Numbers can help us understand some realities of a healthy church. But they’re not the only thing.
Church Planting Like a Missionary - New Churches Course
Church Planting Like a Missionary will equip church planters to faithfully engage their city, make disciples, and plant healthy churches. God wants to work in you so He can work through you, your leadership, and your church plant.
Alabama church breaks ground for first permanent worship space in its history
St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church in Chelsea, Alabama, broke ground on June 14 for its first permanent church building after nearly two decades of worshiping in borrowed and temporary spaces.
Most ministry positions are not vulnerable to advancing AI capabilities, especially those that are people-to-people ministries. Thom looks at other aspects of AI influences on the church.
Why Too Many Pastors Are Not Fully Relying on the Holy Spirit
Thom welcomes Dr. Chris Lohrstorfer, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Enrollment and Professor of Wesleyan Theology at Wesley Biblical Seminary. He talks about how many pastors ascribe to theologically orthodox trinitarianism, but haven't really thought through what it means for their ministry, especially the fullness of the role of the Holy Spirit. As a pastor himself and an educator of pastors, he is seeing the surprising shifts that can happen when the light bulb switches on for leaders about what it means to partner with the Spirit in ministry.
Most Americans still believe religion is good for society: Gallup
A majority of Americans say the nation would be better off if it were more religious, according to a new Gallup survey, even as fewer U.S. adults view religion as a positive force in society than they did in 2013. The survey also found Americans are split on whether the government should be involved in promoting moral values.
Haitian immigrants revived a church. Now the pews are empty.
With the Supreme Court set to rule on whether Haitians will lose Temporary Protected Status, fear is emptying church pews. At St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the Haitian immigrants who brought life to the congregation are gone.
Except for white evangelicals, Americans have soured on Trump’s leadership
Nearly 70% of Americans agree that core democratic freedoms are in danger of being lost while 59% consider President Donald Trump to be a “dangerous dictator” whose powers should be limited, according to a new survey by Public Religion Research Institute.
Jesus Said to Love Your Enemies. So Why Are Christians So Angry on Facebook?
Open any feed for five minutes and you will find people who claim to follow Jesus tearing into politicians, mocking other faiths, and treating old grudges like trophies. The man they say they follow looked down from a cross at the people killing Him and asked God to forgive them. Somewhere between that cross and our comment sections, something got lost.
How Church Abuse Affects People’s Faith Long After They Leave
When some people leave the church, they leave behind the version of themselves that believed healing was possible there.
That sentence lands differently depending on where you stand. And you may already know which side you’re on. If you’ve lived through church abuse or church hurt, you can relate. If you’re a pastor trying to understand why people left and never returned, it’s an invitation to stay in the discomfort.
Your Best Leaders Are Leaving. Here's Why
Losing your best volunteers? It might not be them, it might be you.
In this video, I break down the 6 most common reasons high-capacity volunteers quietly walk away from churches and non-profits — and what you can do to change it.
If you've ever wondered why gifted, motivated leaders show up once and never come back, this one is for you.
Where Are the Young Men? Ministry and the Crisis of Formation
The shortage of young men entering ministry is not simply a recruitment problem. It is a formation problem. Before the church asks why fewer young men are becoming pastors, we may need to ask why fewer young men are being formed into men capable of embracing costly, durable, public, spiritual responsibility.
12 Trust Killers Pastors Miss Until It’s Too Late
Pastoral trust is fragile because it is personal. People hand you their faith, their families, and their deepest wounds. When that trust cracks, it usually is not one scandal. It is a pattern that went unaddressed for far too long. Below are twelve of the most common patterns, and what to do about each one before the damage is done.
Why Pastors Are Unknowingly Sabotaging Their Church Media Teams
Most pastors and ministry leaders say they want to reach more people. They talk about impact, influence and “taking the message further.” But behind closed doors, many are sabotaging the very media teams capable of helping them do it.
And usually, they don’t even realize it.
Why Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Is Essential for Churches in the Age of AI
The age of artificial intelligence (AI) is not only powering some great advances in technology, but also some great advancements in evil. We should all desire to be good stewards of our data and that stewardship requires good security practices.
Tips for Using Cell Phones for Church Directory Photos
Let the phone do the work! This is the first thing a professional photographer said when we asked about using smartphones to take church directory photos. Phones can do a lot of the work for you without the expense of a separate camera, especially if you follow a few key tips outlined below. You’ll quickly find that the camera won’t be a barrier to getting your church photos. That will still be getting your members all together and holding still for a photo!
Raising Kids in the Faith Is Simpler Than You May Think
A new report finds that the single biggest factor in whether children keep the faith isn’t their church, their youth group, or their peers but their parents. The more surprising finding is what works at home, and how often well-meaning Christian parents get it backward.
4 Practical Ideas for VBS Follow-Up
Strategic follow-up plays a huge role in making the most of your VBS. In fact, intentional follow-up should be an important part of your regular VBS planning, right from the beginning. That means as you’re rounding up supplies, handing off VBS manuals, and putting up decorations, you’re also preparing to make a strong post-event impression.
The Discipleship Opportunity: Leading a Great-Commission Church in a Post-Everything World
Help your church thrive in a post-everything world.
The world is a very different place from what it was just a few years ago. Today’s post-everything world is arguably more divisive, political, indifferent, and impatient than ever. While many believe that the best course of action is to find a way back to how things used to be, is that actually the best way forward?
Given the many ways that our world has changed, it’s time for Christian leadership strategies to change, and for churches to approach making disciples, evangelism, and preaching differently than yesterday. The Discipleship Opportunity is a powerful tool for church leaders seeking to navigate the challenges of our rapidly evolving, post-pandemic, post-Christian, and post-everything world...
Image Credit: St. Peter's of the Lakes Episcopal Church, Gilbertsville, Kentucky
St. Michael's Episcopal Church, planted in the mid-1980s, occupied its first permanent building in less than a decade. We opted for a multipurpose building, choosing function over form. Buildings with traditional features like arched windows and in which form is the determining factor in the building's design are much more expensive and far less practical. Our research also showed architectural evangelism is an ineffective form of evangelism. By the 1990s we had gone from two services on Sunday morning to three and a mid-week service on Wednesday nights.Five Major Shifts in Churches Influenced By AI
Most ministry positions are not vulnerable to advancing AI capabilities, especially those that are people-to-people ministries. Thom looks at other aspects of AI influences on the church.
Why Too Many Pastors Are Not Fully Relying on the Holy Spirit
Thom welcomes Dr. Chris Lohrstorfer, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Enrollment and Professor of Wesleyan Theology at Wesley Biblical Seminary. He talks about how many pastors ascribe to theologically orthodox trinitarianism, but haven't really thought through what it means for their ministry, especially the fullness of the role of the Holy Spirit. As a pastor himself and an educator of pastors, he is seeing the surprising shifts that can happen when the light bulb switches on for leaders about what it means to partner with the Spirit in ministry.
Most Americans still believe religion is good for society: Gallup
A majority of Americans say the nation would be better off if it were more religious, according to a new Gallup survey, even as fewer U.S. adults view religion as a positive force in society than they did in 2013. The survey also found Americans are split on whether the government should be involved in promoting moral values.
Haitian immigrants revived a church. Now the pews are empty.
With the Supreme Court set to rule on whether Haitians will lose Temporary Protected Status, fear is emptying church pews. At St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the Haitian immigrants who brought life to the congregation are gone.
Except for white evangelicals, Americans have soured on Trump’s leadership
Nearly 70% of Americans agree that core democratic freedoms are in danger of being lost while 59% consider President Donald Trump to be a “dangerous dictator” whose powers should be limited, according to a new survey by Public Religion Research Institute.
Jesus Said to Love Your Enemies. So Why Are Christians So Angry on Facebook?
Open any feed for five minutes and you will find people who claim to follow Jesus tearing into politicians, mocking other faiths, and treating old grudges like trophies. The man they say they follow looked down from a cross at the people killing Him and asked God to forgive them. Somewhere between that cross and our comment sections, something got lost.
How Church Abuse Affects People’s Faith Long After They Leave
When some people leave the church, they leave behind the version of themselves that believed healing was possible there.
That sentence lands differently depending on where you stand. And you may already know which side you’re on. If you’ve lived through church abuse or church hurt, you can relate. If you’re a pastor trying to understand why people left and never returned, it’s an invitation to stay in the discomfort.
Your Best Leaders Are Leaving. Here's Why
Losing your best volunteers? It might not be them, it might be you.
In this video, I break down the 6 most common reasons high-capacity volunteers quietly walk away from churches and non-profits — and what you can do to change it.
If you've ever wondered why gifted, motivated leaders show up once and never come back, this one is for you.
Where Are the Young Men? Ministry and the Crisis of Formation
The shortage of young men entering ministry is not simply a recruitment problem. It is a formation problem. Before the church asks why fewer young men are becoming pastors, we may need to ask why fewer young men are being formed into men capable of embracing costly, durable, public, spiritual responsibility.
12 Trust Killers Pastors Miss Until It’s Too Late
Pastoral trust is fragile because it is personal. People hand you their faith, their families, and their deepest wounds. When that trust cracks, it usually is not one scandal. It is a pattern that went unaddressed for far too long. Below are twelve of the most common patterns, and what to do about each one before the damage is done.
Why Pastors Are Unknowingly Sabotaging Their Church Media Teams
Most pastors and ministry leaders say they want to reach more people. They talk about impact, influence and “taking the message further.” But behind closed doors, many are sabotaging the very media teams capable of helping them do it.
And usually, they don’t even realize it.
Why Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Is Essential for Churches in the Age of AI
The age of artificial intelligence (AI) is not only powering some great advances in technology, but also some great advancements in evil. We should all desire to be good stewards of our data and that stewardship requires good security practices.
Tips for Using Cell Phones for Church Directory Photos
Let the phone do the work! This is the first thing a professional photographer said when we asked about using smartphones to take church directory photos. Phones can do a lot of the work for you without the expense of a separate camera, especially if you follow a few key tips outlined below. You’ll quickly find that the camera won’t be a barrier to getting your church photos. That will still be getting your members all together and holding still for a photo!
Raising Kids in the Faith Is Simpler Than You May Think
A new report finds that the single biggest factor in whether children keep the faith isn’t their church, their youth group, or their peers but their parents. The more surprising finding is what works at home, and how often well-meaning Christian parents get it backward.
4 Practical Ideas for VBS Follow-Up
Strategic follow-up plays a huge role in making the most of your VBS. In fact, intentional follow-up should be an important part of your regular VBS planning, right from the beginning. That means as you’re rounding up supplies, handing off VBS manuals, and putting up decorations, you’re also preparing to make a strong post-event impression.
The Discipleship Opportunity: Leading a Great-Commission Church in a Post-Everything World
Help your church thrive in a post-everything world.
The world is a very different place from what it was just a few years ago. Today’s post-everything world is arguably more divisive, political, indifferent, and impatient than ever. While many believe that the best course of action is to find a way back to how things used to be, is that actually the best way forward?
Given the many ways that our world has changed, it’s time for Christian leadership strategies to change, and for churches to approach making disciples, evangelism, and preaching differently than yesterday. The Discipleship Opportunity is a powerful tool for church leaders seeking to navigate the challenges of our rapidly evolving, post-pandemic, post-Christian, and post-everything world...
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