“For this reason,” Paul declared in his letter to the Ephesians, “I fall to my knees before the Father” (3:14). When people fall to their knees in the Bible, we tend to assume that the primary purpose of their prostration is prayer—and that was indeed part of what Paul was expressing here. But that’s not […]
[Read More...]
Family Ministry: Growth, Retention, and Gospel-Motivated Ministry
Sometimes, when a ministry makes much of Jesus and the gospel, the results do include numeric gains or stellar retention rates. Seven weeks after Jesus erupted alive from a garden tomb, three thousand women and men confessed Jesus as the risen Lord, and the congregation still kept growing (Acts 2:41–47). Before long, well over five […]
[Read More...]Church History: Why Is Christianity Currently Headed South?
30 Days through Church History: Day 28
[Read More...]Family Ministry: Gut Feelings, the Gospel, and the Big Lie About Nine-Out-of-Ten
“So, tell me,” I ask, “why do you want to transition your church toward family ministry?” “Well,” the pastor begins “nine out of every ten kids are dropping out of church after they graduate, aren’t they? Evidently, what we’re doing right now isn’t working.” “Mm-hmm,” the children’s director agrees. “Eighty-eight percent is what they said […]
[Read More...]