The Exchange

How Are Church Finances Coming Out of COVID and Headed Into a Potential Recession?

To understand what churches can anticipate in 2023, let’s take a closer look at recent financial trends and current forces impacting churches. 

Gospel Renewal in an Age of Deconstruction

Deconstruction provides an excellent lens through which to identify error, deceit, and corruption. But on its own, it fails to provide a new way forward.

Stepping Away From Un-Christian Politics

Because politics are so heated, the season we are in presents Christians with a unique opportunity to live counter-culturally to the typical partisan spin and vitriol.

MLK Was Not Color-Blind, But Color-Courageous

The idea that Martin Luther King Jr. was color-blind is a myth. When we look at the vast scope of his work, instead of taking one quote out of context, we’ll see that King never said that the way to advance racial equality was to ignore our racial differences.

Disarming a Weaponized Church: Moving Forward Amid Turmoil in the UMC

The United Methodist Church currently feels like a war zone. But the way forward is to “beat our swords into plowshares” (Isaiah 2:4) on the anvil of compassion. Here are three principles that can guide us.

Three Scenes: The Open Secret in Christian Adoption Circles and Why It Matters to the Church

In the last two decades, I’ve met countless people who, even though they don’t feel personally called to be adoptive parents, are nevertheless excited about adoption.

Abounding Love: My Life with Chronic Illness

I can recall hearing the words “chronic illness” being spoken from a stage twice in my lifetime. Once was during a worship service during my orientation to Wheaton College in 2016. The other was also at Wheaton College, this time from my own lips as I shared about my illness in chapel the following year.

Doors and Broken Handles: Discerning Where God Wants Us to Go

We have all experienced open and closed doors in our Christian life. But how do we know when a door is really shut? How hard should we pull?