ABP News Jeff Brumley — Some see the nation’s burgeoning church merger and multisite movements resulting from larger congregations preying on smaller ones, pressuring them into relinquishing buildings and land in exchange for survival. In some circles, that’s called “steeple-jacking.” But it’s also largely a myth about a trend that’s already eclipsed the American megachurch phenomenon, […]
Read More >SOMERSET, N.J. (RNS) David Gibson — Centuries ago, Roman Catholics helped kick-start the market for religious articles with their insatiable demand for rosaries, icons, prayer cards and all manner of devotional objects and spiritual souvenirs. But in recent decades, evangelical Protestants have dominated the art of religious retailing, building a national network of bookstores and […]
Read More >ATLANTA/PRNewswire — As a minister in East Harlem, Joan Williams-Jarrell is always looking for new ways to bring people together. She also wanted to be more physically active but had a hard time getting to the gym. So when she found a program that brings church members together to walk for fitness, it was a […]
Read More >GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. /Christian Newswire/ — Matt Anderson, Lutheran Pastor, expert on American history and politics, and author of Running Mate, is planning a “surprise church.” Gallop shows that millennials (young adults born after 1981) are less likely to attend church or have a religious affiliation, and yet they’re more likely to pray daily. On […]
Read More >By Mark Brooks Americans have changed the way they do commerce. Sit at your local Starbucks or McDonalds, and you can see it. When was the last time you saw somebody writing a check? For that matter, how often do you see anyone paying with cash? More and more Americans are turning away from the […]
Read More >BLACKBAUD INDEX / Melanie Mathos— The Blackbaud Index recently reported that overall charitable giving grew 2.2% and online giving grew 14% for the first half of 2013 as compared to the first half of 2012. In addition, overall charitable giving increased 3.6% and online giving increased 13.9% for the three months ending June 2013 as […]
Read More >PLANO, Texas (BP) — More than 4,200 church planters, pastors and church leaders flooded the hallways of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, for the North American Mission Board’s second Send North America Conference July 29-30. The gathering was marked by masses of participants praying in response to speakers, hundreds of connections between churches and […]
Read More >Church Executive’s 2nd annual Good Steward Awards nomination deadline is closing September 16th! If you’d like to nominate a church that you feel exemplifies best practices in the areas of FACILITIES, FINANCE, FUNDRAISING, LEADERSHIP, SAFETY & SECURITY, and TECHNOLOGY please visit our website and complete a nomination form and give them the recognition they deserve […]
Read More >ASSOCIATED BAPTIST PRESS — Bob Allen — The World Relief Office of American Baptist Churches USA is sending $10,000 in emergency relief funds from the One Great Hour of Sharing offering to aid earthquake victims in China. Funds will be divided evenly between two International Ministries partners: the Amity Foundation, an independent Chinese voluntary organization […]
Read More >I love duct tape as much as the next guy. In fact, I believe that I can repair just about anything in our house with duct tape. When I was in my early years of college, I took a two-year sabbatical to travel with a musical group out of Nashville called “Bridge.” We did more […]
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