“Potential members should understand what membership means before they make a commitment to the congregation. Churches without a membership class are essentially inviting members to join with no expectations. Little zeal toward the church – mediocrity, that is – is often the result.”   I suspect this post may offend someone, but that’s not my... Continue Reading

Among LifeWay’s findings: About half of Americans view denominational names favorably, while the other half feel either negatively or indifferently. “It would depend on who you’re trying to reach,” said Scott McConnell, vice president of LifeWay Research. “But some denominational groups have as much ‘brand equity’ as nondenominational churches, which have been growing the fastest.”... Continue Reading

“We believe that TEC’s task force has failed to do justice to this necessary task, their proposed canonical revisions being a sweeping and unjustified redefinition of the Christian doctrine of marriage at odds with received biblical teaching. Such a redefinition would obscure the nature of marriage as a mysterious icon of the union between “Christ... Continue Reading

A personal resolution on civil rights was presented to the 43rd PCA General Assembly and referred to the Overtures Committee (OC). After a lengthy debate, the OC recommended unanimously to the General Assembly that the personal resolution be referred to the 44th General Assembly that will meet in Mobile, Ala., June 21-24, 2016. The recommendation... Continue Reading

A theologically lazy and methodologically consumeristic/sensationalistic approach to the sacraments. The rise of the “scoreboard” approach to attendance reporting, some of the extreme examples of spontaneous baptism services, the neglect of the Lord’s Supper or the abuse of it through fancifulness with the elements or lack of clear directives in presenting it—these are all the... Continue Reading

At its opening session on Tuesday, June 9, 2015, the 43rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America elected Ruling Elder Jim Wert as Moderator. The PCA General Assembly is holding its annual meeting in the Chattanooga Convention Center in Chattanooga, Tenn., through June 12. Wert is a ruling elder in the Intown Presbyterian... Continue Reading

Those who promote rigorous church discipline say they have history on their side. And they are at least partially correct. But when Christians speak of church discipline today, they may not be referring to the practices of yore. Even the most stringent adherent would not condone behaviors reminiscent of American witch hunts or the Spanish... Continue Reading

“Hilary Cotton, chair of Women And The Church (Watch), the group which led the campaign for female bishops, said the shift away from the traditional patriarchal language of the Book of Common Prayer in already at an “advanced” stage in some quarters.”   Support is growing within the Church of England to rewrite its official... Continue Reading

It’s a tricky line to walk. Naming your denomination may come across as more “rigid” or “old-fashioned,” but leaving the name out can appear sneaky or unstable, according to a 2013 Grey Matter Research study. Either way, a church’s name isn’t going to drastically change the way the public perceives it, according to a new... Continue Reading

If by “I am a gay man” you mean that you struggle with same-sex attraction, recognizing any sexual activity outside of a covenant marriage between a man and a woman is sinful and that you desire Christian discipleship to walk in line with the Gospel as you struggle with this temptation, then we would rejoice... Continue Reading