Guy Chmieleski has served in campus ministry at four institutions of higher education associated with three different denominations (Baptist, United Methodist and Church of Christ). On his blog, he shared his own experiences as a blogger, a bit about a presentation on why blogging is important that he made recently to the United Methodist Campus Ministry Association, and four reasons why he will be integrating a blog into his campus ministry work and thinks other Read More …
Trends
The Influence of Technology (#0438)
"The Family and Technology Report" is one of the Barna Group's latest publications. The report is based on research conducted in partnership with Orange, which is part of the reThink Group. "The innovative study included nationwide interviews among parents and 11- to 17-year-olds from the same households, allowing comparisons between the parents and the tweens and teenagers who reside in the same home." Recently, Church Juice's Jerod Clark discussed the study's five findings and Read More …
Preferred Frequency for Communion / Lord’s Supper / Eucharist (#0436)
The Presbyterian Church USA recently shared the results of their research about the preferred frequency of the sacrament of Holy Communion, which suggests "most Presbyterians worship in congregations that celebrate the Lord’s Supper once a month, and most like that frequency." Additionally, the research shows: Three-quarters of members, elders, pastors and non-pastoral ministers are part of a congregation that celebrates the Lord’s Supper once a month. Seven in 10 Read More …
Free College Education? (#0429)
The cost of college education continues to rise faster than inflation and even faster than medical care. While many people are aware of the issue and a fair number have started conversations about reform, there has been very little experimentation with less costly models. One creative new model seeks to go beyond simply reducing tuition by eliminating it. The University of the People launched in 2009 as a one of a kind tuition-free online university. According to Kevin Read More …
1 in 3 Now Own a Smartphone (#0427)
According to research conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project and published earlier this week, 1 in 3 (35%) of American adults now own a smartphone. Smartphone adoption among differing groups varies widely: The financially well-off and well-educated – 59% of adults living in a household earning income of $75,000 or more are smartphone owners; 48% of those with a college degree own smartphones. Those under the age of 45 – 58% of Americans between the ages Read More …
How Americans Interpret the Bible (#0424)
According to the latest research by Gallup, within "most major U.S. subgroups, a plurality or majority holds the view that the Bible is the inspired word of God, rather than the actual word of God or a book of fables, legends, history, and moral precepts." The chart below illustrates how views of the Bible have changed over time. So What? Currently, 3 in 10 Americans are biblical literalists who believe that the Bible is the actual word of God. Preference for the literal Read More …
Church Website Checklist (#0423)
Josh Henry, Managing Partner with The Church Business Guys, recently shared his list of basic do's and don'ts for church websites: Don’t overcomplicate your domain name . . . Use caution when hiring a relative, close friend, high school student or church member who says they can do it . . . Use free tools sparingly . . . Consider the website an investment . . . Utilize your website as a ministry of your church . . . Take advantage of the communication opportunity. Read More …
Review of The World’s Christians (#0421)
Meet the Author Douglas Jacobsen has taught at Messiah College in Grantham, PA since 1984. Currently he serves as Distinguished Professor of Church History and Theology. Jacobsen is a member of the United Church of Christ and serves on the Theological Commission of the UCC Penn Central Conference. Jacobsen is the author of several books including Scholarship and Christian Faith: Enlarging the Conversation (with Rhonda Hustedt Jacobsen, 2004) and The World's Read More …
High Cost of College (#0420)
Michael Feldstein, project manager at Oracle, shared a chart showing the skyrocketing cost of college tuition (and other fees) created by Anya Kamenetz for a presentation earlier this year about the transformation of higher education. So What? In the same presentation Kamenetz notes that, according to the College Board, the full cost of a public BA is $112,520, which reflects an increase of 24% over the last five years (from the 2005-06 school year to the 2010-2011 school year). While Read More …
Facebook Users Are . . . (#0419)
The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project recently released Social Networking Sites and our Lives, which is a report based on the findings of a survey on Americans' use of the internet conducted from October 20 to November 28, 2010 with a sample of 2,255 adults, age 18 and older who were contacted via both landline and cellular phones. The research supports the commonly held view that Facebook is currently the dominant social networking option with some Read More …