In the world of business, it’s all about the numbers. In the world of ministry, it’s all about the numbers as well. Put lots of bodies in the pews and dollars in the plate and everyone loves you. But if things stagnate or decline, someone will say that it’s time for the minister to move on.
… more than a few churches at risk of being written off as dead or dying have a hearth faintly aglow with embers ready to be breathed into flame.
How do congregations make the shift from nostalgia to a new story like neighborhood? What kind of leadership is needed–by pastors and lay leaders–to move beyond the stuck places of “we’ve always done it this way” to a new way of listening for “where are we being led?”
Communion, the central ritual of most Christian worship services and long a members-only sacrament, is increasingly being opened to any willing participant, including the nonbaptized, the nonbeliever, and the non-Christian.
Anglican churches across Britain hope to attract up to 30,000 new faces on Sunday after a drive to extend personal invitations to would-be worshippers.
An openly edgy Christian church in Tampa has launched a 30-Day Sex Challenge to help members improve their relationships and rediscover themselves. Single folks are to abstain from sex for 30 days, even if they are in a committed relationship. Married folks, on the other hand, are supposed to have sex every day for 30 days.
As reported on The Lead yesterday with commentary and links, the survey on Religion in the US by the Pew Forum continues to engage churches
Perhaps you were unaware the neurology plays an essential role in congregational development, especially during times to transition. Peter Steinke will explain to you why individuals and communities resist change, no matter how obvious the need for such change might be. And he will make you laugh as he does so.
Study after study has shown that American college students are fleeing from organized religion to mix-and-match spirituality. So what will happen to what one of my students referred to as the “religions of discipline” when this millennial generation (born in the late 1970s through the 1990s ) grows up?
Manya Brachear of The Chicago Tribune has written a story that should be read by everyone who thinks about church growth, whether in numerical or