Kristen Terrette
“Sunday’s always coming.” I said those words many times when I was a children’s ministry director. Our staff and volunteers worked tirelessly to prepare for the upcoming Sunday services and weekly ac...
Brian Croft
I am amazed at how much material has been released recently about church revitalization. I just heard a statistic that 80% of churches in America have either plateaued or are in decline. I am grateful...
Joe McKeever
“Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Ephesians 5:14). A pastor I know has a problem. It’s not unlike that experienced by a large group of his peers, I ...
I am frequently asked about my thoughts on church discipline. I’ve learned that most of the time, when someone asks, they have a personal agenda they are attempting to address, far more than they have...
Pamela Palmer
American culture functions in ways that often marginalize people with disabilities. Imagine the challenges of being a wheelchair user and traveling by plane, or being a blind person placing an order...
Sheila Alewine
I believe that every Christian ought to be joined to some visible church; that is his plain duty, according to the Scriptures. God’s people are not dogs, else they might go about one by one; but they ...
Philip Nation
IKEA is a store based in Sweden. They are perhaps best known for their flat-pack furniture. Recently, I purchased a new desk from IKEA which is really not a desk. It is two units of drawers, a long ta...
Bethany Verrett
In the beginning of the book of Revelation, the number seven appears multiple times. One of the most notable is that John is instructed to give a copy of Revelation to seven churches. Theories abound ...
Clarence L. Haynes Jr.
Let’s be honest, when you think of church, the last word you want to associate it with is disappointment. Yet we know that our pews are filled with people who have been disappointed and hurt by the ch...
Clarence L. Haynes Jr.
Regardless of how wonderful a church is, that church may still experience conflict. Having conflict is not the biggest problem. How you deal with it is. As humans, we may have differing opinions about...
Molly Parker
Let’s face it: church can be a strange place for visitors, for the first-timer and old-timer, the unbeliever and believer. While no church is perfect, some have adopted trends that are hard to ignore ...
Brett McCracken
Discerning the Good from the Bad In our consumer society, where prevailing wisdom says we should be loyal to products or brands only insofar as our needs and tastes are satisfied, it can be easy for c...
Clarence L. Haynes Jr.
Churches don’t stop growing in one instance; it is something that happens over a period of time. You lose one member here or there, and you look up and notice there are fewer and fewer members left. W...
Heather Adams
God’s vision for the church, both then and today, is so much richer than a to-do list. The practices of early church leaders and congregations give us a glimpse of the power that walking in faith toge...
Meg Bucher
Following Christ is not easy and going to church provides a respite and refueling needed to keep fighting the good fight of faith and the challenging conviction to keep learning and growing in Jesus. ...
Pamela Palmer
The idea of a healthy church sounds appealing and is what God desires for His Church. One day, Jesus will return for His bride (the Church). We want to be ready and we want to be a body that reflects ...
Pastor Luis Ángel Díaz-Pabón
“Church” is the translation of the Greek term ekklesia, and is used in the New Testament to identify the community of believers in Jesus Christ. It literally means “assembly,” “congregation,” or “meet...
Michael Jakes
In the past year, we have witnessed and experienced changes in this world that have been unprecedented in our lifetime. These widespread changes have affected many of us in many different ways.With ma...
Pamela Palmer
Perhaps you are a new to the Christian faith, or something has happened in your life that has made you curious about God. Whatever your situation, because there are numerous local churches, it may fee...
Emma Danzey
The churches are small and include 10-12 people gathering within homes. Every leader is a volunteer and the tithes are given to the poor and missions. Each leader or pastor of the home is an elder of ...