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| St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Des Plaines, IL, Final Service, January 6, 2026 |
A church can sit on the same corner for decades and still be largely unknown. The building is visible. The people inside are faithful.
But to many in the community, the church is invisible. They pass by without noticing. They live nearby without engaging. They may not even know what the church believes or why it exists. This kind of invisibility is rarely intentional, but it is increasingly common. And it comes at a cost. If people do not know who you are or why you matter, they are unlikely to come.
Churches must move from assumed awareness to intentional visibility.
Looking forward to surprising transformation
As a 26-year-old often referred to as “the lady pastor” by the community I serve, you might expect that my story would be about a young pastor sent to a rural church that is declining, and that continued to decline. Surprisingly, this is not one of those stories. The Sunday before I arrived at my placement there were 25 people in the pews, and this last Sunday we had 98. We have had around 70 consistently participating in worship, and somehow this rural United Methodist church a mile away from four other Methodist churches continues to thrive.
If you’re wondering how that happened and how a young, inexperienced clergywoman managed such a transformation, let me assure you: it wasn’t me. And I don’t have some new solution to offer every church, even those who may look remarkably like mine. All I know is what seems to have worked here, and what God seems to be doing with this congregation.
Why My Generation Is Drunk on Nostalgia
Raised in a culture that’s constantly changing and almost entirely online, my generation is becoming increasingly desperate to experience “the good old days.” We’re drunk on nostalgia.
Nostalgia is most clearly defined by a sense of longing. It’s an intangible ache that the present moment is lacking in some essential way, and that a better way of life is buried in a long-gone era. We know that the world we’re living in is falling apart. We know that the digital age we were born into isn’t working...
We’re a generation utterly consumed with nostalgia. And it’s not even nostalgia for a life we remember living. How did this happen?
Nostalgia for "the good old days" may help to explain the attraction of some members of Gen Z to the ambiance of the older liturgical church traditions like Eastern Orthodoxy.I grieve for SBC women
I grieve for girls and young women who are members of Southern Baptist churches who are told their calls to ministry are mistaken.”
What Do You Do When Christian Nationalism Comes to Church?
Russell answers two questions from listeners asking what it looks like to oppose Christian nationalism while still pursuing the unity of the church.
Should the ACC Endorse the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals? Answer 1 of 3
The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-19) will convene in Belfast, Northern Ireland from June 27 to July 5, 2026. This essay is the first of three essays each responding to the same question, Should the ACC approve the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals?Each essay brings a very different perspective and a different answer. Readers may also wish to see a series of essays on the NCPs which appeared on Covenant in 2025 and another series evaluating the Abuja Affirmation which appeared on Covenant in 2026.
Navajoland postpones June 13 bishop election until sometime in the future
The Episcopal Church in Navajoland’s Standing Committee announced June 11 that it would, for a second time, postpone its bishop election to an unspecified date in the future.
“After prayerful consultation and discernment, the election has been postponed to a future date. This is a postponement of the election process, not a cancellation,” the Standing Committee said in the June 11 statement. “Both nominees remain in the process and will continue to be considered when the election is reconvened.”
Mothers’ Union marks 150 years of faith in action at anniversary service
On the evening of June 10, Mothers’ Union celebrated 150 years of faith, service and transformation at a special anniversary service at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. It gathered over 1500 members, senior church leaders, supporters and partners from across the Anglican Communion and charity sector.
It was an important celebration of a movement which has grown from a small parish initiative in Hampshire, to a global Christian organisation of four million members in over 80 countries. The service gave thanks for the vision of Mary Sumner and the countless members who have sustained the movement over 150 years. It also marked the beginning of the next chapter in Mothers’ Union’s story as it continues to grow its impact across the Anglican Communion and beyond.
Life beyond burnout: how Christians can grow in the desert seasons
In her latest book, What Grows in Weary Lands, author and Anglican priest Tish Harrison Warren explores spiritual exhaustion, resilience and the quiet work of faith in the difficult seasons of life.
She draws from personal experience and ancient Christian wisdom - specifically that of mystics and monks - to examine the realities of modern burnout and how periods of weariness and doubt can become places for deep faith and hope to grow.
Seven Things to Do to Prepare for Spiritual Warfare
Do you want to be ready when you face spiritual warfare? Do you want to be prepared when you encounter attacks from Satan and his host of demons? The Bible tells us to get ready (Eph 6:10-14a). How can you prepare for spiritual warfare?
Here are seven things you can do to get ready. These seven means-of-grace will train you to be ready for any sort of satanic attack, whether it is a dramatic attack (threatened by a demon-possessed person, Mark 5, Luke 8), an assault on your beliefs (2 Cor 10:3-5), or a mundane temptation (1 Cor 7:5; 1 Thess 3:5). Here are seven ways you can prepare for spiritual attack.
Warning Signs Before a Pastor Falls (They’re Almost Always Present)
Every time a pastor falls, people closest to the situation say the same thing: They saw the signs but didn’t know what to do.
Why Pastors Leave Ministry: What Former Pastors Say About Stepping Down
Pastoral resignation stories travel fast. A scandal here, a burnout confession there, and it can start to feel like pastors are abandoning the pulpit in droves. The research tells a different story. Pastors who leave ministry early are rare, and the reasons they give almost never match the headlines.
Lifeway Research surveyed former senior pastors in four Protestant denominations who stepped down before retirement age. Their answers reveal what actually drives pastors out of ministry, what keeps most of them in some form of ministry afterward, and what current pastors and churches can learn before it happens to them.
How to Choose Small Group Curriculum for Your Church
Here are three critical actions to take to help you make a wise choice about the small group curriculum used in your adult ministry.
Making Time for God: A Simple Plan You Can Actually Keep
Most people do not lose their time with God in one dramatic decision. They lose it five minutes at a time, until a week goes by and they cannot remember the last time they sat still with an open Bible. If that describes the season you are in, you are not failing. You just need a plan small enough to keep.
Image Credit: St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Des Plaines, IL
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