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Showing posts from July, 2022

Faith in the Fog

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by Bart L. Denny, Ph.D. Text: Mark 9:14-29 Faith That Believes, but Can’t See Clearly Have you ever tried to drive through thick fog at night? You know the road is still there.  You know you’re headed in the right direction.  But you can’t see very far ahead. So you slow down. You grip the wheel a little tighter. And every decision feels heavier than it should. That’s a lot like what faith can feel like sometimes. I don’t know if this describes your experience, but there have been seasons in my life when I genuinely believed in God.  I believed He was real. That He was good.  I believed He had the power to act, and that He was working through all things for my good.  And at the same time, I struggled to see clearly what He was doing.  I still prayed. I still showed up.  I still tried to do what I knew was right.  But there were nights when I went to bed wondering why nothing seemed to be changing. Belief was still there… But clarity wasn’t. The ...
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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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