Running from the Culture Wars
“This gay rights thing is going to destroy the American church,” the pastor said. Is that true? Many church leaders–on both sides of the gay …
Done with 'Sit Down and Shut Up'
People are leaving their churches because they feel excluded. Excluded from participating in the communication of the message. This is one of the unanticipated findings …
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A Message for Control Freaks
Why are some of the organized church’s most dedicated and active members choosing to leave? Sociologist Josh Packard, author of Church Refugees, sometimes refers to …
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Good Riddance to Nominal Christians?
Christian shrinkage. Is that bad news or good news? Well, it depends, it seems. The Pew Research Center’s new study shows that the proportion of Americans …
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Done with Church, but Not with God
They’re done. Done with the institutional church. They are millions strong. And millions more are about to join them. The Dones, as I refer to them, …
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The Thing That's Draining the Church
What’s the thing that’s draining the life out of the American church? Is it a recent thing–or has it been around a while? People often …
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What If He Actually Came Today?
After watching some of the latest historical Jesus shows on television, I wondered how Jesus would be received if he’d make a similar physical visit …
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When Jesus Becomes a Fill-in-the-Blank
People describe the Christian faith as a “personal relationship with Jesus.” But in the church, how have we gone about encouraging and developing that relationship …
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Big Ways to Think Small
While some churches are shrinking into oblivion, others are growing into oblivion. Sometimes numerical growth squishes the very things that appealed to those who fueled …
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The Regime That Runs Your Church
How would people describe your church’s organizational and leadership structure? Close-knit community–or secret syndicate? Every congregation–and each ministry within it–takes on a style of governance …
