Social scientist Ryan Burge discusses what polarization means for congregations, community life and the American civic landscape.
Republican politics is killing the modern-day church: analysis
Over the years, traditional religious practice has declined in both the United States and globally, according to one political scientist.
Speaking to The New York Times' "Interesting Times" podcast, Ryan Burge, an ordained Christian minister who became a professor, analyzed data trends for his new book, "The Vanishing Church: How the Hollowing Out of Moderate Congregations Is Hurting Democracy, Faith, and Us."
Young adults driving renewed interest in Christianity, research finds
A new set of supplemental reports from the Evangelical Alliance suggests that young adults are emerging as a significant group among those coming to Christian faith in the UK, with authenticity, Scripture and community proving decisive factors in their journeys.
The findings form part of the wider Finding Jesus research project published last year, which surveyed 280 adults who became Christians within the past five years.
Middle East Christians warn rapid growth in faith is outpacing discipleship support
Christian leaders working across the Middle East say a surge in spiritual openness is leading thousands to explore faith in Jesus, but warn that a lack of local discipleship structures risks leaving many new believers unsupported.
Speaking to Church Mission Society (CMS), regional Christian leaders described unprecedented levels of spiritual searching, emerging from years of war, displacement, political instability and global upheaval.
It Takes Everyone
Recently Lifeway Research released the 2025 Rural Churches Today study that not only documents many helpful descriptions of rural ministry, but also raises good questions about ministry anywhere. This comprehensive survey of over 1,000 pastors serving rural areas and towns with populations under 10,000 was co-sponsored by the Rural Church Institute at the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, the Rural Home Missionary Association, and the Center for Rural Ministry at Grove City College.
One of the important elements the survey uncovered is how these pastors feel about the work of ministry in the local church and who is doing it.
How to Deal with a Censorious Spirit
The title of this column is deliberately vague. By dealing with a censorious spirit, I mean both watching out for the temptation to adopt this posture toward others and knowing how to respond to people who adopt this posture toward us.
What psychologists have labeled the "negativity bias" or "negativity affect" may encourage us to adopt this posture toward others.5 Ministry Game-Changers for Building a Team-Based Leadership Approach
Even the strongest pastor can’t do it alone. Moses had Aaron and Hur, Jesus sent disciples in pairs, and Paul never went solo. Yet too many churches still rely on a single leader. Kim Jenne gives us five practical ways to build a culture of shared, team-based ministry—and empower your congregation to step into their God-given calling.
What Kind of Sermon Did I Just Preach? The 5-Axis Audit
Why do we preach the kind of sermons we preach? Are we mere products of our environment, adopting whatever is trending?
Why Bible Reading Plans Fail (and What We Can Do About It)
How can we lead our churches to find success in following Bible reading plans that help them spend time in God’s Word in a meaningful way?
Preparing the Heart for Prayer
There is a wrong way to pray, and there is a right way to pray.
Give the Mic Away: The Team-Based Shift That Grows Faithful Youth
What is the key to a vibrant, growing youth ministry? Many churches assume it’s finding the right youth director and offering programming so entertaining it can compete with every other option in a teenager’s life. But Laura Heikes shares how youth ministry in her congregation has grown in a different way—not by doing more for young people, but by choosing to do ministry with them.
A Spiritual Warfare Reason that Evangelism is Hard
Evangelism is hard for most believers. Sometimes fear stops them from speaking the good news. Most believers have no strongly evangelistic role models. Many have never been trained in evangelism in the first place. Frankly, some Christians are also simply apathetic about the lost. In this post, though, I want to talk about another hindrance to evangelism we seldom consider: a supernatural enemy who fights against us.
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