The Self-Indulgent Church

January 19, 2008

This from the Christian Post: A cutting-edge church leader known for his innovative ideas on reaching a post-modern generation for Christ contends the reason why churches are declining in America is because they are self-centered. “My primary assessment would be because American Christians tend to be incredibly self-indulgent so they see the church as a place there for them to meet their needs and to express faith in a way that is meaningful for them,” said cultural architect Erwin McManus, Read more [...]

Our Faith Inside and Outside the Church

January 10, 2008

New NAMB and LifeWay research adds statistical meat to the ongoing conversation: unchurched Americans are open to spiritual matters, but not the institutional church. Below are some data blurbs from the study: 79% of the unchurched agree that “Christianity is more about organized religion than about loving God and loving people.” 89% of the unchurched agree that “I have at least one close friend who considers himself or herself a Christian." 78% of the unchurched agree that “if someone Read more [...]

Faith and Power

January 6, 2008

While on vacation I read Michael Lindsay’s book, Faith in the Halls of Power. In the book, he discusses how numerous evangelicals have reached high-profile leadership positions in some of the most powerful circles in the United States. Lindsay spent five years interviewing 360 of these influential Christians in America. His conclusion: evangelical influence is more prevalent than many tend to believe or report. He found four major arenas in which these Christian leaders maintain this power in secular Read more [...]

A New Generation of Church Leadership

January 3, 2008

I’m on vacation with my wife this week, skiing New Mexico in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The snow is great and the weather is perfect. Rainer Ski Report: Sam = 4 falls and 1 injury (bruised derriere) Erin = 2 falls and 0 injuries Erin and I have differing approaches to skiing. I push the boundaries of my abilities; she takes the runs slowly and methodically. But we both plan our runs down the slope. We both think ahead, checking the trail map and the conditions before heading down the mountain. Since Read more [...]

Interested Culture/Uninteresting Churches

December 26, 2007

One of today’s Christian Post headlines reads “American Christianity Remains Strong in 2007.” The tagline is derived from a recent Gallup Poll reporting that the vast majority of Americans identify with a Christian faith. The breakdown looks like this on a national scale: 82% of Americans identify with a Christian faith. Yet only 62% of Americans say they are members of a church. And only 44% of Americans can be described as frequent churchgoers. Applying these percentages to the current US Read more [...]

The Church Attendance Tug of War

December 24, 2007

The folks over at the Pew Research Center got my attention today. They reported that people who attend religious services weekly tend to be happier than those who do not attend or attend less often. This correlational pattern crosses denominational lines. The finding seems to make sense. I hope that what people discover in their churches would push them to the only true joy and contentment found this side of eternity – a relationship with Jesus Christ. The problem is that many spiritual teens Read more [...]

Megacities and Missions

December 20, 2007

I’m a city-boy. I grew up most of my life inside large urban areas. My wife is a country gal. Her family raises their own beef. So when we started looking for a home, I was thinking a downtown loft. She wanted farmland. So we compromised. Our home borders corn fields and cattle farms. I’ve grown to like living in the country. It’s a bit too quiet – sometimes I think that I can hear all the twinkling stars up in the sky (the ones that hide behind the city lights). Louisville is only a short Read more [...]

Three Myths about Church Dropouts

December 16, 2007

I am putting the final touches on my first book (co-authored with my father). The tentative title is Essential Church. The bulk of the work is based upon a three-part research project on why 18-22 year-olds leave the church and how to get them back. The manuscript deadline is fast approaching, and the release date is planned for Fall 2008. Before the book is released, however, I want to give you guys an opportunity to interact with some of the findings. We’ve found that 70% of those that leave Read more [...]

The Lunch-Lady and Skeletons in the Closet

December 14, 2007

Sitting at a table during our last church fellowship, I asked a woman who was visiting, “Do I know you or have we met before?” She just looked at me with a wry grin. I thought I recognized her, but I wasn’t sure why. “I know you, and we’ve met many times before,” she said. I was confused, “I’m sorry if I’m not recognizing you, but where did we meet?” She smiled again and paused before saying, “I was your lunch lady in high school.” My eyes got big, and I laughed heartily, Read more [...]

The Servant-Leader and the Homogeneous Unit

December 8, 2007

I learned something this week. It was the best kind of learning – the one where you see academic theory played out in real life. I love to teach, but I’m not one for classrooms. I love to learn, but I don’t need academia telling me what’s most important. But the intelligentsia does get some things right every now and then. In his book Understanding Church Growth, Donald McGavran discusses a somewhat controversial subject: the homogeneous unit. This unit is simply a section of society in Read more [...]