Saturday, October 24, 2026
Growth · Health · ConnectionResearch & PracticeFor those who shepherd

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Research-grounded, practical reading for every leader in the church, newest first.

Black and white portrait of D. Brandon Campbell in a dark blazer and white t-shirtGrowth
Healthy Church Growth

Started Versus Launched: D. Brandon Campbell on Bringing Church Experience to Gwinnett County

After nearly nine years away from ministry, D. Brandon Campbell has been chosen to lead the first Georgia campus of Church Experience. He explains what a first attempt taught him and how this church launch is built differently.

Dr. Alicia Grant · 8 min
Andy Stanley, founder of North Point Ministries, in a light blue gingham shirtHealth
The Pastor's Desk

Pastor Succession Planning: What Andy Stanley's Handoff Teaches Every Church

North Point's founder announced a staged exit with a named successor, a congregational vote, and a defined next role. You don't need eight campuses to borrow the playbook.

Dr. Marcus Ellison · 8 min
Four friends laughing together over a smartphone at a sunlit cafe tableGrowth
Church in the Digital World

Evangelism on Social Media: Equip Your People to Start the Conversation, Then Take It Offline

Most churchgoers never talk about their faith, and a feed is a low-risk place to begin. Here is how to train your people to use social media for evangelism without turning it into spam.

Nia Coleman · 7 min
Rows of empty wooden pews inside a church sanctuaryGrowth
Healthy Church Growth

The Church Closings Forecast: What 100,000 Empty Sanctuaries Mean for Your Congregation

A new PBS series projects a wave of church closings over the next decade. The national number matters less than the five numbers sitting in your own church's records.

Dr. Alicia Grant · 8 min
Two greeters wearing name badges wave at the open front doors of a church buildingConnection
From Guest to Family

Church Guest Follow-Up: What to Do in the First 72 Hours and the Six Weeks After

Most churches collect a first-time guest's contact card. Far fewer have a plan for what happens next. Here is a simple follow-up system that turns a first visit into a second, then a third.

Monique Harris · 7 min
A locked wooden offering box with a cross inlay and a pocket of giving envelopes on a church tableHealth
Faithful Stewardship

Church Internal Controls Start at the Offering Plate

Most church money problems do not start with a villain. They start with a trusted volunteer, a closet, and no second set of eyes. Here is a counting process that protects the gift and the people who handle it.

Michael Bennett, CPA · 6 min
A congregation stands among rows of chairs during worship, some with hands raised, lyrics projected on the front wallConnection
Worship & Creative Ministry

Congregational Singing Is Down. Here Is What Brings It Back.

When the band is loud, the lights are low, and the songs keep changing, a congregation quietly stops singing. The fix is not more energy from the stage. It is a set of small, practical choices worship leaders control every week.

Jordan Wells · 6 min
Two people sitting across a white table from each other with mugs of coffee, mid conversationHealth
Leading From the Second Chair

How to Disagree With Your Senior Pastor Without Undermining the Church

Silence is not loyalty, and going around your pastor is not courage. Here is how associate pastors and ministers can say the hard thing in a way that strengthens the team instead of splitting it.

Rev. Camille Brooks · 7 min
A drummer and guitarists rehearse together in a small, dimly lit roomConnection
Worship & Creative Ministry

Auditions Without Wounds: Saying Not Yet Kindly

Every worship leader eventually has to tell a willing volunteer they are not ready for the platform. Done badly, it costs you a church member. Done well, it can be the start of their best season of growth.

Jordan Wells · 6 min
A circle of people in colorful sweaters stacking their hands together in the centerHealth
Next Generation

Screening and Safety Policies That Protect Students and Leaders

A background check is the start of a safe youth ministry, not the whole of it. Here is the layered system that protects students from harm and protects good leaders from false suspicion.

Pastor Andre Mitchell · 6 min
Young people sitting together on the grass outdoors, two of them reading from an open BibleGrowth
Forming Disciples

Small Group Curriculum That Teenagers Do Not Roll Their Eyes At

Teenagers can smell a canned lesson from across the room. The curriculum that works opens the Bible, asks real questions, and leaves space for a leader who knows their names.

Dr. Renee Foster · 6 min
An empty oval wooden conference table surrounded by chairsHealth
The Healthy Church

The Elder Meeting Agenda That Changes Everything

Most elder meetings run long on reports and short on shepherding. Here is an agenda built around the job Scripture actually gives elders, with a consent agenda, one strategic question, and room to pray.

Rev. Thomas Reed · 7 min
Two adults in conversation across a tableGrowth
Next Generation

Parent Partnership: The Meeting Every Youth Pastor Should Hold

You get a student for an hour or two a week. Their parents get the rest. Here is how to run the one meeting that turns parents from spectators into partners.

Pastor Andre Mitchell · 7 min
A worship band leading on a stage under warm lightsConnection
Worship & Creative Ministry

Setlist Flow: Arranging Songs Around the Sermon Text

The best worship sets are not a playlist of favorites. They are built from the same passage the pastor will preach, so the room sings the sermon before it hears it and carries it home after.

Jordan Wells · 7 min
A speaker on a dimly lit stage opening a book before a congregationHealth
The Pastor's Desk

Casting Vision a Congregation Can Repeat Back

Most churches say they have a clear mission. Far fewer believe it strongly. Here is how a senior pastor closes that gap with fewer words, more repetition, and a vision people can say out loud.

Dr. Marcus Ellison · 8 min
An empty hospital bed in a dimly lit roomConnection
People & Community

Hospital Visits: A Practical Theology for the Room

What to do before you go, what to say at the bedside, and what to leave unsaid. A field guide to hospital visits for ministers, deacons, and care teams.

Pastor Leah Simmons · 8 min
Rows of empty pews in a quiet church sanctuaryHealth
The Pastor's Desk

The Plateau Is a Leadership Problem Before It Is an Attendance Problem

What congregational research says about why churches stall between 150 and 250, and the three structural moves that get them unstuck.

Dr. Marcus Ellison · 11 min