Tweeting during church services gets blessing of pastors
Houston Chronicle
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Parading religion
Ministry Today Magazine
It may not be the go-to source for most pastors, but Parade magazine has released a study on spirituality that churches across the nation should pay attention to. After surveying more than 1,000 people, Parade found that the majority of Americans no longer follows conventional religion but still considers themselves spiritual. Of the 45 percent of respondents who labeled themselves "religious," seven out of 10 rarely, if ever, participate in a traditional worship service. More

Make sure your Web site is multi-site friendly
Church Executive Magazine
With the multi-site church revolution in full swing across America, much attention is paid to video venues, program development and community outreach. An equal or greater amount of attention, however, should be paid to the digital communications strategy. Whether or not your church is offering its own live video streaming or “Internet Campus” experience, running a Web site for multiple locations is a much different challenge than that of a single-site church. More

Spiritual disciplines of effective Sunday School leaders
Baptist Press
When it comes to maintaining a vital relationship with the Lord, Sunday School leaders never graduate from the spiritual disciplines prescribed through the ages for all Christians: praising God and hearing His Word in weekly worship, praying to the Father and reading His Word in daily devotions, allowing the Holy Spirit to work through our spiritual gifts to minister to others, obeying Jesus by witnessing to His love and sharing the Good News of eternal and abundant life in Him, and gathering with other believers for fellowship. You could add other disciplines to this list, including a few that are unique to the effective Sunday School leader. This article lists a few of those specific disciplines. More

Churchgoers redefine worship with Faith in Action
The Christian Post
It's a risky move for many pastors but dozens of churches decided to cancel their weekend worship services and put their faith in action. Pews were empty as Christians across the country wore their white and orange "Don't Go to Church. Be The Church" shirts in observance of Faith in Action Sunday on Oct. 11. "The shirts make a statement that I think most Christians want to make – that we really do care about more than just what's happening in our building," said Shelly Langley of Cloudbreak Church in San Diego, Calif. More

In swine flu season, sanitizer for the hand of God
Los Angeles Times
After weeks of listening to parishioners sniffle in the pews, and worrying about the spread of the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind., decided its flock needed to make some sacrifices this flu season. So this week, the priests will be locking up their Communion chalices and, as a precaution against the spread of germs, temporarily stopping the practice of offering wine during the sacrament. More

Poll: In bad times, folks find ways to help
USA Today
As the recession deepened, more Americans volunteered their time to churches and other religious charities. Almost four in 10 Americans say they volunteered at a church or other religious organization in the past 12 months, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll. In September 2008, three in 10 had volunteered with a religious charity. More

Stealing from the offering plate: Identity thief targets Arkansas church
FOX16-TV
Little Rock, Ark., investigators are looking for the person who stole the identity, believe it or not, of a church. The thief spent more than $4,000 with the church's debit card number. What's really amazing is what they managed to buy. More

Power struggles are as bad at churches as anywhere
El Paso Times
Regardless of what your denominational affiliation may be, you've probably been affected by the negative results of a power struggle within your congregation, parish, or synagogue. Many church members who merely attend weekly services are usually unaware of the infighting that occurs behind the scenes in committee and board meetings, deacon or elder conferences, or even between members of the church staff. In over 30 years of being a minister, the author of this article has seen wonderful Christians deeply wounded and disillusioned when they learned that political maneuvering goes on in the church as well as the secular world. More

Texting God
Youth Worker
The iPhone has become one of the most-talked-about gadgets of the 21st century. Through its scads of applications, Apple's popular cell phone can be used as a GPS system, camera, game console, construction level, timer and countless other things. If teen Allen Wright has his way, iPhone users soon will be able to talk with God. More

Follow scriptural 'safety codes' when building
Church Solutions Magazine
One of the most contentious aspects – and there are many – of a building process come from the permitting and safety coding. The source of the conflict basically comes from the perception that government officials are dictating what churches can and can’t build on their own property. If church leaders attempt to circumvent government procedures, they are missing out on an important method of ministry. More

College students: Check spiritual pulse
Grand Forks Herald
Most churches have a children's ministry and a youth ministry. But few and far between are those who have a ministry for those of college age. "I would say roughly 10 percent of churches have a college ministry," said Nick Hall. "If parents have teenagers, they are involved. They help lead. Then, the kids go to another city for college, and there are no longer people there for them. Right now, spiritually, we are losing a generation." More