Bart's Blog

by Bart L. Denny, Ph.D., Th.M. I’ve often heard it said—sometimes harped on—that Christian ministry is about more than faithfulness; it’s about fruitfulness. But I’m not so sure. At least, not in the way it’s often meant. Yes, there are times when ministries remain barren despite having every resource to yield a bountiful harvest. But that kind of fruitlessness is often the result of unfaithfulness—not a lack of results, but a failure to labor faithfully, wisely, and prayerfully. What Is Faithfulness, Really? Every Christian is called to ministry. But I write here especially to those in ministry leadership. For us, faithfulness includes the courage to honestly assess our work, let go of ineffective strategies, and adopt biblically informed, context-appropriate approaches. It means seeking mentorship, inviting accountability, and doing the hard work of loving people, preaching truth, and building community. That’s faithfulness. We shouldn’t expect kingdom growth if we hav...

 by Bart L. Denny, Ph.D., Th.M. If you’ve read much of my blog, you might think my outlook on the Church (capital “C”) in America is pretty negative. Not so! I hope you’ll see in my writings that, in my view, the Church must face some stark realities. I think I can. Further, in light of the world as it is and not as we would like it, we must step up to the plate to meet these challenges, or we will see more decline and further decay. We will reach fewer of our fellow Americans with the life-transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ. But for now, I will focus on the many reasons to hope for a bright future for the American Church—especially for small, neighborhood, and rural congregations. Reason #1: Most people are open to spiritual conversations. Americans may be dropping out of organized religion, but that doesn’t mean they’ve all become atheists. According to research that the Christian publisher LifeWay conducted in 2022, two-thirds of Americans are open to conversations about fa...