“It’s a yeasty time. Christianity is being reinvented. My guess is that it will get smaller for awhile. Many churches built in the religious boom years of the last century will close. There will be tensions between experimenters and traditionalists….
OPINION: Memorable Sunday school teachers
As the New Year begins I would like to start off by thanking all those who work with children. Whatever the job might be at the local church — whether it is Sunday school or Wednesday nights or whatever the…
VITAL SIGNS: Critical questions for 2012
If there is one recurring theme to the conversations I have regularly with clergy, lay leaders and denominational employees, it is viability. In a myriad of ways, people are asking viability questions about ministry, congregational life, finances, staff models, facilities,…
TRENDING: Recalibrating invitation and challenge
Let’s begin 2012 with these words from a Virginia Baptist friend and active leader in her church: “Recently, at the conclusion of our worship, I left with an empty feeling. There was nothing wrong with the service at all. It…
WINN RECOMMENDS
The Artist’s Rule, Christine Painter (Sorin Books) Our heart requires space to listen, to ruminate and to waken to life — and then (and only then) can we truly create. This is the guiding assumption of Painter’s work. Crafted as…
OPINION: For mature audiences only
In the independent film, Sympathy for Delicious, a young man named Dean struggles to understand why God won’t answer his prayer. Dean has lost the use of his legs in a car accident and now, mysteriously, has the ability to…
Evangelicals are still reluctant to support Mitt Romney
The good news for Mitt Romney: he won the Iowa caucuses. The bad news for Romney: evangelicals remain reluctant to support him. Romney bested former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum by a mere eight votes Jan. 3 in first-in-the-nation voting. But…
Can Sunday School be saved?
By Bob Allen Sunday school, a staple of Protestant church life in the United States in the 20th century, is in decline, prompting some scholars to question whether the institution has a future. The Southern Baptist Convention has reported declines…
Online Sunday school class offers ‘easy-access Bible study’
By Robert Dilday On a recent Sunday morning at First Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., conversation was lively as members of a Bible study class explored the day’s Scripture passage from the Gospel of Luke. But of the 15 people…
Sunday school an evolving institution
By Bob Allen Sunday school plays such an important role in Baptist life a typical churchgoer might be tempted to think it always has been around. In fact, it is a relatively modern and evolving invention. While some debate its…
Gilyard hasn’t ruled out starting new church
By Bob Allen A former Baptist pastor just out of prison after serving three years for sexual abuse of children says he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of starting a new church. “I’m not sure — I’m just praying about…
Documentary claims age-graded Sunday school harms families
By Bob Allen A controversial new documentary movie contends age-graded Sunday school and youth ministry are doing more harm than good. In Divided, young filmmaker Philip Leclerc sets out to discover why so many people of his generation are leaving…