Author: Administrador

Tim Mossholder photo – Unsplash By Aaron Earls A growing majority of regular churchgoers have returned to in-person worship services, but a sizable number still didn’t physically attend last month. A Pew Research study finds 64% of Americans who typically attend church at least monthly attended a religious service in person in September 2021—up from … Continue reading “2 in 3 U.S. Churchgoers Say They’re Back to In-Person Attendance”

Damian Markutt photo – Unsplash By Aaron Earls The average U.S. church and the average U.S. churchgoer are headed in opposite directions. Congregations are increasingly small, while remaining churchgoers are increasingly headed toward larger churches. The 2020 Faith Communities Today (FACT) study of more than 15,000 U.S. religious congregations revealed that 7 in 10 U.S. … Continue reading “Small Churches Continue Growing—but in Number, not Size”

By Aaron Earls Whether it was due to contemplating matters of mortality or simply having more free time at home on their hands, more Americans read the Bible at least occasionally than in recent years. According to the American Bible Society’s 2021 State of the Bible study, the percentage of adult Bible users saw a … Continue reading “More Americans Read the Bible During the Pandemic”

Jonas Kaiser photo – Unsplash By Aaron Earls What helps a church break free of the overall trajectory of decline most U.S. congregations find themselves? According to the 2020 Faith Communities Today (FACT) study, the same factors that predicted growth and vitality two decades ago do the same today, but fewer churches are actually growing. … Continue reading “9 Characteristics of Spiritually Healthy and Numerically Growing Churches”

Lifeway photo By Scott McConnell Sometimes we blame Hallmark for creating holidays that create additional expectations. But the reality is we honor people less often when we don’t have specific occasions to serve as reminders—such as birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Boss’ Day, Administrative Assistant’s Day, etc. I would prefer to do without these occasions … Continue reading “5 Best Ways to Honor Your Pastor All Year”

Francisco Moreno – Unsplash By Luke Holmes The Finnish YouTube channel “Hydraulic Press Channel” is not on the top of the ranks for followers, but it might be one of the simplest concepts for a YouTube channel out there and has more than 3 million subscribers. Every video starts with high octane music and then a still shot of a hydraulic … Continue reading “When Pressure Arrives, How Should a Christian Respond?”

BBC Creative photo – Unsplash By Aaron Earls In between colorful stained glass windows, the church pews and pulpits may look a little more gray than before. The 2020 Faith Communities Today study finds the average age of a U.S. pastor and congregation member are older than they were previously. Older churchgoers Since 2008, the … Continue reading “Average U.S. Pastor and Churchgoer Grow Older”

Juri Gianfrancesco – Unsplash By Mark Dance Every pastor needs a Barnabas in their life. Barnabas was not only a mentor to Paul, he was also a peer and a friend. I have a handful of ministry friends who have been firewalls for me against isolation, loneliness, and spiritual drift for 34 years of ministry. … Continue reading “6 Traits Every Pastor Needs From a ‘Barnabas’”

Photo by Bernardo Ramonfaur Read the English language version. Por Carlos E. Llambés ¿Una encuesta puede tener realmente un impacto espiritual? Después de ver cómo ha respondido la gente en mi cuidad al evangelio y ver iglesias plantadas en México a causa de una encuesta, creo que sí; aunque confieso que era escéptico al principio. … Continue reading “Las Estadísticas y Las Almas: El Impacto Práctico y Eterno de la Investigación”

Bernardo Ramonfaur photo – Unsplash Read the Spanish language version. By Carlos E. Llambés Can a survey really have a spiritual impact? After seeing how people in my city have responded to the gospel and seeing churches planted in Mexico because of a survey, I’m a believer. But I admit I was skeptical at first. … Continue reading “Stats and Souls: How Research Can Have a Practical and Eternal Impact”