Eight common characteristics of successful church revitalizations
By Thom S. Rainer There is one type of church revitalization that is more successful than all others. The church closes its doors for a season, and then re-opens, usually with a new name and new leadership. I know this approach is not an option for most of you, so I...
Church planting on the front lines in Baltimore
By Kevin Ezell These men not only commit to investing their ministries in the places they’ve been sent, they invest their lives and many have wives and children who invest as well. When their communities experience joy, they do too. But when pain comes to our cities,...
Is Christianity dying?
by Russell Moore Christianity is dying. At least, that’s what major newspapers are telling us today, culling research from a new Pew Center study on what almost all sociologists are observing these days—the number of Americans who identify as Christians has reached an...
Mission:Dignity Sunday, June 28, 2015
Just five minutes can make a lifetime of difference! The stories in the above video are all true but they represent only a fraction of the 2,000 aged pastors and widows Mission:Dignity assists each month. These are men and women who sacrificed in years past to serve...
The Cooperative Program allows ordinary people to do extraordinary things next door and around the world
The CP Rant Guy is back with a new video! In “CP Rant Too!,” the Rant Guy explains how the Cooperative Program joins churches together to put missionaries in place around world. CP Rant Too! from TalkCP on Vimeo.
Should I Open the “Worship” Can of Worms?
By Todd Stiles I’m probably opening a can of worms. Lifting the lid of a Pandora’s box. Setting off a firestorm. That’s usually what happens when the topic of “worship” comes up among church-ites. Of course, it really isn’t worship that triggers the wars. It’s...
Missional angst and western church norms
We need to be willing to do church differently than we may feel is comfortable and easy. by Ed Stetzer Consumer-driven forms of Christianity are creating much angst. The prevailing model of how we do church in our Western context has been called into question, and...
Ten things you should never say to a guest in a worship service
By Thom S. Rainer If you want to make certain guests never return to your church, say one of these sentences to them when they visit. Indeed, these unfortunate and ill-timed comments almost always guarantee that you will offend guests and make them very uncomfortable....
Misfits, Malcontents, and Knuckleheads: Welcome to the Church
by Dave Miller Have you ever noticed how many weird, messed-up, difficult people God saves? I could start a forum in the comments and we could share stories about the odd people we’ve encountered in our ministries, couldn’t we? People with mental and emotional...
Pastors and wives refreshed and challenged at Retreat
by BCI Staff Pastors and their wives from 23 churches across the state of Iowa came to Des Moines on April 23 for a weekend of relaxing, reconnecting, and refreshing by sharing good food, good company, good worship, and good teaching. Eleven BCI staff members joined...
