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Church of England Weekly Attendance Down 2% Last Year
… to 923,700. Marriages were up 4%. Interesting supplemental information though, from this article from Christian Today: Despite the drop in attendance at Church services, there is positive news in the growth of fresh expressions of church. The figures show that there are at least 1,000 fresh expressions and new forms of church linked to the Church of England. There are an estimated 1,000 fresh expressions within the Methodist Church. It is the first time that fresh expressions have been included in the Church of England’s annual...
read moreLee Strobel on the Future of Christian Apologetics
Here is what Lee Strobel is saying in a new interview from the Christian Post about the future of apologetics: Christianity in general and the Bible in particular are under widespread and vociferous attack by militant atheists, radical scholars, critical authors, skeptical professors, misguided documentaries, and a proliferation of online spiritual confusion. Books by the so-called New Atheists have received a lot of media attention, which has emboldened cynics to become even more outspoken. The Internet has helped atheists and agnostics...
read moreMegadeth Bassist Headed to Seminary
Concordia Seminary in suburban St. Louis gets an eclectic mix of students in a program allowing them to train for the ministry online — electricians, farmers, entrepreneurs — and even a founder of one of the best-known thrash metal bands. David Ellefson plays bass for Megadeth. He also is an online student in the Specific Ministry Program at Concordia Seminary operated by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Ellefson’s studies illustrate why distance learning programs at seminaries have...
read more1 in 6 American Vote for Someone Who Shares Their Religious Views
Presidential candidates who share their faith on the campaign trail may not be helping their bid for the nomination, according to a recent LifeWay Research survey of American adults. The online survey, conducted Sept. 23-26, asked: “When a candidate running for office regularly expresses religious conviction or activity, how does that impact your vote?” According to the survey, only one in six Americans (16 percent) are more likely to vote for a candidate who regularly shares his religious beliefs. While 30 percent indicate...
read moreE-Giving on the Rise
1 in 5 Americans have made a charitable contribution through a website. 1 in 10 Americans have made a charitable contribution through a mobile phone text. Does your church offer electronic giving? If not, you could be missing out… read more on why you might want to consider your e-giving options. HT: Managing Your...
read moreChurch Rallies after $1.5 million Embezzlement
Baptist Press reports that in 2010, the Morristown church learned that $147,000 presumably sent to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions had not been received by the International Mission Board. Further investigation revealed that five payments (approximately $120,000) budgeted by the church to the Tennessee Baptist Convention for the Cooperative Program missions and ministry had not been received there. First Baptist also discovered checks stashed away in a drawer that had been written to pay bills. The issue revolved...
read moreGospel Aerobics
This is awesome. Or not. Aerobics to “Kumbaya” Thanks, Los, for the HT on this one!
read moreReasons Churches Won’t Hire You
Consultant Charlie Balmer shares over at LifeHacker the reasons that he doesn’t hire people when they come in for an interview. Charlie writes: When you first walk in to my office, I am expecting you to be one of the 99%+ people who I know I won’t hire in the first 5 minutes. I am hoping I will be proven wrong, because I really want to hire you and be done interviewing. Unfortunately, most people looking for jobs don’t deserve them. Here are some of the reasons: 1. You send me a stupidly long resume 2. You can’t...
read moreInnovative Church Idea
This is a novel idea. I sense a marketing campaign coming on. HT: Ed...
read moreThis makes Mark Driscoll look tame
Watch out, Mark Driscoll and Ed Young… Introducing Patrick Wooden, Pastor at Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh, NC… All I can say… this makes Mark Driscoll like like a G-Rated Disney film. Viewer discretion is advised: Will the pendulum ever swing back on this sexual stuff? Will we, at some point, just say… uh… let’s not say that. I think we’ve gone from not ever talking about sex to over-talking about it in some circles. It’s a valuable topic; and a vital area for the church to...
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