Tag «Discipleship»

Did God Really Say? Wrestling with Doubt and Finding Freedom in Truth

In a post-information and internet age, it is becoming increasingly difficult to sift truth from lies. You can find anything online to affirm, or deny, your feelings, your theology, and even your motives. With so many competing voices and endless truth claims, it’s no wonder so many feel disoriented. And perhaps the enemy is seizing…

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55% Younger Adults Prefer Smaller Churches

It’s a massive change that few church leaders are noticing. For decades, the conventional wisdom was simple: younger generations flocked to bigger churches with contemporary music, better tech, and full-service programming. That assumption may now b…

Engaging Children Through Active Wondering

Tanya Campen describes how engaging children through active wondering creates space for them to share freely and nurtures honest conversation. She equips teachers and guides to shepherd children in the holy work of active wondering. Active wondering creates space for authentic and honest conversation. “I wonder” questions present an invitation into holy conversation. They create […]

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8 Things that Would Happen if We Truly Viewed the Word of God as Sweet like Honey to Us

I realize this post is a bit unusual for this site, but I want us to think about this truth: we who seek to lead churches toward growth and revitalization must love and obey the Word if we want God to bless our efforts. With that truth in mind, I am mindful today of the…

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Four Ways to Shift Church Culture from Apathy to Expectation of Growth

The American church is at a crisis moment. Only 1% of churches have an ongoing evangelism emphasis. Apathy in the church is nothing new. The New Testament letters demonstrate how a lack of enthusiasm for God’s work goes back to the inception of the early church. In Acts 1, after Jesus ascended, two angels came…

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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…

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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

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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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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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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