How to Encourage Youth to Participate in Church

By Guest Writer Riley Jarman

One challenge facing the church today is a decrease in youth participation in church activities. A recent survey found that in Protestant worship alone, up to two-thirds of young people aged eighteen to twenty-two stopped going to church. Nearly all the respondents cited life changes like starting college or work […]

Why Churches Don’t Change

When a young man came to Jesus seeking eternal life, he was told what he needed to do to change. Remember how he reacted? He walked away sad. Jesus then responded to the crowd that had gathered, “And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye […]

Time for Kids

With kids going back to school, now is a great time to think about reaching kids with the gospel of Christ by attracting them to your children’s ministry. I have long believed that attracting young families can be crucial to your church’s growth. I even dedicated a chapter of my new book Church Turnaround […]

Hero of Faith

I’ve always been a movie buff and I am a big fan of those Steven Spielberg directed, Indiana Jones movies. My favorite one is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In it the Harrison Ford character is in pursuit of the Holy Grail, the cup Jesus used at the Last Supper.

Near the end of […]

Enlarge My Territory

I have a plaque on a wall in my office that I look at often for inspiration. On it there are two verses that can be easily missed from one of the least-read books of the Bible, 1 Chronicles.

“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez,saying, “I gave birth […]

Three Key Characteristics of Effective Leaders

One of the greatest needs in the church today is effective leadership and I want to share three key principles that I’ve found formational in my own life.

What qualifies me to write on this subject? Fifty plus years of leadership learning and experience (My nickname in high school was “The General” when I […]

Preach Patriotism

On July 4th 2022, the United States of America will be 246 years old.  In relationship with many other countries like Egypt, China, or Greece, America the republic, this experiment in liberty, is very young and yet we stand tall among the nations of the world. We continue to stand because of the principles […]

Get Un-Stuck

When I was growing a healthy effective church, I would often seek out advice from other successful churches to see what they were doing to grow. One of those churches was North Coast Church in Vista California, a suburb of San Diego. The senior pastor is Larry Osborne, and he has positively influenced me […]

Celebrate Fathers Day

Father’s Day will probably never achieve the popularity or social significance of Mother’s Day, but as church we can celebrate the men who are called to be the Spiritual leaders of their homes.

Use this holiday to remind fathers of their crucial roles in creating and sustaining a spiritually healthy environment for their children. Here […]