Ministering to Millennials by Leveraging the Relational Power of Healthy Churches

We need to lean away from the church-as-business model and into the church-as-relational-community model. Love God and love others. Read More

Related article:
Why Millennials Won't Build the Kinds of Churches their Parents Built

The Top Ten Worst Church Guest Experiences

“Our church is really not for you.”

Yep. That comment was really made to a church guest by a church member.

Unbelievable. Read More

The State of Theology: Does Even the Smallest Sin Deserve Eternal Damnation?

Of the 47 statements included in The State of Theology study for 2016, undertaken in partnership with LifeWay Research, the responses to one statement stood out. Most of the responses tended to even out over the spectrum. Each statement tended to garner slight majorities. The results show slight majorities either getting a belief right or, in most cases, getting a belief wrong. But not statement 17, “Even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation.” This one sparked a reaction. Read More

Chuck Swindoll on How He Interprets the Scripture and Stays Fresh in Leadership [Podcast]

Few preachers have the legacy that Chuck Swindoll has.

Author of many books and thousands of sermons, Chuck discusses his most recent book, Searching the Scriptures, and the method he uses to stay fresh in preaching and leadership. Listen Now

10 Way a Local Church Can Help a Missionary

I spend a lot of time with missionaries. Based on my conversations with them over the last year, here are some ways your church can help them.... Read More

Why Are So Many Evangelicals Condoning Sexual Assault?

Do evangelicals condone sexual harassment and sexual assault?

Until recently I’d have considered such a question to be absurd. We evangelicals are, after all, committed to bringing justice to the weak and afflicted (Ps. 82:3). We are called to comfort the victims while seeking restorative justice for the assailants.

Of course this is not a universally held standard, especially when the powerful assailants are politicians. Credible claims of harassment and assault by politicians are sometimes overlooked or dismissed by some evangelicals so as not to harm the politician’s political opportunities (or the electability of their enabling spouse).

But for the most part, evangelicals have historically been the ones most opposed to lowering moral standards for politicians and to accepting their sexual indiscretions and crimes. We were the “values voters” who could be counted on to hold candidates to a higher standard and to defend their victims.

That’s no longer true. Recent events have shown that many evangelicals—especially prominent conservative defenders of family and public morality—side with the powerful oppressors over the vulnerable oppressed. Many have shown they are willing, even eager, to overlook admissions of sexual assault if it will lead to their preferred political outcome. Read More

Call Out Locker Room Talk for the Sin That It Is

We can’t excuse inconsistent principles in our politicians or in each other.

“It’s just locker room talk.”

With these five words, Donald Trump and many of his supporters have tried to brush away the presidential candidate’s sexually predatory comments recorded in a 2005 conversation between the GOP presidential candidate and NBC host Billy Bush. Presumably, the same defense covers Trump’s conversations with Howard Stern about threesomes, anal sex, and his own daughter’s derriere.

Putting aside the more serious question of whether Trump’s words in his conversation with Bush accurately describe real actions he has committed (something he denied when pressed by Anderson Cooper in Sunday night’s debate), let’s consider the notion that all this is “just locker room talk.” Read More

Sexual Morality in a Christless World

The times are changing. Sexual morality is undergoing nothing less than a revolution as traditional morality gives way to something radically different. The former morality, based on the Christian scriptures, is being shoved aside by a new one that not only departs from the Bible, but outright rejects it. Meanwhile, Christians who abide by those traditional sexual morals are increasingly seen as outcasts, backward people dangerously hung up on ancient, oppressive principles. It is all very disconcerting. Read More

The 4th “C” of Adding Healthy Team Members

I believe there is a fourth “C” to finding good team members. Unfortunately, I had to discover it the hard way. Read More

Related article:
3 Easy Ways to Burn Out Your Team

Autopsy of a Deceased Pastor

Autopsies are not a pleasant topic. I get that. But I would be negligent if I did not share with you about the numbers of pastors who are dead in ministry. You need to know. You need to grasp this reality. You need to pray for them. You need to walk alongside them.

How did these pastors die? My figurative autopsies uncovered eight common patterns. Some pastors manifest four or five of them. Many manifest all of them. Read More

Can the Church Thrive in a Non-Christian World?

Ed Stetzer: “Being a Christian is more significant in a hostile or indifferent culture than in friendly surroundings.” Read More

Snakes and Ladders: Steal It Back

"In light of the ignominious behaviour of leading ‘evangelical’ voices in supporting and standing by Donald Trump, I have a question for my American friends who haven’t compromised on this point. At what point should the self-designation ‘evangelical’ be abandoned? At what point do the liabilities of the term outweigh its potential benefits? At what point does the meaning of a term need to be so hedged with qualifications and distinctions that it ceases to be fit for purpose?" Read More

For How Much Longer Will Christians Support Donald Trump?

Why are so many evangelicals still supporting Trump? Read More

Related articles:
Trump’s Moral Character and the Election
Speak Truth to Trump
Why Trump Tape Caused Only Two Evangelical Leaders to Abandon Him
What Is Going On Inside Trump's Religious Advisory Panel? James MacDonald Speaks Out

7 Reasons Bi-vocational Ministry Isn’t Plan B

Growing up in the church, it was sort of understood that any pastor worth his salt was “full-time.” By full-time, we meant that he was fully financially supported by his church.

Without a doubt there are great advantages to being fully supported by the churches we serve, but I’ve discovered that pastoring bi-vocationally has strengthened and expanded my ministry in ways I could’ve never experienced otherwise. In our time we should not look at bi-vocational ministry as the Plan B of churches that can’t afford full-time staff. Instead, we should view bi-vocational ministry as Plan A for Kingdom strategy.

Here are seven reasons I’ve found why bi-vocational ministry isn’t Plan B. Read More

7 Types of Scary Leaders

Have you ever witnessed a leader whose leadership style you would characterize as scary?

It’s terrifying to watch. And it’s even worse to work under.

Scary leaders can show up in a variety of ways. Let’s look at seven types of scary leaders.... Read More

10 Reasons to Pray More As You Prepare to Preach This Weekend

Many of you are pastors who are putting finishing touches on your sermon for this weekend. In too many cases, we pastors prepare hard and pray little over our sermons. This weekend, I challenge you to spend more time praying before you preach. Here’s why.... Read More

Learning the Bible Using the Trivium Method

The Bible is the most important book that has ever been or will ever be published, and the most consequential artifact mankind will ever possess. Because it is the Word of God and God is its main subject, the Bible is also the most important work we’ll every study.

Yet despite its significance, our approach to learning the Bible is often haphazard and disorganized. We may have picked up some Bible stories during childhood or made an effort to study particular doctrines as adults. But for the most part, we don’t know many of the basic details about the Bible and are unsure how the themes of Scripture fit together.

Fortunately, learning the Bible doesn’t require quitting our jobs and attending Bible college or seminary for a remedial education. We can learn how to learn the Bible by applying an ancient method that is popular in the Classical Christian education movement: the Trivium method. Read More

3 Rationales for Using Social Media to Promote Your Church

I live, eat and breathe social media for a living. While you probably don’t, there are for sure valuable lessons to be learned from the social media landscape that can be applied to your church.

I’m not a marketer by trade, but I’ve been a relatively active user of various social media platforms since I first heard that AOL Instant Messenger door creak open for the first time when I was in elementary school. Read More

A Pop Quiz for Pastors and Church Leaders

Based on what I’ve learned about church leaders via years of church consulting, here’s a pop quiz for pastors and other church leaders. Many, many leaders with whom I’ve worked could not answer these questions – questions I believe strong church leaders should be able to answer.... Read More

Tony Morgan on Why Churches Get Stuck…and How to Get Your Church Moving Again [Podcast}

Why do churches get stuck? Tony Morgan visits dozens of stuck churches every year and helps them get unstuck. He shares his findings and shares some top learnings on how to get your church moving again. Listen Now

No, Our Church Doesn't Sing New Music to Appeal to Nonbelievers

Our church’s song list is not an evangelism tool. It’s meant to glorify God and involve the saints in worship. Read More

Trump 'Risks Damaging Our Witness To The Gospel' Say Evangelical Christian Leaders

Nearly 80 evangelical Christian leaders in the United States have joined in condemnation of Republican candidate Donald Trump. Read More

The Astonishing Power of Small Churches: Looking Ahead

Small churches are a vital component of the most powerful force for goodness the world has ever seen. Read More

13 Facts About Opposition To Change Too Many Leaders Miss

If the church is going to reach its potential, change isn’t optional, it’s necessary. Read More

Seven Dying Practices in Church Communication

In a previous article, I listed emerging technologies in churches. Today, I focus on communications and practices that are declining to the point of non-existence. Your church might still use some of these, but if the trends continue, you won’t be using them for long.

Technological advancements and cultural changes have ushered in new practices in church communications. As a result, these seven practices are not only being replaced, they are dying. Read More

Are Our Churches Full of Heretics? [Podcast]

Pollster Scott McConnell on the origins of evangelical unorthodoxy, how our busyness affects our beliefs, and why loving God translates into better theology. Listen Now

Donald Trump Has A Problem With Truth: Why Don't More Christians Care?

Here's the really important question, though: if Trump is so demonstrably reckless with the truth and so open to giving misleading information in order to get elected, why on earth does anyone think he can be trusted on the 'defining' issues like abortion and gay marriage? His positions on these topics seem to have conveniently changed in line with evangelical pressure, but how can anyone be sure they won't shift again once he's in office? The choice for Christians is between an extraordinarily unreliable man who claims to support their worldview, and a woman who admits that on some issues, she doesn't. Read More

Related article:
Despite Mike Pence, Most Evangelical Pastors Are Not Ready to Vote Trump

Three Reasons Rural Churches Matter More Than You May Think

Many people see small, rural churches like the minor leagues: they are a great place for pastors to be trained but the really good ones won’t ever stay there. The real game is played in the big cities. Or so we’ve been told. Well, I think we’ve been told wrong. Rural churches matters much more than we’ve been led to believe. Here are three reasons why. Read More

Seven Reasons People Choose a Church

Why did you choose to come to this church?

I ask the question hundreds of times each year, especially to people who joined a church within the past year.

Now we have new research that gives us specific reasons why people decide on a particular church. As I noted in my previous post, I am grateful to Pew Research for their massive study on the behavioral patterns of members and guests.

In their most recent study, the respondents noted seven key reasons for choosing a church. They were allowed to offer more than one reason. Here are the top seven responses.... Read More

Why do people choose your church?

Faults to Avoid in Public Prayer

Samuel Miller was the second professor at the Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church in Princeton, NJ--what is now Princeton Theological Seminary. He was one of the most prolific and able of 19th Century Reformed theologians. Among the most beneficial of his works are those that focus on special aspects of pastoral ministry, namely, his books on The Ruling Elder and his work on Public Prayer. It is from the latter of these works that the church of our day so desperately needs to glean. While prayer in public worship services has virtually vanished from the evangelical church, Miller's reflections remain valuable for those churches in which prayers of invocation, confession, adoration, thanksgiving and supplication continue to be offered. Miller includes, in this work, an invaluable section on "Frequent Faults of Public Prayer." In this section, Miller set out 18 common mistakes that ministers, elders and deacons should labor to avoid when leading the congregation in public prayer. Read More

The Astonishing Power of Small Churches: Three Reasons We’ve Missed This

The stubborn, historical persistence of small churches is something God has done without our noticing it, and in spite of the fact that many of us have fought against it. Read More

Photo: St. Mark's Anglican Church, Benton, Kentucky

10 Things You Should Know about Tithing under the Mosaic Covenant

Today we take up the issue of tithing, especially as it was mandated under the Law of Moses. Here are 10 things we should know. The question before us is not whether Christians are responsible to be generous with their wealth in giving back a portion of it to support the work of the ministry. 2 Corinthians 8-9, as well as other texts, make it quite clear that we are. The question, rather, is whether New Covenant Christians are biblically and morally obligated to give according to Old Covenant laws. Read More

5 Ways For a Leader to Respond at the Outset of a Crisis

At the outset of a crisis, how should the leader respond?

The way the leader responds in crisis always dictates the way the team responds. Read More

5 Things Pastors Dread Hearing After Preaching a Sermon

Preaching is simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting. Though I am not sure how it could be proven, some have articulated that preaching one sermon is as emotionally and psychologically taxing as an eight-hour workday. If you are like me, you know you should rest in the promise that His Word does not return void, yet you often wish you had said things differently. Doubt and insecurity can creep in. There is also the spiritual reality that you are susceptible to attacks from the Enemy. Jonah was depressed and wanted to die after the great revival the Lord used him to spark. The apostle Paul said he had to beat his body into submission after he preached.

With that as a backdrop, here are five messages that pastors dread hearing after preaching. Pastors, I am going to hypothetically respond in ways you have been tempted to respond, but have loved people too much to do so. Though my list varies a bit from his, I must give credit to my boss, Thom Rainer, for initially posting a blog on this subject. Read More

4 Essential Elements of Healthy Small Groups

When it comes to fellowship, size matters: Smaller is better. You can worship with a crowd, but you can’t fellowship with one. Once a group becomes larger than about 10 people, one or two will dominate the group, and someone – usually the quietest person – will stop participating altogether.

Unfortunately, creating small groups within your church does not guarantee your people will experience real community. Many Sunday school classes and small groups are stuck at a superficial level and have no clue as to what it’s like to experience genuine fellowship. They may share a meal together, but they don’t share their lives.

As a pastor, you can build small groups that matter – groups that provide a place for members to fully experience biblical fellowship – by focusing on four essential elements: authenticity, mutuality, sympathy, and mercy. Read More

5 (More) Misunderstood Truths About Spiritual Growth

“Here are five additional simple, practical, biblical truths about spiritual growth.” Read More

Six Reasons Congregations Have Become Sticky

Wouldn’t you love it if everyone who connected with your church showed up every week?

Some churches probably could not handle the crowd.

But most church leaders would like to have that problem.

Thanks to the excellent work of Pew Research, we now have some clear reasons why some churches have members who attend much more frequently than other churches. In other words, we have a clearer picture of what a sticky church looks like.

Pew Research began a series of studies of the behavioral patterns of church attenders and non-attenders in 2014 by interviewing more than 35,000 adults. They now have a total of four reports, one of the most massive studies of the church landscape in America ever conducted.

In my first report on this study, we want to answer the question: “What factors cause church members to attend more frequently?” Respondents could only provide one response. Here is a summary of the six major reasons they gave.... Read More

5 Steps to Simplifying Your Church’s Schedule

For many good reasons, church leaders often desire to simplify their schedules.... What can a ministry leader do? Here are five steps to consider.... Read More

On the Net: "When Church Growth Becomes Dangerous" and More

When Church Growth Becomes Dangerous

“Let church growth be the real thing, not something hyped up. Solid growth, not inflated numbers.” Read More

Now Kazakhstan Christians Can Prove Their Faith Isn't Foreign

Archaeologists discover that Christianity existed along Silk Road long before the Russians arrived. Read More

Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 40

How many of us, asked to explain the purpose of the sixth commandment ("you shall not murder"), would begin by saying, "I am not to belittle my neighbour"? Read More

Sermon: Do all dogs go to heaven? Yes, and even cats do too

A sermon delivered to Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church in Lecanto Florida (Diocese of Central Florida) on Oct 2, 2016 at the church's St Francis Festival by its rector, the Very Rev. George Conger. Read More

5 Kinds of Passion That Can Make or Break Your Leadership

When it comes to reaching the next generation, passion beats polish. Read More

5 Things Every Church Should Know About Students

Here are five things the new students in your church probably want you to know. Read More

3 Ways to Teach Your Kids to Pray for the Persecuted Church

In this article, Ruth Ripkin offers three ways to engage entire families in praying for the global persecuted church by teaching our children to join us. Read More

25 Winter Outreach Ideas

This winter and holiday season, try these 25 idea starters to reach your community in creative ways. Read More

Proof That Women Are Expendable For American Evangelicals

In the case of women, the evangelical acceptance of Trump's bullying and degrading of women is nothing new to the wider movement and worthy of closer scrutiny. Read More

American evangelicals' support of Trump in this presidential election will come back to haunt them. Even Jesus paid taxes and instructed his disciples to pay them. The Ten Commandments condemns the bearing of false witness. They also condemn adultery. Jesus described as the children of the devil the Pharisees and scribes because of their lies, false accusations, and innuendos, noting that the devil was the father of lies. Jesus instructed disciples to turn the other cheek, to not let the sun go down on their anger, and to love their enemies. He stressed the importance of forgiveness, kindness, and mercy. He taught them that a rich man's wealth was a nearly insurmountable barrier to discipleship. The Bible warns against putting one's trust in princes and other strong men rather than in God. Jesus' attitude toward women was different than that of the Pharisees and the scribes. For example, he stopped to talk to them when the Pharisees and the scribes would have ignored them. Jesus also treated women with respect, not contempt.

US Missionary To Russia Loses Appeal Against Conviction For Evangelising

The American missionary who has become one of the first victims of the country's clampdown on religion has lost an appeal against his conviction. Read More

Red Tape: China Wants to Constrict Christian Activities with 26 New Rules

Both official and house churches now face bigger threat than cross removal campaign. Read More

Saturday Lagniappe: "7 Signs Your Church Is Going Nowhere Fast" and More

7 Signs Your Church Is Going Nowhere Fast

“All churches experience temporary plateaus and flatlines in their growth patterns.” Read More

Pastors Are Not Quitting In Droves

Each time a pastor prematurely exits the ministry race, I grieve. I also grieve each time I hear the awful pastor retention stats which are unsubstantiated and sometimes exaggerated. Read More

You Know You're Really Preaching the Gospel When...

How can a pastor tell when he’s faithfully preaching the gospel? Here are several indicators. Read More

How Can We Convince a Nonbeliever That the Bible Is the Word of God?

Before I try to answer that question directly, let me make a distinction that is important at the outset. Read More

7 Reasons to Preach the Incommunicable Attributes of God

Here are seven reasons I have chosen to focus on God’s incommunicable attributes, and why I think they’re important for teens to understand. Read More

How the Digital Age Helps Us Pray

Digital tools can help you become more disciplined in prayer. Read More

Listen More, Speak Less

Have you ever noticed how small the Bible is? Read More

Authority: God’s Good and Dangerous Gift

The summer/fall 2016 edition of 9 Marks Journal is online. Read Here

Americans Love God and the Bible, Are Fuzzy on the Details

Americans don’t know much about theology. Most say God wrote the Bible. But they’re not sure everything in it is true. Read More

The Astonishing Power of Small Churches: Fan the Flame

Let’s encourage, connect and equip innovative small church leaders as each one plays their part. Read More

Church Leaders, Are Your Decisions Missional or Emotional?

“In a missional decision, every action and ministry function is done with a focus on the mission of Christ.” Read More

4 Warning Signs Your Church Isn’t Developing Leaders

Effective organizations build their own leaders instead of only buying them. Effective organizations develop people to deploy against their mission, that is to say, they take the people they have, develop their capacity, and hand increasing amounts of responsibility to them. Much more than any organization, a local church should excel at developing and deploying people. And they must be developed and deployed for the mission of God. Embedded in the Christian faith is a history of multiplying, a command to make disciples, and a promise that our mission will not be thwarted. Sadly, many churches struggle to develop leaders. Here are four warning sign. Read More

Shut Down the Bus Tours: What Older Church Members Should Really Be Doing

So how do you engage older church attendees… say people over age 50?

The question’s been around a long time. And—as most church leaders could tell you—it’s a bit of a loaded question.

It’s also a question I’m hearing again and again, particularly from churches that are doing a great job reaching young families. Some leaders want to know how to keep older members engaged, especially when a church is doing a great job reaching young families. Read More

Does Friday's Black Moon Foretell The End Of The World?

It's very odd, the whole signs-of-the-times thing. Many conservative Christians are deeply opposed to astrology, for very good reasons, but get terribly excited about astronomical phenomena that seem to tie in with biblical prophecy. You can't have it both ways, surely: either the stars and planets do foretell the future, or they don't.

The latest event to get prophecy-watchers excited is Friday's Black Moon. This is when there are two new moons in a calendar month (a blue moon is when there are two full moons). And you can't actually see it, because it's dark; the sunlit side of the moon is facing away from the earth. Read More

The Supreme Court and the Convoluted Case for Trump

Donald Trump’s smartest political move this year was issuing his list of prospective Supreme Court nominees. This is the ultimate “trump card” (pardon me) for white evangelical voters, it seems. Franklin Graham spoke for many when he suggested recently that the only thing at stake in this election is the future of the Supreme Court. Read More

Christians In China Forbidden From Singing Hymns And Praying

Another church in China has been issued with a legal notice to quit Christian activities in the latest of a spate of actions against house churches.

The house church in Sichuan province has been ordered to stop meeting under rules that govern religious gatherings. The church has been subjected to a clamp down because its pastors are not government-appointed and it is not an officially-licensed church.

Similar action has been taken recently against other house churches in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Anhui and Henan provinces. Read More

The Astonishing Power of Small Churches: Strategic Placement

Small churches may be the most overlooked, under-appreciated and underutilized asset on earth. But it doesn’t have to stay that way.

Over one billion people choose to worship Jesus in small churches.

But the astonishing power of small churches is not just about the numbers. It’s about strategic placement.

This is where our small size becomes our advantage.

Small churches have found their way into every corner of the world.

Laws don’t stop us, distance can’t limit us, and lack of funds won’t discourage us.

In places where Christianity is illegal, our size makes us invisible. Where people have no transportation, our size makes us accessible. Where land is expensive, our size makes us affordable.

Small churches are not a mistake to be fixed or an obstacle to overcome. We may be God’s greatest tool to reach the world. Especially when we join forces with our big- and megachurch brothers and sisters. Read More

5 Helpful Questions When Attempting to Discern God’s Will

When options are plentiful

I am often asked how to know if the plans we make are God’s will for our life. I’m not referring to which cereal to have for breakfast. For the most part I think God would simply say choose your favorite (and, like a good parent, try to steer you to a healthier option). I’m talking about those life-altering decisions, such as career choice, relationships, or decisions requiring huge steps of faith.

Most of us want to do God’s will, and yet, as I view Scripture, God seems to give us a tremendous amount of freedom to choose the paths in our life. If you’re like me, you’re fully capable of making a mistake. I’ve made many doing things my own way.

It seems easier for me when I have some sort of structure through which to process a decision. Years ago I began to ask myself questions when facing major options in my life.

Here are 5 helpful questions I often ask myself to help discern God’s will.... Read More

7 Reasons Why Faithful Church Attendance Matters

Going to church every week, week after week matters. If we know Jesus, we should desire to be with his bride. For all those who believe, have a church home, but don’t attend consistently, I’m writing for you. If you’re one of those spotty non-attenders, I’m writing to you in love but also in truth. Come home! Regular church attendance is not just good for the ministry; it’s good for your soul, and for mine.1

So why is regular church attendance so important? Here’re seven reasons.... Read More