John Stevens, National Director of the FIEC has recently shared a couple of articles looking at the most recent data for church attendance.[1] John notes two things, first that we’ve long argues that the percentage of born again believers has always been much smaller than the percentage of church attendees generally. Secondly that a key… Continue reading What should we make of an aging church?
Category: Church life
Signs of life or evidence of death?
We want there to be signs of life, signs of hope. It’s hard to give the message that there are none and hard to receive such a touch message too. Our temptation is to keep looking for glimmers of hope. This is true when we are talking about churches. It is hard to tell a… Continue reading Signs of life or evidence of death?
Emerging adults -what to do about a missing generation
What can and should we do about the problem of losing “emerging adults” from the church? This is the question that Rebecca Glover posts here. By “emerging adults” she means those aged 18-25. She talks about those “Too old for the youth group but feeling too young, too out of place really to feel part… Continue reading Emerging adults -what to do about a missing generation
How should Church Discipline work between churches?
In my articles responding to the Stephen Sizer case, I’ve argued that one of the problems that prevented an effective response to the problem of antisemitism in the church was a failure to do church discipline well. This affects both the immediate local church context and inter church relationships. So, I thought it might be… Continue reading How should Church Discipline work between churches?
If you want to look after your pastor, just let him have a normal weekend off!
I’ve just read one of those Twitter threads which outlines how churches should look after the pastors. This current one talks about things like using paying the pastor a decent wage, paying for any counselling they need, letting them have marriage enrichment weekends, praying for them, giving them sabbaticals and also giving then a “sabbath… Continue reading If you want to look after your pastor, just let him have a normal weekend off!
Can you keep whole families together in church?
The normal practice of churches is to have a period of time together at the start when everyone is in the same room for singing and prayers. It’s normal then to send kids and sometimes teens out to their own activities whilst adults listen to a talk pitched at their needs. Whilst there is a… Continue reading Can you keep whole families together in church?
Active Remembrance
Today is Remembrance Sunday. In the UK we take time to pause and remember the sacrifice of those who fought in some of the terrible wars of the past. They gave their lives for the freedom of others. I’m more and more captivated by what remembrance is. You may have picked up on some of… Continue reading Active Remembrance
If Sunday is a meal or feast then ….
On the night he was betrayed, Jesus sat down with his disciples to share the Passover meal. At that meal, he insisted not only that he was the host at the meal but that he was the meal itself. Jesus was the new Passover. This was significant for his hearers. It would have been obvious… Continue reading If Sunday is a meal or feast then ….
Hearing the Holy Spirit
At our Life Group this week, we picked up on the theme of God sending the Holy Spirit from Sunday’s service. We focused in on these words from Acts 2:17-18 where Peter quotes the prophet Joel: ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and… Continue reading Hearing the Holy Spirit
Warning … Danger! What was going on with Ananias and Saphira?
It’s one of the most shocking and disturbing events in the New Testament. Ananias and Saphira, two early Christians turn up to make a donation to the Jerusalem church coffers, neither return home alive. They are struck dead by the Holy Spirit. What is going on there? At one end of the spectrum are those… Continue reading Warning … Danger! What was going on with Ananias and Saphira?
Faithroots 