Addressing 3 New Fears of Young People in a Digital Age

Keeping up with the current “language expansion” is difficult in today’s culture. There is a need to express yourself, to be seen, to be heard and to belong. There are a few words that are describing young people’s current reality and you should be aware of them.

Maybe you are a “next-gen Christian” and I’m speaking your language. Or maybe you are leading the next generation forward and you are navigating this landscape while trying not to get lost in the wilderness of ”lit” and “turnt” and “woke.”

Tim Elmore, sociologist of culture, has identified some words that signify current fears that are mainstream in the next generation. Check them out below.... Read More

Also See:
6 Signs You're Being CATFISHED

As well as creating new fears for young people, the Internet has also created new dangers.

Image: Outreach Magazine 

How to Be Missional in the Marketplace This Holiday Season

Five years ago around this time of year, I was on my phone scrolling through social media when a few posts written by Christian friends grabbed my attention. They read:

• “So tired of this corporate greed. The holidays are about faith and family. #StayHomeDontShop”
• “Take back Thanksgiving for Christ. #BoycottBlackFriday”
• “Camping out at home to avoid the wackos trampling each other over half-priced TVs.”

As I read these posts and watched online petitions get circulated by other Christians pledging not to shop on and around Thanksgiving, I felt vilified in my role at the time as a manager over six retail stores.

This time of year often brings out a propensity for Christians to confuse the mission of saving people created in the image of God with the call to save holiday values that are propagated more by Hallmark than Scripture. Read More

Photo by Artem Bali on Pexels

5 Ways to Reorient Thanksgiving

We can miss important outreach and service opportunities if we jump past Thanksgiving and straight into Christmas.

Thanksgiving is often one of the most overlooked holidays. Stores move quickly from the scary and sweet of Halloween to the gifts and garbs of Christmas.

Even churches can gloss over Thanksgiving, as we move past trunk-or-treats and fall festivals to Christmas carols and Nativity plays.

Not only can we reorient our minds to one of thankfulness on the fourth Thursday of November, we can shift our focus to others by incorporating some of these ideas into our traditional Thanksgiving practices. Read More

Related Articles:
Six Ideas for a More Intentional Thanksgiving
100 Remarkable Reasons to Thank God This Thanksgiving

Our Christian Heritage: Pages from Church History

Priscilla: A Deeper Look at an Early Church Leader

She is mentioned exactly six times in the New Testament. Six times. And, although tantalizingly limited in detail, those six mentions tell the story of a woman who used her gifts and resources to influence the spread and nurturing of the early church. Read More

Mothers of the Reformation

These early Protestant women saw Luther’s priesthood of all believers as reason to write and teach the Reformation. Read More

Battered by Donne: A Personal Appreciation of the Religious Poetry of John Donne

If you have studied John Donne at university you probably know him for his early (and racy) love poetry. But Donne had a very different career later as an Anglican minister. Read More

These Pastors Loved America So Much, They Wanted It to Stay British

Why the Christian case against the Revolutionary War deserves better than mockery and neglect. Read More

The Remarkable Story of China’s ‘Bible Women’

The history of Christianity in the world’s largest country can’t be told without acknowledging the female evangelists and pastors who built its church. Read More

Practical Preaching Advice for Pastors and Lay Preachers #25

2 Tips for Thanksgiving Sermons

I don’t know about you, but I find preaching on Thanksgiving to be one of the most difficult preaching assignments of the year. I mean, other than saying “We ought to be thankful,” what is there to say? Read More

5 Myths about Preaching

Which is your kind of preaching—expository or relevant? That is an example of a false dichotomy—a logical fallacy. False dichotomies operate under the assumption that there is no alternative, including no way to combine the qualities entailed in the so-called opposites. Read More

6 Ways To Use PowerPoint (Yes, PowerPoint!) To Help Your Audience Become Better Listeners

The most powerful communication tool is not the image on the screen. It’s your ability to connect with the audience. Read More

The Hardest Part Of Ministry: Saying No

Saying "no" can help focus your ministry, your leadership and your preaching. Read More

Do You Apologize For Your Preaching?

It's the Holy Spirit's job to bring conviction, but do you try to soften the impact? Read More

Why Doesn't Every Congregation Respond The Same Way?

Peter Mead reveals eight powerful insights into how to gauge a congregation's responsiveness. Read More

Should You Swing For The Fences Every Sunday?

Why do we think every sermon has to be a home run? Read More

Change Your Ministry: Ten Books, Ten Months

The well-rounded preacher draws from multiple sources. How wide is your reading? Read More

The FAQs: What You Should Know About Hate Crimes

A hate crime is a traditional criminal offense, such as murder, arson, or vandalism, with an added element of bias. For the purposes of collecting statistics, the FBI has defined a hate crime as a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.” As the FBI notes, hate itself is not a crime, and not all actions that include elements of hate (such as hateful speech) are criminal offenses. Learn More

Saturday Lagniappe: The Unfair Playing Field of Being Good and More

Why It's Unfair for Good People to Go to Heaven

What does it mean to be good, how good to you have to be, and what happens when some people are better than others? In answering these questions, we will find out how unfair this statement can be. Read More

Why ‘Follow Your Heart’ Is Bad Advice

It sounds good, on the surface. Just go with whatever you’re feeling – whatever seems comfortable, or convenient, or maybe even conforming in the moment. If you follow Jesus, however, you have to face a rather hard truth. Read More

Your Lord’s Day Might Be Someone Else’s Way of Escape

Have you ever thought that you, your house, and your time are not your own but rather God’s ordained way of escape for someone? Read More

6 Reasons Why Churches Should Teach About Money

If messages hitting on money are rare or totally absent at your church, let me give you a few reasons to consider placing them in your upcoming teaching calendar. Read More

5 Possible Reasons Potential Leaders Aren’t Leading

Ron Edmondson examines some common reasons that Christians who are drawn to leadership are not yet leading and with each potential reason offers some advice. Read More

How to Recognize Repentance in a Restoration Process

While I do believe leaders can be restored, there must be repentance before there is restoration. We must be careful we do not rush to restoration without seeing the sweet fruit of repentance. Read More

Can Social Media Be Redeemed?

Are our pages, timelines, and boards too full of ourselves? Read More

How to Share the Gospel with Canadian Muslims

We met Mary (pseudonym) in an ESL class where we volunteer. She and her husband, Adam (pseudonym), moved from a country in the Middle East to Canada about two years ago in order to find ‘a better life’. Mary was eager to improve her English but also desiring to search for answers about God, Jesus and spiritual issues. She could not do that in her birth country because of governmental restrictions and she did not know any followers of Jesus there. During the many discussions she had with many believers here in Canada, God was busy drawing her and eventually Adam to Himself. They both came to saving faith and were baptised recently.

As the church of Jesus Christ in Canada, we have a unique opportunity to befriend Muslims in our own country, most of whom have never heard the Gospel or met a true follower of Christ before. Many of us pass up the opportunity to take part in this great Kingdom Call (Matt 28:19) because of fear, lack of knowledge, indifference or apathy.

But the vision of every tribe and people group represented before God’s throne (Rev 5:9) should inspire us to intentionally seek to engage with our Muslim neighbours and colleagues. We spent 12 years ministering to Muslims overseas and in that time we learned a number of important lessons about our Muslim neighbours. If you desire to share the gospel with Muslims in Canada, but don’t know where to begin, here are five things to keep in mind. Read More

Bulgaria Considers Controversial Restrictions on Church Activity

New amendments could halt training, foreign funding, and missionary outreach by evangelicals.

A controversial new law before the Bulgarian Parliament would keep Protestants and other minority faiths from freely worshiping, teaching, evangelizing, and tithing in the southeastern European nation.

Today’s vote marks the legislature’s second hearing for amendments to Bulgaria’s religious denominations act, which were initially approved October 4.

Over the past month, leaders from all faith groups in the former communist country have condemned the proposed additions, which prevent minority religions from offering clergy training, restrict worship services to designated sites, and place new regulations on international missionaries and giving.

“Should the law pass, existing theological seminaries are at risk of shutting down, evangelical church pastors may no longer be able to conduct worship services, and the acceptance and use of donations will be subject to government approval and limitations,” stated the World Evangelical Alliance, which has joined with the Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance to oppose the legislation. Read More

8 Potential Reasons a Church Plant May Not Grow

I’ve worked with a lot of church plants. And, I’ve been involved in two church plants as the planter. Every planter goes into the process hoping to see lives changed with the Gospel. Hoping to grow. Some work. Some don’t.

Why is that?

Well, of course, there are spiritual factors at work. Some sow seeds and others reap harvest. Sometimes God uses the plant in a unique way that doesn’t produce huge numbers of attendees. And, frankly, sometimes the planter had no business planting. It was never really what they were called to do. It looked “exciting” from the outside – all the “cool” people are doing it, but God had a different plan for the planter’s life.

But, speaking specifically about strategic type of reasons a church plant doesn’t grow, I’ve observed a few things. Read More

Thursday's Catch: Trusting God and More

Trusting God When You’re Trapped in Uncertainty

We cannot avoid uncertainty in this life, but we can respond to it in a Christ-honoring and soul-profiting fashion. Read More

If You Preach Like Whitefield, Think Like Wesley

If you preach like Whitefield, consider thinking like Wesley. The more you think like Wesley, the more likely the ministry can spread and endure. What does it mean to think like Wesley? Read More

When Christian Practices Hurt Other People

Baptism, prayer, and Communion can all go “wayward,” says Lauren Winner. Should we blame the sinful practitioners or the practices themselves? Read More

Three Ways to Make the Most of Christmas in Your Student Ministry

The Christmas season provides us with a rich opportunity to foster a greater love for Christ and the lost within students. Yet it is so easy to miss it.... So regardless of how often your student ministry will meet this December, here are three ways to maximize the opportunity Christmas time provides us. Read More

What You Didn’t Know About Angels

I’ll never forget when I realized I didn’t believe in angels. It was 2006, and I was reading C. S. Lewis’s Out of the Silent Planet for the first time. In the book, Edwin Ransom is taken to Malacandra (Mars), where he encounters intelligent beings called eldila, the chief of whom is the Oyarsa. Read More

Where Did Satan Come From?

The Bible’s account of the fall in the Garden of Eden raises a number of important questions. Chief among them usually goes something like this: Where does evil come from in a good world created by a good God? Read More

What Are the “High Places” in the Old Testament, and How Does That Apply to Us Today?

What are the "high places" in our lives? What does God command us to do? Read More

Six Problems When You Are Standing on the Sin Line

Let me get right to the point: sometimes we put ourselves directly on the “sin line”—that metaphorical line between obedience and disobedience—and then wonder why we so easily fall into sin. Here are some thoughts I hope will help you avoid the line.... Read More

Reaching Out to Non-Believers this Holiday Season

Relationships are a significant means through which people can be reached with the gospel.

While the idea of inviting an unbelieving friend to church can seem daunting from afar, know that there are times in the New Testament that we are told to account for the presence of unbelievers in our Sunday morning services. This is not a foreign concept to the early church, and neither should it be to us in our 21st century context today.

This holiday season, I encourage all of you to find ways to reach out to the unbelievers and infrequent churchgoers in your circles extending them an invitation to join you at church. Here are some quick strategies to go about this well. Read More

You may want to share this article with your congregation or small group.

3 Beliefs Some Progressive Christians and Atheists Share

“Listen. I gotta break it to you . . . I’m post-Christian. . . . I don’t believe it anymore. I don’t believe any of it.”

These are the words former Christian minister Bart Campolo recalls speaking to his famous evangelist father, Tony Campolo, after leaving the faith of his youth. He explained that his journey to secular humanism was a 30-year process of passing through every stage of heresy. In other words, his theology “progressed” from conservative to liberal to entirely secular.

He predicted that in 10 years, 30 percent to 40 percent of so-called progressive Christians will also become atheists. Progressive Christianity is tough to define, because there isn’t a creed or list of beliefs that progressive Christians officially unite around. However, progressive Christians tend to reject the historic biblical understanding of marriage and sexuality, and generally deny or redefine doctrines such as the atonement and biblical authority.

As a result, Campolo believes that for the most part, progressives have already abandoned Christianity, simply redefining terms in an effort to hold on to some semblance of their faith. He believes the generation behind them will recognize the shallowness of this new theology—and, with nothing invested in remaining a Christian, they’ll basically say, “Let’s just call it what it is,” and leave the faith altogether. Read More

Photo by Daniel Svoboda on Unsplash

5 Crucial Attitude Differences Between Churches That Grow and Churches That Don't

So…what’s the difference between a growing church and a declining church?

Well, there are many, but one of the biggest differences I see is the attitude of the leaders.

The leaders of growing churches almost always share a common attitude.

So do the leaders of declining churches.

And the attitude has a huge influence over the results each church sees.

Attitude may or may not be everything, but it’s close.

Here are 5 attitude differences I see again and again in growing churches and declining churches. Read More

Photo by Caleb Woods on Unsplash

Where Should Your Children Be During Worship?

If the goal is to see young people growing up into productive members of the kingdom, then we should get them integrated into the life and ministry of the church at an early age. How will they know the value of the public worship unless they are able to experience it themselves? How will they learn that God has promised to meet with His people in a special way in public worship, if we exclude them from it? How will we teach them that the power of worship is God’s working in us and not our activity if we act like we don’t think the Holy Spirit will minister to them in worship until they are 13 or even older? Read More

The segregation of children from adults on Sundays is a relatively recent phenomena. For most of the history of the Church children and adults worshiped together. As John Westerhoff pointed out in a number of books and articles in the last century, faith cannot be taught. It must be caught. Children catch faith from believing adults, not just children's workers and youth ministers but the whole Body of Christ.

How Did Christianity Take Over The Ancient World? (And Could It Happen Again?)

In AD 60 there were approximately 6000 followers of Jesus Christ on planet earth.

By AD 350 there were nearly 32 million Christians in the Roman Empire alone representing about 53% of the total population.[1]

The church went from mustard seed to majority in less than 300 years.

Could that happen again?

If it does, it will be a miracle, but it may also involve many of the same means and methods that God chose to use in the past. The following 7 warrant particular mention. Read More

Armistice Day - The Day the Guns Fell Silent

On June 28, 1914, the assassination of Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand would plunge the nations of the world into a war that lasted four years and cost the lives of an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilians. If what became known as the First World War, "the Great War," the "war to end all wars," is considered a factor in a number of genocides and 1918 influenza epidemic, the death toll was between 50 and 100 million deaths worldwide. It was a war that saw the introduction of the aerial bomb, the flame thrower, poison gas, the submarine, and the tank, as well as the widespread use of the bolt-action rifle, the machine gun, the hand-grenade, massed artillery, and the creeping artillery barrage. What the Germany General Staff thought would be a quick campaign would degenerate into the horrors of trench warfare.

On November 11, 1918, a hundred years ago today, the war-weary nations would conclude an armistice, bringing an end to the slaughter. Among the lessons that we can learn from this terrible war is the folly of unbridled nationalism and unrestrained self-interest. Here is a prayer from the outbreak of that war, which we would do well to take to heart and to make our own.

O Almighty God, who canst bring good out of evil and makest even the wrath of man to turn to thy praise: Teach us to live together in charity and peace; and grant, we beseech thee, that the nations of the world may henceforth be united in a firmer fellowship for the promotion of thy glory and the good of all mankind; through Jesus Christ our Lord. A Form of Prayer, August 1914

How a Christian Witnesses with Good Deeds

One metaphor our Lord uses to describe the witness of the Christian is light (Matt. 5:14–16). Christians are the light of the world—a world that, by implication, is shrouded in thick darkness.

Jesus talks about two sources of physical light: the light from a city set on a hill, and the light from a lamp set on a lampstand. The first source, the city, is often misunderstood. Some think that Matthew, in recording Jesus’s teaching, became somewhat confused and put in an irrelevant illustration about a city visible from a great distance because of its elevation. The illustration is colorful, it is thought, but out of place in a context concerned with light. Such critics, I think, are only revealing that they live in the industrialized world where light is so readily available. Read More

One-on-One with Tim Keller about Reaching Skeptics with the Gospel

"If you can answer people's questions and also learn how to question people's answers, that's how you can approach having these conversations."

Several weeks ago, I launched Ed Stetzer Live at 11AM CST on Moody Radio. My very first interview on the show was with Pastor Tim Keller as we talked evangelism and cities. For those unable to listen, I wanted to share a shortened and print-adapted version of it below. Read More

Photo by Stefan Widau on Unsplash

7 Best Practices of First-time Guest Gifts at Your Church

Are you leveraging your first-time guest gifts effectively enough to move people from being guests to fully connected members of your church?

I hope so, because this is an important piece of the connection time frame; in fact, it’s a critical point in the eight phases of moving anonymous guests towards full community.

Everyone loves getting gifts upon arrival somewhere, whether it’s at a home or when visiting somewhere new. These guest gifts are not solely a gesture of kindness; they also help us collect vital contact information so that we can follow up with those that visit our church for the first time. At the most basic level, we should follow this approach.... Read More

Photo by Björn Rådeström on Unsplash

Giving gifts and sharing food have a long history as ways of showing hospitality.

Practical Preaching Advice for Pastors and Lay Preachers #24

Which Preacher Has The Loudest Voice?

Believe it or not, the individual who has the greatest access to many of our hearts, the one who preaches to us most frequently and aggressively, is not who we think. For many, it’s the Devil! Read More,

A thoughtful reminder that when we preach, we are engaging in spiritual warfare.

The Danger of Preaching Biblical Truth, yet Missing Christ

Satan does not mind expository preaching — as long as it misses the main point of God’s Word. In fact, Satan himself engages in a form of expository preaching and encourages that form of biblical exposition to be practiced as a means of his deception. Read More

Why You Should Remember You Preach to the Burdened

On any given Sunday, your church is filled with people who are hurting. They need hope and the good news of Jesus Christ. They things they struggle with are burdens you can help carry, and I hope this post serves as a reminder. Read More

Preaching For Deep Change: Are You Sharing Information Or Changing Lives?

Does your preaching give people everything they need to embrace change? Ed Stetzer offers practical suggestions for moving people forward. Read More

5 Common Preaching Mistakes Many Pastors Make

Many pastors make simple preaching mistakes that can be easily corrected. These common mistakes are often the difference between a memorable message and a forgettable one. Read More

7 Reasons Sermon Illustrations Matter

I’m a firm believer that the best preaching exposits the Word of God clearly. The Word of God changes lives, and it’s our responsibility to teach that Word well. Part of that work, in my judgment, is also to illustrate the Word as we expound it. Here’s why.... Read More

Behind The Sermon Lie The Notes--What Do Yours Look Like?

Manuscript, outline or notes: Every system has its strengths ... and weaknesses. Read More

Free Download: 2019 Preaching Calendar (Excel and Numbers)

One of the most valuable things we can do for our church staff and volunteers who are involved with service planning and creating small group content (especially if that content is sermon-based) is to create a preaching calendar. This not only helps them, but it helps us tremendously. Read More

Photo by Alexander Michi on Unsplash

Recommended Anthems for Choirs and Bands

Over the last few years, since arriving at my church in the summer of 2014, I’ve been enjoying leading worship every Sunday morning alongside a wonderful choir whose legacy stretches back many decades. My colleague Andrew Cote and I have been committed to a true partnership and convergence of musical styles, old and new, traditional and modern, choir and band, all together in one unified expression.

To that end, we’ve been on the lookout for anthems that work well for modern choirs and bands to present together. We still use a significant amount of choir-only anthems, dating back several centuries, but we also use a significant amount of anthems designed for choir and band. Below is a long list of those kinds of anthems that we’ve enjoyed using once or twice, or are thinking about using in the future. Read More

Photo by Keagan Henman on Unsplash

Jamie Brown is the Director of Worship and Arts at Truro Anglican Church in Fairfax, VA. Born into a ministry family and leading worship since the age of twelve, Jamie is devoted to helping worship leaders lead well and seeing congregations engaged in Spirit-filled, Jesus-centered worship. He’s currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Religion through Reformed Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Catherine, have three little girls. Jamie regularly blogs at WorthilyMagnify.com and has released three worship albums: “A Thousand Amens,” “We Will Proclaim,” and “For Our Salvation.”

Saturday Lagniappe: The Art of Friendship and More

Help for Those Who’ve Lost the Art of Friendship

Friendship exists because God befriended us, and created us to befriend one another. Read More

Become a More Positive Person Overnight with These Three Practices

The older I get, the more I realize just how important my attitude is to the direction my life takes. Read More

Negative people repel other people; positive people attract them.

How to Be Thankful Amidst Times of Division

How do we give thanks when it seems that so many people are angry? How do we give thanks when we are the ones who are angry? I actually think Thanksgiving can be a necessary respite in the midst of an angry moment. Consider a few thoughts about having a thankful Thanksgiving, even when the world around you seems so angry. Read More

Jesus calls us to put anger and fear behind us and to follow him.

5 Ways to Respond When People Don't Like You

How can we grow personally and spiritually through these tense connections with people who call us pastor? After all, our mandate is to shepherd all of our people, not merely the ones who think we hung the moon. Read More

Southern Baptists: Losing Their Zeal for Temperance?

Although many Southern Baptists still follow church teachings by abstaining from alcohol, indications reveal that more are okay with some drinking. Read More

When I was a teenager, total abstinence from alcohol was an important mark of being a Baptist. Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, and Presbyterians might take an occasional drink. But Baptists? No! Now I have a number of Baptist friends who drink an occasional beer or glass of wine. Is it a good thing? College students whose parents drink heavily or do not drink at all, I have found, are more likely to engage in binge drinking and other forms of alcohol abuse upon entering university than those whose parents drink in moderation and even permit them to drink a glass of wine on occasion. I know a number of college students who have one or more members of their immediate or extended family who are alcoholics and who fear that if they drink, they may become alcoholics. One way churches might minister to college students is to host or sponsor recreational activities that a college student would enjoy but which do not involve the consumption of alcohol.

The Episcopal parish that I attended when I was a teenager replaced wine with sparkling apple cider and sparkling grape juice at newcomers receptions and other church functions after it became more deeply involved in Alcoholics Anonymous. On the other hand, the members of the choir of the Episcopal church where I served as senior lay reader for 15 odd years kept a wine keg in the parish hall kitchen refrigerator, regularly tippled after choir practice, and sometimes drove home under the influence. It is NOT a practice that I would commend to other churches: choir members can fellowship together after a rehearsal without consuming alcohol; I do, however, commend the practice of serving sparkling fruit juice and other non-alcoholic beverages instead of beer or wine at church functions. One way of loving our neighbours is not to put temptation in their way.

Four-Star General: Military More Cautious About Faith

General Roger Brady (USAF, Ret.) thinks soldiers are becoming more religious but the armed forces are more uncertain about religious expression. Read More

Four Things That Remain Solidly True No Matter the Mid-Term Election Results

America may or may not unravel in coming decades, but God’s kingdom certainly won’t! Neither the judicial, legislative, nor executive branch of our government is the ultimate solution to America’s problems. Read More

Photo by Andrew Neal on Unsplash

If There’s No Church Growth Guarantee, Does It Even Matter What We Do?

Like saying “please,” using church growth principles makes church growth possible, not inevitable.

There’s nothing anyone can do to guarantee that any particular congregation will grow numerically.

No, I’m not being pessimistic, I’m being realistic.

There are simply no absolutes in church growth. At least not for the numerical increase of an individual congregation.

In my previous article, Church Growth: Your Results May Vary, I wrote “not every church that uses church growth principles grows as a result of them.” If that’s the case, some may wonder, why try at all? Here’s why.

Because, while using the right principles doesn’t guarantee growth, not using them will guarantee that we won’t grow. Or be healthy. Or have a positive impact for the kingdom of God. Read More

A well-tended field is more likely to produce a bountiful crop than one left untended. 

Dear Mormon—I Can’t Call You a Brother in Christ

A temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Yesterday I had lunch with a very kind and gracious man in our community. This man is a committed member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In short, my friend is a Mormon. He was respectful, gracious, and I enjoyed our conversation very much. However, at one point the conversation shifted and he asked me if I was willing to call him a brother in Christ?

I explained that we both hold to very different doctrines that cannot stand in harmony—especially the teachings about the person and work of Jesus Christ. He said that he was offended by that statement. I acknowledged how that would be offensive, but I must stand upon the gospel of Christ. The most loving thing I could do would be to point him to the truth. The most unloving thing I could do would be to ignore the differences and embrace him as a brother in Christ.

The devil is the father of all lies and he is really good at causing people to embrace error as truth. How do you determine the difference between denominations of Christianity and other religions outside of Christianity? In other words, we know that Baptists and Methodists are quite different on many theological levels, but they’re both Christian denominations. Today, a growing number of people continue to purport the idea that Mormonism is just another denomination like Methodists within the family of orthodox Christianity.

How can we determine if Mormonism is Christian or cult? Based on foundational doctrinal evidence—I can’t embrace Mormons as fellow Christians. Read More

Note the golden image wearing a loose flowing robe and blowing a trumpet on top of the tower at the entrance to the Mormon temple in the photo. It represents the angel Moroni whom the Mormons believe directed Joseph Smith to the the hidden trove of golden plates on which the Book of Mormon was engraved and which Smith translated with the aid of two "seer stones." 

5 Myths about Angels and Demons

Jesus expels a demon in the synagogue

Ongoing Interest

There is no indication that our world’s fascination with angels and demons is in decline. Rarely does a day pass that we don’t hear of someone’s alleged encounter with either a holy angel or a fallen demon, together with news that a new TV show or film on Netflix will feature either or both of these species of spiritual beings. Sadly, though, there is a lot of confusion about angels and demons and certain myths that simply won’t die. Here are five of them. Read More

Making Room at Your Table for International Students

Jesus taught his followers that welcoming strangers is the equivalent to welcoming him.

The U.S. Lausanne Committee, also known as the Mission America Coalition (MAC), recently concluded its annual national gathering in Dallas, Texas. During the gathering, President/CEO Nick Hall announced MAC’s new name as The Table Coalition.

But why “table”? The Table Coalition leaders shared various analogies of a table, including “a place to gather, listen, and share. Tables make room for all kinds of people, and everyone has something to offer or receive. A table is a place to be nourished, and then go out with strength.”

Strategic collaboration may occur around a table. Cru’s President, Steve Douglass, told the story of how mission and ministry executives seated at a conference about unreached and unengaged peoples decided over Table 71 to partner together in reducing the number of remaining unengaged people groups down to zero.

The cross is readily noticeable in The Table Coalition’s new logo, featuring a horizontal rectangular table positioned in between two chairs above and below it. The coalition seeks to answer the question, “Who is missing from the table?” Read More

Why You Are Already a Sending Church

I stood with my hands opened before me, eager to receive the word of benediction: “The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26). After the “Amen,” I turned to pick up my things and head out to crawl through another week in the world when I heard the worship pastor continue speaking over the congregation: “In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit you are sent.”

What was this? Did he just say what I think he said? I was familiar with a biblical blessing after a service, but here was an additional word, a commissioning word for pilgrims on the way. Turning to my wife with a look of surprise I asked, “Did he just commission us?” She confirmed that I heard him right. An older couple standing behind us knew that we were visiting and added, “That’s exactly what he said. We hear it every week.”

While I was still chewing on the blessing of the benediction, I was being commissioned to carry the good news I had just received into the world. This moment left its mark on me and shaped how our young church plant on the Westside of Indianapolis concludes our weekly worship gatherings to this day. But it so much more than a missional way to end things; the triune commissioning is a weekly reminder that we are a sent people; we are a sending church.

It was on my heart long before that day to plant a church that would be a sending church, someday. Someday we would identify gifted people, train them, and send them out. Someday we would commission members to labor among the nations after we had fully staffed ministry teams and elders in place. Someday we would be a sending church when we had matured and no longer needed the financial support of our sending church. Someday.

But standing in that worship gathering on that day, I began to rethink what it means to be a sending church—a congregation that is sent and sends its members… not someday, but today. Let me explain. Read More

Image: Church of the Holy Trinity (REC), Houston, Texas

What Are Evangelicals Afraid of Losing?

President Trump’s appeal to fear ignores that Christians seek first the Kingdom, not political favors

In a Monday meeting with evangelical leaders at the White House, President Trump reportedly warned of violence against conservative Christians if the GOP loses in November. Evangelicals, he said, were “one election away from losing everything.”

As evangelicals, we would do well to correct the president on this point. If an election can cause us to lose everything, what is it exactly that we have in the first place?

Surely we can be grateful for any public servant who upholds the First Amendment. And we should applaud fellow believers who ply their education and experience as lawyers to defend religious freedom (as long as they don’t seek to privilege Christianity legally above other religions).

However, the church does not preach the gospel at the pleasure of any administration or decline to preach it at another administration’s displeasure. We preach at Christ’s pleasure. And we don’t make his policies but communicate them. It’s not when we’re fed to lions that we lose everything; it’s when we preach another gospel. “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Matt. 16:26).

And yet, swinging from triumphalism to seething despair, many pastors are conveying to the wider, watching public a faith in political power that stands in sharp opposition to everything we say we believe in. To many of our neighbors, the court chaplains appear more like jesters.

Something tremendous is at stake here: whether evangelical Christians place their faith more in Caesar and his kingdom than in Christ and his reign. On that one, we do have everything to lose—this November and every other election cycle. When we seek special political favors for the church, we communicate to the masses that Christ’s kingdom is just another demographic in the US electorate. Read More

Related Article:
Is Trump Our Cyrus? The Old Testament Case for Yes and No

A major theme that runs through the Bible is summed up in the words of Psalm 146: 3-5:
"Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God..."
It is a major theme that many evangelical pastors are choosing to ignore. The people of Israel also ignored God's warning and suffered the consequences of putting their faith in human leaders instead of God.

Church Growth: Your Results May Vary

In church growth, as in everything, we can’t take our lead from the best examples, but from typical results.

You know those commercials where clients or patients had amazing results, only to hear a hurried voice at the end telling you “individual results may vary”?

It might be helpful if church growth books, blogs, podcasts and conferences had that, too.

The reason those commercials have that qualifier is because the fantastic results they advertise aren’t typical. They’re the best examples, not the usual ones.

I understand why commercials do that. If you want to promote something, you talk about your success stories.

But if you’re looking to buy or invest in something, you shouldn’t just look at the best examples, you need to know what the typical ones are. Look at averages, not exceptions. What’s normal, not what’s unusual.

It’s the same with church growth. Read More

Related Articles:
5 Big Surprises Nobody Told Me About Church Growth
How Is the Holy Spirit Connected to Church Growth?

A Place for Death in the Life of the Church

What does faithful ministry look like in a church that sees more funerals than baptisms?

Death does not fall outside the life of Christ’s Body; it is a threshold through which we all must walk. Recognizing death as part of our common Christian life allows for a more expansive vision of God’s redemption, which begins the day we are conceived and carries us into our dying.

I’ve come to appreciate my close experiences with death. When I look at large, booming churches or hip, thriving church plants, I wonder if their pastors experience the regular privilege of burying octogenarians. I’m glad for these growing churches, insofar as people are having encounters with Christ and his Word. I wish so many of the churches in my denomination would thrive like that. Yet I’m learning to appreciate aging congregations like my own in which the whole community of faith mourns with the death of each faithful servant. Read More

Charismatic Vein of the UMC Poised to Leave Denomination

The charismatic arm of the United Methodist Church, the Wesleyan Covenant Association, is making a plan to continue to operate out from under the UMC. Whether the WCA will end up using this contingency plan depends on how the vote will go in February concerning the denomination’s position on homosexuality.

“The adoption of the One Church Plan, with the changing of the definition of marriage and the changing of ordination standards, would be untenable and would force us to lead in the formation of a new expression of connectional Methodism,” a statement from the WCA reads. In other words, if the UMC adopts a plan that will significantly alter its historical stance on homosexuality, the WCA will leave. Read More

Thursday's Catch: Spiritual Warfare and More

What Role Can Satan and Demons Have in the Life of a Believer?

Theologian G.C. Berkouwer said, “There can be no sound theology without a sound demonology.” Some deny the existence of demons, regarding them as mere symbols of man’s inhumanity to man. But even those who believe the Bible tend to develop sloppy demonology. Often our understanding of fallen angels is based more on superstition, tradition and assumptions than on the Scriptures. Read More

Seven Deadly Excuses in Church Revitalization [Podcast]

Excuses can kill a revitalization effort. Today, Thom Rainer, Mark Clifton, and Jonathan Howe cover seven of the most common excuses you will likely hear in a revitalization and how to combat them. Listen Now

Apostasy and How it Happens

On occasion we wonder if an individual really has been converted. And sometimes we have an inexplicable, ill-defined sense that something is missing. But we cannot read the heart. Even so, we hear of friends—whose faith we never doubted—turning away from Christ. Read More

4 Leadership Lessons from Jesus

In the familiar story of Jesus feeding the five thousand in Matthew 14:13-21, we see a great picture of the way Jesus led and the way we ought to lead, too. Here are 4 leadership lessons from Jesus. Read More

5 Ways to Become a ‘Bounce Back’ Leader

Since every leader will face difficulty, what can we do to become more resilient? Consider these practical steps you can apply in your life and leadership to “bounce back” more quickly. Read More

Resilience: 5 Signs You’re a “Bounce Back” Leader

Some leaders bounce back quickly from such adversity. Some don’t. So what does a “bounce back” leader look like? As you read the following list, ask yourself how many of these qualities would characterize your leadership when you face adversity. Read More

Lectio Continua for the Pulpit and Pew

If the church is unified in a lectio continua approach to Bible reading and Bible preaching—it will create a solid and healthy foundation that will mark the life of the church. Lectio continua is a Latin phrase that means, continuous reading. This phrase has been used to describe the continuous approach to systematic expository preaching—the popular method of the Reformers and towering giants of church history. Read More

Archbishop Thomas Cranmer adopted the lectio continua approach to Bible reading in the reformed 1552 Prayer Book and its predecessor--the partially reformed 1549 Prayer Book--in the daily office lectionary. But since the nineteenth century the Anglican Church has moved away from that approach. Rather than reading through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice in the space of one year and the Psalter in the space of one month, those who pray the daily offices using one of the more recent Anglican service books read only what the editors of a particular service book want them to read.

Troubling Shifts That Define Modern Culture

Embracing scientism—the view that the hard sciences provide the only genuine knowledge of reality—is like knocking over the first domino, leading to a cascade of other beliefs that will fall by the wayside. This is true when it comes to how our culture defines knowledge, truth, duty, virtue, freedom, and tolerance. Read More

White Evangelicals Wary of U.S. Demographic Changes

The U.S. is on the way to becoming a non-white majority-white minority nation, and many white evangelicals are worried about how that will impact the nation. Read More

5 Reasons Charismatic Churches Are Growing (and Attractional Churches Are Past Peak)

Notice this lately?

If you look at almost any growing church led by younger leaders, it definitely tends toward the charismatic—expressive worship, more emotional delivery in preaching, an openness to the work and activity of the Holy Spirit, and generally a warmer, more enthusiastic and expressive gathering.

And…a lot of the churches that lean toward a more charismatic expression of their faith are filled with young adults and Millennials.

Meanwhile, many leaders in attractional churches are finding it harder and harder to reach new people over the last few years. While not universally true, some have stopped growing, or at least seen a slower growth rate than say 5 or 10 years ago.

Please hear me. This is not “we’re right you’re wrong”. This is a learning together post. Actually, both the charismatic and attractional movements have contributed massively to reaching millions of people. There is much to learn from each other.

Critics have no place here, but learners do.

So what’s happening? Well, culture changes and what people respond to changes, too. The church should change with it. While you should never change the mission of a church (it’s eternal), you should definitely adapt the method.

Churches who love the method more than the mission will die. It happened in the 1950s, in the 1970s, in the 1990s and it’s happening today. What was effective a decade ago isn’t always effective today. Leaders who live in the past end up dying to the future. Read More

Wednesday's Catch: Military Ministry and More

Three Lessons for Military Ministry

Ministry in a military community offers many unique opportunities and challenges. As we approach Veterans Day, it’s important to consider how you can effectively reach those in the military who are a part of your church and community. Here are three things to keep in mind. Read More

A community that has a National Guard armory is a military community as much as a community that is close to a military base.

The Embodied Church in a Digital Age

Should we cheer or moan when online churches perform virtual baptisms? Read More

In the Anglican tradition a baptism without water is not a valid baptism. Water is the matter of the sacrament irregardless of whether it is administered by immersion or pouring. If a home-bound person wishes others to witness the baptism, video-recording or live-streaming the administration of the sacrament may be appropriate but the virtual baptism of an avatar with virtual water would not be valid anymore than the Mormon practice of baptizing the living for the dead. Virtual church also raises questions about the nature of the Body of Christ, the nature of pastoral ministry, and other theological issues.

10 Reasons the Old Testament Is Important for Christians

If Christians are part of the new covenant, why should we seek to understand and apply the Old Testament (OT)?  I’ll give 10 reasons why the first word in the phrase Old Testament must not mean unimportant or insignificant to Christians. Read More

Churches Risk Non-Profit Status to Make Political Statements

As the contentious midterm elections approached, some churches pushed legal boundaries by displaying campaign-related signs and slogans. Although U.S. tax code prohibits churches and other non-profit organizations from engaging in politics, IRS enforcement in that area has been lax, experts say. Adding to the concerns of community members and local officials, several churches that broadcast political messages also served as polling places. Read More

In westernmost Kentucky where I now live, churches are used a polling places as well as schools, community centers, and local government buildings. In southeast Louisiana where I used to live, schools, community centers, and local government buildings were used as polling places but not churches. The federal constitutional separation of church and state was interpreted to exclude churches as polling places as it was thought that the use of churches would unduly influence the voters. Baptists were particularly strong proponents of this policy in a region of the state that had a large Roman Catholic population. 

It’s Not Our ‘Christian Responsibility’ to Be Politically Engaged

Today is election day. The midterm elections are happening as I type, after weeks of acrimony and turmoil. In about 14 hours it will all be over, thankfully. Then we can begin treating each other badly in anticipation of the 2020 election.

Every election cycle, I see the words repeated. They are spoken, typed on Facebook, and broadcast on Twitter. It has become a part of Christian culture, like the words “amen” and “after-church potluck.”

“It’s our Christian responsibility.”

“This election is crucial. It’s our Christian responsibility to vote.”

“The future of our nation is at stake. It is our Christian responsibility to be politically engaged.”

“The fate of the church is at stake. It is our Christian responsibility to elect leaders who will defend it.”

But is it really our “Christian responsibility?” Or is that simply a product of cultural Christianity instead of biblical discipleship? (And with those two questions, I have just touched the third rail of US evangelicalism. To question that core belief can get you excommunicated from some churches and cause many to call into question your very salvation. I know, because I would have been outraged by those questions not that long ago.)

But can we lay aside what we have always been told for just a moment to ask the questions? What can it hurt to check to make sure that what we believe and live is actually true to the Word of God?

So, allow me a moment to give you the following arguments against a Christ-follower’s political involvement.... Read More

In too many churches politics is displacing evangelism and mission.

Tuesday's Catch: "Care for Your Community" and More

Care for your Community; Don’t Merely Consume From It

In the summer of 2010, Kaye and I were on vacation in New York City and we attended services at Redeemer Presbyterian church. Before the sermon, a young man stood in front of the congregation and prayed to the Lord on behalf of the whole congregation. He prayed specifically for the city they lived in and he prayed that the Lord would help the church not to “use the city” but to “serve the city,” that they would be a people who would “contribute to the city” and not only “consume from the city.” The language revealed the heart of the church and it was challenging to me. Read More

What John Stott Has Said About the Social Justice Debate

We don’t have to wonder what John Stott would say about the recent debate on the role of Christians and social justice. In his classic work Christian Mission in the Modern World, John Stott offers three main ways Christians have attempted to understand the relationship between evangelism and social justice. Read More

Tips for Church Planting on the Cheap

I know what it is like to plant churches with little or no change in my pocket, and maybe you do too. Many financial wisdom posts suggest that small steps such as cutting out that morning Starbucks coffee or banking the change from monetary transactions are first steps toward financial stability. It seems we are a little bit slower to consider the small steps in church budgets, but here is a start. Read More

Warning: Every idea has actually been utilized by real church planters.

How to Involve Your Small Groups in the Great Commission

It’s no coincidence that Jesus started his ministry by forming a small group. If anyone could have handled his mission by himself, it was Jesus. But instead, Jesus gathered a group of 12 to serve with him. Here’s why it’s so important that we mobilize our small groups to fulfill the Great Commission. Read More

Pastors Say 2018 Brought Economic Turnaround to Churches

The economic recovery has reached the offering plate, according to a study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research. Today, 8 in 10 Protestant pastors (79 percent) say the total offerings at their church this year are at or above last year’s levels, including 42 percent who say this year is ahead of last year. Few pastors (15 percent) say giving is not keeping pace with last year. Read More

There is also a correlation between increased giving and declining attendance. Increased giving is not necessarily an indicator of church or denominational vitality, as researchers found in a study of the Episcopal Church. As Episcopal congregations lost members due to demographic changes and other factors and weekend attendance declined, the remaining members typically responded by increasing their giving.