Winter 2009

Now is the time to consider the vital role of pastoral ministry to families facing hard times.

What do people learn from you about the Christian life? Sometimes it’s what you never intended to teach.

Pastoral teams are still trying to bridge the generation gap.

Combining liturgy and postmodern culture leads to fresh forms of worships in the U.K.

The most important things may be the easiest to overlook.

Worship trends among the young are more complicated than you realize.

What the church can learn from a “burned-out hippie” commune.

Stop trying to look good, and do the dirty work beneath the surface.

It’s more common than many churches realize, and creating a safe environment is critical.

Three churches find new meaning in old ways.

A Q&A on discipleship, preaching, and pain.

Follow Me, the sequel to Willow Creek’s REVEAL.

How high should expectations be for choir and worship team members?

One large church is learning how to grow a core of disciples amid the crowd of attenders.

Will the church rise up as a voice of reason in a culture addicted to spending?

Maintaining a spiritual life amid war, famine, and plague is what made Gregory the Great.

Leadership book review of Mixed Ministry: Working Together as Brothers and Sisters in an Oversexed Society.

Biblical worship combines tradition and innovation, planning and spontaneity.

Churches are discovering that advertising on Google can be effective and inexpensive.

Ancient practices help us stop merely studying the Bible, and start listening to it.

Can an over-emphasis on Bible study actually hurt a group?

These young musicians are committed to writing modern hymns with timeless truths everyone can sing.

Churches stepped up after Katrina and Ike. Now we’re facing an economic hurricane.

The Holy Spirit’s power can’t be forced, but it can be fanned into flame.

Reclaiming the lost art of blessing.

Seeking God’s blessing for a pluralistic, conflicted, and divided nation.