articles

Why construct a new building when you can upcycle an old one? Pastor Mike Connaway’s newly planted VLife Church hasn’t started holding official services. Yet the youthful nondenominational congregation is already embracing its new home at the previously vacant Trinity Presbyterian Church, one of the oldest church buildings in McKinney,…

In an informal survey of pastors, Thom S. Rainer asked a simple question: What do you wish you had been told before you became a pastor? 1. I wish someone had taught me basic leadership skills. “I was well grounded in theology and Bible exegesis, but seminary did not prepare…

Christian retailers would be not be surprised if worship leader Darlene Zschech has prayed the prayer of Jabez—“Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!” (1 Chron. 4:10). There is no doubt that, in fact, God has done just that for the recording artist who is now known…

It’s Sunday morning. Your parking lot is covered—no one is getting inside without being safely directed into a parking spot. Your greeters all remind you of a hug from your grandmother—warm and a little bit squishy. And your ushers are kind of like your parking team, but they couldn’t handle…

If you see any of these seven warning signs in your church, my advice is to run as fast as you can. A friend of mine from England recently asked me for counsel regarding a serious dilemma. His pastor had been involved in extramarital affairs, yet the man never stepped…

When a new believer is baptized, it’s a momentous event. A life’s been changed for eternity! Try these fresh ideas to make baptism a true celebration: Smile. Express true joy. Baptism is a holy ordinance, but it’s also a joyful event. I love it when the church breaks into spontaneous…

Most Americans have first-hand experiences in churches or parishes. What happens, if anything, in the hearts and minds of those who attend? To explore this matter, Barna Group surveyed Americans who have attended a Christian church sometime in the past and discovered what they say about their experiences in these…

Dottie Escobedo-Frank on shaping creative worship on a budget: Creative worship is nothing new. It is an old, rich tradition that began with the Israelites carrying around a holy tent with an arc of the covenant, and stone tablets and regular stuff that carried sacred meaning and holy memory. Every…

Camron Ware, Mr. Visual Worshiper, finds himself in different churches almost weekly – helping them set up environmental projection and visual worship atmospheres. He sees a bunch of situations and things that definitely aren’t ideal. Some things just bug him. Here’s a list of things he’d like to see change…

Mike Sessler on purchasing a new mixer for your church: Almost weekly, I receive an e-mail asking for advice on which mixer to buy. The answer, of course, is always the same; it depends. No seriously, that’s the answer. Because there is no “one” right mixer for every church. There…

Kyle Beshears visits a church for atheists in London and discovers they miss music and fellowship: Last month I stumbled upon an article about an atheistic “church service” in London. I didn’t even read the whole thing before I decided I had to go. The Sunday Assembly, as the group…