People throw the word church around quite a bit, and often they have different things in mind.
I grew up in the Church. No really, I grew up in the church.<br>As a pastor’s kid, I spent countless hours in church and doing church activities. I am a church native and familiar with all its quirks and cultural oddities, with all its strengths and all its failings. As the son of prominent evangelic
How can your church help millennials see the value in church as a way to grow closer to God?
Is our obsession with big churches rooted in mission our just our desire for “big”?
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...Read More→
Daybreak Fellowship blends language of addiction recovery with Christian worship
In an era of evangelicalism where there are church ministries built around the idea of “family,” marriage has become the focus of countless books and sermons and “family friendly” entertainment has become synonymous with “Christian” entertainment, is there a risk of distorting what the biblical inte
Like it or not, consumer culture has shaped people’s expectations for church, and this is more true for Millennials than any other generation. So what do they think of church? What pushes them away and draws them in? And when they do visit a church, how are they hoping to be approached?
When children are in their early elementary school years, their minds are actually at the peak time for easy rote memorization. And yet, many Protestant churches begin formal confirmation instruction years after this formative period. What are the effects of this lapse in time? Too often, young teens fall away from their church after confirmation—a(...)
There is an intensifying controversy in the church all over the world regarding the age of the earth.
Churches must understand—and move toward—an outward focus
When leadership changes, so do churches. A pastor who has been there before shares lessons learned and tips to make things work well right from the start.
Many evangelical churches and denominations are in a state of plateau or decline. Why aren’t Pentecostals?
Are you looking for inspiration for how to volunteer for Heifer International with your church? Need some direction in how to impact the fight to end hunger and poverty even though you may live very far from your closest Heifer representative? Look no further than a church that has been working with Heifer for the past 72 years, and yet still continues to surprise us with their generosity and spirit of compassion.
The tax code allows for some strange political shenanigans.
Is the church ready for Generation Z? We sat down with some members of the generation and many don't believe the church is ready for them.
It’s tempting to imagine that the early believers represented a golden era of the Church.
The church's impact in a community depends on the submission of each individual.
I love my church where I serve, but I’m also very grateful for the local church in general. In all its beauty and flaws, I can’t imagine culture surviving without it.
Simply put, church growth often means current members lose something because of the change. On this episode of the Rainer Report, we cover seven losses experienced when churches grow.