Revitalized Churches Embrace Spiritual Parenting
When my son was young, I hadn’t yet learned to be the father I wanted to be. I was wrapped up in all of “my” things, and my tunnel vision didn’t allow me to always see other things that should have been important. I was focused on growing a student ministry, growing as a leader, […]
The Unintended Consequences of the Modern Church
It’s a good season to reexamine the effectiveness of the modern church. Our commitment, as RENEW.org leaders, is to continually go back to Scripture, to restore and prioritize what it teaches. We face a challenge because in the last fifty years, as church leaders have sought more effectiveness in our churches, we have come to […]
Church Is Boring? 3 Times It Actually Is
When someone says or thinks that church is boring, what is it exactly that they are bored by? Here are three times a church gathering actually is boring—to us and, I want to suggest, to God as well. Smiling through small talk can be boring. In a commercial, a young woman walks up to the […]
Sing to the Lord a New Song? Reflections on Psalm 98
Four times we are told in Scripture to “sing to the LORD a new song” (Psalm 96:1; 98:1; 149:1; Isaiah 42:10). Every song ever sung was new at some point. How many millions of songs of worship have been written in the span of human history? From those that have been published in hymnals, those […]
What Is the Lord’s Supper? Exploring Unity, Renewal, and Remembrance
What is the Lord’s Supper? On a Thursday night, Jesus was celebrating a Passover meal with his disciples when he shocked them by explaining how the wine and unleavened bread of Passover were actually pointing to his own sacrificial death, which would take place the next day. Jesus told them to continue remembering him through […]
6 Ways to Teach Your Church Through Altar Calls
Close to a century ago, C.H. Dodd in his since-controversial The Apostolic Preaching and Its Developments argued for a distinction in the New Testament between the kerygma, the preaching of the Gospel to non-believers, and the didache, which he argued was moral instruction given to believers. In other words, Dodd would say when you speak […]
The Great Mother’s Day Temptation
What kind of grinch would want to cancel Mother’s Day? As it turns out, the first person to petition to have Mother’s Day canceled wasn’t a grinch at all. She was the person who had invented it. The Origin of Mother’s Day Anna Jarvis was the ninth of eleven children born to Granville and Ann […]
6 Reasons Why You Need to Attend Church in Person
Since the Covid lockdown, many churchgoers no longer attend worship services regularly, alleging it is easier and less time-consuming to stay home and watch an online service. When confronted, some suggest they have grown beyond the need for in-person worship at a local congregation, claiming they get as much fulfillment when viewing a service online. […]
