By Karl Vaters Church attendance should be a tool to help people draw closer to Jesus. Not the other way around. I have a confession to make. As a pastor, I have too much invested in getting people to attend church. My salary depends on it. My reputation depends on it. My sense of self-worth... Continue Reading →
Why Jesus Never Commanded us to Plant Churches – Part 2 of 2
This is part two of the article published in the previous post. Do our actions match our words? We say we want to see churches planted from out of the harvest, but our actions and our leadership practices do not often match our words. And the sad thing is that even when faced with such inconsistencies,... Continue Reading →
Why Jesus Never Commanded us to Plant Churches – Part 1 of 2
By J. D. Payne I recently spoke with a church-planting leader for a particular denomination. As we talked over coffee, he inquired about the direction of our church when it comes to church planting. My response was to describe our future missionary labors in terms like we read about in Acts 13-14; 16; 20; 1... Continue Reading →
Heart of God: Parable of the Mustard Seed
By Howard Culbertson "Though [a mustard seed] is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” -- Matthew 13:32 Matthew 13 contains over half a dozen of Jesus’ parables about the Kingdom. Jesus... Continue Reading →
5 Mistakes More Likely To Be Made By Small Churches Than Big Churches
By Karl Vaters Different sizes of churches serve different functions. And they face different challenges. Small churches are not just smaller versions of big churches. Every size has value, but different sizes serve different functions in the body of Christ. They also have different challenges and they tend to make different kinds of mistakes. Here... Continue Reading →
Compassion for the Lost
Rev. Ken Childress Isaiah chapter 6, verse 8: "I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, here am I! Send me." Is it possible, after we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit, to be satisfied with what we see? What made... Continue Reading →
Next-Generation Faith
By David A. Busic There has been a great deal of research and discussion about the impact of millennials (those reaching young adulthood in the early 21st century) on the church and the impact of the church on millennials. Much of the data tends to focus on the negative aspects of their demographic. However, in... Continue Reading →
Belong, Believe, Become: A New Process of Evangelism
By Eddie Cole The American evangelical process is shifting. “Churches aren’t growing because of conversions. Churches are just swapping sheep.” Have you ever heard someone make this claim or something like it? I have—way too many times, from pastors and church members alike. What do we make of this kind of comment, and how do... Continue Reading →
An Essential Sign
By Rev. Ken Childress 1 Corinthians 15:17, "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." The Resurrection validates everything we believe in. Without it, the Bible is bold enough to say, our faith is worthless. Those who think Christianity is worthwhile for life in this world alone... Continue Reading →