Congregation
The Tennessean, the daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee, featured an article today on small churches and when they should close. In the article, Short on Cash, People, Small Churches Consider Closing, reporter Bob Smietana profiles three Nashville area churches that had to face their own mortality. Bob was kind enough
church as abbey
People don't need to go to church. At least that's how the majority of people in America act. Less than 18% of the population attends church on any given Sunday. In the U.S. we are chasing downhill Europe's church attendance rate of 7%
Community
Here's the sermon I'm preaching tomorrow. It's the sixth in the series, "Seven Cultural Challenges Every Church Faces." I hope your day is wonderful! Seven Cultural Challenges Every Church Faces #6 -- Criticism: Why Don't They Like Us Anymore? Matthew
Genesis
Seven Cultural Challenges Every Church Faces: Secularism -- Why Don't People Go To Church Anymore? Today I am beginning a new sermon series titled, Seven Cultural Challenges Every Church Faces. During the next two months, we will examine the seven cultural challenges that I believe we must face
Culture
Another newspaper closed last week and more are on the way. Print journalism is dying faster than the dinosaurs did, and for the same reasons -- the climate changed. Not the atmospheric climate, but the social climate. TV ditto, and throw in retail while you're at it. What
church attendance
Here's a simple Easter outreach idea that works. In February, 2007, I wrote the first post on this idea we used in Atlanta ("This Easter Outreach Idea Works"). One church tried it last year, and it still works. Read Pastor John Carmichael's report (Easter
Culture
As November 4 approaches, US voters by the millions are casting ballots ahead of the traditional election day. Estimates place early/absentee voting at 30% or more of the total vote this year. Voters are increasingly choosing to vote on their own schedules rather than on the one day traditionally
Congregation
Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion reports that less than 11% of the US public considers themselves unaffiliated with any church or other religious group. That figure is about 4% -- or 10-million people -- less than previously thought. And, the unaffiliated hardly ever attend church --
bless the world
Pastor John Carmichael at Evangel North Church tried the Easter Outreach Idea with great success this year. John left the following comment: We used this idea for Easter 2008. It doubled our church attendance for Easter. We average 105, on Easter we had more than 210. Largest crowd ever! The
Congregation
Chris Anderson's book, The Long Tail, describes the effect of more choice on consumer sales. Anderson explains it this way - The Long Tail In other words, the more stuff there is to choose from, the more choices we make. Take books, for instance. The typical Borders retail