VIBRANT Church RenewalS

Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys

Photo: Unsplash.com Is your congregation living in a strange land? My wife is a professor at a public university. In her work, she encounters many different people from many backgrounds. Perhaps surprisingly to some people are often interested in her faith. They want to…

Taking fresh steps
to a God-given,
hope-filled
future!

A Sabbatical for your Church

November 30, 2021
Photo: Unsplash A few years ago, Evergreen Ministries, the congregation I was pastoring, gave me a sabbatical. Over the summer, I enjoyed rest, reflection, and study. The reflection and study

How Your Church Can Grow Younger

November 16, 2021
Growing a Younger Congregation Working with congregations in renewal, I often hear a central goal of the congregation is to draw in young families. The idea is to move from

Who’s at the Table

September 30, 2021
The Last Supper. We scan the faces at the table seeing the 12 disciples and Jesus. But who’s really at the table? Fishermen who are considered the middle class of

Four Books that Tell a Complex History

September 30, 2021
David Brooks used a phrase on PBS NewsHour that caught my attention. He spoke of the “complexifying of U.S. history.” The idea is simple: U.S. history is more complex than

Easter More Than Our Resurrection

April 4, 2021
Easter is the wonderful good news of Jesus’ resurrection and the promise of the resurrection to eternal life for all who believe in him. But hidden from view is a

Sign Me Up To Lose More

April 3, 2021
Congregations long to get back to February 2020, but a recent Gallup poll (U.S. Congregations) shows that 2020 is the end of a significant 20-year decline in church membership. To