From 2001 to 2011, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America lost just over 1 million members. More specifically: 2001 Membership: 5,099,877 2011 Membership: 4,059,785 Membership Loss: 1,040,092 or 20.39% So What? The decline of the mainline is a popular topic, yet few are familiar with the dramatic nature of the numeric decline in membership and denominational funding. While the numbers presented here reflect the change in the ELCA, similar decline is happening across Read More …
Review of Jesus is _____ (#1025)
Meet the Author Judah Smith and his wife Chelsea serve together as the lead pastors of City Church in Seattle, WA. Previously, Judah served as a youth pastor for ten years at City Church, a congregation that his mother and father led as founding pastors. Book Basics Soon after taking over as the City Church's lead pastor, Smith launched an incredibly successful, creative, and thought provoking marketing campaign designed to reach the city of Seattle: Jesus is _____. The Read More …
Chuck Knows Church (#1024)
Chuck Knows Church is a relatively new educational resource funded by the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church. Every Thursday, a somewhat goofy yet always personable, pastoral and knowledgeable man named Chuck shares a new 2-4 minute YouTube video on a basic topic related to Christianity. Past topics include liturgical colors, the offering plate, the Narthex, the baptismal font, and Lent. The latest video is on the Lord's Prayer: So What? In Read More …
Review of Making Habits, Breaking Habits (#1023)
Meet the Author Jeremy Dean is a second career psychologist best known for his popular PsyBlog, which features discussion of "psychological studies that are relevant to everyday life." Since leaving his career in law, Dean has earned two degrees in psychology and is currently working on a doctorate in that field. Book Basics Making Habits, Breaking Habits: Why We Do Things, Why We Don't, and How to Make Any Change Stick offers a pragmatic approach to a challenging topic based Read More …
How to Become Pope (#1022)
Almost two weeks ago, C. G. P. Grey uploaded their latest video to YouTube. This five minute educational video explains the path one must take if one seeks to become Pope. It has already been viewed in excess of 1.5 million times. So What? Since a new Pope is elected so infrequently, most people outside of the Catholic Church are not familiar with the process. This video provides a good basic overview. How many men have served as Pope during your lifetime? (check out this Read More …
Religious Diversity in America (#1021)
Philip Cohen, a sociologist at the University of Maryland, recently blogged about religious diversity in the United States (US). He rebuts the claim made by a Harvard professor that the US is “the world’s most religiously diverse nation.” While religious diversity in the US has increased significantly in recent decades (from .53 in 1972 to .68 in 2010), the current level of diversity is less than that present in several other countries. The World Values Survey Read More …
Is It Time To Stop? (#1020)
Maurilio Amorim is CEO of The A Group, a media, technology and branding firm in Brentwood, TN that consults with some of the country’s largest ministries, leading churches, and Christian publishers. Recently he blogged about his response to an unexpected question. When asked to write down his favorite quote, he shared the following: Every leader must learn that just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. So What? In the post, Amorim provided a few examples of Read More …
Review of Altar Ego (#1019)
Meet the Author Craig Groeschel is the founding pastor of LifeChurch.tv, which has grown from a single campus in 1996 to a multi-campus church with weekly worship experiences in fourteen locations, including an online campus. Groeschel has written six books, including The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living as if He Doesn’t Exist (2010, read my review here) and It: How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It (2011). Book Basics Altar Ego: Becoming Read More …
Church E-Giving (#1018)
Earlier this month, Leadership Network published Warren Bird's latest research: "The Economic Outlook of Very Large Churches." This 18-page report considers the overall economic outlook alongside how the surveyed congregations collect, allocate and spend funds. Electronic giving (e-giving) is an increasingly important means by which churches receive donations. 100% of the churches with average weekly attendance of at least 2,000 receive some of their income via e-giving. The Read More …
Core Sermons (#1017)
Have you ever thought to yourself (or perhaps even vocalized the idea to others) "my pastor preaches a different sermon every week but really only has a handful of messages to deliver?" In reality, most clergy gravitate to specific themes. Nanette Sawyer, author and the founding pastor of Grace Commons (Chicago, IL), recently shared her own understanding of the five core sermons she preaches. Be here now. It’s where everything is, including God. God loves you and you are Read More …