government insurance program for low-income families and people with disabilities. Medicaid covers 4 in 10 children in the U.S.
Also See: States, cities face loss of vaccination programs and staff after ‘baffling’ cuts to federal fundingWhy Every Pastor Needs to Carve Out Solitary Time
The demands of pastoral ministry are relentless. Between counseling sessions, sermon preparation, leadership meetings, hospital visits, and the emotional load of caring for a congregation, it can be easy for a pastor to operate in constant motion. Yet amidst all this activity, Scripture and experience alike point to a vital practice that often goes neglected: solitary time. It’s not simply about taking a break—it’s about cultivating space for spiritual clarity, personal renewal, and a deeper connection with God.
Teach Your Congregation to Worship Every Day
Sunday morning worship is central to the life of the church, but it was never meant to be the only time believers connect with God. For many, worship is confined to a weekly service—songs, Scripture readings, and sermons that last an hour or two. Yet, Scripture paints a much broader vision. Worship as a lifestyle, not a once-a-week appointment. As church leaders, we have the opportunity—and responsibility—to teach our congregations how to worship every day.
Five Reasons Your Worship Music May Not Be Clicking
Church Answers does two major types of evaluation of music in church worship services. The first approach uses a secret guest to get their first impressions. In the second approach, Church Answers uses a trained and highly competent church musician to evaluate the music from both a philosophical and technical aspect. Sam and Thom look at five common issues in these technical evaluations.
Singing Anyway
... we all have reasons to refrain from showing up and singing. But we should do it anyway.
Has Your Church Tried Servant Evangelism? 3 Ways to Start
For many churches, evangelism brings to mind programs filled with door-to-door visits, gospel tracts, or street preaching. While these approaches have their place, they don’t always resonate with today’s culture. Increasingly, people respond not to arguments but to acts of kindness and authenticity. This is where servant evangelism offers a compelling alternative—a way to show the love of Christ through simple, tangible service.
When a church engages in servant evangelism, its leaders, members, and attendees need to keep two things in mind. They are not going to see immediate results and positive reports about a church take longer to come to people's attention than do negative ones. It is a unfortunate truth that people are more likely to talk about the bad things happening at your church, real or imagined, than they are the good thing. Consequently it is important to give a servant evangelism project long enough time to work.7 practical tips for sharing your faith as a Christian
The challenge for many, though, is not so much the message itself, but how to share it. So how can we better communicate our faith and extend genuine invitations to church? Here are seven practical tips to help....
No comments:
Post a Comment