Keeping young people coming to church after they’ve been confirmed is an ongoing problem for many congregations – but it’s even less so for faith communities that are using an increasingly popular curriculum called ‘Confirm Not Conform.’ Laura Toepfer runs the project, which has been used by more than 500 churches, and says the percentage [...]
Joe Phelps: Flinging Open the Doors Turns Around Decline
Taking over a faithful but dormant congregation 17 years ago, Joe Phelps began preaching an image of openness to the community and acceptance of those who are different. Today, people are flocking to Highland Baptist Church in Louisville, KY to hear a progressive message that is not only inspiring folk, but giving them a new [...]
Russell Clark: Putting the Fun Back into Church
After all, Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit – why not make it a fruit of Sunday morning worship? So says pastor Russell Clark of First United Methodist Church in Reddick FL. Russell, just a few years out of seminary, has seen Sunday attendance more than triple in his 3 years of [...]
Claire Woodley: The Church Leaders May Now Leave the Building…
It’s time to get out of the (church) box, says the gifted and creative rector at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Mohegan Lake, NY. The Rev. Claire Woodley says the Matthew 28 command to ‘Go!’ has sent her to regular visits to local businesses where the offers to pray with employees, open up a coffee shop [...]
Chanon Ross: Keep the Young People by Telling Them ‘Why’
Dr. Chanon Ross says they’ll stay if we just tell them why they should. Dr. Ross, who’s a youth ministry expert at Princeton Seminary, says most churches do a poor job articulating why the church matters to young people and, as a result, we see very few college age – 20′somethings in church. In this [...]
Kermit Moss: Improve Your Ministry by Playing Basketball
Kermit Moss, Sr says getting into the neighborhood, with the unchurched as well as the churched, is a key to his ministry at Manhattan Bible Church, in New York City. The gifted teaching pastor, an African American called to shepherd in a Spanish speaking neighborhood, says it’s even more important for him to work at [...]
Steve McSwain: Best Way to Grow the Church? Acceptance and Openness
Author, speaker, and former fundamentalist pastor Steve McSwain says the best way to see healthy growth in today’s churches is for a greater sense of openness to prevail. Steve, whose Huffington Post bio calls him the ‘voice of SBNR (spiritual but not religious)’ brings a sobering relevancy to the work churches are embarking upon today. [...]
Ron Crandall: Small Church Ministry Takes a Different Kind of Leadership
Ministry in smaller congregations takes expertise and enthusiasm for people not programs, says United Methodist minister and small church consultant Ron Crandall. A retired seminary dean, Ron has a contagious excitement for the small church, and says that building a core team of leaders within the congregation is key. In this interview, Ron unpacks this [...]
Ignite Your Christian Formation: Take it Online – VTS to Hold Seminar on e-Formation
Nearly every other industry has its own online learning component – now it’s the Church’s turn. Join me and a bevy of e-Formation pioneers as we try to figure this thing out at a ground-breaking conference at Virginia Theological Seminary. It’s called e-Formation: Faith Formation for a Digital, Connected World. It’s taking place at VTS [...]
Byron Wade: Out with Committees, In with Ministry Teams
Presbyterian pastor Byron Wade says one way he’s energized his mainline congregation is to change the vocabulary that speaks of maintenance to that which speaks of mission. Byron’s Davie Street Presbyterian (USA) no longer has committees, but Ministry Teams – that take ownership and intentionality toward the work they’ve been called to do. In this [...]
David Rahn: Deliver Our Young People from Busyness
This may be the greatest thing churches can do for young people today: help them solve the dilemma of busyness. Youth for Christ VP and chief ministry office Dave Rahn says young people jump from one thing to another so quickly that a churche’s most effective ministry may be to help them find a place [...]
Stephen McCutchan: How Well Are You Taking Care of Your Pastor?
Our pastors take care of us, that’s their job – but should my job also be to take care of them? Retired Presbyterian pastor, author, and consultant Stephen McCutchan says, ‘Absolutely!’ He is deeply involved in the Pastoral Care Network whose litany is: Healthy Clergy, Healthy Church, and he’s devoted his life to coming alongside [...]
Erin Lane: ‘Hey Church, Be More Conscious of Gender Issues!’
While there are more women in the pews, there are still lots more men in the pulpit. And this can lead to ill-informed preaching and community formation that can be offensive to women and even drive them from the faith. Feminist Erin Lane knows this well, she’s the editor of an upcoming book on women, [...]
Pen Peery: Building on Your Strengths Grows the Church
Just a few months into his new position at First Presbyterian Church of Charlotte, NC, Pendelton (Pen) Peery is doing a lot of listening. This dynamic pastor, and leader of the PCUSA renewal movement called Next Church, Pen has learned to listen for the unique gifts his new congregation possesses, with plans to first begin [...]
Ed Kruse: Revitalizing Your Congregation by Tending to the “Uns”
Ed Kruse’s consulting business is all about the Uninvolved, the Underinvolved, and the Unclaimed. Ed, a former pastor and stewardship executive, founded healthierchurch.org a few years ago to help congregations activate and reactivate their membership (in fact, if you hurry, you can still register for their April 11 gathering in Chicago – click here for [...]
Arthur Jones: The Challenge of Discipleship for Young Adults
The Well is a United Methodist church plant that, by most indicators, is a home run. It’s hip, it’s relevant, and on its first Sunday, 7 months ago, welcomed more than 800 people. However, pastor Arthur Jones says the challenge of discipleship-making remains: how do we help young people deepen their knowledge of Scripture, increase [...]
Jason Byassee: My First Hire Was a Missions Coordinator
Author, journalist, and pastor Jason Byassee says it was the natural move at his rather large, well-established Boone United Methodist Church in North Carolina: that his first hire would be someone charged to coordinate care of those who were not already members. Jason, an author who writes for the Christian Century and is a popular [...]
Suzanne Stabile: Living Through the Liminality with Spiritual Practices
Gifted retreat leader and speaker Suzanne Stabile says the Church, living in liminality, is best served by engaging in intentional spiritual practices. Her expertise in the enneagram and other spiritual disciplines as arranged through the Life in the Trinity Ministry office has her visiting many congregations, which she says, are hungry for intentional spiritual practices. [...]
Matthew Smith: Recovering Denominational Roots Grows This Church
How does a church of 19 (mostly grandparents) get to nearly 150 in just a few years? Intentional Christian practice found at the heart of the Methodist tradition. Matt Smith, co-founder of The Table at Central United Methodist Church says the growing congregation, that already has one ‘plant’ at a local coffee house, is all [...]
Richard Reising: Most Churches Shouldn’t Promote Themselves
Surprising advice – especially since it’s coming from a church marketer. Richard Reising, from Artistry Labs, says churches should only begin promoting themselves when they’ve got something worth promoting. What’s more, once congregations can do this, there’s a strong possibility they won’t even need to tell anyone. In this interview Richard shares his experience working [...]
L. Gregory Jones: Got the Courage for Traditioned Innovation?
Taking what’s best of the old and freshening it up with the new is the challenging work facing nearly every congregation today says Duke University theologian, author, and UMC minister L. Gregory Jones – so how do we do this? Dr. Jones says one strategy is that church leaders need to keep up on the [...]
Steve Lindsley: Small Town Ministry That’s Working
Ministry in real-life Mayberry has its blessings and challenges..Steve Lindsley, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Mt. Airy, NC, says it’s great to be involved in such a loving community, however the financial struggles take a toll. In this interview, Steve tells us how the laying off of the church music director has actually invigorated [...]
Christine Sine: Enter the Work God’s Already Doing!
It’s been said we’re all part of a grand conversation that began before we got here and will carry on well past our departure. If that’s true, says blogger, author, and contemplative activist Christine Sine, we do well to listen before we do much talking. Christine, co-founder with husband Tom of Mustard Seed Associates, has [...]
Tom Tewell: Exegete Your Community, Grow the Church
‘Exegete’ means to interpret – and long-time Presbyterian pastor and consultant Tom Tewell says this is what congregations need to do in their neighborhoods – to interpret what God is doing there. Tewell, who heads Macedonian Ministries of the CF Foundation (here’s a link to some of their recent work), says that the simple act [...]
Andrew Holmes: Exploring the Role of Entertainment in Worship
Ordained Methodist, PhD candidate, and USA Messy Church coordinator Andrew Holmes ponders the role of ‘fun’ when it comes to Christian worship – and at the end of the day he’s in favor of it. Holmes, who cites numerous Scripture texts suggesting the playfulness of God, is also writing his doctoral dissertation (St. John’s, Durham [...]
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