Church Life

“After an unprecedented swarm of tornadoes caused widespread devastation Friday, residents of hard-hit areas gathered Sunday to worship God, offer encouragement, and help meet needs. More than 50 twisters—including one with a 200-mile path—caused significant tornado damage in eight states.” - C.Leaders

“Our regular confession of the fundamentals of the faith is partly an endeavor to humble ourselves. In a global city like Vienna, we aren’t usually the first true church that one of our new members has encountered…. we regularly pray for their success. Indeed, we confess our unity with them in the gospel, that is, for instance, expressed in the Apostle’s Creed.” - 9 Marks

“During my current interim pastorate, I’ve challenged the church to memorize Scripture together. It has been such a fun experience that I wish I had done that during my 14 years of full-time pastoral ministry. Now more than ever, I see value in this approach to corporate memorization” - Chuck Lawless

“The problem of apathy has hit churches. Both leaders and congregants are struggling to move forward following the pandemic. A general lack of enthusiasm is defining the culture of many churches right now. What’s going on?” - Rainer

“Why were evangelicals as lonesome as everyone else before COVID-19, but less so after?” - C.Today

“In the church, more is always more. More event participation equals more holiness. In church leadership, more events equals more impact. These are y = x, straight up diagonal graphs with no blips, no cap, no ceiling. There’s never an event planned called: ‘Stay home and be with your family and friends night.’ … The church assumes you’re doing that. Except we’re not doing that.” - Ref21

“So if disappointment is inevitable, how do we avoid the awful emotional turmoil that often follows when dealing with church people? One word: expectations.” - C.Leaders

“9. They are raising the bar of expectations. This move seems counterintuitive. If people are becoming less committed to the church, why not accommodate their low commitment?” - Thom Rainer

“Worship based on purpose, however, responds to a relationship that already exists internally. So, we respond not because of what our songs do to us, but instead, because of what Christ has already done in us.” - C.Leaders

“Seeing ourselves as the Body of Christ is not to demean personal experience, but a help to guard against allowing our focus to shift to ‘our’ personal experience rather than on who Christ is and what He as done.” - C.Leaders