By Jeff Brumley American churches already struggling with ways to attract young people got more bad news this week: Millennials don’t like them very much. And worse yet, their esteem of religious organizations is dropping right along with that of…
Disaster recovery in full swing in wake of N. Texas twisters
By Jeff Brumley Disaster recovery forces have swung into action to help the victims of tornadoes that struck North Texas the night after Christmas, killing 11. Much of the work is being led by faith-based organizations, with organizations like Texas…
Making resolutions for 2016? Give them to God, ministers say
By Jeff Brumley New Year’s resolutions are huge in the United States, where 45 percent of Americans commit to them annually. But fewer take them seriously, according to the Statistic Brain Research Institute, which tracks the trend. It reported that…
Ministry leaders: challenges of 2015 offer growth in coming year
By Jeff Brumley Ministry and nonprofit leaders are reporting opportunities for growth in 2016 — and some of them credit the difficulties of the preceding year for that. Still, for others, and for many churches, the next 12 months may have…
2015 delivered battering to the church — but also blessings, ministers say
By Jeff Brumley Churches, ministries and clergy faced plenty of challenges in 2015. The “nones” and the “dones” were on the rise and church attendance continued to drop. Meanwhile, the number of Christians declined sharply in the overall population while…
Faith-based groups gearing up for Texas tornado response
By Jeff Brumley Damage assessments are only beginning to come in, but some disaster responders say rebuilding the Texas communities clobbered by tornadoes over the weekend will require relief work on par with the 2013 Oklahoma twisters. Among the worst…
Baptist scholar investigates the truth behind Santa Claus
By Jeff Brumley Adam English admits he is a bit of an oddity as both a Baptist and a big fan of the saints. But he’s also unapologetic about it. “I was surprised, as a Baptist, that the word ‘saint’…
Christians must model grace and love in time of fear, ministers say
By Jeff Brumley ’Tis the season to be … fearful? It’s not what the lyrics actually say but they may as well given the politically induced hysteria surrounding Muslim immigration and Syrian refugees. A lot of churches and evangelical leaders…
Don’t be so quick to copy megachurches, experts tell smaller congregations
By Jeff Brumley Most any pastor of a congregation located near a megachurch has heard suggestions of how to emulate the worship, technology or hospitality ministry of a fast-growing neighbor. “Yes, I get those,” said Shaun King, senior pastor at…