As Thom Rainer drew to our attention his article, "Why 'Friendly Church' Is No Longer Enough;" in today’s culture, friendliness is expected. Guests will visit your website and view the livestream and videos of your church's service before they decide to pay your church a visit. Their initial impression of the church will determine whether they pay you a return visit - what happens in the first 10 seconds after they step through the front door, assuming that make it to the front door.
Words Are Very Unnecessary
Stephen McAlpine explains why we're not talking as much as we used to and why that's a problem.
Helping Young Adults Build Faith That Lasts
I grew up in church.
Some of my earliest memories are of Sunday school classrooms, Bible stories, worship services, and watching faithful men and women love Jesus. The church wasn’t simply where my family spent Sundays; it shaped my life and became the place where I first encountered the gospel.
Yet there was a season when I nearly walked away.
Most of the content of this article is on the page due to poor formatting!When Should We Just Call Young Adults ‘Adult-Adults’?
Young adults ministry, like all targeted ministries, needs to be conscious of the theological and practical risks of the homogeneous unit principle... However, if we accept that targeted ministries can have a healthy place in church life, there are some potential negative consequences in stretching the age-range of ‘young adult’ too wide, and investing in specialist ministry to this broad cohort.
It’s time to talk about domestic violence
Each time a major sporting event occurs, like the recent World Cup tournament, I see posts on social media about domestic violence.
Did you know domestic violence rates rise by 26% in UK homes each time England’s football team plays, and 38% when they lose? And roughly 10% in American homes each time an NFL team suffers an upset loss?
But domestic violence is not just a sports problem. It’s a big deal all the time, everywhere.
Who is missing in your church who is already there?
Why disability ministry is about more than accessibility—it's about helping people truly belong in the church.
Dioceses Form Eco-Region Networks
Twelve eco-region networks, spanning 55 of the 106 dioceses, have been established across the Episcopal Church – both domestically and internationally – as part of the Creation Care initiative.
The eco-region networks address environmental, climate, water, agriculture, food, and clean energy concerns, mostly specific to issues in each geographic area, and all are key aspects of the church’s commitment to creation care ministries.
The Back-to-School Checklist for Pastors (Prepping Your Church for Ministry to Parents & Children)
In this episode, Josh and Sam explore how pastors can prepare their churches for one of the most strategic ministry seasons of the year: back-to-school. As families shift routines, students face new pressures, and parents feel the weight of another busy season, churches have a unique opportunity to serve, encourage, and disciple. A strong back-to-school plan is not about adding more activity to the calendar. It is about aligning ministries, equipping volunteers, and intentionally supporting parents as they lead their homes through a demanding season.
Preaching: Beyond the Children's Sermon
Is the "children's sermon" helping—or hurting—intergenerational worship?
Peter Levenstrong suggests that separating children from the main sermon unintentionally teaches everyone that preaching isn't really for all ages.
His challenge: preach one sermon that welcomes every listener.
Do you agree?
If you’re a parent or a youth leader, you may be daunted by the challenge of engaging teenagers with the Bible. We long for the teenagers we love to hear the voice of their Good Shepherd: “Abide in my word” (John 8:31). Still, this can feel increasingly difficult as the din of competing messages grows louder throughout adolescence.
Learning to love Scripture is the work of the Holy Spirit, but adults can show a little Spirit-inspired creativity to help spark curiosity, eagerness, and reverence in young readers. Here are some recommended practices from a longtime youth minister and a mom of grown kids.
10 Ways to Encourage Kids in Your Church to Read the Bible
Kids who regularly read the Bible growing up are more likely to become faithful believers as young adults. And your church can help them.
Biblical Respect in a Disrespectful Age
Sadly, in popular culture today there are few signs of what it means to respect other people. Whether it is between politicians, actors, and other media personalities, or between students and teachers, consumers of television and the internet seem to thrive on showcasing anger and insults to a world ready to glory in disrespect. For a Christian though, disrespect is unacceptable. We are to keep our emotions under control (e.g., Matt. 5:22; 2 Tim. 1:7) and show respect to others.
Is the "children's sermon" helping—or hurting—intergenerational worship?
Peter Levenstrong suggests that separating children from the main sermon unintentionally teaches everyone that preaching isn't really for all ages.
His challenge: preach one sermon that welcomes every listener.
Do you agree?
I had a mixed reaction to this article. While I have advocated since the mid- 1980s for greater involvement of children in the worship, ministry, and life of the local church and wrote an occasional paper on the subject for my diocese's liturgy and music commission in 2000, I must question Levenstrong's contention that separating children from the main sermon unintentionally teaches everyone that preaching isn't really for all ages. I was trained as an educator and worked with children as a social worker for almost three decades. Children go through different developmental stages and learn differently at each stage. Different pedagogic methods are required at each stage. Designing a sermon tailored to a broad range of children's developmental stages and also to adults would be too greater challenge for most preachers. They might end up preaching a diet of pablum to their congregation that benefits neither the children nor the adults. From what I have also observed from livestreams, videos, and in person, the quality of a lot of Episcopal preaching is mediocre at best, indicating sermon preparation and presentation was not the preacher's strong point. Levenstrong's proposal strikes me as one of those bright ideas which, when they are implemented, often with a great deal of hoopla, do not accomplish what those who proposed them claimed they would.Engage Teens with the Whole Bible
If you’re a parent or a youth leader, you may be daunted by the challenge of engaging teenagers with the Bible. We long for the teenagers we love to hear the voice of their Good Shepherd: “Abide in my word” (John 8:31). Still, this can feel increasingly difficult as the din of competing messages grows louder throughout adolescence.
Learning to love Scripture is the work of the Holy Spirit, but adults can show a little Spirit-inspired creativity to help spark curiosity, eagerness, and reverence in young readers. Here are some recommended practices from a longtime youth minister and a mom of grown kids.
10 Ways to Encourage Kids in Your Church to Read the Bible
Kids who regularly read the Bible growing up are more likely to become faithful believers as young adults. And your church can help them.
Biblical Respect in a Disrespectful Age
Sadly, in popular culture today there are few signs of what it means to respect other people. Whether it is between politicians, actors, and other media personalities, or between students and teachers, consumers of television and the internet seem to thrive on showcasing anger and insults to a world ready to glory in disrespect. For a Christian though, disrespect is unacceptable. We are to keep our emotions under control (e.g., Matt. 5:22; 2 Tim. 1:7) and show respect to others.
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