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Showing posts from July, 2022

Face to Face with the Angel of the Lord

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Based on Judges 13 Have you ever looked back on a difficult season of your life and realized— God was at work the whole time ? You didn’t see it in real time, but later, you could trace His fingerprints over every detail. I’ve lived through that. When I was preparing to retire from the Navy, I thought I had my next steps all mapped out. We’d bought a home in Tampa, planning to sell it at a profit and move back to Michigan. Job recruiters were calling. Everything looked smooth. Then—everything stopped. The calls stopped. The housing market crashed. The house we thought had plenty of equity suddenly wasn’t worth what we owed. It felt like God slammed the door shut. But in that disappointment, He redirected me. While working at the air base, I enrolled in seminary. A few years later, I joined the staff at our church, and eventually, I became pastor of a small congregation that needed revitalization. What I thought would be a two-year plan turned into fifteen. Only in hindsight did...
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Are you becoming a "consumer" church member?

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Today (July 25, 2022) Noted church consultant, Dr. Thom Rainer, writes today on  Eleven Signs You Are Becoming a Church Consumer Instead of a Committed Church Member .   When you look in the mirror, do any of the sign of the person in his article ?
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A Fervent Plea for Church Revitalization

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In my previous post, I spoke of ugly baby churches and the statistical likelihood that your church is an ugly baby. Sadly, most churches in America are ugly babies—plateaued at best or, more likely, in a death spiral after a decadal decline. In 2019 most statistics ventured that somewhere between 65 and 85 percent of churches were in a state of plateau or decline. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. By all indicators, most churches aren’t doing as well as before the pandemic—at least in worship attendance, programs, and finance. [1] In my previous post, I also said that, statistically , I am not optimistic that your church will do an about-face in its march down the road of decline. Such a turnaround involves changes and sacrifices that most churches are unwilling to make. Your church must staunch the bleeding and obediently return to the Great Commission call to make disciples and the Great Commandment mandate to love God and others. I can’t guarantee any church attempting a turnarou...
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The Ugly Babies of Church Revitalization

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by Bart Denny Your baby is ugly. I know—that’s harsh. You don’t want to hear it, and I get it. We’re talking about your baby, after all. She’s not stunning. But you love her. You’d defend her with everything you’ve got. Especially from the guy who just called her ugly. I’m that guy. No, I’m not talking about your kids or grandkids. I’m sure they’re gorgeous. I’m talking about your church. Your church is an ugly baby. Or at least statistically speaking, it is. Depending on the source, somewhere between 65% and 85% of American churches are struggling—ugly babies at best, smoldering dumpster fires at worst. And that’s based on numbers before COVID-19. In the last year and a half, I’ve seen the reality for myself across multiple regions. Churches are far less welcoming than they believe. Congregations are inward-focused. Sure, they support “global missions,” but they’ve outsourced the actual work of evangelism to professionals. They're not making disciples—at least not ...
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