Meet the Author Dan Kimball is a pastor who oversees "Sunday gatherings and teaching as well as the missional aspects of the church" at Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, CA. He is an adjunct professor at George Fox University. Kimball is the author or co-author of multiple books on church leadership and culture, including They Like Jesus but Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations (2007). Book Basics Adventures in Churchland is the story of the American Read More …
church
Continuing Decline in Church Construction (#0782)
The following image illustrates the dramatic decline in total religious construction spending in the United States since 2002. So What? The amount spent on construction has trended downward for the last decade. While a slowdown during a recession is expected, this is something far more significant. This year's religious construction expenditures are on pace to be less than 50% of what was spent in 2002. Many church budgets are flat or declining and many have halted all Read More …
From .org to .church? (#0770)
The continued growth of the internet means that if nothing changed we would run out of unique web addresses. Thankfully, those responsible for ensuring we can all continue to create new sites have solved this problem with something called IPv6. Earlier this month the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers or ICAN started accepting applications from companies seeking new domain suffixes that included .apple, .google, and .church. So What? Most congregations now have Read More …
Review of Viral (#0743)
Meet the Author Leonard Sweet is the E. Stanley Jones professor of evangelism at Drew University and visiting distinguished professor of Evangelism at George Fox University, was voted one of the 50 Most Influential Christians in America, and continues to write and speak prophetically about the church. An ordained United Methodist pastor, Sweet has authored over 20 books and 600 articles, and is perhaps best known for his forward thinking ideas about the church. For Read More …
The Changing Church (#0726)
Renowned New Testament scholar Scot McKnight has always managed to balance academic excellence with immersion in and understanding of the real world of church life. Given such, it isn't surprising to learn he will be leaving North Park University after this academic year for Northern Seminary. His recent blog post on how the church has changed during his lifetime is a must read. The piece is not intending to pass judgment on the changes, but rather call attention to Read More …
Reaching Young Adults (#0723)
Naomi Schaefer Riley's recent Wall Street Journal article considers how churches in Charlotte, NC have worked together across denominational lines to create a growing ministry to a demographic most congregations struggle to reach: young adults. Supported by 40 area congregations, Charlotte ONE worship experiences regularly attract capacity crowds of around 600 people. And, like most collaborative Christian endeavors many of the critics are leaders from Read More …
Is Your Church’s Website Visitor Friendly? (#0714)
Most people visit your church's website before visiting your congregation's physical campus. How welcoming is your site for prospective visitors? Tyler Walworth recently suggested assessing your site in light of questions visitors will likely ask including: Where is the church located? Who is the pastor? What should I expect? Will I be singled out as a visitor or pressured in any way? How do I join? Do I have to join? Should I know anything before I arrive? So What? A Read More …
The Future Church (v.2020) – 10 Shifts (#0708)
Over the last two weeks I have shared the top ten ways I hope the American church of 2020 will differ from the church of 2012. The list builds on trends in church and the larger culture; is realistic rather than idealistic; and is guided by hope in rather than fear about the future. The list seeks to consider broad shifts within American Christianity rather than specific changes or changes more likely in some traditions and less likely in others. Additionally, it Read More …
Future Church – More About Following (#0700)
Church v.2020 - Ten Changes: #8 More About Following – Less About Membership When compared with the American church of 2012, the future church (v.2020) will focus more on following and less on membership. This shift places the emphasis on following the way of Jesus rather than being a faithful member of a local church. Toward this end, likely changes include: An approach to belonging and deepening individual's connection to the faith community that values assimilation into a Read More …
Future Church – More Collaboration (#0698)
Church v.2020 - Ten Changes: #10 More Collaboration – Less Competition When compared with the American church of 2012, the future church (v.2020) will feature significantly more collaboration and markedly less competition. This will occur in many areas, including: An approach to marketing, church growth, and evangelism shaped by abundance rather than scarcity that encourages all people already on a spiritual or religious path to earnestly and faithfully pursue it. Efforts to Read More …