Earlier this week Pew Research Center published the results of a survey they conducted in July that found around 1 in 12 American adults (8%) have no close friends outside of their family. You read that right, 1 out of every 12 American adults self-reported that they didn't have any close friends outside of their family. Among those who responded the breakdown by number of close friends follows 0 - 8%1 - 7%2 - 14%3 - 18%4 - 13%5 - 13%6 - 6%7 - 2%8 - 2%9 - 1%10 or more - 13%Did not answer Read More …
friendship
Segregation – Friendship Style (#1471)
Since Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 comment, "it is appalling that the most segregated hour of Christian America is 11 o'clock on Sunday morning," we have made relatively little progress. According to the latest statistics, "between 5% to 7.5% of churches in the U.S. are considered to be racially diverse, a designation meaning that at least 20% of a church's members don't belong to the predominant racial group there." These statistics make sense when you consider white American's Read More …
Overcoming Misperceptions (#1048)
Tyler Ward recently shared what he wished he knew before he went to church for the first time. His article is birthed out of his many life experiences, including: growing up Presbyterian, serving as a Baptist youth pastor, living overseas on an evangelical mission, assisting a traveling prophet, serving the poor through a non-denominational ministry, promoting justice with emergents, and launching multiple house churches. Ward's short list of things he wished he Read More …
Reconnecting (#0518)
It used to be very unusual for me to hear from someone I had not communicated with in years. Now, it occurs on a somewhat regular basis. More often than not, these contacts occur because of (and often through) social media. It is easier than ever to reconnect with someone you lost touch with some time ago and for whom you no longer have accurate contact information. The ease of finding and contacting someone means that some will leverage this opportunity for something Read More …