Analysts and church growth experts say the North American church is in decline and “in a state of lethargy.” The signs are everywhere: a steady decline in church membership, especially among mainline denominations, a striking increase in the percentage of Americans who do not attend church, and a decrease in the numbers of young adults … Continue reading Reflections on Spiritual Maturity
Church Ministry
God’s Spiritual Roadmap
God has two primary goals for us, and both of them start with the gospel. According to the apostle Paul, the gospel is the power of God for salvation (Rom. 1:16). In practice, the power of God in the gospel accomplishes two things: 1) The gospel is the message of salvation from sin through Christ’s … Continue reading God’s Spiritual Roadmap
Ron’s Five Immutable Laws of the Christian Faith
There is an awful lot of thought and talk and hand-wringing today about what's wrong with our churches and why church attendance is in decline in America. In my view many of these discussions are focused on the wrong things. So in an attempt to bring something meaningful to the discussion, I've distilled much of … Continue reading Ron’s Five Immutable Laws of the Christian Faith
The Road Back to Church – The Relentless Power of Grace
When I eventually left the Hermitage Church of Christ to move to Texas to go to preaching school, the congregation threw me a party. Along with his family, Sperry Hogue, the minister at the church, put together a video in which they went around and talked to almost everyone at the church and gave them … Continue reading The Road Back to Church – The Relentless Power of Grace
The Road Back to Church – Old Life/New Life
In 1987 I packed up my little blue Volkswagen Rabbit with my meager worldly possessions and moved to Montana. Well, I spent the summer in Washington state first. I’d been granted a small stipend through the Student Conservation Association to work on a U.S. Forest Service trail maintenance crew in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest … Continue reading The Road Back to Church – Old Life/New Life
The Road Back to Church – Growing Up Methodist
I’m told that my maternal grandfather, Joseph Archibald Walters (1885-1956), was a godly and gentle man. I never knew him, as he passed away eight years before I was born. But the stories my mother told me about him always made him sound like the kind of man I would have liked. Grandpa was a … Continue reading The Road Back to Church – Growing Up Methodist
The Road Back to Church – First Steps
Confession Time: For the last 10 years or so now I’ve been working through some issues related to my experience of church. In the process, I’ve also been working through some issues related to personality, identity, family-of-origin, and calling. All of that has kind of come to head in the last few years, during which … Continue reading The Road Back to Church – First Steps
Why I Failed in Church Ministry
I had a conversation yesterday with a few of my co-workers as we drove back from a meeting in Denton. We were talking about leadership and dealing with difficult people and I found myself once again thinking back to my days in full-time church ministry. I’ve not worked in full-time church ministry for six years … Continue reading Why I Failed in Church Ministry
