Category «churchinfluence.com»

The Importance of Holy Friendships

The Importance of Holy Friendships

Victoria Atkinson White says that pastors and Christian institutional leaders cannot do their holy work without the support of holy friendships. Mutual, sacred relationships deeply formed in God’s love combat loneliness and isolation, promote spiritual health and emotional wellbeing, and enable God’s servants to remain fruitful in ministry. An institution cannot thrive if its leaders […]

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4 Characteristics of Biblical Evangelism

To celebrate the Lewis Center’s anniversary, we are highlighting Leading Articles — some of our most popular posts of the past 20 years. We are pleased to share again this article by Doug Powe, originally published on December 5, 2018. Lewis Center Director Doug Powe says biblical evangelism is characterized by four key practices — […]

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My Testimony: One Reason Our Churches Must Invest in Children and Teens

My Testimony: One Reason Our Churches Must Invest in Children and Teens

Here’s the way I’ve previously described how I heard the gospel: I first heard about Christ when God planted in my seventh-grade classroom a crazy, fanatical 12-year-old Pentecostal preacher whose goal that year was to win me to the Lord. His approach was simple: he met me at the classroom door each morning and told…

The post My Testimony: One Reason Our Churches Must Invest in Children and Teens appeared first on Church Answers.

The One Big Reason Church Attendance Is Declining (and Most Church Leaders Are Unaware)

The One Big Reason Church Attendance Is Declining (and Most Church Leaders Are Unaware)

This one data point might be the most important information on the church and faith I have heard this year. We at Church Answers have done a pretty good job of explaining the “what” of attendance decline: the frequency of church attendance has declined, and people have simply left the church altogether. What we have…

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Teen Ministry: Why Their Questions Matter and Why We Should be Prepared to Answer

Teen Ministry: Why Their Questions Matter and Why We Should be Prepared to Answer

The foundations of teen identity are shaken and eroded by the simple yet complex question, “Who are you?” Teens are asked this question in every social interaction, whether at school, in public, or even through social media. The question of who they are is asked by judgmental eyes assessing what they wear, through passive-aggressive comments…

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Whose faith is the subject of Hebrews 11:11?

Whose faith is the subject of Hebrews 11:11?

Πίστει καὶ αὐτὴ Σάρρα δύναμιν εἰς καταβολὴν σπέρματος ἔλαβεν καὶ παρὰ καιρὸν ἡλικίας, ἐπεὶ πιστὸν ἡγήσατο τὸν ἐπαγγειλάμενον (Hebrews 11:11, Westcott and Hort)

The traditional translation of Hebrews 11:11 implies that it was (at least…

The Best Metric to Determine Evangelistic Health in Your Church

The Best Metric to Determine Evangelistic Health in Your Church

I fear too many churches are sitting still and becoming apathetic with evangelism. Unfortunately, this apathy means fewer people are hearing the gospel. It’s time to move outward again. The Conversion Ratio It’s helpful to diagnose the degree of the problem in your church. One way of determining evangelistic health is through a metric called…

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Why Small Congregation Worship Matters

Why Small Congregation Worship Matters

Teresa Stewart has faith in the future of small congregations because she has faith in a God who shows up even in small and forgotten places. She believes that small churches are critical learning laboratories as the church navigates a future far too complex for one-size-fits-all patterns of ministry. Let’s start with this fundamental agreement […]

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Two Approaches to Digital Playlists for Faith Formation

Two Approaches to Digital Playlists for Faith Formation

How can a digital playlist enhance hybrid and online faith formation? John Roberto shares two approaches for creating digital playlists to strengthen faith formation. The digital playlist has become an essential resource for designing hybrid and online faith formation. What the textbook was to the print era, the playlist is to the digital world. It […]

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