Ed Stetzer | TLG Christian News

Theology for Life: Launching a New Weekly Podcast I Am Co-Hosting with Wheaton Professor Lynn Cohick

16/12/2016 0 Comment

As a missiologist, the study of theology (of God and His missio Dei) is critical for the way I understand the world and our place in it. In fact, in an article I wrote a few years ago, I reflected on the importance of theology for a missiologist:

Foundational to missiology is knowing the God who is on mission. According to the Bible, God “desires all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4) and we are assured that people from “every..

Breaking the 200 Barrier: Heritage Park Baptist Church in Webster, Texas

16/12/2016 0 Comment

Church in metro Houston reached neighbors after a hurricane

Heritage Park Baptist Church started in 1977 as a plant of First Baptist Church, Friendswood, TX. In the days transitioning from Apollo to the Space Shuttle, southeast Houston grew dramatically. The planting pastor served 20 years before continuing his ministry elsewhere. A 7 year tenure followed. I have served as the pastor for almost 10 years. According to the local lore, Heritage Park has approached 300 in attendance twice before I ..

LifeWay Research: 89% of churches will have services on Christmas Day

13/12/2016 0 Comment

What happens when Christmas falls on a Sunday?

People keep asking me about Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services.

And, turns out, the vast majority of churches have services on both!

Here’s the data from LifeWay Research:

Christmas Eve
African-American pastors are less likely to say their church will hold services on Christmas Eve (50 percent). By contrast, 71 percent of all pastors say their church will hold Christmas Eve services.

Pastors of larger churches—those with 250 or more atten..

Most Churches Open for Business on Christmas, New Year’s Day, Say Pastors

13/12/2016 0 Comment

By Bob Smietana

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—More than half of Americans plan to go to church at Christmastime.

And most Protestant pastors will keep the doors open for them.

Nearly 9 out of 10 Protestant senior pastors say their churches plan to hold services on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, as both fall on a Sunday, according to a recent survey from Nashville-based LifeWay Research.

More than 7 in 10 Protestant senior pastors say their churches plan to hold Christmas Eve services. And more than a ..

Recent Research on End-of-Life Issues Reveal Holes in Our Theology

09/12/2016 0 Comment

If we are pro-life, we are anti-assisted suicide.

A study by Lifeway Research recently revealed a disconcerting belief among Christians generally, and Evangelicals in particular.

In the survey, 67% of Americans agree with the statement, “When a person is facing a painful terminal disease, it is morally acceptable to ask for a physician’s aid in taking his or her own life.” This is a shockingly high number. More disturbingly, however, are these numbers: among faith groups, more than half of all..

Hispanic Evangelicals & Politics Today: My Interview with Gabriel Salguero

08/12/2016 0 Comment

Rev. Salguero is the founder of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NaLEC) and a pastor in Orlando, FL

Ed: Recently, a PBS prime-time special (The New Deciders) and the NY Times Opinion page (The Evangelicalism of Old White Men Is Dead) highlighted the National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NaLEC) as a new kind of Evangelical electorate. What do you think they mean by this?

Gabriel: First, many are recognizing that the close to six million Hispanic Evangelicals are a growing constituenc..

What I Want Pastors to Know About Women’s Ministry

28/11/2016 0 Comment

Is the local church meeting the needs of half the congregation?

There was a time, in our not too distant past, when women’s ministry was a punchline. For years, women’s ministry was viewed as a second rate ministry, more akin to a social club than a serious effort at discipleship. The label conjured images of women sipping tea and doing crafts, occasionally discussing Jesus, but mostly recipes and self-esteem.

Because of this stereotype, many women have tended to avoid women’s ministry events…

LifeWay Research: Friends and Family Matter More Than Money When it Comes to Giving Thanks

24/11/2016 0 Comment

Here some data that LifeWay Research released this week.

Americans have celebrated days of thanksgiving in the fall since 1621, when the Pilgrims at Plymouth Plantation held a feast at the end of their first harvest. In 1789, President George Washington set aside Nov. 26 of that year as a thanksgiving day in honor of “that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.”

States celebrated Thanksgiving Day on different dates until 1863, ..

Perched on the Shoulders of Giants (Part 1)

22/11/2016 0 Comment

Building on Legacy for the Sake of Mission

“No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance” (Joshua 1:5-6).

I have a baton sitting on my desk in my office with the verses above etched into it. It reminds me daily of the challenge and responsibility to carry forward the legacy of missi..

Mark Your Calendar to Join Me at #Amplify2017: A National Evangelism Conference

21/11/2016 0 Comment

Our super early bird rate of $129 is available through December 31.

If you regularly read this blog, follow me on Twitter, or know me personally, it is likely clear to you that in my mind, evangelism really matters. And I don’t just talk about it, or encourage you all to do it. I actually seek ways to share my faith often.

In fact, I recently encouraged my staff that we need to hold each other accountable to have gospel conversations every single week. It simply needs to be a priority for Chri..