Secularization is absolutely happening in densely populated places, but it’s also common in smaller towns, too. Even in rural America, the nones make up a quarter of the population.
How to Reach People Who Work on Sundays
Thom discusses the often-overlooked mission field of Sunday workers—and how churches can rethink schedules and structures to engage them.
Why Some Churches Plateau at 70 (and Stay There)
Thom examines the common attendance ceiling of around 70 and the leadership, structure, and mindset issues that keep churches from breaking through.
Surprising Misunderstandings About Church Turnarounds
A church won’t go where you want it to go. It will go where the dynamic relationship between God and the people takes it.
Gen Z Sees Something About AI That Pastors Are Missing!
Most pastors are asking how to use AI. Gen Z is asking what AI is going to do to them.
And that gap is a pastoral problem.
Matt Chandler on the Death of Secularism
Matt Chandler doesn't pull punches. The lead pastor of The Village Church joins me to talk about why wearing a cape doesn't help anyone, the death of secularism, and why the church is all wood and no fire. Matt also opens up about the moment he almost quit, what Spurgeon taught him about suffering, and why he stopped neglecting the Holy Spirit.
US megachurches report strong rebound from pandemic
Most American megachurches have rebounded well from the COVID-19 pandemic as more than 80% reported they are flourishing, according to a new report by Hartford Institute for Religion Research.
The study examined responses from 331 mostly Protestant congregations with 2,000 or more people attending in-person worship services on a typical weekend, which meets the traditional definition of a megachurch.
Americans value freedom but there are differences on what it means
America’s 250th birthday prompted researchers at Navigator to ask Americans how they define America, patriotism and what our country should aspire to.
The result was 82% of Americans across all generations saying they believe freedom is an extremely important value, with 74% claiming rights are also extremely valuable.
However, as the survey found nuances in the answers given by different demographics and generational groups.
Opinion: 3 views on Donald Trump held by American Christians
There is a divide among Christians in the United States about how to respond to the urgency of our present crisis.
Leaving aside for a moment those who claim the name of Christ but gleefully support an immoral president doing immoral things that result in death and destruction, the remainder of U.S. Christianity generally falls into two camps: Those loudly screaming that the house is on fire and those trying to keep the peace and pray for this cup to pass from us.
Catholic legal aid group for immigrants nears collapse as US withholds funds
The El Paso Diocese-run nonprofit is one of the largest providers of legal services for unaccompanied children. It says the US is defying a court order.
The conservative Christian women turning moral urgency into political power
Katie Gaddini, a visiting scholar at Stanford University, spoke to RNS about the women she profiles in her new book, "Esther's Army."
Anti-Christian incidents double in Israel
Anti-Christian incidents in Israel have nearly doubled in the last three months, according to the Religious Freedom Data Centre (RFDC).
Is Marriage a Prerequisite for Ministry?
In a day when half the population isn’t married, how does the church do ministry from a biblical leadership model rooted in marriage?
7 Surprising Traits of Highly Effective Church Leaders
These traits are so simple you might be tempted to dismiss them. Don’t. They’re part of what makes each of these leaders effective in their own world, and there’s nothing stopping you from putting them to work in yours.
7 Impractical Leadership Principles That Work
The most practical route and the wisest route are not the same thing. Here are seven leadership habits that slow you down, cost you comfort, and pay off anyway.
5 Powerful Ways to Pray for Your Pastor Every Day
Prayer is the most powerful force in the world; it is truly life changing.
It’s the only thing that is not weakened, threatened, or hindered by other powers, challenging circumstances, cultural norms, or financial persuasion.
What songs do you sing?
There’s a series of important questions around what songs you sing on a Sunday: their theology and how well it coheres with the church’s, their singability by this particular congregation, song choices that best encourage and inspire expressions of praise, and what songs fit the moment or ‘stage’ of the morning you’ve reached.
The church that I attend, at its early service, largely uses worship songs from Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation. They are popular with the pastor, the worship leader, and the band. The early service boasts a larger attendance than the more traditional later service with its organ and piano music, choir anthems, and hymns. However, the lyrics of a number of these songs contain verses that are not biblical or theologically sound. These verses could be rewritten to correct these defects but whoever selects the songs does not appear to notice the defects or is not troubled by them.'Bare beating' is 'unequivocally rude' but extremely common
Have you ever been trapped on a train car with someone watching TikToks from their phone without headphones? Or seated on a plane by a passenger blasting music? Or even stuck in a doctor’s office waiting room as a fellow patient broadcasts radio commentary on a sports stream?
If so, you’ve experienced what some call “bare beating.” This term refers to the act of playing music, videos, podcasts or other audio out loud in public without headphones ― essentially treating shared space like a personal living room.
A number of churches have had noise complaints filed against them with the police and the local authorities for treating their surrounding neighborhood like it was a part of their worship space with their loud music. Bare beating is not, however, an effective form of evangelism.10 Things Every New Christian Should Know in Year One
The first year of faith goes best when a new Christian anchors on ten things: God’s love comes first, relationship matters more than religion, grace does the growing, love comes before conversion attempts, unity with other believers is non negotiable, Jesus stays the center of everything, God wants the whole life not just Sunday morning, prayer and scripture become daily rhythms, and every new believer needs a mentor walking ahead of them.
Here is what that looks like in practice.
10 Marks of a Mature Christian
...If physical and emotional maturity have recognizable markers, so does spiritual maturity. So what are they?
Let’s start with what spiritual maturity is not.
Let’s start with what spiritual maturity is not.
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