Pastoring a Transient Church
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“I pastor a transient church. Seemingly every week, I hear that yet another member plans to move. Many members are here for one-to-three years.” - 9 Marks
A new kind of “evangelical”? We should not let politics obscure theological labels
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“are these new evangelicals or not evangelicals?… one would be hard pressed to identify which section of David Bebbington’s Evangelicalism Quadrilateral (conversionism, biblicism, activism, crucicentrism) has room for the Proud Non-Churchgoers.” - WORLD
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The Political Puzzle of Never Attenders Are They Remaking Politics? Or Maintaining the Status Quo?
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“In 2008, 62% of never attenders were Democrats and 20% were Republicans…. in 2016, it dropped to only 31 points (56% vs 25%)…. in 2022 the gap was just 29 points (53% vs 24%)…. The Democrats are losing their advantage with never attenders.” - Ryan Burge
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Is Anyone Going to Church More Now Than They Used To?
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“Maybe there are regions where attendance may be actually climbing. That’s what I did in the map below using data from 2008 and 2022.” - Ryan Burge
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Church in the Digital Age
By Brian Richard
For pastors, the last decade has presented a perfect storm of cultural upheaval, societal trends, and accelerated change. Pastors constantly face difficult and pressing questions about how to “do church” in the twenty-first century. Since the internet has fundamentally changed almost every aspect of our lives, many ask, “Why shouldn’t the church change too?”
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Why is church giving up while attendance is down?
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“In the midst of significant challenging news for churches, the level of giving remains remarkable. What is taking place?” - Thom Rainer
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When Your Visitors Do Not Return to Your Church
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“…after wrestling with this problem myself for a time, I want to share with you three reasons why I think the Lord keeps certain people from returning to our churches.” - Ref21
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Why some Americans prefer to go to religious services in person and others prefer to watch virtually
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“Some 17% of U.S. adults regularly attend religious services in person and watch them online or on TV….Roughly three-quarters of this group…say they prefer attending in person” - Pew
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5 Misconceptions About Dechurching in America
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“Misconception #1: People leave primarily because of negative experiences with the church….Misconception #2: Young people are leaving the church after attending secular universities.” - TGC
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The slow exit: Do most who quit church drop out slowly rather than in response to a crisis event?
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“When I talk about the majority of dechurching stories being a story of slowly rolling down a slope…. I’m also thinking about specific choices that churchgoers will make that announce to everyone in their family and friendship groups that church is actually not that important.” - Mere Orthodoxy
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