Generational differences and frustrations have been a part of life since the beginning of time. Every generation is different. Each generation develops their own culture and their own worldview. In the church, each generation sees things through the lenses of their specific cultural influences. For example, older generations may tend to be more…
Nobody is very fond of changes. It is often said that the seven last word of a dying church are: “We’ve never done it that way before.” Personally, I am not fond of change either. I like things being a certain way and sticking with it. I do not enjoy making changes in my life…
Our local association newsletter had a section recently that listed six secrets of a turnaround church. Thom Rainer, president of Lifeway Christian Resources, conducted a survey of churches that were in decline and experienced a great turnaround. From that survey these six things were evident in every church that made a turnaround: They became highly…
Questions abound as to why churches across America are in decline. Many have suggested that the church is not relevant enough to today’s society. As a result we do see young people leaving the traditional church and flocking to the emerging church movement. We have mistakenly attributed this to things such worship styles, attire, and…
There are many thoughts and ideas concerning what makes a healthy church. It is important that the church seeks sustained health rather than extreme growth spurts. Let me explain. Considering numbers is important. The main reason to consider numbers is that every number represents a soul. Therefore, it is important to work to increase the…
Recently I spent some time listening to a message from John MacArthur that he preached back in 1983. The message was a part of a series that he preached on the anatomy of the church. In that first message, he mentioned 5 things that the church must be committed to. I agree wholeheartedly with MacArthur’s…
We all struggle with various things in our lives. However, there is one struggle that we all have in common and that is the struggle with ourselves. We find it very difficult to discipline ourselves and to be fully committed. We struggle with the day to day motions of life. We get frustrated, complacent, dissatisfied,…
The Bible clearly teaches us the importance of church attendance. There are many principles given to us in scripture that shows us the need to gather together with other believers for worship. There are several reasons as to why we should go to church; however, there are two reasons that I would like to focus…
I have decided to write a blog series on the importance of attending church. To begin with, I would like to share some quotes on a more lighter note regarding church attendance. I hope these will be an encouragement to you. Some will convict you and some will bring tears and others will make you…
Pastor Chris Noland 