An unlikely post on X went viral last week when Elmo posted: “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” The simple question from Sesame Street’s lovable red Muppet quickly received almost 20,000 replies. People …
Reading for Renewal
I am always a little intimidated in conversations about how many books one reads in a year. I love to read but I tend to read a bit slower than most people, so the volume …
Can AI Really Help Accelerate Church Renewal Work?
In our 2024 Survival Guide, we noted that artificial intelligence (AI) will go mainstream this year. It’s already being woven into existing products by Google, Microsoft, Adobe, Canva, and many others. The technology will be hard …
A New Generation Becomes the Core
As we mentioned in last week’s newsletter, our 2024 Survival Guide, a new generation is taking the reins in our churches. The shift is happening whether we’re ready or not — so we might as well be …
2024 Survival Guide
Where will the path lead this year? In last week’s newsletter, Keith Doornbos highlighted eight emerging trends in the field of church renewal. This week, I want to offer several of my own predictions for 2024, along with …
Church Renewal Trends in 2024
Happy New Year! Last week, we looked back on the biggest “fresh ideas” of 2023. Now, as we enter into 2024, we would like to look forward toward emerging trends in the new year. Below are several …
The Crisis of Comfort in Our Churches
Michigan winters can be brutal. Some days it never gets above freezing. Worse still, the sun doesn’t come up until after 8:00, and it will remain hidden by clouds most of the day. I have a …
Searching for Silver Bullets
The Lone Ranger shot silver bullets. Those bullets symbolized purity against the corruption of evil. The “silver bullet” has taken on an expanded meaning in our culture. It now symbolizes the perfect answer to our …
The Gravitational Force of Gratitude
Gratitude has a gravitational effect, pulling church renewal efforts along when nothing else seems to work. Earlier, when I wrote about the “Physics of Church Renewal,” I listed several principles church leaders can leverage to get …
Anything but Thankful (Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea)
Have you ever found yourself between the devil and the deep blue sea? The Israelites certainly did, quite literally. A day that should have been filled with celebration at God’s miraculous deliverance from slavery in …