In ministry and mission work, I often evaluate and design evangelistic outreach programs for local congregations. Who will be the target audience? What will motivate those the church seeks to reach? What should the church do to maximize results? What activities will be most effective? Equally important questions must be added when one considers that …
Continue reading “Evangelism: Getting People to Do What They Are Not Doing?”
Today I share some random thoughts concerning the challenges of our contemporary world. How should the church live out the faith of Jesus in the present world? We live in a religiously divided world; we live in a non-Christian world, we live in a post-modern world. Some days it seems that everything that was nailed …
Continue reading “Being Church in the World in Which we Live”
This blog does not accept advertising or comments designed to redirect to other sites. Accepted comments post after approval. My conversations with Christians in various parts of the United States and in other countries, especially in Latin America, suggest that many Christians are dissatisfied with the world. How can Christians influence a culture, or a …
Jan and I are sometimes jealous–jealous of those folks who have spent most or all of their lives in one place and have close lifelong friendships and relationships that have developed over decades. But about the time we get too deep in feelings of self-pity, someone will voice their wish that they could have had …
The end of 2011 brought an interesting report to my inbox. The Association of Religion Data Archives, in an Ahead of the Trend report, shared the following under the title, “Happily ever after: Shared faith linked to kinder, gentler marriages.” “Fewer people may be getting married today, but there is new evidence that religious beliefs …
Easter in a changing world: are we in danger of suffocating Easter? I like Easter. It is a pure religious holiday. Of all of the religious holidays, the Easter tradition is pure Christianity. In fact, it is the heart of Christianity. Without Easter resurrection, there is no Christianity. Further, we have Easter at the right …
[updated Monday, January 10, 7:00 A.M.] The events of the weekend concerning the tragedy in Arizona have flooded the news shows, the talk shows, and the special news programs. The events were the subject of last-minute bulletin articles; the prayers of God’s assembled people included petitions on behalf of those involved and our nation. An …
If you have not yet seen the Barna report which summarizes six major emerging themes for 2010, it is a “must” read. Based on casual observations, the conclusions are accurate–and scary! You can read the report at this link: http://www.barna.org/culture-articles/462-six-megathemes-emerge-from-2010.
I have been reviewing my blogs for 2010–close to 150 in almost 300 days. Along the way, I have done some recategorizing to make searches easier and more consistent. My conclusion after rereading this year’s writings is that we live in a new world! The church faces challenges the magnitude of which it has never …
The Barna report released this week (“Americans Open to Exploring New Ways of Experiencing God”) suggests that Americans are more and more inclined to find and practice faith outside the structures and context of traditional churches. The report verifies what many churches have already suspected and experienced. The report can be understood better by surveying …
Continue reading “Small Groups, House Churches, Simple Churches”
