Greeting Well or Not at All There are three opportunities for a church to interact with visitors: before, during, and after the service. Some churches failed at each occasion and only a few excelled at all three—though every church should. Pre-Church Greeting First, greeting people before the service is critical, as it’s the first impression […]
Help Feed Those Who Are in Need The Old Testament law of Moses commands multiple tithes, not just one. The one in today’s passage is a triennial tithe—every third year. The purpose of this one is to help feed the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless, and the widows. Giving this tithe to the Levites suggest […]
Before 52 Churches, we visited a Messianic Jewish church: Jews who believe in Jesus as their Jewish savior, mixing Jewish tradition with Christian faith. They met on Saturday nights. The service involved a time of worship and a time of teaching. They concluded with a shared meal. Most of the service was in English, but […]
Candy and I live in a homogenous area of mostly white, middle-class families residing in a suburban setting, sitting on the edge of rural. Our community has minimal diversity and our area churches, even less. Most of my life I’ve lived in settings with people like me. Our current home is like our others. The […]
Someone once quipped, “There are more books about emergent churches than there are emergent churches.” That seems like hyperbole, but my experience confirms it. I’ve read several books about the emergent church, but I’ve never actually been to one. Tonight’s experience may change that, but I’m not sure. My wife, Candy, and I have an […]
Experiencing a Traditional Service and a Contemporary One Today we’ll enjoy two services, another doubleheader: a traditional service followed by a contemporary one. Consider these four discussion questions about Church #45: 1. As we wander inside, several people acknowledge our presence, thanking us for visiting. But beyond that no one says anything more, so we […]
With Sunday falling between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I have low expectations for their year end service. Consider these four discussion questions about Church #39: 1. Yet inside, friendly faces and hearty handshakes greet us. People acknowledge us as first-timers, without fawning over us. How can you better embrace newcomers without making them uncomfortable? […]
The church meets in a middle school’s all-purpose room. Large portable signs direct us to the entrance. We enjoy a refreshing church service. Consider these four discussion questions about Church #38: 1. People mill about: talking, sipping coffee, or munching snacks. They represent all age groups, with many kids. Younger people are the future of […]
Discover When Our Ancestors Starting Eating Meat Adam was a vegetarian—really, he was. So were Eve and their kids too. In fact, the next several generations likely avoided meat was well. They all had a vegetarian lifestyle. How do I know this? After creation, God told Adam and Eve that they could eat any plant […]
Discussing Church 33 Even though this church is only nine miles from our house, the contrast between their lives and mine is stark. These people live in poverty. And their shepherd cares for his flock. Consider these four discussion questions about Church #33: 1. We struggle to sing hymns. The organist learned to play because […]