Chuck Lawless Archives - The Baptist Paper

First person: Evangelism reminders for 2026

January 2, 2026

I’m a professor of evangelism and missions, but I still need reminders that I must intentionally choose to lead the way in doing evangelism. As

First person: Is your church ready for its Christmas Eve service?

December 16, 2025

Because questions about a Christmas Eve service come up every year, here are my thoughts to consider if your church is planning a Christmas Eve service this year.

First person: Why I’m not a fan of longer sermons

December 7, 2025

Okay, I admit my subjectivity here. And, I realize some (if not many) readers will disagree with me.

First person: 15 ‘surprising’ goals to set for 2026

December 4, 2025

You might be already thinking about goals for the upcoming new year even though we’re a few weeks away from 2026, and I assume that some of those goals are related to your spiritual walk.

First person: Why some pastors aren’t ready to lead church revitalization

October 27, 2025

I believe in church planting, and I also believe in church revitalization. We need to do both if we want to reach North America. I’m

First person: Reasons preacher’s kids strayed

September 6, 2025

When I’ve asked preacher’s kids why they think they struggled, here are some of the reasons they’ve told me…

First person: Why the foyer of a church matters

September 1, 2025

Here’s why this place in your church matters more than you might think.

First person: Why we need to pray for teachers — and 5 steps to take

August 25, 2025

I admit my bias here. I’m a teacher, so this post may seem like I’m writing only to affirm people like me.

First person: 10 questions to determine if your prayer life is more ritual or relationship

August 19, 2025

I talk with a lot of folks about prayer, and I fear that many of them approach prayer as a ritual rather than as a relationship.

First person: Traits of strong discipleship programs

August 17, 2025

I’ve seen some churches that are, in fact, doing discipleship well.

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