Congregation
Russell Rathbun, pastor of House of Mercy, has authored a new book, nuChristian: Finding Faith in a New Generation. Rathbun's title riffs off Kinnaman and Lyons' book, unChristian, both visually and topically. Rathbun knows what he's talking about because he is one of the founding
bless the world
My latest interest focuses on exploring pastoral care as outreach. I talk to lots of small church pastors and leaders, picking their brains for stories of smaller churches doing effective ministry. More and more I'm hearing stories of people helping people -- people caring for people -- as
church as abbey
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grLdWkDcOR4&border=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1] Ed Stetzer coins the phrase "ministry pornography" to describe a new kind of lust in the hearts of pastors and staff
Christian history
I'm working on a new 13-week sermon series on The Apostles' Creed, starting this Sunday. Here's the schedule: Why Christians Need The Apostles' Creed -- Aug 23, 2009: 1. I Believe: An Introduction to The Apostles' Creed Aug 30, 2009: 2. In God
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
Congregation
John Temple, former editor and publisher of the Rocky Mountain News, blogs about what newspapers must do to survive. Temple should know because the 150-year old Rocky Mountain News folded this past February, the victim of a sagging economy, the digital revolution, and journalism's failure to adapt. What
Congregation
In a National Association of Evangelicals survey from May, NAE board members polled were pessimistic about the growth of churches in the U.S.. However, according to the NAE website, there was overall optimism that Christianity would grow worldwide, but that growth would primarily occur Africa, South America, Asia, and
Congregation
Today our local TV station interviewed me about our latest project -- helping a man on disability fix his burned-out home so he can quit living in his tool shed. Here's the video that aired tonight on WSET, Lynchburg. http://www.wset.com/news/stories/0509/627105_video.
church as abbey
Les Puryear posted an interesting list of small church distinctives this week. His list got me to thinking about the possible differences in "old" small churches and "new" small churches. By "old" I mean what we typically think of as a small church whether
church as abbey
In all the conversation about churches and change, one particular topic seems to be the unmentioned gorilla in the room -- clergy pay. By clergy pay, I mean what most of us had in mind when we went to seminary -- "I'll get this great theological education
Congregation
Peter Steinke has written a helpful book, Congregational Leadership In Anxious Times. Steinke subtitled his book, Being Calm and Courageous No Matter What. Good advice for these anxious times. In my presentation to small church pastors at The Cove last week, I borrowed Steinke's "13 Triggers for
Congregation
The Pew Forum offers a very disturbing view of regular church attenders with their latest report on torture opinions. We might all be better off staying home on Sunday mornings if this is the best we can do. When asked to respond to the statement, "Torture to gain important