The Church Renewal forum provides fresh conversations and new ideas to help churches renew their atmosphere and journey towards mission in a post-Christian culture.
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The second post in a series of three on Reformed evangelism, focusing on the teaching of J.H. Bavinck in his book, An Introduction to the Science of Missions.
Evangelism serves the building of the Church, and the building of the Church provides the foundation for witnessing to the Kingdom of God in all of life, and such witness fulfills our created purpose as image-bearers of God in His world.
I have conducted a number of job interviews in which I noticed that I could tell within ten minutes if the candidate has participated in FaithWalking. How? These candidates are well differentiated, they handle conflict in healthy ways, they listen carefully, and they know themselves well.
Self-identified North American church goers attend church, on average, just once per month. Providence CRC recognized this challenge and is choosing a proactive approach to keep people connected even when they not present on Sunday mornings.
Paas’ book is a wonderful crossover volume that speaks about church planting but connects deeply with church renewal.
Most churches experiencing church-wide renewal also experience renewal among their deacons. They move away from financial management, administration and governance and toward stewardship, mercy and the pursuit of justice.
Often pastors are not optimizing this new staff potential because they are insufficiently coordinating and encouraging the new staff teams. Here are 5 supervisory investments that increase staff impact.
If all agree that prayer is important and powerful, why doesn’t prayer hold a more prominent place in most council meetings?
In the book Growing the Church in the Power of the Holy Spirit, Brad Long, Paul Stokes, and Cindy Strickler share their experiences and learnings to help lead other people into a meaningful dance with the Holy Spirit.
The mission God invites us to is one of urgency. Creating that sense of urgency in the congregations we serve is more effective and deeply-rooted when we realize where that call comes from.
Many pastors believe they must do all the preaching, all the teaching, all the visiting, and all the administering because that is what they’re trained and paid to do. But the Bible has another idea about the work of pastors.
I think we have failed to recognize the power that we have to form the Christian identity of the young people sitting in our pews. Won’t you consider giving young people a voice at the table?
Published in 1993, this book is powerfully prophetic concerning the direction of the Evangelical church over the past 25 years.
In 2010, Pastor Brian from Immanuel Reformed Church asked his congregation if anyone wanted $10. Many hands went up. Then he said, “If you take this $10, then you need to use it to help someone who has a need.”
Peter Bush, in his book In Dying We Are Born, writes, “All congregations, even ones that see themselves as healthy, need to be prepared to die, to take up their cross, so that God can make them alive.”
Using his own “off the map” skills honed in a local church and denominational context, Bolsinger helps church leaders find paths to follow. He tells of both his successes and failures in finding these paths.
Every church leader is a good captain when their faith community is navigating quiet waters. The test of a great church leader, however, is when a congregation is traversing the turbulent seas of ministry change.
Go Local is a congregational journey to discover and join where God is at work in our neighborhoods. If you'd like to experience Go Local (without any long term commitment) we invite you to join us at one of these events!
Henry Nouwen encourages us to counteract the hurry-up behaviors by adopting a “ministry of presence” instead. What if, in 2018, your congregation learned to practice this missional behavior in your community?
Perhaps the most common concern expressed by congregants regarding church leadership is the lack of communication. Hosting a monthly "Q&A" is something I initiate to help improve communication.
As my exposure to congregations has increased, I’ve discovered greater creativity than I anticipated. Let me share a story about The HUB's creative approach to “doing” church.
Whatever precipitates the conclusion “we cannot stay here” the next question always is, “so where do we go from here?” Churches asking that question have several next-step options.
Giving is the life-blood of every church. In today’s world of PayPal, ApplePay, and Venmo have we kept pace with how our people like to give? Here are some suggestions for creating a more giving friendly church.
Is leadership an innate ability bequeathed to a chosen few? Or, is the art of leadership something that a person can grow into and hone over time?
Christian doctrine is based on several theological twins e.g., truth & grace, fully God & fully human, sovereignty & free-will. Similarly, church renewal is elliptical. Renewal only happens when churches invest in the following twins.