Seminary and Ordination are Keeping U.S. Christianity from Thriving

Recently I’m running into a lot of writers who are asking the question “If we all serve the same God, why is Christianity growing all over the world except Europe and the U.S.?” I find that am important question. The problem is most of the answers I’m seeing deal with fringe issues and don’t […]

Dinosaurs to Rabbits: Turning Mainline Decline to a Multiplication Movement

Mainline churches are at a crossroads – either they wake up to the major trend of our time or they will continue to be irrelevant or, worse yet, go out of existence.

What trend am I talking about? I’m talking about multiplication. Instead of struggling to stay afloat mainline church leaders should learn how to […]

Two Sides of the Same Coin

It seems as if politics are taking center stage in a lot of Facebook conversations. And many of the conversations inevitably turn to social justice. In fact if you read the online publications of most denominations you will find them filled with social justice projects.

Recently I’ve been involved in a couple of conversations online […]

Funeral of Billy Graham: And Why Churches are Dying

Just finished watching the funeral of Billy Graham. It was a simple yet glorious send off that focused on Jesus not Billy.

And it reminded me of why so many of our churches are dying.

Franklin Graham gave the closing eulogy. Over and over he issued an invitation for people to accept Jesus as their savior, […]

Something Wonderful Is Happening

Something wonderful has happened in the last decade, something we haven’t ever seen happen in the U.S. and I’m not talking about Mr. Wonderful. I’m talking about something so wonderful that is makes me wish I were twenty again so I could have more of a part in it – something that I have […]

From Horses to the Moon: Something to Think About

I want you to think about the title to this blog post and ask yourself, “What has this to do with religion?” Here are my thoughts.

In less than 100 years the U.S. has gone from riding on horses to putting a man on the moon.  That’s incredible progress; it’s also a demonstration of how […]

The Basic Law of Congregational Life

Over the past twenty-five years I’ve worked with almost seven hundred churches of all sizes and locations. Most in the U.S. but some in Canada, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, and Ghana. And one overarching truth has emerged from my experiences in these churches – I call this truth  The Basic Law of Congregational Life. […]

Where I Am In Life and the Most Important Lesson I’ve Learned

Several friends have emailed me recently about my station in life and what my plans are for the future. Those who know me well know my health is fair for a 78 year old and that I’m finding it hard to sit on planes for very long (I’ve only been on a plane three […]

The Number One Problem with Western Christianity: McGavran and Disciple Making

We all know 85% of churches in the West are in decline, so I wont go into that other than to say I know the cause for this decline. The number one problem with Western Christianity rests on its misunderstanding of the Church Growth movement and the liberalization of the Western Church. Let me […]