Why counting the sheep is so difficult
The parable of the lost sheep wasn’t written about church directories. Researchers counting the number of congregations and members of Churches of Christ in the…
Church growth
Editorial: Why the number in the pews matters
‘The Churches of Christ salute you.” A line from the final chapter of the apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome has served as…
Talk about (church) life and death
RIVERSIDE, CALIF. — People live and die. So do congregations. Heritage21 works to normalize conversations about church life cycles. “We want to encourage and also…
Church Research Council formed to renew Churches of Christ directory
Are Churches of Christ declining in the United States? “That’s probably true,” said David Kneip, “but the evidence is largely anecdotal. We hear more about…
Church Planting Sunday: A national call to action
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — With membership shrinking, churches closing and preachers in short supply, how do Churches of Christ grow again? It’s not a new question,…
Addressing church decline one child at a time
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On a recent Sunday morning, projection screens at the Windsong Church of Christ displayed Psalm 127:3: “Children are a heritage…
How congregations can rebound
LOS ANGELES — At age 13 in 1983, I moved to the West Coast. Relocating from a rural community in the South to this sprawling…
Mid-Atlantic leaders meet to craft ideas for growth
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Nearly 200 leaders and members of Churches of Christ gathered at the University of Maryland College Park to exchange ideas about…
What my dad taught me about growing a church
I was born the year my dad, Travis Irwin, began his 45-year ministry to Church of Christ congregations in Ohio and Tennessee. Thus I have…
Church growth seminar promoted by Eugene Lawton proceeds, even after his death
NEWARK, N.J. — For the last 44 years, evangelist Charlie E. McClendon has traveled from Jacksonville, Fla., to the Newark Church of Christ to preach…
