Articles for tag: Attractional Church

November 23, 2018

How Changing Shopping Trends Affect the Church

By Kent Fillinger Eight of the 10 biggest shopping days of the year occur in December. The other two take place in November. Sales spike in December at retail stores, online stores, and even grocery stores. Based on my research, church attendance also spikes during December due to special events and Christmas Eve services that attract more people than any other time but Easter. Despite a strong economy and low unemployment, the retail industry is undergoing a major repositioning as legacy stores and brands that were once customer favorites fall victim to shifting consumer demands. Stores like Nine West, Toys

September 14, 2014

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

The Brave New World of Church Ministry

By Dick Alexander When I graduated from seminary in the late 1960s, I had answers. Today I have questions. Back then, I thought I knew what a church should look like. There were some variations on a theme, but there was essentially one “model.” But today? Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Everything else is up for grabs. Back in the day, the world was different. When the neighborhood ruffians on our block were playing in the yard and wanted a drink of water, we drank out of a garden hose””none of this sissified bottled water. And there

May 28, 2014

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Leadership

A Conversation with Ben Cachiaras

Interview by Jennifer Johnson Meet Our Contributing Editors: The senior pastor of Mountain Christian ChurchÂ in Joppa, Maryland, shares his passion about Christian witness in a post-Christian culture,Â especially how we relate to gays and lesbians. From an ongoing series of interviews with CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors. At our recent meeting of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors, you described the 21st-century American church as an exilic community. What did you mean by that? There was a time when Israel was large and in charge, enjoying prominence in the promised land. But the tide turned significantly. Eventually they were chased out of town and

June 6, 2013

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Planting

Missional Plant

By Chris Travis “I think this is what church is supposed to be like,” a young actor said to me. Between us were two empty bowls of chili. I smiled. We cracked jokes about the diversity of our group of 20 people. It looked like we had hired models to make our group look as perfectly diverse as possible. There was a white couple with three daughters; a Dominican single mother with two young children; a couple in their 60s who had been married for decades; an African-American woman; a Korean woman and her New York-native husband who was a

May 18, 2012

Paul E. Boatman

Church Leadership Preaching

Interview with Mike Baker

Eastview Christian Church senior pastor Mike Baker discusses his call to preaching, church growth, satellite churches, the Restoration Movement, Bible colleges, and why he wants to keep preaching.

April 25, 2012

Mark A. Taylor

Church & Ministry Community Outreach

Either or Both or Neither?

Should churches be attractional or missional? Mark A. Taylor argues that healthy congregations need both—going into their communities to serve while inviting people to come and see.

April 25, 2012

Rick Grover

Mission & Evangelism

Missional and Attractional

Rick Grover draws on experiences with megachurches, church planting, and house churches to argue that missional and attractional approaches need not compete when the goal is making disciples of Jesus.

April 24, 2012

Brian Jobe

Church & Ministry Church Growth

The Attractional Model: “˜Come and See”

Brian Jobe challenges the divide between missional and attractional church models, arguing that effective churches can invite people in, build believers up, and send them out to serve.

September 12, 2010

Rick Grover

Church & Ministry Church Growth

The Tourist Church

Rick Grover warns that churches risk becoming “tourist churches” when young adults lose connection, purpose, and opportunities to serve within the larger body.