Tag «Church Answers»

Why I’m Excited about “THE HOPE INITIATIVE”

Why I’m Excited about “THE HOPE INITIATIVE”

If you haven’t checked out The Hope Initiative, that will begin next month, I encourage you to do so. Here’s why: First, it’s a strategy focused on getting believers re-focused on the Great Commission in their community. Most churches—including those started with an outward focus—eventually turn inward. This strategy seeks to reverse that direction in…

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Don’t Divorce Christ

Don’t Divorce Christ

I love the local church. From Acts 2 to Revelation 3, the Bible is about the local church, written to the local church, or written in the context of the local church.  God gave us the local church as his plan A for his mission on earth, and he did not give us a plan…

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Reminders for Moms This Mother’s Day

Reminders for Moms This Mother’s Day

If you’ve walked through your local grocery or convenience store, you have probably noticed a heavier presence of florals and pastels that lead to a display of cards to celebrate and honor moms on Mother’s Day. If you are like me, you are swarming with thoughts of needing to purchase something for a mom in…

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Shifting Your Church Out of Survival Mode and into Hopeful Optimism

Shifting Your Church Out of Survival Mode and into Hopeful Optimism

Many churches are barely hanging on, but there is hope. Churches are simultaneously both fragile and resilient. They hang on by their fingernails, but those fingernails are surprisingly strong. Every Sunday seems to have the potential to be the last one. Yet the same church survives year after year, decade after decade. Struggling churches tend…

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Nine Microstresses of a Pastor

Nine Microstresses of a Pastor

December 15, 1967 was a major moment in American history. I bet few of you know what happened on that day. I sure didn’t until I began studying the world of microstresses.  Let me explain. On that fateful day in 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed, and 46 people died. The bridge connected Point Pleasant, West…

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The Top Three Ways Lead Pastors Can Serve the Second Chair

The Top Three Ways Lead Pastors Can Serve the Second Chair

The second chair position is paradoxical for two reasons. First, a second chair involves the tension of submitting as a subordinate to the first chair while at the same time leading with a high level of influence. Second chairs maintain a dependence on the first chair while at the same time managing the significant amounts…

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5 Reasons Why Prayer Must Accompany Evangelism

5 Reasons Why Prayer Must Accompany Evangelism

In June of this year, our Church Answers team will be releasing “The Hope Initiative,” a simple, reproducible strategy utilizing this tool by Thom Rainer to turn a church outward toward its community. One of the reasons I love this strategy is that it clearly connects prayer with evangelism. Many evangelism tools only assume prayer…

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The Life Cycle of a Pastor (Updated)

The Life Cycle of a Pastor (Updated)

For almost 30 years, we have tracked the tenure of pastors. Though some of the categories are the same, the time periods and the descriptions of the periods continue to evolve. We are now in a post-pandemic, post-Christian era. The changes are significant. Of course, these cycles are generalizations. There will always be exceptions and…

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Is Gen Z More Likely to Attend Church Than Millennials? The Surprising Answer

Is Gen Z More Likely to Attend Church Than Millennials? The Surprising Answer

Are the trends reversing? Could younger people return to church in greater numbers? Perhaps. It’s too early to tell, but one researcher gives a little hope. Ryan Burge reported on data indicating Gen Z is more likely to attend church than Millennials and Gen X. While almost a third of this younger generation does not…

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History’s Most Important Biography

History’s Most Important Biography

I love historical biographies. My family knows that these will always be on my Christmas list. It was no different this past year, and I’m now reading my way through a nice gift I received: a biography of Samuel Adams, the Boston revolutionary. Before that, I read a fascinating biography of King James I, the…

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