Giving is up, going is down, and getting remains the same. Those are the results of a survey of church offerings, attendance and pastors’ salaries that the Barna Research Group says indicates that while there is widespread interest in “spirituality” across the country, it has not yet fueled the nationwide revival anticipated by many leaders.… Continue reading Church Attendance Down, Pastors Poorer: Study
Category: Illustrations and Research
Stories, news events, testimonies, history and more.
No Back Doors!
Can we close the back door for church attrition? No Back Doors! New converts are at probably the most crucial part of their walk with God: the beginning! We must show them that they need to make sure that there are no back doors in their relationship with God. Even though they have been freed… Continue reading No Back Doors!
Americans Turning Back To Religion
Americans Turning Back to Religion to Find Identity and Meaning ABC News charts parents’ desire to pass on meaning, values to their children by Andy Butcher Schools full of violence and homes empty of values are sending a growing number of Americans back to religion to find answers, according to an ABC News report. But… Continue reading Americans Turning Back To Religion
Moses Planned for the Journey
Moses and the people were in the desert, but what was he going to do with them? They had to be fed, and feeding 2 or 3 million people requires a lot of food. According to the Quartermaster General in the Army, it is reported that Moses would have to have had 1500 tons of… Continue reading Moses Planned for the Journey
Couples Living Together Less Happy than Married Couples
Couples Who Live Together Less Happy Than Married, More Likely to Break Up Evidence overwhelmingly supports biblical view on commitment, say reports by Andy Butcher Don Weston receives some heated e-mails at the Web site he started to persuade young couples not to live together before marriage. But the evidence from mainstream researchers overwhelmingly backs… Continue reading Couples Living Together Less Happy than Married Couples
Christians More Likely to Divorce?
Charisma Magazine On-Line 12/99 Shock Study Reveals Christians More Likely to Divorce Than Non-Christians Pro-family groups say study reveals churches’ failure to prepare couples. by Andy Butcher An “alarming” report that finds Christians are more likely to divorce than non-Christians has been welcomed as a badly needed “wake-up call to the Church.” The study by… Continue reading Christians More Likely to Divorce?
Christian Divorce a Greater Threat to Marriage than Gay Rights
Christian divorces are a greater threat to the sanctity of marriage than the rights being granted for gay unions, according to an article in Focus on the Family’s “Citizen” magazine. “Like radon gas seeping undetected into a home and threatening its inhabitants,” the church has allowed “a phantom leak” that more fundamentally undermines marriage’s health… Continue reading Christian Divorce a Greater Threat to Marriage than Gay Rights
Faith in the Parenthesis
(For we walk by faith and not by sight.) II Corinthians 5:7 Try as we might to speak and write clearly, sometimes, it seems impossible to say what we want to say. That’s why we use a little mechanism called parenthesis to help convey our meaning. A parenthesis is a statement or… Continue reading Faith in the Parenthesis
Learn Spanish in Six Hours
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. – Matthew 10:22 Recently, I heard a commercial that touted an amazing claim. “Learn to speak Spanish in only 6 hours!” “Six hours? There is simply no way to learn an entire language… Continue reading Learn Spanish in Six Hours
What We Think We Know About Baby Busters
Written by William E. Easum, Ministry in a Changing World Busters [born 1965-1983] (and the 1984+ Millennials) are the foundation generation for a new world being born. What they become will shape the emerging world for decades to come, if not centuries. . . . Three paradigms separate the Busters from any previous generation. First,… Continue reading What We Think We Know About Baby Busters