“There is a risk to staying put. We should acknowledge it. That seems odd—what could be more conservative than putting down roots? But it is wildly speculative. The risk goes by the name: “opportunity cost.”  By staying put you limit yourself to what the land can yield, to what this particular place can yield. And... Continue Reading

The SBC Executive Committee approved a recommendation to be presented to messengers in Columbus, Ohio, to enable NAMB to “provide specialized, defined and agreed upon assistance to the International Mission Board in assisting churches to plant churches for specific groups outside the United States and Canada.”   NASHVILLE (BP) — Chaplain-led ministry near overseas military... Continue Reading

I conducted an unscientific Twitter poll recently to see what church leaders and church members thought of this trend, My specific question was: “Why do you think many churches aren’t as evangelistic as they once were?” The responses arrived quickly and in great numbers, both in public tweets and in direct messages to me. Indeed,... Continue Reading

Though it’s not an exhaustive list, here are 25 quotes from a number of ante-Nicene church fathers demonstrating their belief in the deity of Jesus Christ. These early Christian theologians all lived before the time of Constantine and the Council of Nicaea. As such, they provide incontrovertible proof (from post-New Testament history) that Constantine was... Continue Reading

“If you had to ask for a mixture of things that overall are correlated with strong Christian beliefs and strong Christian orthopraxy, you’d be looking at making sure mom and dad developed a relationship with their teens, … that they’re regular participants in a local church, and they practice home-based, parent-led discipleship,” said Brian Ray,... Continue Reading

Recently, in my weekly email to my congregation, I gave my people my “Top Ten Reasons to Attend Evening Worship” in an ongoing effort to educate, encourage, and exhort. They are not exhaustive and they apply to my context, in particular, but the principles should be applicable to any who reads this. May God move his... Continue Reading

Crestwood’s counter offer was $400,000, and while in negotiations, the other costs were added. Crestwood’s offer, it said, compared with settlements reach by other churches that had successfully negotiated their way out of the presbytery, and was an estimate of what the church could afford to pay.   After several churches have negotiated their way... Continue Reading

By “traditions,” I am referring to those extra-biblical customs that become a way of life for many congregations. A tradition is neither inherently good nor bad. Its value or its distraction in a given church really depends on how members treat the traditions.   I recently embarked on a major research project for a new... Continue Reading

My United Methodist friend remarked upon hearing this story that in general we know what will grow a church. It’s not a mystery. The real question is, do we want the biblical message and ministry that will attract new people, or do we prefer less challenging alternatives, with predictable outcomes. Church vitality or decline to... Continue Reading

In the early 1970s, the elders of First Church were meeting together at a retreat at Twin Lakes Camp and Conference Center, and, addressing this issue they said: “We were wrong.” “The church, this church, is for all God’s people, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight.” From that day,... Continue Reading