Faith is a fundamental part of many people's lives. It provides a lens through which they see the world. It offers comfort in difficult times and multiplies joy during happy occasions. There are basic aspects of one's sp ...

Category: Spirituality

Church membership numbers wax and wane. When people become less involved or stop attending altogether, it's easy to take it personally as a community leader. You may feel the need to analyze their reasons to see if there ...

Category: Religion Spirituality

Most of the planning that a church does involves programs and services it offers. Many hours each week are spent on writing sermons, choosing texts and practicing music. There are many ways to practice faith, though, and ...

Category: Religion Spirituality

A welcoming church is one that not only accepts everyone but celebrates who they are. No matter how inviting your website or welcome packet is, visitors are unlikely to return if they don't feel like they will be underst ...

Category: Religion Spirituality

Many communities of faith have feast days and yearly rituals that they observe. For Christian denominations that follow the liturgical calendar every year, each season has its own color, significance and traditions. The ...

Category: Religion Spirituality

Faith communities, particularly in Western cultures, tend to focus on aspects of spiritual well-being. While strengthening faith is certainly a noble pursuit, it is also important to keep a broader view of the whole pers ...

Category: Spirituality

The mark of a healthy organization is its ability to grow in new directions. This can be more difficult than it seems on the surface. Your congregation likely has clear ideas of what it expects from the church, and any a ...

Category: Politics Spirituality

Learning how to pray takes practice. Even people who grow up in a strong faith community often have seasons when they don't know what to say or how to relate to God. There are many guides on how to pray effectively and m ...

Category: Religion Spirituality

Getting married comes with quite a few benefits, but that doesn't mean that joining your life with someone else's is going to be easy. Having a partner who practices a different faith can add both an extra layer of intri ...

Category: Religion Spirituality

Believers from every spiritual tradition have their favorite practices for understanding more about God, the world and their own places within it. Some people learn by sharing stories or by acting on the convictions of t ...

Category: Biblical Interpretation Religion Spirituality