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Jason Butler: Disruption is often the key to renewal
When churches struggle to change their habits, stopping everything can open a way forward, says a church planter and pastor.
Growth & renewal
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The Rev. Thomas Daniel introduces newly baptized Hallie Manuel to a packed congregation at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Photos by Brian Diggs
In booming Austin, Texas, churches struggle to keep pace with the city's growth
In an era of dying congregations, a counternarrative is playing out in Austin, where churches are being squeezed by the region’s population explosion.
Students and faculty from City Seminary of New York gather at Grand Central Station for a "Pray and Break Bread" event. Photo courtesy of Mark Gornik
Mark Gornik and Maria Liu Wong: 'Stay in the City' -- Christian faith in today's urban world
How will Christians live out their faith in a world that is more urban than ever before? The director and the dean of City Seminary of New York share what they’re learning as God brings Christians from across the globe to New York and other urban areas.
Members of the Zionist Church gather at St. James Beach in Cape Town, South Africa, for the baptism of new members. istock/jono0001
Wesley Granberg-Michaelson: What global Christianity means for the church in America
As Christianity shifts to the global south, Christians in the U.S. must ‘de-Americanize the gospel’ and be open to movements of the faith in other cultures, says the author and denominational leader.
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A. Trevor Sutton: How a small congregation changed a larger one
After his church merged with a smaller, older congregation, a pastor discovered that -- like the yeast that leavens the loaf -- the addition of new members changed his work in wonderful ways.
Kuhnekt Initiative participants Octavia Ramsey, standing, and Carolyn Cooper, right, have a conversation at a community meal held at The Grove Presbyterian Church. Photos by Jason E. Miczek
The Kuhnekt Initiative builds relationships among church members
Church members at The Grove Presbyterian Church are randomly paired and commit to monthly meetings as a way to deepen connections between them.
Mount Vernon Place UMC was in decline when the Rev. Donna Claycomb Sokol was called as its pastor in 2005; today it is a thriving urban congregation. Photo courtesy of Mount Vernon Place UMC
Excerpt: ‘A New Day in the City’
How do you reverse decline in once-grand urban churches? In their new book, Donna Claycomb Sokol and L. Roger Owens share their experience and suggest a framework for seven crucial conversations that Christian leaders can initiate with their congregations.
The style of worship at Munger Place falls under the “contemporary” category, with rock-style worship and video and casual dress. The building has a traditional feel, so the style seems much more traditional than the typical megachurch in Dallas. Photo courtesy of Munger Place
Andrew Forrest: Every dying church in America has a community garden
Struggling congregations tend to chase after popular strategies rather than do what Jesus commanded -- make disciples, says the United Methodist pastor of a replanted church in Dallas.
What was once the sanctuary of Asbury UMC is now home to Servant Church, where the Rev. Eric Vogt, left, leads worship -- and the church -- in a new direction. Photos by Brian Diggs
A dying Texas church gives life to a new congregation
After years of decline, Asbury UMC in Austin, Texas, faced a question steeped in resurrection theology: Would they be willing to let their church die in order to have new life?
Bread Church participants gather ingredients for an evening of baking and spiritual discussion. Photos by Brian Diggs.
A struggling Texas church is slowly rising again, becoming leaven for the community
Despite years of decline and worries about the future, Austin's Memorial UMC is moving forward in ministry, with bread baking, ESL classes and a decidedly Wesleyan model of church focused not on themselves but on their neighbors.