Mary Jacob's recent article considers the role of children's messages/sermons in worship. Most importantly, she provides perspective that allows readers to more fully consider if the practice is appropriate in their congregation. It hasn't always been this way. Children's messages/sermons began appearing in worship services in the late nineteenth century, but didn't become common until the 1970s and 1980s. Children's messages/sermons often lack focus or are directed at a Read More …
Most Religious President (#0874)
Forrest Wickman's recent article in Slate asks the question "Who is the most religious (American) president of all time?" He concludes that this distinction probably belongs to Jimmy Carter. Carter, a Georgia Baptist, has always been straightforward about his religious beliefs and practices. While in office, Carter attended church wherever he went, even while on the road, and continued to teach Sunday school when at home. He prayed daily and read the Bible, and when he Read More …
Good Liturgy? (#0873)
Glenn Packiam is the lead pastor of new life DOWNTOWN, an extension of New Life Church (Colorado Springs, CO). He recently shared his list of five marks of good liturgy: A Good Liturgy Invites People to Participate. A Good Liturgy Reinforces the Right Desires. A Good Liturgy Challenges Our Desire for Novelty. A Good Liturgy Confronts Our Obsession with Originality. A Good Liturgy Breaks Our Addiction to Activity. So What? I have been involved in Read More …
Unchurched Americans (#0872)
Warren Bird, Research Director for Leadership Network and co-author of 24 books on various aspects of church health and innovation, recently explored just how many Americans are actually unchurched. He concludes that more than 1 in 3 adults are unchurched (have not attended church in the last year), which is a number of people that would be the size of the tenth largest country in the world. So What? Bird communicates several data points visually using an infograhic, Read More …
Religious Taxes (#0871)
A week ago today, Germany’s top administrative court sided with Roman Catholic bishops by upholding the longstanding practice of allowing the Catholic Church to deny full access to the church to German believers who refused to pay a special church tax. Under the current system registered Catholics, Protestants and Jews pay a monthly tax to the government, and the government distributes those funds to the appropriate religious communities. With this system, the tax provides the most Read More …
Election Night Worship? (#0870)
A grassroots movement hopes that Christian churches will leverage the election night as a way to show their oneness in Christ by celebrating Communion / Eucharist / Lord's Supper in their respective gathering places that evening. More specifically, Election Day Communion is a time for Christians to come together in our respective churches, regardless of party, political affiliation, or denomination. Let’s all share this sacred act of communion together, reaffirming our Read More …
Review of Embracing Obscurity (#0869)
Meet the Author After posting nearly 200 book reviews on sowhatfaith using the same basic format, I find myself writing the first introduction to an author that lacks biographical data. The anonymous author of the book chose not to reveal her/his identity because he/she felt it was inconsistent with the book's basic message. While never sharing that identifying information, the author did weave personal stories into most chapters. Book Basics Many today define success in terms of Read More …
Choosing Larger Congregations (#0868)
More and more Christians are choosing to worship in larger congregations. Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, recently shared seven trends relating to American megachurches. His list (for another trend originating from the same data Rainer relies upon, consider reading my recent post) begins with a trend that has an impact that reaches far beyond megachurches (typically defined as congregations that average 2,000+ in weekend worship attendance): Further Read More …
Top 200 Church Blogs (#0867)
Kent Schaffer founded Church Relevance to "help ministries become more effective and efficient." Earlier this month, Church Relevance published its annual list of the top 200 church blogs, including an explanation of how it determined the rankings. So What? While certainly not a comprehensive this list, it provides a wealth of possibility for the would be reader. I plan to visit each of the blogs listed at least once over the next few weeks, and look forward to being introduced Read More …
The Adolescent Brain (#0866)
The video below is a must watch TED Talk for anyone who cares about, works/serves with, and/or is raising adolescents. TED offers the following introduction: Why do teenagers seem so much more impulsive, so much less self-aware than grown-ups? Cognitive neuroscientist Sarah-Jayne Blakemore compares the prefrontal cortex in adolescents to that of adults, to show us how typically "teenage" behavior is caused by the growing and developing brain. So What? Blakemore provides many Read More …