What kind of metrics can help signal renewal in a declining church?
One of the Roughest Ministry Lessons I've had to Learn
God at Work in Renewing Churches
Partnering for Revitalization
Church renewal can happen. It should come as no surprise to anyone that a majority of churches in North America are plateaued or declining. We've all heard the statistics. We've seen the reports. In fact, you may attend, or even pastor, one of those churches. If so, I want to give you some hope: church renewal can happen. That's why we're announcing a partnership with Revitalize Network to bring significant tools and resources to UBA churches that desire to walk a path toward renewal.
Finding New Life Through Church Replanting
2019 was a good year for us. God has been on the move in our churches, and we've seen it fleshed out in many different ways. One of the most exciting things we're seeing is churches working together to support, replant, and renew struggling or dying churches. Through some innovative collaboration, churches are finding new life for their congregations and their neighborhoods. Here's how.
Embracing the Beauty of Change
It is said that no one likes change except a wet baby, but I disagree. We embrace and celebrate all kinds of changes—graduations, weddings, the birth of a baby, a new car or home purchase. But sometimes, changes can be painful, too—a loved one passes away, a friend moves to another state, or we experience the devastation of a major hurricane.
Sometimes, we experience the same sense of loss and pain when changes are made in our church. But could John 15:1-8 help us navigate our grief? Could we ask the Father to prune away the dead branches in our church so we could once again produce healthy fruit?
Sharing Spaces
I was in a meeting a couple of weeks ago with two churches wanting to share a building. The host church is almost 60 years old, and the church wanting to share their space was an immigrant congregation that is about 5 years old. It was a challenge to work out the details across cultural worldviews and language barriers.
Four Online Resources for Demographics on Your Community
“Do you have any good websites I can visit for demographic data on my neighborhood?”
If I’ve been asked that question once, I’ve received it a dozen times. Many pastors and church leaders now understand the need to know their ministry context and contextualize their mission strategy to engage their neighbors in a meaningful way. But how do we find and use those resources?
