Today’s new religious outlook isn’t atheism or Islam or even historic Christianity. It’s a highly personalized blend of borrowed beliefs and intuitive practices—a spiritual playlist assembled from self-help, social justice, therapy speak, and sacred tradition. Some call it à la carte spirituality. Tara Isabella Burton calls it “intuitional religion.”
If you’re a Christian trying to stay faithful to Jesus and share his gospel, these conversations are the new front lines.
Church Growth & Decline
Is the Episcopal Church obsolete? It may be unfair to ask the question. The assessment of Christian Smith is that traditional American religions are long past the point of trouble. They are losing their members, and they no longer meet the needs of the American population. In this context, the Episcopal Church may be suffering, but its misery is shared. We all go down together.
In Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America (2025), Smith draws on vast quantities of survey data and the analysis of many trends to conclude that a sea change took place in American religious practice in recent decades, with 1991 being a major turning point.
A Significant Action for a Ministry to Move From Addition to Multiplication
The early disciples made a significant and deliberate decision between the addition happening in Acts 2:47 and the multiplication happening in Acts 6:7; they empowered others for ministry. They handed over ministry and responsibility to others.
More Than Weekly: Understanding America’s Most Devout Religious Attenders
I’ve written about the never attenders several times, but I’ve never gone in depth on the people who say they’re at a house of worship multiple times per week.
Hurricane Melissa Flattens Jamaican Churches
When Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica on October 28, it left a trail of destruction and death across the island. The powerful Category 5 hurricane not only tore off roofs and flooded main streets but also toppled treasured historic churches that formed part of the Anglican diocese’s identity.
Helping After Natural Disasters: Please DON’T Do These 6 Things
In the wake of natural disasters, well-intentioned donations and self-deploying can inadvertently hinder relief efforts. Annette Spence shares how to effectively support recovery initiatives while avoiding six common pitfalls in disaster response.
5 Donations Food Banks Can't Accept—And What They Actually Need
Food banks are putting out the call: They need donations more than ever. Almost 1 in 5 households with children face food insecurity, and many of them turn to food banks for help. Food banks are usually grateful for any donations they can receive, but there are certain foods that should not be donated. If you're planning to donate food, check our list of what you can't donate to the food bank and which donations are really needed.
Trump’s new plan for Obamacare leaves Americans to fend for themselves
President Donald Trump infamously asserted during the September 2024 presidential debate that he had “concepts of a plan” to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This weekend, almost 10 months into his second term, he offered a glimpse of what that plan might look like.
5 Christmas Traditions That Are Secretly Exhausting You
If the month of December leaves your team more weary than worshipful, it might be time to pause and ask: Which Christmas traditions are quietly exhausting our ministry—and what can we do about it?
The ‘
Much of what I have written about Germany and the Germany Christians in the 1920s and 1930s probably seems eerily similar to trends and events we now see in the United States and the American evangelical church. It would not be difficult to draw parallels between the economic instability, political polarization and extremism of Germany a century ago and America today.
But it is the similarities between the German Christians and American evangelicals that are the most interesting, and most worrisome, to me.
J. C. Ryle, “the Prince of Tract Writers”
John Charles Ryle (1816–1900) was one of the most popular theological writers of the Victorian period, and the most prominent evangelical clergyman in the Church of England. His ministry almost exactly spanned the reign of Queen Victoria—he was converted to Christ in 1837, just a few months after the young Queen’s accession to the British throne, and died at the dawn of the new century in 1900, just a few months before the monarch’s own death.
Physical Bibles Are Homemade Apple Pie
It isn’t sinful to use your smartphone to look at the Bible passage on Sunday, but it isn’t best. The medium shapes the message. Three metaphors have helped me see the benefit of physical Bibles and the burdens of screens.
What Does the Bible Say About Identity?
Research connects at least weekly Bible use to a strong identity. Nearly 7 in 10 daily Bible readers have a strong sense of identity.
Best Church Tech Tools to Simplify Your Holiday Services
Whether you’re preparing for Advent, Christmas Eve, New Year’s services, or community outreach, wise use of technology can lighten your load. With clear systems in place, your church can operate smoothly while your team focuses on what matters most: worship, hospitality, and discipleship during one of the most spiritually significant seasons of the year.
Engaging Young Adults
As young adults seek meaning and connection beyond traditional religion, churches are asking how to reengage them. Beth Ludlum, Co-Director & VP of Strategic Initiatives of The Hub for (Re)imagining Ministry at Wesley Theological Seminary, explores cultural shifts shaping young adulthood today. She offers 6 practical steps for churches to build authentic relationships with young people and join God’s work already present in their lives.
10 Things to Pray for Children Who Have Walked Away from Jesus
God is never too busy or preoccupied to receive you when you bring your burdens into his presence. God cares for your children. That is such an encouragement when we are struggling to persevere in prayer.
But it’s hard to know what to pray sometimes; or we’ve been praying for so many years that we’ve run out of steam and lost momentum. So, to reinvigorate your prayers for your children, here are ten ways you can pray. They’ve been drawn from conversations I’ve had with parents in pain who have shared some of the substance of their prayers. Each situation has its own complications, but over time several common themes have emerged.
Greenwood Baptist Church: No Strings Attached
We’ve all seen the yard signs that read “Be Kind.” The people of Greenwood Baptist Church wanted to live that message by consistently serving lost people in their community of Weatherford, Texas.
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