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Showing posts from January, 2023

The Way of the Towel: Greatness, Redefined by Jesus

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by Bart Denny Central text: John 13:12–17 (NIV) Over the years, in church settings, I’ve done a lot of dishes. I’ve raked a lot of leaves. I’ve painted plenty of church walls. I’ve plunged more than a few clogged toilets. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. But if I’m honest, at this age, with this many years in church, there’s a part of me that wants to say, “I’ve done my time.” I don’t usually say it out loud. I dress it up. I call it wisdom. Focus. Stewarding my time well. But the feeling sneaks up on me. It shows up when another need pops up. When the same few people carry the same load. When I feel tired. It shows up when I think, “Shouldn’t somebody else take a turn now?” And I’ll confess something else: I don’t mind serving. I just want to choose the terms. And if I’m not careful, I start thinking and acting like the low places belong to somebody else. Now let me be even more honest: I don’t struggle with getting my hands dirty. I struggle to keep my ego in check....
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Ten Critical Barriers to Church Revitalization—and How to Overcome Them

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by Bart L. Denny Church revitalization is never easy. There are no silver bullets, quick fixes, or one-size-fits-all strategies. But if we’re honest, the root issue in most struggling churches isn’t a lack of programs or people—it’s a lack of Gospel focus. When Jesus Christ is no longer central, everything else begins to drift. The path forward must be prayerful and Spirit-dependent, marked by repentance and renewed devotion to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Only when we place Christ and His mission at the center of our church’s life can true revitalization begin. Below are ten of the most common barriers that keep churches from moving forward—along with general remedies to help overcome them. 1. Resistance to Change Long-standing traditions and deeply ingrained preferences often create powerful resistance to change. Many congregants fear that letting go of the past means abandoning what’s sacred. But revitalization isn’t about chasing trends—it’s about reali...
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The Overturn of Roe v. Wade: A Lost Opportunity?

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 Evangelicals, and the Republican politicians we support, have squandered a once-in-a-generation opportunity posed by the overturn of Roe v. Wade . First, let me lay my cards on the table. After all, this is my blog and my opinion. I believe that abortion is nothing short of murder—the murder of people who are the most voiceless and, perhaps, the most marginalized of our society. I will set aside the politics of how we came to have a Supreme Court that was brave enough to take on the “settled” matter of abortion in the Roe v. Wade precedent. The machinations behind Donald Trump’s nominees (especially in the matter of the death of Justice Scalia during the waning days of the Obama Administration) is undoubtedly a matter worthy of discussion, but one I will save for those more into partisanship than I am. In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022), the Supreme Court recognized that, contrary to the badly-decided 1973 Roe decision, the U.S. Constitution nowhere guarante...
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