One of the greatest impacts of COVID-19 is the disruption of interpersonal communication—which is the heartbeat of all gospel-centered churches. Indeed, communication is the engine underlying every ministry’s strategy at Faith Family Church. Over time, limited interpersonal interactions will erod...
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As badly as I would like a return to our previous “normal,” I’m beginning to think a “new normal” is inevitable. Will crowded venues and salad bars become a thing of the past? Will hesitant hugs and awkward handshakes persist? More importantly, will Sunday mornings ever be the same?
The Barna ...
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While many churches have adjusted quickly during the pandemic, the effects have sadly taken a toll on many of those in smaller, rural communities. I recently spoke with Larry Steen, the Director of Missions for the Mid-Maryland Baptist Association, who mentioned that many of these churches have e...
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I got married on a Friday afternoon and was in church on Sunday morning. In fact, we even went back for the Sunday evening service…on our honeymoon! I’m not sure if that was just old school or stupidity, but I’d like to think it was neither. Rather, we attended church on our honeymoon because we...
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In a New York Times article, Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant reported that women who speak out in professional settings are “walking a tightrope.” According to their research, when a woman speaks, “Either she’s barely heard, or she’s judged as too aggressive. When a man says virtually the same thi...
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In a recent article in Christianity Today, Griffin Paul Jackson states that the largest mission field in Europe is made up of those who “call themselves Christians but exhibit few, if any, signs of faith.” They are what we call “nominal Christians,” whose faith doesn’t go beyond being identified ...
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Not to beat a dead horse, but allow me to put an exclamation point on my sermon this past Sunday on sexual sin. Frankly, it’s more like a wild horse, since sexual immorality continues to be a struggle for millions of those who name the name of Christ.
I’m preaching through Ephesians, and in th...
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In a recent World Magazine interview, Jeff Meyers, president of Summit Ministries (which trains Christian students to think and act biblically) provided generational guidance for those in positions of leadership. Meyers explained that the younger generation has “trigger warnings” because they’re ...
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My sermon last Sunday was on Christian unity. Ephesians 4 begins the second major section of Paul’s letter where he applies the great theological truths expounded in the first 3 chapters. This is typical Pauline style; doctrine before duty. He’s saying that considering God’s sovereign work of g...
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It should come as no surprise that, as society becomes increasingly secular, church affiliation continues to decline. What may be surprising, however, is how people are now filling the life space that used to be reserved for God and his church. A New York Times piece by Mark Oppenheimer reveals t...
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