Danielle Shroyer and her faith community, Journey: Dallas, are done with distractions (even denominations) and yearn to grow more deeply into Christ through their shared journey together in community. This multi-denominational (post-denominational?) gathering sprung from a traditional church before heading out on its own, and a place where this part-time pastor uses rented space to [...]

It’s called the Parish Collective – and the idea is to link churches to their geographic boundaries – lifting up the community in the name of Christ. However, these aren’t Roman Catholic, Lutheran, or Episcopal congregations, per se, they’re the collective of Christians in one area who are committed to improving that area. Co-founder Tim [...]

We’re finally moving past CEO pastors and the big business of Christian music as purely entertainment – and into a place of authentically seeking after God, says author and musician Michael Card. Michael still writes and plays music (he’s written 19 #1 singles and sold more than 4 million albums), but has also been doing [...]

At too many churches, trying to get that one Sunday Morning takeaway is like trying to get a drink from a fire hose.  We’re bombarded with so many dissonant messages Dave Ferguson had to develop a way for his flock to focus on one central idea. Ferguson, pastor and founder of the Community Christian mega [...]

What started with a Bible study with another couple quickly snowballed into a megachurch that draws thousands of people to Gateway Church every weekend. What did it? Pastor John Burke says: a deep concentration on meeting people at their place of need. John admits he never planned, nor expected, this faith community go grow as [...]

Ten years ago evangelical Tom Harper joined with Thom Rainer to offer a resource to churches and pastors that would help them build healthy congregations. The result? ChurchCentral.com. Billed as a mega-blog, it consolidates essays, including a very helpful ‘White Papers’ area – and features articles and videos aimed at inspiring church leaders. Tom’s also [...]

The Rev. Dawnn Brumfield’s public battle with her weight (one she’s now currently winning) serves as a metaphor for her greater ministry: one that’s had to start by simply being herself. Brumfield, a progressive, non-denominational church planter, has worked for years in youth ministry, and says that the authenticity she’s needed to connect with young [...]

Co-pastor Kathy Escobar says interactive worship and intergenerational participation is where tomorrow’s church is headed. Her congregation, The Refuge, is an emergent gathering in Denver that’s home to a menagerie of what she calls, “spiritual orphans” that’s experimenting with new ways to live together. Kathy’s convinced that today’s Christians no longer want to go to church, [...]

When a pastor’s devastating moral lapse nearly closed Hill Country Bible Church, the congregation’s elders kept the church afloat – and now, nearly 30 years later, thousands of people are glad they did. Rebuilding trust was the first job the 20-something year old pastor Tim Hawks did – and the congregation responded, growing from 180 [...]

Megachurch pastor Doug Schmidt of Woodside Bible Church in Metro Detroit pioneered a novel way to advance the Gospel: by merging with struggling congregations and investing in them with the intention of turning them loose. It’s not a takeover plan aimed at building a new denomination, rather a way to help declining congregations re-tool and [...]

Billed as an intersection between justice, spirituality, and art – The Wild Goose Festival is poised to make Year Two its best yet. Gareth Higgins has been working on this U.S. version of the epic U.K.  Greenbelt festival that is aimed at helping real people have real conversations about really important topics from which no [...]

While many denominations are busy closing churches, Gary Rohrmayer’s Converge Midamerica is working hard to plant them. Sure, cultural apathy, the advent of secularism, and the Great Recession have slowed things down – but the passion is still there – and is essential as ever to building strong congregations. Rooted in the pietistic heritage of [...]

More than 5,000 U.S. churches are using the Alpha Course to bring people to Christ, and AlphaUSA’s director says many of these churches are seeing significant growth. Gerard Long, an evangelist, author and speaker, heads up AlphaUSA and says that the number of churches using Alpha grew by 29% in 2011. In this interview Gerard [...]

How do you help millions of TV viewers find local churches? Of the 20 million Americans who tune in to Lakewood Church‘s pastor Joel Osteen, Lakewood’s Wendell Burton estimates 10 million of these people do not have a church home. And it’s his job to help them find one. Like him or not, Joel Osteen [...]

It’s clarity, says Will Mancini, founder of Auxano consulting group. Will is a ‘Clarity Evangelist’ whose litany is: ‘Clarity isn’t everything but it changes everything.’ I first heard about Will through his popular Church Unique congregational renewal project that helps churches clarify their purpose and mission. Will is a gifted speaker with a charismatic personality. In [...]

“If you’re over 40,” mega-church pastor Steve Andrews tells his congregation, “your job is to train the next generation of Christians.”  It’s leadership advice like this that’s seen Kensington Church in Troy, MI grow from 40 people to 12,000 in that last two decades. Steve’s heart for the Gospel and for keeping the message relevant [...]

How far in advance do you plan your Sunday services?  Doug Lawrence has been working with churches for 30 years and says a failure to take our worship more seriously, like planning well in advance, is one of the big reasons churches flounder. Doug is a consultant, author and blogger who’s got an extensive resume [...]