Fewer and Fewer Worshippers For the last several decades, membership in mainline denominations has been declining. Over time, membership has become a less helpful statistic in part due to a change in how younger people view church membership. Given these changes and others, church attendance has become the sociological standard measuring growth or decline. Lovett H. Weems Jr., distinguished professor of church leadership and director of the Lewis Center for Read More …
Discipleship
My Visit to Naples Church of Christ (#0148)
My Visit to Naples Church of Christ Naples Church of Christ moved into their new facility earlier this year. Since their new home is less than half a mile from my home as the bird flies or a short two mile drive and since they are seeking to reach out to the surrounding community, they have sent me multiple mailings in recent months. This morning, I visited their congregation and participated in their only morning worship service. As a first time visitor seeking to learn as Read More …
Pulpit Freedom Sunday (#0146)
Pulpit Freedom Sunday ABC News reports that almost 100 pastors in the United States planned to take part in the so-called Pulpit Freedom Sunday on September 26. Participating pastors intentionally violated federal tax law by using their pulpits to support specific politicians. The offending pastors realize that their actions risk their church's tax-exempt status, but felt compelled to take these actions in an effort to reform the law. In accordance with the Alliance Read More …
Megachurches Shaping American Protestantism (#0144)
Leadership Network just released their bi-annual Large Church Salary and Benefits Report, which explores the results of their latest survey of many of the largest Protestant churches in America and Canada. For the purpose of the research "large churches" are those with 1000+ in average weekly worship attendance while "megachurch" status is reserved for those with 2000+ in weekly worship attendance. For those interested in more details, the full 31 page Read More …
Poorer = More Religious? (#0143)
Gallup recently published an article explaining the results of their 2009 survey on global religiosity, which consisted of telephone and face-to-face interviews with approximately 1,000 adults in each of 119 countries. The data shows that "religion continues to play an important role in many people's lives worldwide." Specifically: The global median proportion of adults who say religion is an important part of their daily lives is 84% Money matters: lower per-capita income is Read More …
I Quit! – Sermon for September 12 (#0141)
I Quit! (Text: I Corinthians 1:10-17) Let us pray. Holy One, you are still speaking God – enable us to be a still listening people. May my words and the conversations they produce draw us closer to Jesus and to all who seek to follow him. Amen. Church fights happen more often than we like to admit and can do more harm than a damage assessment report might suggest. Arguments can begin with something as routine as choosing new carpet for the fellowship hall or Read More …
Call to Worship for Sunday, September 12 (#0140)
Call to Worship Love is what draws us here. Our desire to be loved entices us. Brother-Sister love invites us. God’s creative love unites us. Love is what fills us here. A friendly embrace warms us. Holy conversation informs us. Christ’s Read More …
Why Religion is Needed (#0135)
Oliver Thomas recently wrote an interesting opinion piece for USA Today: Why Do We Need Religion? In the article, Thomas suggests that religion's greatest contribution to society is that it "makes us want to live." He continues: Alas, many of us have discovered purpose for our lives through religion. Inside America's churches, synagogues, temples, mosques and ashrams, we wrestle with the great questions of life. And with due respect to my atheist and left-leaning friends, most Read More …
National Back to Church Sunday – September 12 (#0134)
The group of people known as de-churched or previously churched has risen significantly in recent years. To help welcome these folks back into the life of a local congregation, LifeWay has created an event called National Back to Church Sunday, which will be held on September 12. Individual congregations of all denominational traditions and those with no such affiliation are invited to be a part of the event and to register their participation with the National Back to Church Sunday Read More …
My Response to Anne Rice (#0127)
Anne Rice Quits Christianity As the days pass since Anne Rice wrote of her decision to “quit being a Christian” I have returned to her words on several occasions. Her words are those of a follower of Christ who cannot fathom why the church she thought she knew and loved has become an institution more focused on being against issues rather than for Christ. Rice’s pain and frustration have led her to walk away and to distance herself from the body of Christ. Today I quit being a Read More …