5 Major Concerns About the State of the Bible in the U.S.
The American Bible Society released a very robust report on their findings from a large research project on the “state of the Bible.” There are some very encouraging trends related to Bible engagement among Americans and the major impact Bible engagement has upon us. According to research, reading the Bible increases our joy, our outlook […]
4 Voices About the Power of the Word in Our Lives and Churches
Earlier this week I was sharing some stories of transformation I am aware of taking place in our church. And those stories are connected to people who are new to the faith spending time in the Scripture. As we talked, we reflected on the reality that the Word does a work on us. The Word […]
One Thing Two-Thirds of Parents Will Bring Their Kids to Church For
What church activity or program or event grabs the attention of parents who go to church and those who don’t? If you had to make a list of what a kids ministry and church could offer the community that resonates with parents from all types of backgrounds, what would make the top of the list? […]
New Research: 5 Types of Givers in Your Church
“Tithe” means ten percent. And lots of people still believe in the tithe, in giving ten percent of their income. In fact, according to LifeWay Research, more churchgoers believe tithing is for today than pastors believe it. Some believe tithing was an Old Testament command and in the New Testament we are simply told to […]
New Research, Culture, and Systems on How Churches Welcome Guests
Every church sends a message through how they welcome and treat guests. Those with no strategy send the loudest message: “What we believe has not impacted how we treat you.” Not to be hospitable is to prove the message of God’s grace hasn’t impacted the totality of the church. Hospitality is the combination of two […]
Leaders and Data: Three Approaches
Leaders have never been able to access so much data and have never been encouraged so strongly to let the data direct them. In recent years there has been an avalanche of books, articles, and conferences on leveraging big data. Data scientists are hired to bring their expertise to companies and “machine learning” is being […]
Research and Thoughts on Billy Graham’s Legacy and Leadership
There is no doubt that Billy Graham has been used by the Lord to bring people to Christ, to expand His kingdom, and to give us a great example of faithfulness. There is the quantitative (the data) and the qualitative (the stories) about Billy Graham’s legacy. On the quantitative, we know some remarkable stats through […]
Research Reveals Realities of Being a Pastor’s Spouse
Halloween is not the only national day in October… October 7th is National Frappe Day (as in the drink). October 8th is National Clergy Appreciation Day. October 9th is National Moldy Cheese Day. October 10th is National Handbag Day. October 11th is National Sausage Pizza Day. To some people, clergy appreciation day sounds like it […]
Harvard Research on Life Change
Modern research studies often demonstrate principles that Christians know to be true—truths about life and humanity already disclosed by God in Scripture. This should not be surprising to us because whether the researcher is a believer or not, research studies typically examine an aspect of God’s general revelation, in this case, humanity. For example, one […]