Culture
Michael Kelley gets to the heart of small church authenticity over at Ed Stetzer's blog today. Here's an excerpt: The reason we have something to learn is that we have tried to be Starbucks. We've tried to be slick, trendy, and hip. We'
Acts
Paul and Silas disturbed the city of Philippi when the power of the gospel interfered with business. Shouldn't our gospel disturb the city today? Sermon: Disturbing Our City -- Acts 16:16-34 NRSV 16:16 One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met
Community
This week is National Police Week. All across the country, law enforcement officers and community residents are gathering to honor the memories of officers who have been killed in the line of duty. I was asked to speak at our local memorial service for fallen officers hosted by our church
Community
This is the meditation I am giving at the Community Prayer Breakfast sponsored by our local hospital, Danville Regional Medical Center. A Story of Prayer and Community We have gathered here this morning because we believe in two things -- the power of prayer and our responsibility to our community.
Culture
I'm glad Tiger Woods didn't win the Masters this year. It would have been a great sports headline: "Disgraced Tiger Redeems Himself in Golf's Classic Tourney." Actually, the golf commentators had already begun that line of thought. They were treating Tiger'
Church news
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WN0XM3_R2Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&] Tim Avery of Christianity Today's BuildingChurchLeaders.com has asked me to co-host a small church webinar with Brandon O'Brien. The Strengths of the Small Church will air on May
Creativity
St. Matthew In The City Church in Auckland, New Zealand is an Anglican congregation which uses some edgy advertising to get the largely unchurched Auckland population to think. This Easter, St. Matthew's put up this billboard explaining that in the Orthodox tradition there is a practice of humor
Culture
Churches are an important resource in caring for America's poor, but the job is too big for churches alone. With all the talk about healthcare and the nation's deficit, I've seen more than one blog suggest that churches take over the responsibility for caring
Christian history
Ecclesia Church in Houston, Texas, whose website describes the church as a "holistic missional Christian community," invited local artists to submit original artwork depicting each of the Stations of the Cross. Young 10-year old artist Jackson Potts II, who has been studying photography with his photographer father for
Christian history
We probably wouldn't think of asking someone today, How is it with your soul?, but maybe that's exactly what we should be doing. Of course, the question itself sounds outdated and very 19th century, certainly not the kind of question we would ask anyone in this
Church news
The Religion News Service (RNS) picked up a quote from my article on the arrest of 10 Southern Baptist church members in Haiti. The article first appeared here, and then at EthicsDaily.com.
Church news
SmallChurchPROF.com links to the best news, ideas, insights, and information relevant to small church ministry. The site features articles in eight categories of interest to small church leaders and members: 1. Featured. These articles are the latest of the web's ever-changing content that have application to small