Faithlife StaffFinding the right Black Friday deals can be like spotting the last can of cranberry sauce at the back of the shelf on the day before Thanksgiving—pretty sweet! And “wandering the aisles” online is much more fun than playing grocery-cart bumper cars...
These deals are so good, they won’t stay around long! Add these new favorites to your library before the bargains disappear, or view all of this week’s deals. *** Delights and Disciplines of Bible Study: A Guidebook for Studying God’s Word Dr...
Christmas! It’s one of the best times of the year—especially for church outreach. And this year, that outreach may be even more important than ever. Many churches are shrinking. Carey Nieuwhof reports that “anecdotally, most churches find themselves...
Today through December 1, you can save up to 91% off Christian ebooks, audiobooks, and courses in Faithlife’s Black Friday sale. Here’s a highlight of five great options included: The Doctrines of Grace: Rediscovering the Evangelical Gospel ($4.99)...
Across the United States, Giving Tuesday will be celebrated on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The day kicks off the giving season, offering a counterbalance to the materialism of Black Friday shopping. Although Giving Tuesday focuses on...
Why do we sing or pray the Psalms? What happens spiritually when we use the Psalms the way the ancient Israelites did? Those are the first questions answered in this month’s free book—The Psalter Reclaimed: Praying and Singing with the Psalms...
When the busyness of the Christmas season arrives, it’s easy to lose our focus on the importance of Christ’s coming. How can we better celebrate and share him with others during such a frantic time of year? One easy way to reflect more on Jesus’...
It takes hours to prepare a sermon—then it’s preached in less than one. And in a few days, even the most intent listeners won’t remember what they learned. How can you help make sure your sermons have a chance at being remembered and, more...
How do you build a church website that attracts visitors? Increase biblical literacy? Train new church leaders? Find answers to questions like these inside Faithlife’s free ministry resources library right here. Download guides, watch webinars, read...
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” Even if it doesn’t get crisp where you live, your church can create that feeling at your fall festival or trunk or treat—and put a fresh start to your outreach...
Scrolling endlessly through photos is only fun when it’s by choice (oh hello, vacation albums). When you’re trying to find media for your church presentations, it’s just frustrating. And if you serve in a bilingual church where you need to create...
Quick, list everything you know about angels! If you’re thinking about bells, harps, and wings, your idea of angels might be more informed by Christmas movies than the Bible. That’s what Dr. Michael S. Heiser is trying to correct in Angels—now...
By Jennifer Grisham and Mary Jahnke Every month, the dreaded day arrived—the church credit card bill came in the mail, full of charges for church software. It’s not that we were too spendy. We were actually quite frugal! But our credit card...
Toy theft and pursuant wails in living rooms and church nurseries make it ear-splittingly obvious: taking is instinctual. Learning to give? That takes effort, but it’s a critical step in helping kids understand stewardship. We asked pastors...
Social media for churches is about relationships. And just like any relationship, a little goes a long way—as long as the little is consistent.
There’s no doubt about it: small churches can have massive impact. And church tech? It can help that reach extend even further. Find out how in Faithlife’s new guide, Adapt or Dwindle: Futureproof Your Small Church. The excerpt below answers “Why...
Church software can be like the brand-new volunteer trying to help out in an area where they’re not gifted. They get the work partway done, but you have to come behind to pick up the slack, correct errors, and finish the job. Or it can be like the...
To see some excellent examples of how you don’t have to be an efficiency expert to suddenly start getting more done in less time, watch this event from Faithlife. In around 30 minutes, find out how you can save steps with your church presentations...
Family devotion time: sweet memories or absolute mayhem? For most families, it’s a little bit of both. We asked readers over social media—plus a few colleagues at Faithlife—to describe their family devotions and how they make the time meaningful and...
In 2020, churches accomplished many feats for the first time. For 24% of churches we surveyed, that included implementing online giving. Yet a somewhat surprising 38% of churches said cash or checks still had the biggest positive impact on church...
Hands down, one of the toughest things Faithlife had to do this year was select a winner for the Pastor Pod. Contest submissions left us teary-eyed, prayerful, and more grateful than ever for pastors and the enormous work they do so selflessly...
An old saying goes, “A day hemmed in prayer is less likely to come unraveled.” And even though that’s true, Christians still need encouragement to pray. Here are nine sermon illustrations on prayer to help provide it. 1. How God listens From 300...
Church volunteers are worth their weight in gold. How many Christmas programs, weeks of VBS, and successful church events have been pulled off only because of God’s grace and volunteers’ elbow grease? Too many to count! Cheerful, willing church...
Scriptures touch hearts and change lives in every area, even the touchy subject of money—specifically, tithes and offerings. So are you using Scriptures about giving in your church services? There’s no better (and quicker) way to show people why...
Great documentaries are like great stories. They capture your attention and leave you with something new—a new fact, a new image, a new appreciation or perspective. Great Christian documentaries do the same thing, and they can make a mark on your...
Pastors are people, too. It’s such a basic, “Of course!” truth, yet it so easily slips from Christians’ minds. Like “Dad” or “Mom,” a pastor’s position becomes their name. So even as the world is more and more abuzz with talk of mental health...
By Andre Kazadayev and Derek Fekkes Do you want your worship team to love serving with you? Here’s one big thing to pay attention to—rehearsals. Since a worship team spends so much time rehearsing, how your worship band, A/V team, and vocalists feel...
In January 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation was declared. This legal document said that all slaves were now free. But in Texas, someone kept it a secret. They didn’t tell us that we were free. So for a couple of years after the Emancipation...
Want stronger faith, bolstered biblical literacy, and closer community in your church? Digital discipleship can help! As churches have moved to more online tools for community building, mobile giving, and live streaming, church leaders are talking...
Is there a difference between a group vs. team? According to Justin Irving, the answer is yes—and it’s important for churches to know. In the following excerpt adapted from Leading Teams and Groups in Ministry, an 11-hour course from Logos...