Relationships

October 4, 2019

Weaving a Life Together as ONE: Which Side (Bible or Post-Christian) Goes Deeper?

When both parties pursue the altruistic-good of the other in an attempt to reach deeper mental, emotional, and spiritual unity, happiness and fulfillment will mark the marriage relationship.
September 27, 2019

As Long as We Both Shall LIVE vs. As Long as We Both Shall LOVE: Where’s the Benefit?

With sustained, life-long commitment, not only do personal lives possess the potential for realized emotional and psychological contentment, but also children and communities stand to benefit from it as well.
August 1, 2019

Saving and Preparing Ourselves vs. Co-Habitation: Which One Works Best?

A past and present generation has found many times that co-habitation has failed in producing what they desired—intimacy. A future generation needs, even wants role models that will show them the value of lasting, relational oneness.
July 26, 2019

Marriage: The Bible’s Portrait or the Post-Christian Culture’s Depiction?

The time is right to compare and to contrast how our post-Christian culture seeks to derive meaning and value from marriage, and how the Bible portrays it for the welfare and happiness of human life and culture.
May 8, 2019

Why Fewer People Belong to Church: 8: Silo-ing

Salt and light were meant to be spread, not hidden or siloed from the rest of the world.
April 25, 2019

Why Fewer People Belong to Church: 6. ABUSE

Jesus told Peter, “Do you love me? Then feed my sheep.” In our day, part of that “feeding” necessitates cleansing and bandaging the wounds that many of God’s people have received from the butchering and abuse of harassment from within the church.
March 21, 2019

Why Fewer People Belong to Church: 2. Disinterest

People looking for a church found that the congregatons they visited failed to engage them in meaningful ways.
March 14, 2019

Why Fewer People Belong to Church Today: 1. Disassociation

What areas of opportunity or need exists within a five-mile radius of your church campus?
November 1, 2018

Is There Hope and a Future for Gen Z Youth with the Church?

Today we conclude our series of blogs on Gen Z culture (those born 1998-2015), asking this central question: based on all the emerging research on this new youth generation, will the church be able to reach them?  Twenty or more years from now when they are adults, bringing children into the world (if Jesus tarries), will the church be there or extinct?  Is there a hope and a future for them and the church? Using research from the Barna Group and Impact 360 Institute (their book, Gen Z, 103-106), we find that in some ways the church possesses opportunities to […]
September 20, 2018

Gen Z, Church preferences, and influence: What turns them on and off

In our continuing series of blogs highlighting the characteristics of the new youth culture, Gen Z (those born from 1998-2015), we have previously outlined their views on identity, self-fulfillment, gender, worldview, and life goals.  Today, we’re going to peek at how they view the church and their participation in it.  What makes this striking is that their image of an exemplary church differs significantly from what is often seen in our world today, and ministry leaders and pastors better take notice of it. Using the excellent resources from Impact 360 Institute (the book Gen Z) and the Barna Group (their […]