While multiple research studies have sought to determine if Christians are happier than atheists, only one has considered this by relying solely on data from tweets. The results of this new study conducted by a research team led by University of Illinois psychologist Ryan Ritter are published in the June edition of Social Psychological and Personality Science. Ritter and his colleagues focused on over 877,000 tweets written by over 7,500 individuals following one or more of five well Read More …
Churches & Active Shooter Incidents (#1138)
In response to a number of recent shootings in school and faith communities, the United States government released its first ever Guide for Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans for Houses of Worship (38 pages). The practical booklet offers information, including: assigning congregation members to assess immediate threats, determining the best places for shelter and useful hiding spots identifying who should run, who should hide, and who should fight back planning Read More …
Valuing Diversity: The 75% Rule (#1137)
Corey Widmer, associate pastor for outreach at Third Presbyterian Church (Richmond, VA), recently wrote about something known in his congregation as the 75% rule. He explains: When we gather together to worship on Sundays, everyone should be happy with no more than 75% of what is happening during the worship service. Why such a strange rule? Because we realize that in our culturally diverse congregation, if you are happy and comfortable with more than 75% of what is going on, it most Read More …
1980s Technology & Ministry (#1136)
A few days ago I came across a Mashable post featuring 15 technology ads from the 1980s. It was during that era that I first fell in love with technology. As I scrolled through these old ads I realized just how much technology has changed in a few decades. My mind began to compare the rate of change in technology to the rate of change in the American church. So What? While there are significant limitations to broad generalizations, they are helpful as conversation starters. Read More …
College Educated 20-Somethings (#1135)
While it is widely known that more young people are attending and graduating from college than ever before in the United States, many people are less familiar with just how dramatic the change is for those in the 25-29 year old cohort. In a recent New York Times' article, Catherine Rampell notes that the National Center for Education Statistics data shows that the percent of 25-29 year olds with a bachelor's degree or higher rose more rapidly over the last two decades than in the Read More …
Review of Rewire (#1134)
Meet the Author Ethan Zuckerman is director of the Center for Civic Media at MIT, and a principal research scientist at the MIT Media Lab. Additionally, he is heavily involved in Global Voices, an organization he co-founded that publishes news and opinions from citizen media in over 150 nations and thirty languages. Previously, he was a leader in the emerging world of technology. Zuckerman founded Geekcorps (a technology volunteer corps that sends IT specialists to Read More …
No Verbal Announcement for ____ (#1133)
At some point during the worship service most congregations include a time for verbal announcements. This content is often reinforced by printed material in the bulletin/worship guide and/or data projected on a screen. While those responsible for the success of just about any and everything that happens on the church campus often desire a verbal announcement, most opportunities simply do not deserve to be highlighted in that manner. Phil Bowdle, Communications Director at West Read More …
Overcoming Consumerism (#1132)
Much has been written about the need for churches to move beyond consumer based approaches to ministry and mission. Philip Nation, Director of Adult Ministry Publishing at LifeWay Christian Resources, recently suggested three different ways to name transition from a consumer approach to a missional one: From window shoppers to community, From gym membership to covenant, and From consumer-shaped bazaar to mission-shaped community. So What? Sometimes it is quite difficult Read More …
Your Church Can’t Ignore (#1131)
Carey Nieuwhof, lead pastor of Connexus Community Church, recently shared a list of cultural trends of significance to churches. His list includes: online as the new default, the death of checks, and declining trust in authority and institutions. So What? Churches cannot live in bubbles. Local congregations must be aware of and adapt to cultural norms insofar as how people live. If people can't experience your church online, are expected to give financially Read More …
CreationSwap (#1130)
If you blog, add content to your church/ministry website, or produce newsletters then you know there is always a need for quality free graphics. While many are familiar with and turn to Creative Commons, there are also a number of Christian based sites. For quite some time, LifeChurch.TV has been a leader in this area through their Open site. More recently I was introduced to CreationSwap, which offers a considerable amount of free content alongside items that are for sale at Read More …