Author: Administrador

By Thom S. Rainer I wish I knew the specific reason most churches offered an 11:00 AM service on Sunday for decades. The possible theories are many, but none have been substantiated with historical research. The most plausible is the agrarian theory. That perspective holds that churches accommodated the farmers in the community. The farmers had … Continue reading “5 Reasons the 11:00 AM Worship Service is Disappearing”

By Aaron Earls Belief in God remains stable among Americans, but many don’t see church and religion as necessary to that belief. New research released from the General Social Survey shows the U.S. rapidly embracing the “spiritual but not religious” concept. The share of Americans who say they never attend religious services has grown from … Continue reading “Americans, Especially Millennials, Want God Without Religion”

By Aaron Earls When pastors look out across the congregation during worship service, who’s missing? For several years, church leaders have believed those who never attend church are more likely to be white, male, and young. Lifeway Research’s study of the unchurched supports many of those assumptions. New data from the General Social Survey also … Continue reading “4 Surprising Groups Not Showing up on Sunday”

By Josh Straub When it comes to Mother’s Day, I have a lot to celebrate. There’s my wife, Christi, who’s raising our children. There’s my own mom, who raised me. I also have a stepmom who, with my dad’s passing in November, became a widow. And never could I forget about my mother-in-law. Count that … Continue reading “6 Ways to Honor Mom All Year Long”

By Aaron Earls Leah Libresco felt trapped. She was an atheist student on an overnight college visit when a gospel choir decided to pray over her. “It was kindly meant, but stressful for me,” she says. “I didn’t want to tacitly agree with them, but I was also scared of giving offense.” These days, as … Continue reading “Bow Your Head, Close Your Eyes, And Offend Your Atheist Friend?”

By Aaron Earls Whatever Americans may think about the 10 Commandments as a whole, they’re on board with the 7th Commandment: “Do not commit adultery.” New Gallup research found Americans are softening on their opposition to other issues traditionally regarded as sin, but they remain strongly opposed to extramarital affairs. Only 9 percent say adultery … Continue reading “New Research Finds the One Commandment Almost All Americans Support”

By Aaron Earls Each summer millions of kids participate in Vacation Bible School. For many students, it’s their only encounter with a local church. Recognizing this, church leaders spend months preparing for that special week. In all the planning, however, churches can often forget about follow-up. Don’t leave to happenstance the special opportunity for outreach … Continue reading “5 Tips to Make Your VBS Follow-Up a Success”

By Joe McKeever People who pray for their pastors usually say they ask the Lord to bless sermon preparation—and for good reason. The Sunday sermon is the best opportunity to make a lasting difference in the lives of the most people. Yet there are many other reasons to intercede on behalf of the shepherds of the … Continue reading “10 Surprising Reasons to Pray for Your Pastor”

By Aaron Earls The Bible Belt may have to add a few more notches. It’s getting mega-sized. Protestant megachurches have increased from 600 at the turn of the century to more than 1,600 today. And the South has almost as many as the rest of the U.S. combined. South The megachurches database from the Hartford … Continue reading “Where Are All the Megachurches?”

By Aaron Earls  American megachurches have one obvious commonality: They’re mega. But that’s not all that unites these sometimes disparate congregations. According to analysis by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, megachurches in the U.S. have several traits in common. Southern Almost half of all American megachurches (49 percent) are in the South. According to … Continue reading “6 Traits Most Megachurches Share”