Church Attendance Increases in New Study—But Can We Trust It?

By Bruce Hillman

05/09/25

19mins

Church Attendance Increases in New Study—But Can We Trust It?

We needn’t fear statistics and studies as palm readings into a certain future. God is God, and his Spirit is alive through his Word.

Ministry of the Church

Donavon Riley

05/08/25

Because He Lives, He Goes With Us

Christ does not hide his wounds. He offers them.

A Kingdom Without Smoke: What the Conclave Can't Decide

Seth Moorman

05/07/25

A Kingdom Without Smoke: What the Conclave Can't Decide

The church does not await a verdict; she proclaims one.

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John Bombaro

02/03/20

Epistle: I Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16) (Epiphany 5: Series A)

Paul says Christian faith means confessing Jesus is Lord, beginning at the Cross, and owning the historical fact that God raised Him from the dead.

Jeffrey Pulse

02/03/20

Old Testament: Isaiah 58:3-9a (Epiphany 5: Series A)

There are good, God-pleasing reasons to attend a Divine Service, but worship attendance can also be an action by which we try to earn or deserve the favor and love of God. This is an ongoing struggle in every worshiping community.

Bror Erickson

01/30/20

John the Baptist on the Necessity of Baptism

We can rejoice in our own need and the gift we receive through baptism given by the same one by whom John desired to be baptized.

Gretchen Ronnevik

01/29/20

Your Bible Reading Plan Won't Save You

If I’m honest, I want that completed Bible reading plan more than I want grace.

Peter Nafzger

01/27/20

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12 (Epiphany 4: Series A)

Our first mistake in thinking about the blessed life is we expect to experience it fully in this life.

John Bombaro

01/27/20

Epistle: Hebrews 2:14-18 (The Purification of Mary but also the Presentation of Our Lord)

This passage, above all others, speaks most fully about Jesus as the elder brother, the firstborn, of a large family; the family of God the Father, Creator of humankind.

Jeffrey Pulse

01/27/20

Old Testament: Micah 6:1-8 (Epiphany 4: Series A)

A close examination of the entire life and ministry of Jesus reflects the Exodus event, and Jesus is the New Moses/the prophet like Moses.

Bob Hiller

01/24/20

Good Gifts

The following is an excerpt from "Finding Christ in the Straw" written by Robert M. Hiller (1517 Publishing, 2020).

Bror Erickson

01/23/20

Third Sunday After Epiphany: John 4:27-42

The following is an excerpt from “A Year of Grace: Collected Sermons of Advent through Pentecost” written by Bo Giertz and translated by Bror Erickson (1517 Publishing, 2019).

Chad Bird

01/21/20

Neither Bootlicking Nor Pigheadedness: Freedom of Speech Before God

Sometimes believers vigorously debate God, sometimes they nod a silent Amen. Together, their narratives paint a picture of a life of faith characterized by complexity and tension.

Chad Bird

01/20/20

Friendship in the Old Testament: David and Jonathan

Jonathan saw in David a reflection of who he himself was. This recognition pulled him outside himself and bound him to another.

Jeffrey Pulse

01/20/20

Old Testament: Isaiah 9:1-4 (Epiphany 3: Series A)

We preach, teach and confess the virgin birth, and rightly so, but the actual sign is not the Virgin giving birth, it is the Child who is born.

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