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Breaking the Evangelical Mold at an Austin Church

“Keep Austin Weird,” the local slogan goes. And the approach to coffee is just one unusual feature of this rule-breaking church in the notably alternative Texas capital. (NYT)

It Matters Who You Hang Out With

Pastors who are regularly involved in a peer group 1) are more likely to promote a "culture of involvement" that actively assimilates newcomers and involves members in leadership, 2) have more active youth programs and activities, and 3) are more involved in community service and positive community change. (Leadership Network)

The Chios Rocket War, Where Two Greek Churches Fight With Rockets

Since the 19th century, a pair of rival parishes on the Greek island of Chios have celebrated Easter not with bunnies or eggs, but by launching thousands of flaming projectiles at each other's churches while congregants celebrate Mass inside. (Slate)

Breaking up is hard to do, especially if it's with your church

Whether you’re talking to someone who’s searching for a church, committing to a church or leaving one, the conversation sounds a lot like a love story. In many ways, it is. (AL.com)

Click 'Pray' to Pray: How Evangelical Megapastor Joel Osteen Is Saving Souls With Facebook

Increasingly, the road to Damascus is a hyperlink and the Epistle is a tweet. (HuffPo)

Why Do We Hate the Suburbs?

Here are a few of the most prominent Christian objections to living in the suburbs. How many of them hold up to even a slight bit of scrutiny? (Mere O)

Pastor leaves his flock and a failed expansion project behind him

At first glance, it seems like a tragic but familiar tale of a church getting too ambitious, growing faster than it ought. But Douglas Lay, a former pastor at the church, is among those who tell a different story. (Post-Dispatch)

Discovery Church pastor resigns after admitting to affair

David Loveless is the third pastor of a major Orlando-area church to resign within the past six months because of an affair (The Orlando Sentinel)

For some Baptists, the name of the church is hindrance to saving souls

A growing number of Southern Baptist congregations around the country are quietly moving away from their denomination’s historic namesake — worried that it conjured up images of pipe organs, narrow-mindedness or stuffy, formal services. (The Miami Herald)

Why Going to Church Is Good for You

Going to church is good for your health. The exact reasons are unclear, but there are several likely explanations (T. M. Luhrmann, The New York Times)

Denominations

Free Church in plea over 'Wee Frees' nickname

Calling the Free Church of Scotland "Wee Frees" is outdated and offensive, its moderator has said (BBC)

Assemblies of God tends to a rapidly growing flock

The Assemblies of God is the fastest-growing religious body in Minnesota at a time when other Protestant groups are shrinking. (Star Tribune)

Seven in 10 Americans Are Very or Moderately Religious

But Protestant population is shrinking as "unbranded" religion grows. (Gallup)

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Catholicism

Church wine runs low in latest Venezuelan shortage

"We're asking the priests and bishops to ration wine and look for alternatives during this emergency," said Jose Antonio Da Conceicao, a national church official (Reuters)

Pope Upholds Reprimand of Nuns’ Group

Pope Francis reaffirmed a plan to have three bishops supervise an overhaul of the nation’s largest umbrella group of American nuns.

Paving Way For John Paul II Sainthood, Vatican Doctors Proclaim Second Miracle

Canonization could occur as early as October. (La Stampa via WorldCrunch)

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Megachurches

Church Makes a Community Splash, Literally

Harvest Church's Oasis Water Park has a heated pool, wave generator, several play areas and a variety of slides (Leadership Network)

Multisite Church: Come-and-Get or Come-and-Give?

If there is a classification of church that gets put down more than megachurches, it would have to be multisite churches. Is the critique fair? Sometimes. But not always. (EdStetzer.com)

Phoenix-area mega-churches draw crowds

Every weekend, 20 percent of the Valley’s churchgoing residents head for one of the area’s 32 mega-churches. Two of every 10 churchgoers may not seem like a lot, but consider that the 32 mega-churches are just a tiny fraction of all the religious congregations in the Valley. (Arizona Republic)

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Church Unity

Conservative reach

Conservative Anabaptists from across North America gathered for the first time at a ministry conference a month ago in a meeting seen by some as an indication of growing unity. (MWR)

UMC launches new ecumenical, interfaith office

On any given Sunday, more Christians are attending worship services in China than in the United States or Europe. That is one indicator of the challenges presented by a changing world of ecumenism as the United Methodist Church reorganizes how it addresses issues of Christian unity and relationships with other faiths. (UM Reporter)