While the Southern Baptist Convention’s Annual Church Profile has shown a surge in baptisms and rising attendance, the SBC’s 18-year membership slide continued in 2024.
U.S. Protestant churches are almost evenly split between those that have grown within the past two years and those that are plateaued or declining, according to an Exponential study by Lifeway Research.
Beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending during Holy Week, Lent serves as a time of preparation for the Easter celebration in many Christian traditions. The practice often involves the spiritual discipline of fasting.
A Lifeway Research study of U.S. Protestant pastors finds few hold or teach beliefs connected to the prosperity gospel.
As pastors and church leaders think about ministering to their congregations and communities in 2025, they should keep these 10 trends in mind.
“As we’re preaching and teaching, it would be so much better if we knew our church members were reading and studying the Word of God on their own,” said Dwayne Milioni, pastor of Open Door Church in Raleigh, North Carolina.
A Lifeway Research study finds U.S. adults are split on whether they’ll be at church sometime this Christmas — 47% say they typically attend church at Christmastime, while 48% say they do not, and 5% aren’t sure.
At least once a month, walk through your buildings, review your worship and educational services, consider different elements of church life and ask yourself: “How would this hit me if I were a guest?,” Lifeway notes.
Here are seven ways the church can support military families as Veteran’s Day approaches.
Few pastors endorse political candidates outside their role at church. Even fewer endorse during a church service. Most Americans like it that way, but they’re growing more supportive of churches jumping into the political fray.
