Walter Bright | Refining theological understanding. Sharpening ethical rigor. Heightening devotional intensity.

5 Way to help grow the membership of your church

by walter bright

INTRO: One of the most difficult places to minister and build a church is in Rural America. There are varied and complex factors that contribute to this difficulty. UNIQUE & DIFFICULT FACTORS Take for example the lack of stable and competent volunteers. The economic difficulties of a small town. The frequent need for members to relocate for a new job. In a small town there is no telling what your congregation is going to look like from Sunday to Sunday. Families come, families move, hopefully for them, to a better job, housing or school. The membership in most churches in Rural America is aging. These are the folks who despite their age do most of the heavy lifting. If there is community outreach – bake sale, fireworks fundraiser, or movie in the park – these older folks are there. But ‘most’ of them are not necessarily active in sharing their faith or inviting friends to church. The only friends they know are already Christians. Than there is the chronic problem of church hopping, church...

January 9, 2017

Core Declarations 2017

Who are you listening to? What are you reading? Or, might I ask – what are you watching? Whoever,...

by walter bright

Micah’s Declarations

Don’t spend your day singing the blues? My oldest daughter stepped into the car on her way to school...

by walter bright

November 19, 2014

The Greatest Chapter in All of Scripture is the greatest chapter of my life

It was the summer of 1991. I was young and had discovered the joy of salvation, the hope of...

by walter bright

What’s in God’s Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth?

What’s there in the Bible? It is a dangerous question. We might do better not to come too near...

by walter bright

Missions

When he came there was no light, when he left there was no darkness

The title of our post today is actually story of one man’s life. A. W. Milne was a missionary around the 20th century. He was part of a group of radical...

Missions

In our world no one is rubbish

Spend a few days on Africa Mercy Ship and you will see how two worlds collide at the intersection of courage and compassion. I lived in Togo for about 8...

Missions

Hudson Taylor Part 2 (The matter of giving and receiving)

I am not a pastor who encourages his congregation to give because of what they can get out of it. That does not mean they shouldn’t give. Having said...

Missions

The Most Influential Evangelist You’ve Never Heard Of

The Most Influential Evangelist You’ve Never Heard Of by BARBARA BRADLEY HAGERTY Listen to the Story All Things Considered [9 min 8 sec] transcript EnlargeHarry Cabluck/AP Republican activist David...

Missions

Let nothing cause your spirit to waver and your soul to sink

Those of you who know me well know that am a big fan of David Livingstone. In fact, he is an inspiration to me, a hero if you will....