Forty percent of American adults didn’t read a single book in 2021. Among young men, the numbers are even more dire—leisure reading has plummeted 40% over the past two decades, with many spending hours daily on TikTok but unable to finish a paragraph without reaching for their phones. This isn’t just a cultural curiosity. It’s […]
Can Reading Fix Young Men? Why Biblical Literacy Is a Discipleship Crisis Read More »
Here’s the hard math of church multiplication: one Western missionary can plant one church every three years. One indigenous leader, properly trained, can plant ten churches in a decade—and raise up others who do the same. In Acts 29 Africa’s regional training days across Uganda, Malawi, South Africa, Burundi, Mozambique, and Zambia, we’re seeing what
Why Indigenous Leaders Multiply Faster: Lessons From Acts 29 Africa Read More »
We’ve optimized the wrong metric. American churches have spent the last decade chasing engagement—likes, shares, impressions—while actual discipleship has flatlined. The Barna Group reports that only 25% of self-identified Christians regularly read their Bible, and church attendance has dropped below 50% for the first time in American history. Yet our social media feeds are polished,
Why Your Church’s Instagram Won’t Make Disciples Read More »
Chan Kilgore has seen a lot in nearly 25 years of ministry. But he’s never seen anything like what’s happening at New River Fellowship in Fort Lauderdale. “I haven’t seen anything like it in the amount of time we’ve experienced,” Kilgore says. “The kind of conversions we’re seeing are undeniably a work of God.” The
57 Conversions in 2 Years: What New River Fellowship Teaches Us About Church Planting Read More »
Fifty-seven people came to faith in Christ in under two years. That’s not a conference statistic. That’s New River Fellowship in Fort Lauderdale—a church plant where Chan Kilgore, a veteran of nearly 25 years in ministry, says he’s seen conversions unlike anything in his lifetime. ‘The kind of conversions we’re seeing are undeniably a work
Why Some Church Plants Multiply While Others Stagnate Read More »
Every year, thousands of pastors dream of planting a church. They write vision statements, raise support, scout locations, and launch with excitement. Then, five years later, over 50% of those churches have closed their doors or plateaued into irrelevance. What’s going wrong? And more importantly—what’s the biblical alternative? The Copy-Paste Problem Jeff Hoglen, a veteran
Why Most Church Plants Fail (And How to Build One That Multiplies) Read More »
Forty-three percent of Gen Z identifies with no religion at all. Yet sixty percent of all Americans still call themselves Christian. Something doesn’t add up. According to Barna’s latest research, we’ve reached a startling threshold: while 60% of U.S. adults claim Christian identity, only 24% qualify as “practicing Christians”—those who attend worship monthly and say
From Label to Life: Closing the Gap Between Claiming and Practicing Christianity Read More »
The most dangerous phrase in church planting isn’t ‘we don’t have enough money’ or ‘we can’t find a building.’ It’s this: ‘Pastor knows best.’ Over the past three decades, a quiet revolution has reshaped the healthiest growing churches in America—and it has nothing to do with worship styles, sermon series, or social media strategy. According
Why Shared Leadership Unleashes Church Multiplication Read More »
We live in an age of authenticity obsession. Every coffee meetup must be ‘vulnerable.’ Every small group demands ‘deep sharing.’ We’ve convinced ourselves that unless someone knows our childhood trauma, our financial struggles, and our secret fears, the relationship barely counts. But what if this obsession with intimacy is actually starving our churches? The Biblical
The Surprising Power of ‘Shallow’ Christian Friendships Read More »
What we’re discovering about church planting in the CRC—and why we can’t stop trying The Conversation That Keeps Happening It usually starts over coffee. Or after a service. Or in a text message that reads: “Can we talk about your church planting vision?” I’ve had this conversation dozens of times now. Sometimes it’s with a