This weekend, I published an article in USAToday, extolling the value of church engagement. USAToday put up a title, “Want a happier life, more friends and better sex? Go to church.” And, it appeared that the title did draw readers! It was the top story in entertainment and also listed on the front page top stories.
Which is great. Really. But, please don’t think the article is primarily about those things.
Instead, I wrote the article as a tool for you to share with your non-Christian friends, particularly so you can invite them as we are coming up to Back to Church Sunday.
So, why invite people to church?
Five Reasons Churches Should Still Try to Reach Boomers
In this episode, Thom and Sam dive into five compelling reasons churches should still prioritize reaching Baby Boomers. Despite cultural shifts, Boomers remain a vital part of many communities—and churches. They’re often more open to spiritual conversations, have time and resources to invest in ministry, and bring deep life experience that can benefit younger generations. Boomers still matter, and your church can more effectively reach and disciple them.
A Guiding Light: The Importance of Congregational Discernment
Congregational discernment is a deliberate, collective process through which a community of faith seeks to understand God's unique plan for them. While we often think of discernment on an individual level — a personal calling to ministry or a specific life decision — its application to a congregation is equally, if not more, vital. It is the work of a church asking, together, what its particular purpose is in a specific time and place. It’s about recognizing that every Christian community, like every person, possesses a "deep gladness" — a specific set of gifts, skills, and resources — that can be brought to bear on the "deep hunger" of the world around it.
Realistic One-to-Two-Year Objectives for Small-Church Revitalization
In this episode, we explore realistic 1–2 year objectives for small-church revitalization—practical steps that can create lasting momentum without overwhelming your congregation. We unpack three key priorities....
After Minneapolis, how do we prevent the next school shooting?
These tragedies feed on one another, amplified by online spaces where violence is glorified and hate metastasizes.
As September arrives, so too does the Season of Creation, also known as Creationtide. From 1 September to 4 October, Christians around the world pause to pray, reflect, and act to observe this season.
But what exactly is Creationtide, and why does it matter for the Church today?
Also See: New Orleans church observes Season of Creation with special vestments created by parishionerFort Worth church purchases property for new home 4 years after eviction by ACNA
A prominent Episcopal congregation in Fort Worth, Texas, that was forced out of its church building and rectory in 2021 over a property dispute with a group of breakaway Anglicans, is celebrating a new permanent home.
All Saints’ Episcopal Church held a groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 7 at the church property that it purchased from a United Methodist congregation at 6036 Locke Ave. The Methodist congregation had merged with another church and now is worshipping at another location on Fort Worth’s south side. The Episcopal congregation raised $11 million to buy and renovate the former Methodist property, with plans to move in by the end of 2026.
Henry Chadwick and the Early Church
...Chadwick’s work reminds us that the questions we face today are not new. How should the Church engage with culture? What does it mean to live faithfully under political powers that are often hostile or indifferent? How do Christians worship in a way that is both true to their origins and open to new expressions? These were questions faced by the earliest Christians, and Chadwick helps us see their answers—not as blueprints, but as witness. His chapter on persecution, for instance, reads with uncanny relevance in a world where believers still face martyrdom. His treatment of asceticism offers insight into the hunger for authenticity and discipline that is just as present in the 21st century as it was in the era of the desert Fathers.
Why Forgiveness Is Central to the Christian Life
From the Lord’s Prayer to the cross at Calvary, few themes run as deeply through our faith as forgiveness. Forgiveness is not presented as an optional practice but as the heart of life with God. It shapes how believers relate to one another, how they understand salvation, and how they grow in spiritual maturity. To neglect forgiveness is to miss something central to the gospel itself. In a world marked by resentment, brokenness, and cycles of retaliation, forgiveness in Christianity stands as both a challenge and a gift.
10 Essential Steps to Launching a Vibrant Small Group Ministry
“If you want to make a big church small, join a small group,” says many a pastor.
Ecclesiological quibbles aside, this quip captures a bit of our modern evangelical zeitgeist. In our socially disconnected mega-world, small groups are widely regarded as a prudential—if not essential—part of local church ministry.
But how can a church effectively launch its small groups? What specific details need to be considered to get a small group ministry off the ground and running? Such nuts-and-bolts details are the burden of this particular article.
Ready for Church: 5 Ways to Be Present in Worship
Here are five rules of engagement that can help us put more into corporate worship.
Showing Christ by Helping Others
When God puts something on our hearts to do according to his Word, we should do it.
Also See: Making 285,000 Meals in 24 HoursFaith on the shore: Churches take worship and witness to the beach
Members of All Saints, Milford on Sea, left their church building behind on a sunny Sunday morning in August to host “Blessings on the Beach”.
Instead of a formal service, the congregation served tea, coffee, and hot dogs to spark conversations about life, faith, and Jesus with anyone passing by.
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