When churches preach Jesus Christ, call people to discipleship, welcome all to community and shared life, practice hospitality and care for others, then churches continually find opportunities to live into a simple Christian witness.
All in Carson Reed
Moving Beyond the Labels!
Story after story unfolds and it becomes so abundantly clear that what makes for health and vitality is that in every new moment there is the space to look for God’s arrival and to name it!
Don’t Glaze Over—It is Important!
Healthy, vibrant churches have a high degree of correlation between their declared theology and their practiced theology.
What If?
Yet if leaders remain in the world of present reality without the hope-engendering question of “What if?” then leaders falter in their leadership.
Trouble
When trouble comes—and it will come!—faith in the God who is at work in the world must be at the center of our attention.
Stop, Look, and Listen
Although we say we are practicing obedience to God’s voice, we may be practicing something else altogether.
Getting the Right Diagnosis
Congregational leaders can study congregational life, the decline of Christianity, and the aging of their church, yet they miss the most important thing of all.
Hope is the Thing
Hope is the thing. Not wishful thinking about a job raise or whether your football team will win, but Hope as the Christian vision for the living of our days.
Asking More, Not Less
Before we ask people to do more in our churches, we need to make sure that what we are asking them to do creates identity, community, meaning, and purpose.
A Path for Renewal
The sneaky thing about renewal is that it is not up to us—it is up to God. God cannot do the work God desires to do when communities of faith assume that they are the center of things.
The Particular Challenge of Older Congregations
Folk who study congregations speak of congregations having a “life cycle.” If you’re thinking that your church might be one of them, let’s take a deeper look.
Reading Scripture as a Renewal Exercise
The reason to know about God in the past is so that we can recognize the action of God today.
The Remedy for Decline
How is my own practice of Christian faith shaping my values, attitudes, and behaviors? Decline certainly calls for renewal. Yet renewal begins with me.
Look at Us
We lose sleep over what to do with our ministries and our organizations. Yet we have forgotten—and we simply ignore—the one thing that really matters; the presence of God among his people.
Ex-Christian America?
For churches to flourish, the answer will lie in healthy congregational life and robust Christian formation.
What Really Matters?
Churches that live in the presence of the gospel are paying attention to spiritual vitality, passing and forming the Christian faith in people, and practicing hospitality to the world.
What About Revival?
Spiritually, revival is not something one can do. I can restore a house, rebuild a car, or renew an old orchard. However, when it comes to congregational life, revival is God’s work alone.
Musings on a Flag
Our one clear allegiance is to God and to God’s agenda in the world, not to media agendas, political rhetoric, or social movements that paint themselves with some Christian hues in an effort to access the power of human kingdoms.
It's Not Your Ministry!
Ministers often falsely believe that it depends on our skills, our energy, and our sacrifice to bring about God’s agenda in the world. It is time to name this narrative for what it is: a lie!
Ministers in Short Supply
I believe that resilient congregations, pursuing God’s purposes in the world, will find healthy and constructive ways to prepare, support, nurture and partner with ministers in the days to come.