While religious people tend to volunteer more than non-religious, a new study finds that one factor makes more difference than any other in determining who volunteers the most: type of high school attended. Jonathan Hill and Kevin den Dulk's research, published last month in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, "shows that graduates of Protestant high schools out-volunteer peers from Catholic, secular, public, and home schools—all Read More …
Top Time-Saving Tech Tips (#1075)
David Pogue, personal technology columnist for the New York Times and a tech correspondent for CBS News, recently gave a 6 minute TED Talk titled "10 Top Time-Saving Tech Tips." While you may know most of the tips in this short video, learning one new time saver or being reminded to use one you had forgotten makes watching a good investment of your time. So What? On an almost daily basis I watch people waste time completing basic tech tasks. When appropriate, I offer Read More …
Churches: Be Who You Are (#1074)
David Murrow, author of Why Men Hate Going to Church and founder of Church for Men, recently blogged about the strength that comes when churches know who they are and work within that framework. For Murrow the importance of such was illustrated when he visited a traditional church that made a poor attempt at offering an occasional contemporary worship service. His sound counsel for all local congregations follows: . . . be who you are. Do what you do well – and do it Read More …
Religious Freedom: The 75% (#1073)
Brian Grim, a leading expert on global religion and religious freedom who serves as Senior Researcher in Religion and World Affairs at the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, recently shared two troubling statistics: 37% of the world's countries have high or very high restrictions on religion, 75% of the world's population resides in these countries. So What? Repeat the 75% statistic to yourself a few times. This number cannot be viewed as Read More …
Church Giving in the Future (#1072)
The Spring 2013 edition of Leadership Journal focuses on money, emphasizing how congregations can fund ministries in ways that are consistent with their DNA. While many articles within this edition's pages offer considerable practical insight two that consider the longer term are of particular note. In "Why I Won't Give to Your Church," Robert Jewe explains why as a 23-year-old he may hesitate to fund congregational ministry and mission (p.37). His honest appeal Read More …
Review of The Idolatry of God (#1071)
Meet the Author Peter Rollins is "a widely sought after writer, lecturer, storyteller and public speaker" known for his existential view of Christianity known as pyro-theology. He completed his formal education at Queens University, Belfast with earned degrees in Scholastic Philosophy (BA Hons), Political Theory (MA) and Post-Structural thought (PhD). Rollins is the author of multiple books, including The Idolatry of God: Breaking Our Addiction to Certainty and Satisfaction Read More …
Successful Blogs (#1070)
Srinivas Rao recently shared "Six Pillars of an Effective Blog." The list includes wisdom about focus, style and a few additional resources effective blogs should include. More specifically, Rao suggests effective blogs know their purpose/message/mission, include an optional e-mail newsletter, provide a free e-book/manifesto, are based on a product/business model, emphasize good site design, and engage in effective self-promotion. So What? While there is no Read More …
A Word of Hope (#1069)
Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, shared this powerful one minute (71 seconds) message of hope yesterday. So What? As we near the conclusion of what has been an unusual and, for many, challenging week Hanson's reminders are timely and timeless: Wherever you are . . . the promise is Christ is with you. Christ comes and says to you, "peace be with you." There are no God forsaken places and there are no God forgotten people. How did Read More …
Friday Foursome (#1068)
In an effort to share what I am reading with you, I have consistently posted at least one book review a week for the last few years. At times, however, I find my pile of read but not yet reviewed books grows quite large. As I did earlier this month, I am opting to forgo my normal reviews in order to provide a list of four books I have read recently (listed by rating, on a scale of 5.0). (5) The Christian Century and The Rise of the Protestant Mainline (2013) by Read More …
Your Church’s Facebook Presence (#1067)
Monk Development's "2013 State of the Church Online Report" contains data gathered from a diverse group of "over 50 churches spread across the United States" that seek to serve their congregation's through the web (p.2). As I reviewed the report, I found myself returning again and again to a statistic that provides a benchmark for congregations seeking to develop a presence on Facebook. According to Monk's research, "the average for likes vs. total weekly attendance (TWA) is Read More …