Saturday Lagniappe: 'Why Is My Church So Weird?' And More

Why Is My Church So Weird?
Small churches are great. But they’re also kinda weird. And the smaller they are, the weirder they can be. In this video, Karl Vaters shows practical and statistical reasons why small churches are weird, and why we need to embrace the weird instead of trying to fix it.

5 Ways “Simple Church” Can Apply to Your Church Facility with Brown Church Development Group
Thom and Jess are joined by Todd Brown and Isaac Brown of Brown Church Development Group, who are “The Church Facility Experts.” In this first episode, they discuss five powerful ways “Simple Church” principles can shape not just how we do ministry, but how we build the spaces that facilitate it.

Also See: Church Facility Growth Strategy: How to Build with Purpose with Brown Church Development Group

10 ways church leaders can support people with mental illnesses
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This article was originally published by the Interfaith Network on Mental Illness under the title "10 Things Faith Community Leaders Can Do to Make The World a Better Place for People with Mental Illnesses" and republished by Mental Health Ministries.

Also See: Hospitality Towards People with Mental Illness in the Church: a Cross-cultural Qualitative Study; How Safe Spaces Contribute to Mental Health

Does Your Church Operate a School or Preschool? Know This IRS Deadline
If your church operates a preschool or school, then take note. An important annual deadline is approaching that may affect it.By May 15, it may need to file a Form 5578 with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Don’t know what Form 5578 is? Most churches don’t. Here’s what leaders need to know.

The Biggest Difference In Big/Small Church Leadership
Small church leadership relies on the pastor's presence, big church leadership compensates for the pastor's absence.

Tired of the Show: Why the Church Can’t (and Shouldn’t) Compete with Hollywood
We will lose the next several generations unless we do one thing. Stop competing, and start doing the Bible stuff better.

What is West Gallery music?
A brief introduction to the music of the parish church in the Georgian era.

What follows is a sampling of West Gallery music - two metrical psalms and a metrical canticle from Tate & Brady's New Version, three Christmas carols, and a Whitsun hymn: The Lord looked down from heaven's high tower; Praise ye the Lord, our God to praise; My soul and spirit filled with joy; Angels from the realms of glory; The Holly and Ivy; Arise and hail the glorious Star; Come, Holy Spirit, raise our songs.

Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band also perform a selection of West Gallery favorites in their album, Sing Lustily & With Good Courage.

The Undeniable Power Of A Whispered Gospel
We've become very noisy and personality-driven in our presentation of the gospel. Sometimes whispering is better than yelling.