Church & Culture
![Want To Make A Difference? Forget What’s Popular And Work The Fringes Want To Make A Difference? Forget What’s Popular And Work The Fringes](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/90129.jpg?h=168&w=300)
No one has ever made a bigger impact on the world than Jesus.
You don’t even need to be a Christian to see the obvious truth in that statement.
Because of this, I’m convinced that it’s in the DNA of Jesus’ followers to want to make a difference, too.
It’s ...
![When Jesus Got Angry When Jesus Got Angry](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/90086.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Almost every time I write or speak about the gentleness of Jesus, someone is quick to remind me that Jesus also got angry.
“Jesus wasn’t always meek and mild”, they’re quick to point out. “He called the Pharisees white-washed tombs!” “He ...
![4 Questions To Consider Before Commenting On A Controversial Subject 4 Questions To Consider Before Commenting On A Controversial Subject](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/89900.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Everybody has an opinion.
And everyone is entitled to one.
But not every opinion is of equal value. Including mine.
With the advent of social media, we can state our opinion on platforms that can potentially be seen by thousands of people. Because of this, our opinion feels like ...
![A Question Of Character: Getting Unstuck Is Not The Church’s Biggest Problem A Question Of Character: Getting Unstuck Is Not The Church’s Biggest Problem](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/89724.jpg?h=168&w=300)
There is a crisis in the church.
People are leaving.
And we want them to come back.
But before we ask how to get them back, we need to ask why they’re leaving in the first place.
It’s not because our churches aren’t big enough, cool enough, relevant enough, or ...
![Why Current Church Trends Mean Very Little In Smaller Churches Why Current Church Trends Mean Very Little In Smaller Churches](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/85873.jpg?h=168&w=300)
In a couple recent articles, I wrote about current trends in church worship music. (You can read them here and here.)
If you worship or serve in a smaller church, you may have read those articles and shrugged, or maybe you saw the titles and didn’t even bother to read them. ...
![Want To Accomplish Your Goals? Dream Bigger – And More Long-Term Want To Accomplish Your Goals? Dream Bigger – And More Long-Term](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/85778.jpg?h=168&w=300)
You won’t succeed at your New Years resolutions this year.
Sorry for the bad news, but it's highly unlikely, statistically speaking.
But here’s what you can do. You can start.
Want to write a book? Start writing every day.
Lose weight? Start a healthier lifestyle.
![Understanding The New Apathy About Church Attendance Understanding The New Apathy About Church Attendance](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/85370.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Why are fewer people going to church? And what can we do about it?
This may be the main topic of conversation among pastors today.
For example, while scrolling through my Facebook feed last weekend, I came across multiple posts with sarcastic takes on how sad/interesting/ridiculous ...
![This Year, Rediscover The “Why?” Behind Your Church’s Christmas Traditions This Year, Rediscover The “Why?” Behind Your Church’s Christmas Traditions](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/85360.jpg?h=168&w=300)
More than any other time of the year, Christmas is filled with traditions.
It’s one of the many reasons we love the holiday season.
It’s also something our churches need to pay closer attention to. Before a church holds any event, program or service, we should always ...
![Be The Church Or Make Way For Something Else Be The Church Or Make Way For Something Else](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/84233.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Why does the church exist?
It’s not to get people together for meetings. Or to keep our theology pure. Or to defend our traditions. Or to look cool and appealing to the unchurched.
But it’s easy to fall into one or more of those traps if we’re not constantly ...
![What Is Appropriate To Wear In Church? (2 Reasons It Doesn't Matter And 3 Guidelines) What Is Appropriate To Wear In Church? (2 Reasons It Doesn't Matter And 3 Guidelines)](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/84229.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Really?
Is this still a thing? People aren’t still arguing about what we wear to church, are they?
Yes. Despite the much more relaxed approach most people have, the debate about appropriate church attire still rages in some circles. So I’m going to weigh in on it.
Where ...
Read More from Karl
![Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of under 250 Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of under 250](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41AU9uOZQAL._SL500_.jpg)