In recent years, many churches have seen a decline in weekly attendance. Some pastors report that the average congregation member attends only half the time. While I’m grateful to lead a church where most prioritize regular attendance, I also recognize that cultural trends and personal struggles often pull people away. But Scripture calls us to… Continue reading Why Weekly Church Attendance Matters
As the body of Christ, the church is called to embody the compassion and justice of God. One of the most profound ways we do this is by caring for those who are vulnerable, including widows. Throughout Scripture, God’s heart for the widow is clear: they are to be honored, protected, and cared for within… Continue reading The Church’s Call to Care for Widows
Across the landscape of our country church buildings are sitting empty. Churches, which once hosted vibrantly singing worshippers, weddings, and baptisms now have grass growing high all around them, broken stained glass, or have been turned into apartments or businesses. The question is, how did we get here? One reason is surely that some churches… Continue reading 4 Ways Churches Can Work to be Unified
I often get the question as a pastor, “why does your church not baptize infants?” A lot of people see that we will baptize children or adults, but note that they never see us baptizing toddlers or infants. It’s a great question and can be confusing because of how different denominations handle things. Let me… Continue reading Baptism and Baby Dedication
For years I have tried to blow the whistle on the subject of shallow theology. This is a current trend among evangelical churches to keep things shallow. It is especially highlighted among the current 20-30-something crowd. Quite a few of my pastoral peers fit into this mold. Most have not heeded the warning. They look… Continue reading A Call for Pastors and Churches to Go Deep
In October I celebrated 15 years of pastoring Cornerstone Bible Church in Forest City, PA. A lot of people don’t know that this is unusual. Pastor turnover rates are high for much of the country. The average tenure of 3.5 years is now around 6.5 years, depending on the study you read. An improvement, but… Continue reading How to Keep a Pastor for 15 Years
The reality is that we all need courage to face life. We all have issues whether emotional, relational, physical, mental, spiritual, or financial. We have events and seasons in life when we need the courage to press on and do so well. Where can you get that courage? My contention is that you can get… Continue reading Attending Church Gives You Courage to Face Life
The reality is that we all need courage to face life. We all have some issues – whether emotional, relational, physical, mental, spiritual, and/or financial. We have events and seasons in life when we need the courage to press on and do so well. Where can you get that courage? My contention is that you… Continue reading Attending Church Gives You Courage to Face Life
This is a three part series covering 15 myths about giving and church. Last week we looked at the first five: it’s my money; I’m too poor to give; I don’t give, but I serve; my church doesn’t need my money; and giving ends at 10%. This week we will cover five more myths about… Continue reading 15 Myths about Giving and Church Part II
Many people have been told recently that online “church” is a fine substitute for church. I have written articles listing 8 reasons why I find that to not be true. You can read them here (link) and here (link). One of the reasons I think we still need (and are called to gather) as local… Continue reading 6 Benefits of Live Local Preaching
