Jennifer GrishamWhen it comes to church volunteer training, you might say, as Dickens once wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . ” Having helped lead volunteer teams for hospitality, care groups, women’s ministry, events, finance, and...
Some years ago, Carl Trueman asked a question churches today are reckoning with: What can miserable Christians sing? In the midst of a pandemic, people in your services are likely struggling with fear, anxiety, grief, and uncertainty. We can’t know...
We were in the middle of a care group gathering at church. People would share some of their deepest struggles, and then, inevitably, a leader in training would derail the conversation with unhelpful questions. It’s not uncommon. We often tap people...
When God established the feasts in the Old Testament, he set milestones to remind his people about who he was and how he had rescued them (over and over). While many Christians no longer celebrate the feasts, there are still plenty of places on our...
Are you intrigued by the term “digital literacy”? I was—and I didn’t know it was a thing until I started researching for this article. If you’re curious like I was, digital literacy refers to learning how to use technology responsibly in various...
During this Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the ways women have contributed to the theology and ministry of the Church. Women’s contributions have been essential to the Church’s growth for the past 2,000 years, and that’s not changing...
When we look back on Church history, we see lots of familiar names and stories, like the revolutionary time Martin Luther read Romans or Jonathan Edwards preached his most famous sermon. So many stories like these have been passed down for...
How are you discipling families in your church? You may not have a formal family ministry, but having some sort of discipleship plan for parents and children isn’t optional. In days like these, where churches, schools, and kids’ extracurricular...
Put on your festal robes—the newest version of Logos Bible Software has arrived! Logos 9 is here with all-new features and resources to take the busywork out of your ministry. Watch the trailer to see what’s new! There’s a lot we think you’ll love...
Building a healthy online church community is a creative way to help people obey the “one another’s” of Scripture—particularly when face-to-face ministry isn’t an option (whether it’s because of illness, distance, or anything else). At its...
A few years ago, I wrote a few segments for a popular Bible study. I loved every little bit of the research and thinking and writing, but I was relying on a stack of books about half my height (which isn’t saying much—I’m not a tall...
The world can be a scary place. From wars to epidemics to natural disasters, we often have good reasons to be afraid. But Scripture reminds us that we have even better reasons to trust God. These 14 Bible verses about fear help us remember that God...
We’ve all taken photos of our Bible and a coffee mug—I know I have. But most of the time, I’m left wondering why my photo is missing the wow factor of other images. My image: A Faithlife Media image: In this short video brought to you by Faithlife...
Who wants to spend more time in prayer next year? (My guess is that’s everyone.) Prayer is one of those few things you can do with excellence the first time you do it—and you can still get better at it. But becoming better at prayer is an exercise...
These days are hectic and divisive—and while it can feel as if the chasms between each of us are deepening, recent films about Mister Rogers’ life are helping us remember our shared humanity. I recently went to a screening of A Beautiful Day in the...
Church advertising? Isn’t that a bit . . . commercial? I felt that way when I first started using Facebook ads for my church. But then I saw who was liking my church’s ad. Far from the usual suspects, dozens of people I’d never seen at our church...
The songs we sing at Christmas are some of the richest, most special in the church’s history. But even the best songs can get overplayed. Here are a few modern Christmas songs you can add to the mix for some variety this year. “He Shall Reign...