Sermon: Materialism–Why Do We Have So Much Stuff?

Here is the sermon I’m preaching tomorrow.  This is the 4th in a series of 8 sermons under the theme — Seven Cultural Challenges Each Church Faces.  I hope your Sunday is wonderful! Seven Cultural Challenges Each Church Faces Materialism: Why Do We Have So Much Stuff? Luke 18:18-30 18A certain ruler asked him, “Good [...]

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We’re in the middle of VBS

We do a community VBS with 4 other small churches in our community — 2 Baptist, 2 United Methodist, and 1 Presbyterian.  This year we’re using Group Publishing’s Crocodile Dock.  Here are some photos of the week so far:

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Sermon: Nominalism – Why Don’t We Walk Like We Talk?

This is the third sermon in an eight part series titled, “Seven Cultural Challenges Every Church Faces.” I’m preaching this one tomorrow, and I hope your Sunday is a great one.  Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there, too! Seven Cultural Challenges Every Church Faces: Nominalism — Why Don’t We Walk Like We [...]

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Churches adapt ancient models for the 21st century

For many of us who care about church, it is becoming increasingly apparent that church as we know it must change in order to maintain its mission in the 21st century.  This change will not be cosmetic.  This change will not be a debate about traditional worship versus contemporary worship, or small groups versus Sunday [...]

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Strip down the church and start over

John Temple, former editor and publisher of the Rocky Mountain News, blogs about what newspapers must do to survive.  Temple should know because the 150-year old Rocky Mountain News folded this past February, the victim of a sagging economy, the digital revolution, and journalism’s failure to adapt.  What does this have to do with churches? [...]

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Sermon: Pluralism – Why Doesn’t Everybody Believe Like We Do?

Here’s the sermon I’m preaching tomorrow.  This is the 2nd in an 8-part series titled, “Seven Cultural Challenges Every Church Faces.”  This week we’re dealing with the challenge of pluralism — a culture of many faiths. I hope your Sunday is wonderful! Seven Cultural Challenges Every Church Faces: #2. Pluralism — Why Doesn’t Everyone Believe [...]

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Let’s add value to the Kingdom, rather than milking it for all we can get

Over at Harvard Business’s online blog, Umair Haque launches a blistering attack on Wonga, a UK payday lender that charges 2,689% annual interest!  In other words, a $100 loan paid back a year later will cost the borrower $2,689.  Incredibly, Haque points out that three venture capital firms have invested in Wonga because they think [...]

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Sermon: Secularism – Why Don’t People Go To Church Anymore?

Seven Cultural Challenges Every Church Faces: Secularism — Why Don’t People Go To Church Anymore? Today I am beginning a new sermon series titled, Seven Cultural Challenges Every Church Faces.  During the next two months, we will examine the seven cultural challenges that I believe we must face in order to present the Gospel in [...]

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Evangelical leaders overlook minorities in expected US church decline

In a National Association of Evangelicals survey from May, NAE board members polled were pessimistic about the growth of churches in the U.S.. However, according to the NAE website, there was overall optimism that Christianity would grow worldwide, but that growth would primarily occur Africa, South America, Asia, and even China.  The NAE site stated: [...]

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