I have spent a considerable amount of time studying the landscape of American Christianity since the 1950s. Any time I make a presentation on the topic, people always ask about the future. In order to more fully answer those questions I devised a list of changes I believe to be most likely. The original list was created in 2006, before I entered the blogosphere. When I revised the list and turned it into a "top ten" in 2009, I published it on my blog. In light Read More …
church
Why Are You Still in Church? (#0679)
Much is being written about why people are leaving church, especially those in younger generations. Emily Case, Associate Pastor at Kennesaw United Methodist Church in Kennesaw, GA, recently wrote about why she has chosen to stay: Why do I stay? Because I believe that just like I am broken, the church is broken, that we all are broken. But, I believe that God can often work best through brokeness. Why do I stay? Because I have seen lives changed because someone held their hand Read More …
Top Church Websites (#0664)
Sharefaith recently posted their list of 22 Top Church Websites on Church Relevance. The alphabetically ordered list includes: Church on the Move - Tulsa, OK Fellowship Church - Grapevine, TX Imago Dei Community - Portland, OR Hillsong Church - London, UK LifeChurch.tv - Edmond, OK Mars Hill Bible Church - Grandville, MI Second Presbyterian Church - Memphis, TN Watermark Community Church - Dallas, TX So What? The author notes that this updated list for Read More …
Why Do You Belong to Your Church? (#0658)
Christianity is not a Lone Ranger religion; it is experienced in community. In most cities or towns in American would be church goers have many options, including Protestant or Catholic, contemporary or traditional worship, theologically conservative or progressive, and small or large membership. So What? If you currently belong to a church (whether or not you are a member), think back to your original experiences that helped you discern this was the fellowship for you. Why did 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 …
Different by Design (#0599)
Yesterday I realized that I had not upgraded to the newest release of Mozilla Firefox. On the upgrade page, I found a video that everyone should see (whether or not you ever have used or will use this browser). It is, without qualification, the best video I have seen in 2012. So What? Imagine if the idea captured within this video were to be applied to your local congregation. I transcribed the video, then gave the words a makeover for a new audience. I Read More …
Facebook Friending Trends (#0585)
Earlier this week Mashable featured a post by Zoe Clark wrote an article about friending trends on Facebook based on recent research by NM Incite. This research suggests that offline relationships drive online friending while offensive remarks and attempts to leverage Facebook relationships to sell goods or services are significant reasons for defriending. The detailed infographic of why people friend and defriend others on Facebook appears at right. So What? The number Read More …
The World’s Most Powerful People (#0541)
Forbes recently released its latest list of the world's most powerful people. Americans and politicians both fared well this year, and an American politician received the highest overall ranking. Rank Name/Title Organization Age 1 Barack Obama President United States of America 50 2 Vladimir Putin Prime Minister Russia 59 3 Hu Jintao President People’s Republic of China 68 4 Angela Read More …
Church Websites & First Impressions (#0527)
When I visit a church website for the first time the following items are most likely to make a negative first impression: Unattractive and/or dated overall appearance Unhelpful information: upcoming events happened months ago, multiple typographic errors, etc. Lack of easy access to basic data: contact page, worship information, and staff profiles So What? Today most potential church visitors will visit a congregation's website before attending worship or any ministry activity in Read More …
Review of The Church and New Media (#0481)
Meet the Authors Brandon Vogt is a Catholic layperson who blogs about theology, technology, social justice and books at ThinVeil.net. Vogt contributes the text's introduction and conclusion while relying on authors with varied backgrounds and expertise to contribute the chapters: Father Robert Barron, Jennifer Fulwiler, Marcel LeJeune, Mark P. Shea, Taylor Marshall, Father Dwight Longenecker, Scot Landry, Matt Warner, Lisa M. Hendey, Thomas Peters, Shawn Carney. Additionally, Read More …