The 4 Realities of 21st Century Religious Life

The following blog post comes to us from Alan Rudnick for BaptistNews.com. Alan is an executive minister at DeWitt Community Church and author of “The Work of the Associate Pastor”. He also serves on the Mission Council of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. The Pew Research Center released its 2015 U.S. Religious Landscape Study and it can be confusing to read. According to The … Read More


Nelson SearcyMinistry

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Why Go to Church?

Today’s guest post comes to us from Scot McKnight, a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. Scot has also authored more than fifty books and is the Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL. Evidently Justin Bieber — somewhere, I don’t know where — said going to church makes a person … Read More


Nelson SearcyAssimilation, Ministry

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Barriers to Evangelism

Today’s blog comes to us from my friend and fellow church growth strategist, Dr. Gary McIntosh. Gary is Professor of Christian Ministry and Leadership at Talbot School of Theology, and author of over 20 books and 100 articles on church growth, leadership, evangelism and pastoral ministry. Gary will also be joining me this summer as a keynote speaker at the … Read More


Nelson SearcyChurch Systems, Evangelism

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The Most Frequent Burdens Pastors Face

Today’s guest post was written by Chuck Lawless, Professor of Evangelism and Missions and Dean of Graduate Studies at Southeastern Seminary. In my years of church consulting, I have spent hours talking to local church pastors. Much of the conversation revolves around church structure, vision, etc., but seldom does the conversation stay at that level. Pastors, it seems, long for … Read More


Nelson SearcyMinistry, Misc

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6 Principles of Contagious Evangelism

Today’s guest post was written by Alvin Reid, Professor of Evangelism & Student Ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Alvin is a long-time personal friend and someone I learn a great deal from. Here he discusses how we could make evangelism “go viral” by applying the marketplace principles proposed by Jonah Berger in his book Contagious: Why Things Catch On. … Read More


Nelson SearcyEvangelism

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The Art of Hosting Church Gatherings

Nancy Beach, Programming Director of Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago, explains the importance of those who play a hosting role in church service.  It’s all part of delivering an exceptional welcome experience. Whether you watch Matt and Savannah and Al in the mornings…or some other morning show crew, you may feel as I do – that these hosts become … Read More


Nelson SearcyAssimilation

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Sleep is More Important Than Food

Today’s guest post is written by Tony Schwartz, president and CEO of The Energy Project and author of Be Excellent at Anything. Tony explains how adequate sleep is an integral part in our health, managing stress, and productivity. Let’s cut to the chase. Say you decide to go on a fast, and so you effectively starve yourself for a week. … Read More


Nelson SearcyStress Management

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A Refresher on Storytelling 101

Today’s guest post is written by JD Schramm, a Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. He offers a seven-part formula for storytelling success, which has direct application to our weekly preaching and how we engage our audiences. More on my secrets to preaching prep in the P.S. . . . At bedtime, I tell stories to my godchildren, … Read More


Nelson SearcyLeadership, Preaching

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Why Your Church Doesn’t Sing… and What You Can Do To Fix It (Part 3)

Today’s guest post comes from Jason Hatley, Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey Church in Boca Raton, Florida. Jason is the Founder of WorshipLeaderInsights.com and author of two books as well as over a dozen worship leader personal and ministry growth resources. Want to know a sure-fire way to keep your church from singing this Sunday? I didn’t think … Read More


Nelson SearcyMisc, Worship Planning

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