I once was a “professional Christian.” Like David Ramsey, (who recently authored “What Could the Church Learn from Amazon?”), I also stepped away from the church, and I agree with him that part of the problem was “the pressures that…
Half of U.S. congregations led by solo pastor but that’s not what most churchgoers experience
The iconic Americana image of a solo pastor faithfully tending the flock of a local congregation remains a reality for more than half of U.S. congregations, but that is not the reality most American churchgoers experience. Combined with the report…
Baptists in countries bordering Ukraine open their doors to fleeing refugees
The Ukrainian Baptist Union has evacuated its headquarters in Kyiv as Russian artillery and airstrikes continue to pound the capital city and as Baptist groups in neighboring countries scramble to accommodate hundreds of thousands of refugees escaping the violence, according…
Zoom, zoom, zoom … Some pastors aren’t revved up for continued online church
It took a couple of years, but Elizabeth Mangham Lott finally hit her bottom with doing online church by the end of January. “Y’all, this Zoom church stuff is crushing me today. I don’t wanna do it. And I don’t…
Research documents slide in respect for pastors and belief in their influence
New research confirms what many pastors already know — that they are decreasingly respected and influential in U.S. society. “Pastors, for the most part, are peripheral and ornamental. Quaint, but not entirely necessary. Kind, but not wholly credible,” Barna senior…
How a 5-minute phone call changed my view of being a pastor
A five-minute phone call completely changed the way I think as a pastor. Every Monday in our church staff meeting, one of our team members leads a devotional before our collective time of prayer. On this particular Monday, one pastor…
They spoke out against the Capitol insurrection; one year later, they’re no longer pastors
Brandon Long wanted the doctrine of “redemption” to be the hill he would die on. Instead, the doctrine of evangelical loyalty to Donald Trump was his demise as a pastor. In 2018, Long and his wife experienced a divine call…
An invitation to younger pastors
Young pastors, please pick the brains of older pastors. Because you don’t have to make every mistake in the book. We older, retired pastors in your area can help you avoid a few of the pitfalls of the ministry. We…
Acts 29 ups the ante by offering church planters $50,000 apiece
In yet another sign of how church networks are replacing denominational identity, the Acts 29 network announced Jan. 11 that it will provide up to $50,000 apiece for new churches started through its sponsorship. Leaders of Acts 29 insist it…