It’s the pinnacle of the church year. Crowds swell. Churches add chairs, and services, and parking lot attendants. Church leaders and members look out over the brimming Easter pews and wish that all these pop-up worshippers would return in the weeks to come. But it’s not likely. Conventional wisdom would suggest that these holiday hordes, […]
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The Idols of Sunday Morning
March 20, 2013 
16 Comments
They cheered when the band walked on stage. Without prompting, the fans sprang to their feet. I watched from the back of this large, high-profile church as the Sunday morning service unfolded. The professional musicians performed with precision. Their sound was flawless. Their attractive faces were projected larger than life on the huge overhead screens. […]
Read more Making the World’s Largest Congregation
February 27, 2013 5 Comments
I just returned from the world’s largest worship gathering. And I picked up some ideas for those who wish to grow their congregations to epic proportions. I witnessed an estimated 50 million faithful gather in one place to seek the Almighty’s favor, wash away their sins, and spend time with their admired religious leaders. This […]
Read more The De-Churched: Why They Left
February 12, 2013 24 Comments
They left church behind. Now they outnumber those who’ve stayed. Why have they turned their backs on a community of believers? What is it about today’s church that keeps them away? Over the last year, while working on a major documentary film that examines America’s state of faith and the condition of the church, I’ve […]
Read more What’s Bigger Than Your Butts in Seats
January 30, 2013 14 Comments
The only thing that really matters is butts in seats. For the American church, that is the bottom line. So to speak. Large churches keep score by attendance figures. Small and medium churches fret over declining numbers in the pews. Often, when leaders talk about outreach and evangelism, they really mean convincing people to sit […]
Read more The Real Reason They Go to Church
November 28, 2012 6 Comments
“I got nothing out of that service,” John told me after church. “Why do you go to church?” I asked. “I go because I want to feel better,” he said. John is not alone. He’s among about half the church-going population that attends a weekly service for some reason other than worshipping God. Church leaders […]
Read more Shutting Up the Heathens
November 21, 2012 9 Comments
No wonder people view Christians as judgmental. No wonder the unchurched feel their thoughts and questions are unwelcome at church. In my work with Lifetree Café I hear weekly from the unchurched, the dechurched and not-yet-believers. And I also have the opportunity to talk with church leaders about how Lifetree connects with those who don’t […]
Read more The Vanishing Seekers
October 31, 2012 6 Comments
Much of the contemporary church has fashioned itself to be “seeker sensitive.” But what if the seekers are no longer seeking? Seeker-friendly churches have been shaped with good intentions. Making church ministry more accessible to the unchurched is an admirable objective. The reigning assumption: large masses of unchurched men and women are actively looking for–seeking–a […]
Read more Back-to-Church Bait-and-Switch
August 8, 2012 5 Comments
It’s time to crank up the new season. As the new church year approaches, church leaders begin to roll out varied efforts to entice the unchurched to fill the pews. Churches across the country use all kinds of back-to-church lures: special events, comedy concerts, giveaways, fish frys, and creative advertising. But do these efforts work? […]
Read more What Church Looks Like–in 10 Years
July 25, 2012 12 Comments
Where will you be in 10 years? in 20 years? If you’re involved in a church, it may look quite different from what you’re accustomed to today. The church in America is currently shuddering under unprecedented societal change. Some churches are shuttering—closing their doors, rather than adapting to the swirling changes around us. But some […]
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Why Church Doesn’t Fit Most People
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Church Abusing Kids with Root Beer
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Why People Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore
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Acts of a Suicidal Church
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Sunday Morning Fantasies
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9 Ways to Me-Too Your Ministry Heroes
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“Life Change Happens in Circles, Not in Rows.” Are You Kidding Me?
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To Become the Best Church in Town
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How to Silence Your People
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Why the Easter Christians Won’t Be Back
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Joan: "Preachers" who wave the Bible in the air. Why do ...
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Rocky: What's up with all the "big beards" I see on youth...
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Sherry: Music that is so loud that anyone who has not alre...
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Steve-Gaitha Athans: Thanks Thom for "renting the veil" of our "Me too"...
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lindaransonjacobs: You crack me up. Spot on with this post. Couldn't ...
