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Friday, April 24, 2009
Latino Pastors at Odds Over Immigration Reform
A group of Latino pastors is taking an unusual approach to immigration reform by urging illegal aliens to boycott the 2010 U.S. census. The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders is calling for undocumented immigrants—many of whom attend the churches represented by the group's 16,000 members—to refuse participation so their information won't be eventually used against them.
"The same data that helps the Latino community to seek political empowerment, the same numbers that are used to show how strong we are and prove our growing numbers, that's the same data the anti-immigrant forces use against us," said the coalition's head, pastor Miguel Rivera. "When we weigh, in the balance, how many benefits the undocumented get by letting themselves be counted, it's more on the side of funding more police officers to arrest them, and more immigration agents to deport them and disrupt families. ... Read more
Yeah, About That VIP Seat …
QUOTE: "We are going to discover that cultural Christianity is what eventually disappears in a secularized age. Cultural Christianity has been so much a part of the environment of our ministry and of the expectation of our churches that it's going to be a very different situation for the pastor of the First Baptist Church to worry about being arrested rather than to worry about whether he's going to get the first seat in the restaurant. … When you start looking at a lot of the logic of what is becoming endemic in the culture toward the future, we're going to be in a very different situation than we've ever faced before. And we're going to discover that we are not as many as we thought we were. .... Read more
Mamas Don't Let Their Babies Grow Up to Be Priests
Church growth, no matter how it's defined, typically starts with leadership. With this in mind, a recent study of Catholic priests in the United States is shedding plenty of light on declining numbers in the Roman Catholic Church.
Almost 45 percent of priests seeking ordination this year say they were discouraged from going into the priesthood, according to a survey of 310 priests by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University. Yet exactly who was offering the persuasive advice is just as telling of the change in this nation's spiritual climate. Almost 60 percent of priests said a mother, father or other family member had discouraged them, while 51 percent said they'd received the same negative input from a friend or classmate. (Respondents could select more than one category on the survey.) .... Read more
Clip of the Week
Ministry Survey
Does your church have a creation care ministry or program?
Amid the environmentally friendly celebrations of Earth Day tomorrow (April 22), you're likely to read and hear plenty about the latest news on global warming. Yet among pastors in this country, the jury is still out on whether what’s been dubbed a global crisis even exists.
A recent study from LifeWay Research of more than 1,000 Protestant pastors found that 47 percent agreed strongly or somewhat that global warming was real and man-made. The exact same percentage of pastors disagreed strongly or somewhat, while another 6 percent were unsure. Interestingly enough, the division becomes more apparent when pastors are categorized by denomination, location and political ideology.
Among mainline denominations, three-quarters of all pastors believe in global warming and chalk it up to human actions. Within evangelical circles, however, that number drops to a mere 32 percent. In larger cities, the majority (55 percent) of pastors agree that global warming is real, whereas 43 percent of rural pastors adhere to this belief. And not surprisingly, pastors who consider themselves liberal in their political theology were almost three times as likely as conservative pastors to think global warming is both a real and man-made problem.
QUOTE: "Apparently the shortest route to relevance in church ministry right now is for the pastor to talk about sex in garishly explicit terms during the Sunday morning service. If he can shock parishioners with crude words and sophomoric humor, so much the better. The defenders of this trend solemnly inform us that without such a strategy it is well-nigh impossible to connect with today's 'culture.' Sermons about sex have suddenly become a bigger fad in the evangelical world than the prayer of Jabez ever was. Everywhere, it seems, churches are featuring special series on the subject. … I would be the last to suggest that preachers should totally avoid the topic of sex. … But the language Scripture employs when dealing with the physical relationship between husband and wife is always careful—often plain, sometimes poetic, usually delicate, frequently muted by euphemisms, and never fully ...
Note to Assemblies of God churches: Apparently, with all the talk of Christianity in decline in this country, you’re not supposed to be growing.
According to a massive survey of more than 2,600 Assemblies of God (AG) churches, the majority are bucking the national trend and experiencing growth. A study conducted for the denomination’s General Council found that 56 percent of AG churches grew by at least 10 percent over the last five years. On the flip side, 29 percent experienced a decline in church attendance by at least 10 percent.
Editor's Note: Two Ministry Today Reports in one week?! No, we didn't forget what day it is. Since launching this e-newsletter a few years back, we've watched it continually grow and received plenty of kudos for offering busy pastors an executive summary of the latest ministry news. Our readers have loved it so much they wanted more. So beginning this week, expect a double dose of the Ministry Today Report. We promise, we won't overwhelm you with too much to read—but we will continue to equip you with byte-size nuggets that keep you up to date with today's ever-shifting ministry culture. And as always, let us know what you think by e-mailing us at [email protected].
Giving the Good and the Bad
For nonprofits trying to survive in this tough economic season, recent surveys show the good, the bad and the obvious. Overall, it comes as no surprise that most nonprofits showed a decrease in giving over the last several months. Yet the disconcerting news comes via a recent survey from GuideStar that found a full 52 percent of all nonprofit organizations' giving declined from October 2008 through February 2009. Among those charities, 21 percent said contributions dropped "greatly," while 31 percent indicated a "modest" drop in donations.
"That more than half of charitable organizations reported a drop in contributions during a period that included the last three months of the year, when giving traditionally rises, indicates the severity of the financial challenges nonprofits are facing," said Bob Ottenhoff, president and CEO of GuideStar.
Adding to the problem, 59 percent of all nonprofits indicated an increase in demand for their services, yet only one-third had cut their annual budgets in the last year. The result is that a reported 8 percent of all nonprofits so far have had to shut down.
You are now officially debaptized. That sentiment was originally offered as an online tongue-in-cheek joke in 2004 by the National Secular Society (NSS). Now the London-based atheist group reports that more than 100,000 one-time believers have paid to download a "certificate of debaptism" to renounce their faith—and the numbers continue to swell by the thousands each week.
"Churches have become so reactionary, so politically active that people actually want to make a protest against them now," said NSS President Terry Sanderson. "They're not just indifferent anymore. They're actively hostile."
Proving Sanderson's point, last week 56-year-old south Londoner John Hunt succeeded in getting the Archdeacon of Croydon and the church where he was baptized as an infant to essentially strike the record of his baptism. "It's about time that some of us stood up to be counted," Hunt said. "I am hoping that others will follow my lead. It is important that we send a signal to the church and to the government that an increasing proportion of the population don't place any faith in the various churches."
If you're teaching on the Holy Spirit or Satan this weekend, be forewarned: You may notice some confused looks among those listening. According to a recent Barna Research study, most American Christians do not believe that either of the two exists.
In a poll of more than 1,800 believers in this country, almost six out of 10 either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the statement that Satan "is not a living being but is a symbol of evil," while only 26 percent strongly disagreed. Proving the inconsistency that exists among many biblically unsound Christians' theology, almost half (47 percent) of those who say Satan is merely a symbol of evil still believe a person can be influenced by spiritual forces such as demons.
From bloggers announcing evangelical collapses to national magazines declaring "The End of Christian America," much has been made in recent weeks about the spiritual decline of our country. And judging by the surge of church-centric stories last week among secular media outlets, Christianity is suffering a global deterioration as well.
In Canada, a new nationwide survey revealed a nosedive in the number of people who believe in God. According to pollster Ipsos Reid, 71 percent of Canadians currently believe in God, compared to 84 percent in 2000. Interestingly enough, the sharpest decline was among men (63 percent compared to 86 percent nine years ago) and both middle-agers and seniors. Overall, a mere 21 percent of the Canadian population believes in the existence of heaven and hell.
"One wants to say that faith is constant," remarked Ipsos vice president John Wright. "But I think it is transient for the majority of people."
QUOTE: "We've decided that being Christian is punk rock because it's so anti-establishment."—30-year-old Vancouver, Canada, resident Lindsay Sutton, offering one of the reasons she was drawn to get involved with a church. Despite friends questioning her involvement, Sutton says part of the attraction for her was the "countercultural" element of Christianity—something she believes ...
Churches routinely put on their best during Christmas and Easter seasons in an effort to reach the "unchurched" wandering through their doors on those special occasions. And every year the marketing strategies of congregations vying for attention seem to get more creative. So what churches stood out last week for their Easter innovation?
At Trinity Church on Wall Street in New York City, congregants re-enacted the final hours of Jesus' life—via Twitter. Using only 140-character microblogs, church members performing the Passion play tweeted for three hours on Good Friday. In addition, the lower Manhattan church also offered a Web version of the Stations of the Cross that allowed online visitors to meditate using words, pictures and music.
In Crestview, Fla., leadership from Mosaic Church of Crestview stirred up community waters with an edgy "No More Christians" campaign that drew both interest and ire. Using a "reverse" approach to traditional evangelism, the nondenominational church posted billboards and ran commercials promoting a recent series of discussions that include "Why you should be an atheist instead of a Christian" and "Why you should be a Muslim instead of a Christian."
While seminaries across the nation struggle with serious financial crises, a handful of theological schools are literally going the extra mile to reach new would-be ministers—via the Internet.
In an effort to improve already sagging enrollments, Gordon-Conwell and at least four other evangelical seminaries will offer Web-based preaching classes this fall as a part of expanding their reach into the homes of future pastors. The pilot program allows students to preach entire sermons to a webcam and receive feedback from teachers and fellow students they may never meet in person.
QUOTE: “It's a constant tension between trying to use communication tools that actually penetrate people's consciousness. The church has to have technology, or at least youth workers have to have some level ...
Most churches have outreach programs to draw potential new members into their own doors. In Collinsville, Ill., pastors are taking a big-picture approach and telling town residents it doesn't matter where they go to church—just go.
As part of an Easter outreach program dubbed “Pick a Church, Any Church," all but three congregations in the St. Louis suburb of 25,000 people hung fliers on doors to get residents in church on Easter Sunday.
QUOTE: “While we remain a nation decisively shaped by religious faith, our politics and our culture are, in the main, less influenced by movements and arguments of an explicitly Christian character than they were even five years ago. I think this is a good ...
The leader of the nation's largest Pentecostal denomination has been named to the White House Office for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Bishop Charles E. Blake, leader of the 6 million-member Church of God in Christ, was appointed to a one-year term ...
When times are tough, where do people go for help? According to a recent poll of 1,000 Protestant pastors, the answer is nothing new: The majority of those in need—both Christians and nonbelievers—are turning to the church for some assistance.
LifeWay Research found that almost two-thirds of all pastors say they've seen an increase in people outside their church asking for help. In addition, 31 percent of pastors have experienced a similar surge among those within their congregations.
QUOTE: "We're going through money a lot faster in terms of helping people with utility bills and shut-offs, and we're seeing people we have never seen before seek help. I spend more time on counseling now. The difference I see ...
Defying their reputation as an increasingly "godless" generation, non-churchgoing 20-somethings are more likely to adhere to core Christian beliefs than those 30 years and older who do not attend church.
According to a new study of 1,400 unchurched respondents conducted by LifeWay Research, 20-somethings are more likely than the 30-plus crowd to believe in the God of the Bible, the resurrection of Jesus and the uniqueness of the Christian God.
Former Atlanta megachurch pastor Earl Paulk Jr., who helped popularize "kingdom now" theology but was plagued for decades by sexual scandal, died early Sunday morning after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 81.
Christians in North Dakota say they are getting the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the midst of what may be the worst flooding in the Fargo area in more than 100 years.
Every week, David Pinckney preaches to his congregation about being like Jesus. Now the small-town New Hampshire pastor is discovering not everyone wants to follow through with that challenge—especially when it comes to forgiveness.
Last week Pinckney did the unthinkable for many of the 2,000-plus residents of Chichester, N.H., by inviting a convicted child killer to live with him and his family for at least two months. After officials couldn’t find anyone else willing to take in 60-year-old Raymond Guay, who spent the last 35 years behind bars on charges of abducting and murdering a 12-year-old boy in 1973, Pinckney opened up his home—where his wife and four teenage children also live. Unfortunately, most of his neighbors believe his kindness is now making a once tranquil town unsafe for everyone.
QUOTE: “The 2008 Pew Forum survey showed that about half of the ‘nones’ actually considered themselves religious. In other words, it appears that most of the unaffiliated individuals are not atheistic or anti-religious in any activist sense, but are rather apathetic toward organized religion and reluctant to join any particular denomination or sect. Perhaps an appropriate term to describe such individuals is ...
For those who have lost a job during the current economic recession, church can be a place to replenish hope for the future.Yet one Midwestern congregation recently provided a unique spin to the idea of replenishing.
QUOTE: “[Michael Spencer] lumps all megachurches together and describes them as being more interested in relevance than doctrine. He says of megachurches that they are ‘compromised and weakened in their ability to pass on the faith.’ The author concludes that he expects the ‘landscape of megachurch vacuity to be around for a very long time.’ How awful. What could be worse than a bunch of churches across America that are so effective at lifting up the name of Jesus that huge crowds gather? What could be worse than having so many people meeting Jesus and having their lives transformed by Jesus, that they just can’t stop telling their friends? I’m determined to celebrate what God is doing wherever it is happening. Whether it is in a gathering of three people or 3,000 or 3 million. I don’t have enough brains or time to figure out the motives of the hearts of the leaders in another church. I’ll just celebrate what they are doing and let God sort it out later.” —Tim Stevens, ...
In Rural Alabama, Not Everyone Thinks Sex Is Great
Sex sells … and in recent years, more churches have used it as a marketing tool to impact their communities. From nationally known megachurches such as Dallas’ Fellowship Church to smaller congregations such as Relevant Church in Ybor City, Fla. ...
A Christian minister who recently engaged in heated on-air arguments with Muslims says he was attacked en route to the studio where he records his television show. After being cut off while driving, Noble Samuel, ...
In an overwhelming vote Sunday, the members of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church elected Tullian Tchividjian, grandson of famed evangelist Billy Graham, to be their new pastor. As part of Tchividjian’s election...
In a single generation, the number of people in the United States who label themselves—even loosely—as Christian has gone down 11 percent. According to the latest American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), almost all church denominations have declined since the original study was conducted in 1990.
Although that may not seem like new news to many pastors, this likely will: Americans who claim no religion at all now outrank every major religious group except Catholics and Baptists. These “Nones”—a term coined by the researchers for those who answered “None” when asked about their religious affiliation—currently represent 15 percent of the population, which is almost twice as many as in 1990.
QUOTE: “There is now this shift in the non-Catholic population—and maybe among American Christians in general—into a sort of generic, soft evangelicalism. … It looks like the two-party system of American Protestantism—mainline versus evangelical—is collapsing. ..."
Among the driving forces behind our nation’s cultural and moral shift, here’s one that can’t be overlooked: According to one of the most far-reaching surveys recently conducted among mainline Protestant clergy, almost half (48 percent) of all ministers consider themselves liberals, compared to about one-third (34 percent) who say they are conservative.
An Illinois pastor was killed Sunday morning when a gunman entered the church and opened fire during the first of three morning worship services. Fred Winters, pastor of First Baptist Church of Maryville, deflected the first of four bullets with his Bible, causing pages to fly “like confetti,” witnesses said.
Lou Yuanqi, a Chinese pastor imprisoned in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region before the Beijing Olympics last year, received a verdict of “insufficient evidence” on charges that he used “superstition to undermine the law,” according to the Chinese Public Security Bureau (PSB) and U.S.-based persecution watchdog China Aid.
With the national unemployment rate escalating, many churches are emerging as networking hubs for job hunters. In Dallas, First Baptist Church is offering extensive help on workforce topics such as creating a standout résumé and excelling in interviews. Through programs such as Career Solutions, Career Link and Crown Financial Classes, attendees can not only improve their chances on landing future employment, but also better manage their current financial situations.
“It is the old adage, ‘Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day; teach a man to fish he’ll eat for a lifetime,’” said First Baptist Church senior pastor Robert Jeffress. “And we think the most important thing the church can do to help its members who are unemployed is help them develop and hone skills that will help them land that next job.”
Although membership in the nation's largest Christian communions declined last year, two Pentecostal denominations showed an increase. The Assemblies of God (AG) of Springfield, Mo., and the Cleveland...
QUOTE: "The biblical New Testament church is vanishing from society today. Anything and everything is acceptable as long as it builds a crowd. Jesus wasn't as interested in building a crowd as He was in telling the truth.—Bob Pearle...
QUOTE: "There really has been a shift and in some ways, a fragmenting of American evangelism. A new generation of evangelists is blogging their way around the old power structures...
Despite the economic recession, ministry giving was higher than expected in late 2008, according to the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). In a survey of 300 member...
If a Christian leader falls, the devil has gotten a prize and a good deal more "bang for his buck" because so many others are affected, and the church or ministry has suffered a setback. How does this happen?
How much can online giving really help your ministry? George Eusterman
The trend toward online giving has gained ground among churches and parachurch ministries, yet many Christians remain hesitant to use a method they believe is susceptible to fraud, theft and error.
Would the Person Who Dropped $1 in the Plate Please Stand Up?
While Wall Street continues to endure a string of high-profile scandals and plummeting markets, a church in nearby Queens, N.Y., has decided to tackle its financial difficulties by making things personal—a little too personal for most of its members.
Two weeks ago St. Luke's Church in Whitestone, Queens, began publishing a breakdown of members' tithes and offerings in the weekly bulletin. Though the listing doesn't name any specific names, it reveals how much was given in each offering envelope and how many gave similar amounts.
The pendulum of how churches are faring during the current recession swings on a weekly basis, according to whatever news outlet you read. While some declare this a time when masses are swarming into the church...
QUOTE: "We have to recognize that we've created the system that we loathe. I don't think the reason 15 percent serve is because 85 percent are lazy. We've created a system that glorifies the clergy and marginalized the laity. ...
A California pro-life pastor is currently serving a 30-day jail term and awaits further sentencing after being arrested for offering sidewalk counseling at an Oakland, Calif., abortion clinic. ...
If the teens in your church don't seem to care what you have to say, here's a possible reason why: A survey from Junior Achievement and pollster Deloitte found that a mere 3 percent see pastors...
Arkansas’ Senate will soon vote on a bill that would allow churches to decide whether worshipers could bring weapons into church. Last Wednesday, the bill passed in the state’s House by a 57-42 vote, which prompted concern from many church leaders.
“I believe it would disturb the sanctity and tranquility of church,” said John Phillips, a pastor who was shot 23 years ago as he concluded a service at his Little Rock church. “Do you want ushers to stop you at the door and frisk you? … People are not going to react the way they think they’re going to react in the heat of the moment. It was utter chaos when I was shot.”
QUOTE: “We’re looking at the end of human history. That our generation is the generation that precedes the return of Christ, what a privilege, what a responsibility to share the gospel with the world in this generation.
QUOTE: “At a time when American young people are hit in the face with graphic sexuality in every facet of our culture, the church should be a safe haven where the sacredness and privacy of the act of marriage is respected by pastors.
While the ongoing "battle of the billboards" continues across the Pond between an atheist group and Christians, a university-based ministry is taking another approach to telling the truth about God.
In January, the British Humanist Association (BHA) launched a marketing campaign that plastered more than 800 buses in London with an ad reading: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” Response from various Christian organizations and believers has ranged from countering billboard ads to one bus operator refusing to drive his “no God”-labeled bus.
An already dark stain for New Life Church just got darker. After spending the last two years trying to recover from the infamous sex-and-drugs scandal of former pastor Ted Haggard, the Colorado Springs, Colo., congregation now faces new revelations—and criticism—regarding a former church volunteer’s relationship with the fallen leader.
On Friday, New Life pastor Brady Boyd confirmed that a former male volunteer approached church leaders shortly following Haggard’s resignation in November 2006 and said he and Haggard had been in an “inappropriate, consensual sexual relationship” that “went on for a long period of time.” Recent reports indicate that the relationship did not involve physical contact, but that on one occasion Haggard masturbated in front of Grant Haas, who was 22 years old at the time. According to Haas, the two exchanged thousands of sexually explicit text messages over several months, many of which featured Haggard talking about sexual positions, pornography, masturbation and drugs.
President Barack Obama’s inauguration last week marked many firsts, among which was a president mentioning “nonbelievers” as part of the United States’ makeup...
QUOTE: “I feel like I was born again. I will live my life, fixing my eyes only on Jesus on the cross.”—70-year-old Lee Keun-ahn, who was known as the “Torture Master” throughout the 1980s...
As if Britain needed any more proof of its complete secularization, a nurse working in North Somerset, England, has been suspended for simply offering to pray for a patient. A registered nurse for more than 25 years, Caroline Petrie was caring for an elderly woman at the woman’s home when Petrie asked if she would like her to pray for her. The woman politely declined but complained to Petrie’s authorities the following day, which prompted an initial warning. The day after, however, Petrie was informed that she would not be allowed to work until the incident was fully investigated.
“We always take any concerns raised by our patients most seriously and conscientiously investigate any matter of this nature brought to our attention,” a spokesman for North Somerset Primary Care Trust said. “We are always keen to be respectful of our patients’ views and sensitivity as well as those of our staff.”
More than 800,000 people made decisions for Christ during crusades evangelist Reinhard Bonnke hosted last week in Nigeria’s Delta State. Bonnke, founder of...
QUOTE: “My wife and I just started the P90X workout program. (And yes, it is as intense as the infomercials indicate.) We’re up at 5 a.m. and are getting our...
It’s no secret that Christianity’s influence upon American culture has waned in recent generations. Yet the most recent Barna study offers further proof: Half of all Americans now believe Christianity isn’t the country’s default religion, but is instead one of many options of faith.
Two weeks ago the Ministry Report highlighted a Gallup poll showing that two-thirds of Americans believe religion is losing ground in this nation. Yet Barna’s new report indicates just how far Christianity has fallen in comparison to other religions. Most convinced of this shift are evangelicals—64 percent of whom believe Christianity is no longer the religion Americans automatically accept as their personal faith—and Hispanics (60 percent).
QUOTE: “If you’re going to come out and begin a new life, why would you choose an HBO documentary, then meet with the liberal Hollywood press? The fact that he’s attacking the church or New Life Church, when they did
Jill Austin, a prominent prophetic minister and founder of Master Potter Ministries, died on Friday evening after an intestinal problem resulted in two emergency surgeries last week. She was 60.
Churches around the world echoed a singular cry last week calling for a cease-fire to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. In the United Kingdom, leaders from Christian, Jewish and...
QUOTE: “As a Christian, I can’t be satisfied knowing there are people living in such a condition. As a Christian, I’m a steward of the image of God. And every person on the face of the earth bears that image. I became responsible for Eka the day I met her.”
At least nine people were killed and more than 100 injured when the roof of Brazilian megachurch Reborn in Christ Church collapsed Sunday evening. The downtown Sao Paulo church, which is one of the largest congregations in the country, had held a youth service less than an hour earlier attended by hundreds of churchgoers, yet most had left the building. Another service for adults was scheduled to begin minutes later.
Authorities said it could take weeks to determine why the church’s concrete roof suddenly gave way. In 1999 the church was temporarily shut down because of a termite problem in the rafters, but church leaders said the building was entirely up to code. “It’s premature to start laying blame,” said Ronaldo Marzagao, Sao Paulo’s public security secretary.
QUOTE: “Today, our culture idolizes entertainment, sports, business success, political power and prosperity. While these have their place, Jesus did not die for any of these things. He died for the...
QUOTE: “You can’t express views that were common currency 30 or 40 years ago. Arguably, the parameters of what you might call ‘right thinking’ are probably closing. Sadly, along with that...
QUOTE: “It’s just part of a 200-year working out of ideas about personal autonomy and equality that are sort of built into the American experience. The notion that someone is going to...
The drama surrounding Rick Warren’s forthcoming invocation at President-elect Barack Obama’s inaugural ceremony just won’t subside. After being maligned by both gay-rights groups and evangelicals for accepting Obama’s invitation, the Saddleback Church pastor is now being grilled on whether he’ll offer his prayer in the name of Jesus.
“I’m a Christian pastor so I will pray the only kind of prayer I know how to pray,” Warren stated last week in a written response. “Prayers are not to be sermons, speeches, position statements nor political posturing. They are humble, personal appeals to God.”
In 2002, Craig Gross and his wife, Jeanette, rented a booth at the country’s largest porn convention in Las Vegas in an effort to launch XXXChurch.com and offer light in a dark place.
QUOTE: “I try to preach with simple language, not the language of scholars. People are attracted to new preachers like me because they want religious solutions to daily problems, not someone talking to them about the afterlife.
Don’t think your ministry can make a difference? Tell that to a couple of businessmen who met in a crowded hotel in 1898 and decided to create an organization dedicated to serving the traveling soul.
QUOTE: “The flood of prophecies for 2009 have begun to come in. They sound remarkably similar to most I have been hearing for the past 15 years. ‘This is the year of revival! This is the year of His power. This is the year of increase! This is the year of harvest!’...
Three-quarters of the nation’s 335,000 churches are virtually or completely mortgage-free. But for many of those in the minority carrying a loan on their property, what were already tight times—due to decreased giving from financially stretched churchgoers—are quickly becoming tough times.
A recent report by First American CoreLogic discovered that hundreds of churches are facing foreclosure, almost all of which were affected by the mortgage boom in recent years that saw church-issued mortgages increase 50 percent from 2002 to 2005. According to the U.S. Census, spending on church construction rose from $3.8 billion in 1997 to $6.2 billion in 2007. A separate study found that church borrowing as a whole peaked at $28 billion nationwide in 2006, including mortgages, construction loans and church bonds.
Church of England Today, Church of the Few Tomorrow
A report from the statistical arm of England’s Bible Society claims that within a generation the number of people attending Church of England services will be a tenth of the current—and already plummeting—amount.
Two-thirds of Americans believe religion is losing its influence on daily life in our country, while only 27 percent believe it is gaining ground, according to the latest Gallup poll.
QUOTE: “What this church is starting with is very on trend with the culture right now and the desire to be very integrated and involved with communities.
Former pastor Ted Haggard admits in a new HBO documentary titled The Trials of Ted Haggard that he was guilty of sexual immorality in the past, but that he’s unhappy with some of the consequences he...
Last week the Ministry Report highlighted a New York Times article stating that the current economic downturn was resulting in a nationwide church growth trend. But pollsters from Gallup say not so fast.
According to a massive review of almost 300,000 Gallup interviews in 2008, the bad economic times aren’t affecting church attendance in the slightest bit. Data from the fall months—including part of December—shows that 42 percent of Americans attend church weekly or almost weekly, which is exactly the same percentage as last year (and, coincidentally, 1 percent lower than early 2008).
If on some Sundays it seems like you're preaching to a congregation of atheists and agnostics, this may explain some things: A recent Harris Interactive poll found more Americans believe in ghosts than in the inerrancy of God's Word.
Ukraine's most prominent charismatic pastor, Sunday Adelaja, is at the center of controversy over his alleged involvement in a business venture that some claim bilked investors out of $100 million.
QUOTE: "You don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand. ... Three years ago I took enormous heat for inviting Barack Obama to my church because some of his views...
Although many church leaders believe this year's presidential election exposed the continuing stream of racial segregation within the church, the latest National Congregations Study shows...
Weeks after being removed from his church’s Hour of Power television program, Robert A. Schuller has resigned as senior pastor of Crystal Cathedral Ministries. Although Schuller sent an official letter more than two weeks ago, word of his resignation did not surface until last weekend.
A Note From the Editor:
Every week the Ministry Report highlights a handful of the biggest ministry-related stories, quotes and reports to surface that previous week. Because there’s no way we can capture all that’s gone on in the ministry world, I highly recommend you signing up for the free Strang Report, which adds a new dimension to the events of each week. With commentary and insight from Ministry Today founder and publisher Steve Strang, the Strang Report gives you and insider’s perspective on what’s really happening. Sign up today!
Marcus Yoars Editor, Ministry Today
In an announcement posted on the Garden Grove, Calif., church’s Web site, the ministry said it had accepted Schuller’s resignation and would launch a search for a new pastor. In the meantime, Juan Carlos Ortiz, founder of the Cathedral’s Hispanic ministry and a popular charismatic author in the 1970s, will act as senior pastor, while he and executive pastor Jim Poit will lead the pastoral staff.
Richard Cizik, the longtime Washington lobbyist for the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), resigned Thursday after mentioning in a National Public Radio interview that he believed in civil unions for gay couples.
QUOTE: “Rich Cizik has been a pioneer in the ‘new evangelical’ movement and a real hero, especially to the next generation of young believers. The agenda of the evangelical world is deeper and wider because of Rich Cizik ...
A study last year by economics professor David Beckworth showed that during each recession cycle between 1968 and 2004, the rate of growth among evangelical churches grew by 50 percent, while mainline Protestant churches continued their steady decline...
Jim Bolin, founding and senior pastor of Trinity Chapel in Powder Springs, Ga., has stepped down from his position due to “inappropriate consensual sexual conduct with an adult woman.”
A group of Latino pastors is taking an unusual approach to immigration reform by urging illegal aliens to boycott the 2010 U.S. census. The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders is calling for undocumented immigrants—many of whom attend the churches represented by the group's 16,000 members—to refuse participation so their information won't be eventually used against them.
