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A recent study put forth by Barna research discussed the current “State of Discipleship.”[1] I’m a big discipleship advocate—constantly preaching and teaching about the Great Commission, mission, and disciple-making. Not only do I preach and teach it—I disciple and invest into others. I love relational community. But, the Western church is hemorrhaging. I believe the …
LifeWay Christian Store, the retail arm of the Southern Baptist Convention’s publishing company, plans to close all 172 of its outlets by the end of 2019. LifeWayChristian Stores plans to close all of its locations by end of the year and move all of the company’s retailing online. “The decision to close our local stores …
OVER 2,000 years ago, Jesus approached twelve seemingly unsuspecting Galileans and bid them: “Come, follow me.” For the next three years, they walked alongside him as he discipled them. Toward the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus commissioned his disciples to go and do the same—to take the Gospel message to the world and make …
Here are 7 insights drawn from the data that will help you be a more successful church leader. 1. Pastors have higher life satisfaction than most. Surprised? Be encouraged. 9 in 10 pastors are satisfied with their quality of life. Pastors rate their emotional health and spiritual health higher than the general US population does. 96% …
ABSTRACT: Protestants have traditionally understood sanctification as God’s work of gradual spiritual transformation over the entire life of every believer. Recent biblical scholarship has argued that such a definition does not actually correspond with the meaning of biblical terminology for sanctification, which refers to a single and definitive setting apart of believers at conversion. Some …
It’s that time of year again – when we take a deeper look inside the current state of the church. In 2017 and 2018 these were our most read and shared posts of the year, and we hope this installment is just as helpful. By going over some of the most important church statistics, you’ll …
You are reading a free research sample of State of the Church & Family Report The Christian church has been a cornerstone of American life for centuries, but much has changed in the last 30 years. Americans are attending church less, and more people are experiencing and practicing their faith outside of its four walls. Millennials …
The following research is based on the survey of Barna Group, What People Want (1997). We asked 100 people of the most important qualities of the pastor, and they answered: 1. Makes decisions which are in the best interests of the people, even if those decisions might not be popular (29%) 2. Trains and develop …
Growth begins with investment in a process which will cause change. Churches which experience dynamic growth focus on the following important dynamics: (1) Genuine experiences of the presence of God; (2) High level of self-motivation; (3) Unified vision and purpose; (4) Clear goals; (5) Pioneering or establishing a precedent; (6) Finding people in the community …
One of the most frequent concerns we hear, when working with congregational transformation, is “We don’t have enough people to do all the ministries.” Interestingly, when we investigate, we’ll hear these same words from both staff and volunteers – as well as from church members who are only marginally involved. Using the Pareto Principle as …