By Jacqueline J. Holness Every few years or so, there is a debate about which is better: a small church or a big church. I won’t get into the debate at this time (although a few years ago I did write a column about which entity is more popular in the broader culture). But since […]
By Jacqueline J. Holness There is a tendency to assume that the people you go to church with week after week have had similar experiences as you. However, it is only when you really get to know people behind their “Sunday best” persona that you learn that there are different experiences that have drawn you […]
By Jacqueline J. Holness In December Thom S. Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, wrote a blog post entitled “16 Trends in American Churches in 2016.” Among the trends he predicted for 2016 were: • “Decrease in worship center size and capacity” • “Fewer segregated churches” • “Churches no longer viewed favorably by many governmental units” […]
By Jacqueline J. Holness As we are steeped in American culture, particularly pop culture, it is nearly impossible to ignore cultural cues around beauty and body image. Thankfully I have the Bible to turn to when I feel I’m not enough—whether it’s pretty enough, tall enough, thin enough, young enough, and on and on. Despite […]
By Jacqueline J. Holness Ideally, a church should be a sanctuary of peace and harmony, but because flawed people make up congregations, a church is subject to acrimony and strife. Sometimes the source of contention can be rather harmless. Thom S. Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, conducted a Twitter survey about comical […]
