Cultural Christianity is fading. The middle ground—those who once went to church out of habit or obligation—is shrinking. What’s emerging is a sharper distinction between disengagement and authentic hunger. Fewer young people are going to church just to go, but those who are engaging are doing so with deeper intentionality and a longing for something real.
At OneHope, our Global Youth Culture research uncovered similar spiritual openness. Nearly half of U.S. members of Gen Z said they’d attend church if invited. More than half of teens worldwide say Jesus is worth studying or believe he’s the Son of God. Yet this openness exists alongside profound spiritual discontent.
10 Steps for Reaching a Gospel Saturation Tipping Point
n his seminal book The Tipping Point, Canadian journalist Malcolm Gladwell popularized the idea that once a trend takes hold in 16% of a population, it reaches a tipping point where its adoption accelerates exponentially. If there’s ever been a time when such a tipping point is needed for the gospel, it’s today.
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What will it take for churches in North America to get to the point of becoming reproducing churches, sparking a movement to saturate our cities with the gospel? Based on what we at Christ Together have seen and experienced in over 100 cities across North America, here are 10 essentials we came up with....
Maine church sues UMC, claims denomination is wrongfully trying to take over property
A small Maine congregation is suing a regional body of The United Methodist Church, claiming that the mainline denomination is trying to take over its property.
Broad Cove Church of Cushing, a small congregation that identifies as independent, filed a complaint earlier this month against the UMC New England Annual Conference.
Who is Jesus?
Instead of making Jesus into whatever we want, let’s look to the God who chose to become like us so He could save us from our sin.
12 things a pastor should not say Christmas Eve
... here are 12 things a pastor probably should not say at a Christmas Eve service. I offer these from a wellspring of experience, a pastoral heart and deep respect for the moment.
3 Great Tools for Assessing Your Website’s Reach
Every pastor who has tried to measure website effectiveness knows the feeling: you update your homepage, upload a new sermon, refresh a ministry page, and then wonder whether anyone actually saw it. A church website is more than a digital bulletin board. It’s a front door, a welcome mat, a first impression, and for many people, the beginning of discipleship. That’s why understanding your site’s reach isn’t optional. It’s pastoral care in a digital age.
Thankfully, there are simple tools that help churches measure impact without requiring a degree in analytics.
Do Small Groups Still Work, or Has Their Time Passed?
Every pastor has wondered at some point whether small groups still accomplish what they once did. Attendance rises and falls. Leaders get tired. Schedules grow crowded. And yet, people still long for connection that goes deeper than a Sunday morning handshake. The question isn’t whether small groups have passed their prime. It’s whether we are guiding them with clarity, purpose, and pastoral imagination.
Small groups remain one of the simplest and strongest ways for people to grow in Christ when they are crafted with intention rather than routine.
What Teens Need from Church (and from You)
Wondering what teens need from church? Instead, we often ask what teens want from church. When people choose a church, personal taste often plays a big role. Other relevant factors include location, denomination, and where their parents worship. Then you have music, youth program, people they know who attend, type of building, and on and on.
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.
Teen Discipleship Tips for Lasting Faith
Teen discipleship is central to every Christian youth ministry. Students need more than just social time. They need rooted, resilient faith in Jesus. And God places youth workers (and parents) in an ideal position to grow it.
Being Generous to the Poor at Christmas
Many of us spend hours at Christmas contemplating what to purchase for someone who doesn’t need anything—something Scripture never commands—while giving far less thought to how we might care for those who have very little or nothing, something Scripture repeatedly calls us to do.
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