Warren Bird, Research Director for Leadership Network and co-author of 24 books on various aspects of church health and innovation, recently blogged about factors that are correlated with church growth. According to the FACT – for Faith Communities Today 2010 survey the following factors are Location (downtown or central city congregations are more likely to be growing than those in other locations) Age of the congregation (newer congregations are more likely to be Read More …
Taking Advantage of Mainline Decline (#0617)
Emmy Award winning journalist Chris Yaw is an Episcopal priest who effectively blends his expertise in media and ministry with his passion for building healthier congregations in his new creation: ChurchNext. Recently he interviewed me on the topic of the continued decline of mainline Protestantism in America. You can view the video or download a mp3 here. So What? Yaw asked me the kind of questions congregational leaders should be discussing as they consider what it Read More …
Declining Biblical Literacy (#0616)
Almost everyone agrees that Americans are not very religiously literate. While lacking basic knowledge of the world's great religions, Americans typical know more about Christianity. Last week the Barna Group reported on research it undertook for a noteworthy client: the American Bible Society. The following snapshot shows how people responded to some basic questions about Christianity: So What? John 3:16 has been among the most popular signs at American professional football Read More …
Stop Sitting (#0615)
Tim Sanders is a former Yahoo! executive and author of four books, including the New York Times bestsellers Love is the Killer App (2003) and The Likeability Factor (2006). Recently he blogged about the health risks associated with sitting. According to an infographic created by MedicalBillingandCoding.org, people who have sitting jobs have twice the rate of cardiovascular disease as those with standing jobs. Since January is traditionally the month of Read More …
A “Bed-In” (#0614)
Having lived in Texas many years, I am familiar with the phrase "everything is bigger in Texas." When it comes to churches, Texas has more megachurches than most would imagine. Edward Gilbreath went as far as to name Dallas, Texas as the unofficial capital of American Evangelicalism in Christianity Today. The latest news out of the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas revolves around Ed Young's Friday the 13th "Bed-in" event. Ed Young, minister of Fellowship Church, staged a 24 Read More …
2012 Trends to Ponder (#0613)
Sociologist Bradley Wright teaches at the University of Connecticut. I have mentioned his work on several occasions, including reviews of his two most recent books: Upside: Surprising Good News About the State of Our World (2011 – my review here) and Christians are Hate-Filled Hypocrites . . . and Other Lies You’ve Been Told: A Sociologist Shatters Myths From the Secular and Christian Media (2010 – my review here). Earlier this month he blogged Read More …
Help Stop SOPA/PIPA (#0612)
I talk about many issues on my blog, but politics is not typically a part of that diverse mix. Today, I feel it necessary to share a little about an issue that has become quite political. A few weeks ago SOPA or PIPA were acronyms known by a select few; today a majority of Americans will learn more about them. Two bills -- SOPA in the House (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA in the Senate (Protect IP Act) -- seek to stop the illegal copying and sharing of movies and music on the Read More …
Review of Religion Gone Astray (#0611)
Meet the Authors Pastor Don Mackenzie, Rabbi Ted Falcon, and Imam Jamal Rahman have been working together on interfaith matters since shortly after September 11, 2001. A few years ago the trio together wrote their first book: Getting to the Heart of Interfaith: The Eye-Opening, Hope-Filled Friendship of a Pastor, a Rabbi & a Sheikh (2009). In response to the many common questions they receive at their speaking engagements, they have now written a second Read More …
Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus (#0610)
In less than a week a 4 minute video, Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus, by spoken word artist Jefferson Bethke has received over 10 million hits. It is a video with an important message that is worth watching, sharing, and discussing. So What? Organized religion has many strengths, but must not be blinded by its weaknesses. In listening to the poets words over and over again, I hear a prophetic call to put Jesus first in all contexts (including that of institutional Read More …
Low Commitment Christianity (#0609)
Yesterday, I reviewed Rodney Stark's latest book: The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World’s Largest Religion (2011). Throughout the book he offers considerable sociological insight, including the following paragraph on the shortcomings of low commitment religious groups: The conclusion that competition among faiths will favor "low cost" religious organizations mistakes price for value. As is evident in most consumer markets, people do not Read More …