articles
Will Atheism Replace Religion in America?
06/22/10
Jonathan Merritt
Belief in God and eternity and other basic religious assertions have dominated public opinion surveys for some time, but there are some who now believe that non-belief may become the new default. According to a recent American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) of more than 54,000 adults, the number of people willing to identify themselves as atheist and agnostic rose from under 2 million to 3.6 million between 2001 and 2008. When you leave out the labels "atheist" and "agnostic," ARIS found that over 18% of Americans (as many as 40 million) do not profess a belief in God. Read More
Interview with Author and Professor, Dr. Alvin Reid
04/20/10
Jonathan Merritt
Alvin Reid is author or coauthor of more than 10 books and considered one of the leading evangelical thinkers on evangelism. He is also Associate Dean for Proclamation Studies and Bailey Smith Professor of Evangelism at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. I recently caught up with Dr. Reid to ask him questions about his most recent book, post-modernism, and the future of America's largest protestant denomination. Read More
The Uncertain Future of Mainline Christianity
12/28/09
Jonathan Merritt
Barna says the Mainline denominations, which have seemingly stabilized over the last few years, are declining again. The future of these historic Christian denominations are now more uncertain than ever. What is causing this decline and does the state of the Mainline church have anything to teach followers of Jesus and ministers of the Gospel? Read More
Exclusive Interview with Author Margaret Feinberg
11/17/09
Jonathan Merritt
Margaret Feinberg continues to wow audiences with her writings. Her down-to-earth applications of deep Biblical truths and her warm heart shine through every page. In this exclusive interview, Jonathan Merritt caught up with Margaret to ask her a few questions about her newest book. Read More
Can You Hear Me Now? Why Ministers of God Must Connect with God, Part Four
10/10/09
James Merritt
Take a lesson from great men like Charles Finney and Billy Graham: Ministry is hard enough without connecting with God regularly, personally, and successfully. Make sure you have reliable service. Read More
Can You Hear Me Now? Why Ministers of God Must Connect with God, Part Three
10/10/09
James Merritt
Prayer can be one of the greatest blessings as well as one of the greatest burdens of your ministry. But, you cannot and must not try to do it by yourself. If you want to have an effective prayer ministry and regularly connect with God, you must expand your network. Getting others involved will take pressure off you and ignite a passion for prayer among your people. Read More
Can You Hear Me Now? Why Ministers of God Must Connect with God, Part Two
01/02/09
James Merritt
Do you ever feel like your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling even though you should be the example-setting prayer warrior? If you are a church leader, this can be one of the most frustrating things about your ministry. Read More
Can You Hear Me Now? Why Ministers of God Must Connect with God, Part One
12/02/08
James Merritt
Do you ever feel like your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling even though you should be the example-setting prayer warrior? If you are a church leader, this can be one of the most frustrating things about your ministry. Read More
Help for the Helpless: Orphan Care and the 21st Century Church
11/04/08
Jonathan Merritt
There are 143 million orphans worldwide. Over 60 million of them will go to bed hungry tonight, and 400,000 of them will die this year due to malnutrition. If you are a comfy American and a follower of Jesus Christ, that should shake your soul and move your feet to action. This article features Bethany Christian Services, the nation’s largest adoption agency and a Christian organization that is empowering and equipping the Church to fulfill the James 1:27 mandate to care for orphans. Read More
Welcome Home...Finally: A Fresh Approach to Ministering to the Veterans in Your Church
08/04/08
Jonathan Merritt
In the hustle and bustle of ministry mayhem, hurting veterans often get overlooked. Here is the story of one church that got creative with community veteran outreach and reaped the blessings in a big way. Read More
Reaching Refugees: Ministry Spotlight on 121 Community Church
06/16/08
Jonathan Merritt
Every church is responsible for caring for their community's poor and hurting. 121 Community Church is looking beyond their community to reach out to refugees from all over the world. Through their refugee adoption program, they have personally made a difference in over 300 lives. Read More
More Than Just Fun: Ministry Spotlight on LIFEspot
05/08/08
Jonathan Merritt
St. Andrews United Methodist Church combines itnentionality and a whole ton of fun to launch an innovative youth facility and impact their community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This month's ministry spotlight highlight's LIFEspot in Centennial, Colorado. Read More
Ministry Spotlight: A Cross Among Crescents
03/30/08
Jonathan Merritt
In a suburban town outside of Detroit, the Muslim call to prayer can be heard five times each day. Hamtramck, Michigan is home to 10,000 Muslims, but Pastor Chilly Chilton and Real Church are breaking through with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This ministry spotlight takes us inside a truly contextualized community of believers. Read More
Surfing the Church? Can Real Connection be Found Online?
02/19/08
Jonathan Merritt, John Hammett
With the emergence of internet-based churches, several theological questions arise regarding online ministry. In this well-researched article, Dr. John Hammett, renowned church theologian, and Jonathan Merritt, Sr. Editor of PastorsEdge.com, seek to tackle the most important questions. Read More
Gathering People Who Need Your Church
01/09/08
Pastors Edge Staff
All churches need to read this article. Why? Most churches miss many opportunities to gather new people. There are simple ways a church can bring in numerous visitors each month. For most churches, being able to gather 10 to 20+ additional visitors a month can make a big difference. Here are two techniques that helped Kaleo Church grow 100% over the last 6-months. We are amazed that roughly 40-50 new people a month visit Kaleo from these techniques. The good news is, any church can replicate these simple techniques and gather people. Read More
From an 8-Track Church to an Mp3 Movement
11/08/07
Garet Robinson, Jonathan Merritt
The 21st century church will look alot different than the 20th century church. How can you change your thinking and methodology to better communicate to your cultural context? This article, which includes interviews with Dan Kimball, Rick Warren and Eric Geiger, will tell you how. Read More
Tastes Great or Less Filling? Today's young leaders are rethinking drinking
10/05/07
Jonathan Merritt
Today's young leaders are rethinking alcohol. Take an exclusive look into an important movement as some Christians reconsider the taboo of the big, bad bottle. Read More
Maximizing Your Wife in Ministry
08/14/07
Teresa Merritt
One of the most important tools in a Pastor's toolbox is his wife. With a unique look into her own experiences, Teresa Merritt gives you pointers for maximizing the womanhood of your wife in your current ministry context. Read More
Mission Trips : Prepare for Departure
08/05/07
Jonathan Merritt
Are you or your members plannning a mission trip? Preparing yourself spiritually and doing a little research will put your mind in the upright and locked position so you're ready to take whatever the mission trip throws at you. Read More
Leading the Way in Revitalization
08/04/07
The final step in revitalization is leadership. I don't have to tell you that leadership is crucial in a church.Everybody seems to have something to say about it these days. There is no fool-proof model, but there are a few things that always work. Read More
One-on-One Revitalization
07/24/07
James Merritt
Now that you have had time to strengthen your church's commitment to powerful and prudent prayer, it is time to look at the second aspect of Church Revitalization. One-on-One Revitalization will help you focus on the relational aspect of ministry. Read More
Vertical Revitalization
07/15/07
James Merritt
Did you know that the first step in Church Revitalization is vertical rather than horizontal? Check out the second article in this multi-part series. Read More
The Need for Revitalization
07/09/07
James Merritt
For the past 20 years the church in North America has been in decline. According to experts, nearly 80% of Evangelical congregations have either stopped growing or are actually shrinking. These articles explain why the church is in trouble and what steps you can take to renew and revitalize your church. Read More
Singles Ministry : Required Reading
06/28/07
Jonathan Merritt
Are you a Singles or Young Adult leader who wants to bone up on this misunderstood and unique group of individuals? Don't get frustrated. Try this suggested reading list. Read More
Membership Matters
06/19/07
Garet Robinson
Every church has their own way of assimilating new members, but your methods may be sending the wrong message. Membership in a progressive context should be authentic and diliberate. Read More
Three Keys for Developing Volunteers in Ministry
04/03/07
Pastors Edge Staff
Volunteers are key to developing a successful ministry. Pastors who are are spread too thin probably need to look and see if they have done what is necessary to set their people free. Read More
Evangelism
02/07/07
John Welborn
What is the role of the evangelist in post-modern Chrsitianity? They have sometimes had a negative stereo type, but they are necessary for the church to engage the world. Read More
