Category Archives: Churches of Christ

Amazing Grace/Churches of Christ in Decline?: Rescuing the Churches of Christ, Part 2

IX. Church plants have been shown to work. A. By “church plant” I mean a team of 15 to 20 or so who go to a city and start a church. “Domestic missionary team” may be a more helpful term. … Continue reading

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Amazing Grace/Churches of Christ in Decline?: Rescuing the Churches of Christ, Part 1

[This is an outline for class teachers at my church. Although some of the material is from other recent posts, most of it’s brand new, especially toward the end. It’s designed for teaching at all churches that have covered the … Continue reading

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Churches of Christ in Decline? Reflections

Did you notice? The church planting plan I linked to in the last post was organized very much along the lines of Lencioni’s Silos, Politics and Turf Wars. That is, it has a short-term vision (plant a church). It had … Continue reading

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Churches of Christ in Decline? What It Takes to Be a Planted Church

Again, this is just an idea. I’ve never done this. I don’t know anyone else who has. It’s probably impossible. But at the worst, this would be a good exercise for any church leadership. What would it take to turn … Continue reading

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Churches of Christ in Decline? Setting a Short-Term Vision

Okay, I’ve warned you against just buying the hot new evangelical book and making it the short-term vision. It doesn’t work. Well, actually, sometimes it does. But not always. Back when the church growth movement was in full swing, those … Continue reading

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Churches of Christ in Decline: Silos, Politics and Turf Wars

Silos, Politics and Turf Wars is a business management book by Patrick Lencioni. I’m a huge fan of his The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, which should be required reading for every elder and minister in the Churches. I’m such … Continue reading

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Churches of Christ in Decline? Data Points

Alan Rouse, in a post on his blog, brought together several pieces of data that bear on the decline of conservative denominations, such as the Southern Baptists and Churches of Christ. I’d like to add a few more. First, the … Continue reading

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Churches of Christ in Decline? “Good News and Bad News” (revised)

Dr. Flavil Yeakley, long the unofficial chief statistician of the Churches of Christ, has just published a booklet called “Good News and Bad News: A Realistic Assessment of the Churches of Christ in the United States 2008.” It can be … Continue reading

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Fixing Our Universities: Distance Learning, Two-Year Degrees, and Vision

There’s more good news. Harding’s Master of Ministry is now available for online learning. The course is fully accredited. Students may accelerate the classwork by attending some classes at Harding, but online work is sufficient. Details are at this site. … Continue reading

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Fixing Our Universities: The Birmingham-Southern Experience

One of the nation’s foremost liberal arts colleges is Birmingham-Southern College, affiliated with the Methodist Church. It’s a small school located in west Birmingham, with very high academic standards. A few years ago, it decided to give up NCAA Division … Continue reading

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