Regular church attendance must always be the beginning of Christian responsibility but never the end of it.
Alaska Episcopal churches come through storm unscathed, turn to assist neighbors
Episcopal churches along the west coast of Alaska were hit by a storm on Oct. 8 that created heavy rain, high seas and flooding in the area, four days before remnants of Typhoon Haplong brought hurricane-force winds and rain to the state, Alaska Bishop Mark Lattime told Episcopal News Service by email.
Still Hope
Climate tipping points sound scary, especially for ice sheets and oceans – here’s why there’s still room for optimism.
Why ‘Lost’ Gospels Go Viral—and the Real Ones Don’t
...There always seems to be a disproportionate cultural fascination with “lost” gospels or “hidden” texts about Jesus. Write an article about the canonical texts, and you might get a few hits. Write an article about a new, lost, or forgotten gospel—and how it changes everything we know about Jesus—and there’s a reasonable chance it’ll go viral.
Wait, His Name Isn’t Jesus?
One of my favorite seminary classes to teach is a survey of the four Gospels, where we work through Christ’s life from birth to resurrection. While students have several aha moments, none is bigger than when I broach the topic of the name Jesus. I explain to them that Jesus’s name is actually Joshua. The Hebrew name Joshua means “Yahweh is salvation.”
Audio: The Man from Narnia
J.I. Packer reflects on C.S. Lewis’s life, imagination, and faith, exploring how his experiences shaped The Chronicles of Narnia and how the dynamic between author, reader, and story invites us into deeper understanding and wonder.
How to Approach Couples in Your Church Who’re Cohabitating
“How do you deal with couples who’re living together and think it is fine?” A Tanzanian pastor recently asked me this question when I was visiting him. But it obviously isn’t an issue that’s specific to East Africa. Back in South Africa, where our church is, we are experiencing the same issue; and many people are reporting a similar trend around the world. Countless Christian couples the world around are cohabitating and see no problem with it. Cohabitation before marriage has become so normalised in many cultures that professing believers are surprised when they receive pushback about their living arrangements.
Christmas Planning Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Christmas Eve is a great opportunity to reach those outside the church that often goes unused. I’m usually arguing with several pastors during this time of the year. Seems like every year I have to convince a senior pastor that Christmas Eve is a powerful and great opportunity for outreach. Catholic churches have known this for centuries. Evangelicals are just now waking up to it. Here are the top five Christmas planning mistakes churches can make.
Taking worship into the wild
Wild Worship or Wild Church is a movement in which people gather in natural settings to worship, connect with nature and experience spirituality outside of traditional church buildings. In this video, UM News reporter Lilla Marigza shares the sights and sounds of Wild Worship Omaha, a ministry of First United Methodist Church of Omaha.
Praying in Christ and like Christ
In the previous articles in this series we have examined the pressures that have been placed on intercessory prayers throughout the history of Christian worship. In one article we looked at the early medieval era in Europe, where the services had become so long that the intercessions were cut for the sake of time. In the early modern era in England an effort to revive congregational praying prohibited all written prayers, making it the minister’s job to pray extemporaneously on behalf of the congregation. More recently, as contemporary worship has gained ascendancy around the world, its emphasis on singing and preaching has made it increasingly difficult to find room for praying.
For this final article I want to flesh out how the church prays in Christ while Christ prays in the church....
Does your youth ministry consistently impact young lives? Are your efforts making a tangible difference? And if so, how can you keep that going?
Youth leaders prepare lessons, plan events, lead games, and pray for students. Yet sometimes you may wonder if transformation is occurring. Yes, God is always at work—even when we don’t see results right away. But indicators show whether your youth ministry is bearing fruit.
Reviving Personal Evangelism
Are the days of personal evangelism over in North America?
The majority of Christians rarely, if ever, talk to anyone about saving faith through Jesus. And it’s not from a shortage of people who need to know Jesus—it is estimated that there are 286 million people in North America who don’t have a personal relationship with Christ.
So, what’s the issue?
Why ‘Lost’ Gospels Go Viral—and the Real Ones Don’t
...There always seems to be a disproportionate cultural fascination with “lost” gospels or “hidden” texts about Jesus. Write an article about the canonical texts, and you might get a few hits. Write an article about a new, lost, or forgotten gospel—and how it changes everything we know about Jesus—and there’s a reasonable chance it’ll go viral.
Wait, His Name Isn’t Jesus?
One of my favorite seminary classes to teach is a survey of the four Gospels, where we work through Christ’s life from birth to resurrection. While students have several aha moments, none is bigger than when I broach the topic of the name Jesus. I explain to them that Jesus’s name is actually Joshua. The Hebrew name Joshua means “Yahweh is salvation.”
Audio: The Man from Narnia
J.I. Packer reflects on C.S. Lewis’s life, imagination, and faith, exploring how his experiences shaped The Chronicles of Narnia and how the dynamic between author, reader, and story invites us into deeper understanding and wonder.
How to Approach Couples in Your Church Who’re Cohabitating
“How do you deal with couples who’re living together and think it is fine?” A Tanzanian pastor recently asked me this question when I was visiting him. But it obviously isn’t an issue that’s specific to East Africa. Back in South Africa, where our church is, we are experiencing the same issue; and many people are reporting a similar trend around the world. Countless Christian couples the world around are cohabitating and see no problem with it. Cohabitation before marriage has become so normalised in many cultures that professing believers are surprised when they receive pushback about their living arrangements.
Christmas Planning Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Christmas Eve is a great opportunity to reach those outside the church that often goes unused. I’m usually arguing with several pastors during this time of the year. Seems like every year I have to convince a senior pastor that Christmas Eve is a powerful and great opportunity for outreach. Catholic churches have known this for centuries. Evangelicals are just now waking up to it. Here are the top five Christmas planning mistakes churches can make.
Taking worship into the wild
Wild Worship or Wild Church is a movement in which people gather in natural settings to worship, connect with nature and experience spirituality outside of traditional church buildings. In this video, UM News reporter Lilla Marigza shares the sights and sounds of Wild Worship Omaha, a ministry of First United Methodist Church of Omaha.
Praying in Christ and like Christ
In the previous articles in this series we have examined the pressures that have been placed on intercessory prayers throughout the history of Christian worship. In one article we looked at the early medieval era in Europe, where the services had become so long that the intercessions were cut for the sake of time. In the early modern era in England an effort to revive congregational praying prohibited all written prayers, making it the minister’s job to pray extemporaneously on behalf of the congregation. More recently, as contemporary worship has gained ascendancy around the world, its emphasis on singing and preaching has made it increasingly difficult to find room for praying.
For this final article I want to flesh out how the church prays in Christ while Christ prays in the church....
Read the entire seriesImpact Young Lives: 8 Signs of a Thriving Youth Ministry
Does your youth ministry consistently impact young lives? Are your efforts making a tangible difference? And if so, how can you keep that going?
Youth leaders prepare lessons, plan events, lead games, and pray for students. Yet sometimes you may wonder if transformation is occurring. Yes, God is always at work—even when we don’t see results right away. But indicators show whether your youth ministry is bearing fruit.
Reviving Personal Evangelism
Are the days of personal evangelism over in North America?
The majority of Christians rarely, if ever, talk to anyone about saving faith through Jesus. And it’s not from a shortage of people who need to know Jesus—it is estimated that there are 286 million people in North America who don’t have a personal relationship with Christ.
So, what’s the issue?
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