Articles for tag: Evangelical Churches

City Planning

By Jennifer Johnson My friend Abby and I love to visit museums. Recently we spent the afternoon at the Philadelphia Art Museum, looking at our favorites””the modern art wing and anything by Van Gogh””and enjoying lunch in the café. Next month we”re planning a girls” trip to the ballet. Abby is 7. To say she”s a little brighter than her peers is like saying the current American political scene is a little dysfunctional. In addition to sampling the best culture of Philadelphia, Abby also loves going to New York City, just a short train ride away. She especially loves Broadway

Three Reasons Evangelical Churches Are Growing When Others Are Not

By Mark A. Taylor Why are Evangelicals the only growing Christian group in America? The fact of dramatic decline among mainline Protestants and Catholic churches in the U.S. is certain, documented by a Pew research report released last month. But answers have varied among those seeking to explain why Evangelicals are holding their own. I asked about that when I spoke with three ministers of growing churches in last month”s episode of our monthly online interview program, Beyond the Standard. These fellows””Brian Kruckenberg, lead pastor with New City Church in Phoenix, Arizona; Bo Chancey, senior pastor with Manchester (NH) Christian

Something Special

By Mark A. Taylor It happened again, this time on the campus of Lincoln Christian University on a cold Friday night a couple of weeks ago. Mark Mittelberg, a best-selling author, widely traveled speaker, and well-known Christian apologist, was speaking to leaders about LCU”s initiative “Room for Doubt.” But before he talked about the materials he”s helping to develop for this ministry, he paused to speak about the movement of churches that will promote and use them. Mittelberg is something of a celebrity in general Evangelical churches; his résumé includes stints on staff at Willow Creek Community Church outside Chicago and

Church Health and Attendance Numbers”“How Do They Relate?

By Mark A. Taylor Is growing attendance a reliable indicator of church health? American Christians generally answer yes. Perhaps this is because we live with the effects of corporate pressure for quarter-by-quarter growth in sales and profits. For several decades now, the American mind-set has equated “bigger” with “better.” But not everyone accepts that conclusion any longer. Speaking at the Energizing Smaller Churches Network conference in Lincoln, Illinois, last month, Paul Williams listed 10 signs of a healthy smaller church. His first point: “Measure by relational growth as well as by numbers growth.” Many of the smaller church”s problems can

Masculinity, Femininity, and Church Leadership

By Kelvin Jones The rise of secular feminism has made the subject of church leadership a sensitive one. The feminist movement entered the mainstream in the 1960s and rightly criticized the failure of men to respect women. Yet feminism, lacking a biblical worldview, defined sexual equality as the removal of gender distinctions and rejected biblically grounded feminine identity and sexual morality. Searching for spirituality, many feminists have turned to neopaganism, and goddess worship is accepted in several liberal denominations. In contrast to the mainline denominations, the majority of evangelical churches and Christians are complementarian. They believe the Bible teaches that

Restoration Movement Q&A 3

Answers from Brian Lowery Does the Restoration Movement Matter? Answers from Brian Lowery. Brian Lowery works with Christianity Today International, where he serves as managing editor for Preaching Today. Do you feel as strongly about being a part of the Restoration Movement today as you did fifteen years ago?  What, if anything, has changed? Fifteen years ago I was 15 years old. I can really only recall feeling strongly about pizza, getting my driver’s license, and whether or not “that one girl in math class” liked me. The Restoration Movement wasn’t exactly on my radar yet. However, I can say that

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