According to early indicators, these .church domain names are very popular—.church is in the top 30 of new gTLDs out of an estimated 1,000+ suffixes! This window of opportunity to be part of church innovations is worth considering and preparing for, accordingly   Did you know that the Internet name space is quickly expanding far... Continue Reading

“With the decision made final, Bishop Seabury Anglican became one of many congregations across the country that lost its property to The Episcopal Church in court. Gauss explained to CP that after the decision his congregation worshipped at a Groton hotel for eighteen months before ending up at an elementary school in Gales Ferry, located... Continue Reading

It’s easy to set up outward, measurable standards of appearance and performance. We like to do this because it validates us, makes us feel successful as Christians and leaders. Yet the outward conformity COULD be merely a cover for the absence of inward dependence. Healthy churches emphasize the gradual, growing work of God’s Spirit within... Continue Reading

“When a denomination lacks a coherent theological center, mission gets sidelined. When a denomination lacks trust, relationships are difficult. When a denomination has a bureaucratic mindset, innovative ministry is hampered,” read the statement adopted by the Session. “When a denomination asserts control over a congregation’s property and assets, facility and asset development is compromised. We... Continue Reading

“Many trace the Emergent movement’s beginning to 1989, which makes it 25 years old this year. In nearly three decades, it has lost much of its steam. Emergent’s critics argue that this is proof the leaders’ visions for Christianity were unsustainable. I decided to sit down with Brian McLaren–once considered to be something of a... Continue Reading

In Dudley, Mass., where a congregation was established in 1732, Thompson Boyd, a history teacher who volunteers as the church’s historian, showed Dr. Cooper a page from a Bible translated into Algonquian by John Eliot, who was seeking to convert the local Nipmuc Indians. There were also notes for an 1822 sermon (opening line: “The... Continue Reading

The driver went 100 yards through a field before slamming into Spring Cypress Presbyterian. The driver was treated and released, but it was unclear how or why he lost control. The church was boarded up hours later, and the pastor changed the sign to say it’s the “holiest church” in Spring. SPRING, Texas – A... Continue Reading

“Robert Smith, of Everett, said he was a church member from 2002-2007 and today regards himself as a “church member in exile,” because, he said, he ran afoul of church leaders after questioning the internal discipline of a former church elder. “If you question, you are seen as an agitator, you get thrown under the... Continue Reading

…board members explain that the church planting network has received “countless shots and dozens of fires” over the past three years for Driscoll’s “ungodly and disqualifying behavior.” Thus, even though Acts 29 remains “eternally thankful for what [Driscoll] as a man and Mars Hill as a church have meant to our network,” board members decided... Continue Reading

We do have hope, of course, in Jesus’ words: “I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it” (Matt. 16:18b). The enemy is viciously strategic against the church, but we need not let him win.   I have studied spiritual warfare for more than twenty years. During most of that... Continue Reading