IPHC Church Education Ministries

SUNDAY SCHOOL & SMALL GROUPS
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Do You Know Your Bible? Leno says NO! During the taping of one of his television shows, Jay Leno moved through his audience asking people what they knew about the Bible. "Name one of the Ten Commandments," he said. "God helps those who help themselves?" someone ventured. "Name one of the apostles," Leno told them. No one could. Finally, he asked them to name the Beatles. Without hesitation, the answer came ringing from throughout the crowd: George, Paul, John and Ringo. Leno wasn't spoofing the Bible that evening. He was spoofing our society, which claims a grounding in Judeo-Christian principles and yet -- according to a number of surveys -- is increasingly losing touch with the Scriptures of those faiths.

Articles. . .
Americans are Exploring New Ways of Experiencing God Americans are in a new age of exploration, deploying new approaches to marriage, communications, sexuality, education, and more. According to the results from a new nationwide survey by The Barna Group, the “and more” includes how people pursue their faith and how they choose to relate to God and other people of faith. Read more. . .

Casual Christians and the Future of America In a wide-ranging discussion about the state of faith in America, veteran researcher George Barna recently addressed questions raised by his new book, The Seven Faith Tribes: Who They Are, What They Believe, and Why They Matter. In that book, Barna outlines seven diverse faith segments, profiling their lifestyles, religious beliefs and practices, values and life goals. Read more. . .

Community, Purpose Vital to Reaching 20-Somethings Many of today’s churches could learn a thing or two from Starbucks, contends Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research. Read more. . .

Ministry Leaders Examine Impact of Current Trends on the Church Instant messaging is widespread, a new baby boom is in progress and confidence in the church is low. Ministry leaders should consider using current cultural trends like these to reach the community around it, said Paul Turner, closed group specialist at LifeWay Christian Resources. Read more. . .

The State of Our Unchurched Nation Is it unreasonable to expect every believer to influence at least one lost person to accept Christ in a year? We readily recognize that such evangelistic fervor is not taking place, because our churches are not doubling in size each year. Read more. . .

Unchurched Prefer Cathedrals to Contemporary Church Designs People who don’t go to church may be turned off by a recent trend toward more utilitarian church buildings. By a nearly 2-to-1 ratio over any other option, unchurched Americans prefer churches that look more like a medieval cathedral than what most think of as a more contemporary church building. Read more. . .

Unchurched Americans Open to Christians A majority of unchurched Americans are turned off by the institutional church and don’t have a biblical understanding about God and Jesus, yet they believe Jesus makes a positive difference in a person’s life and would enjoy an honest discussion with a friend about spiritual matters. Read more. . .

Tips & Other Info. . .
Paul Evans, Serious Biblical Relationships

Ken Wilson, Unsolicited Advice for Those Wishing to Build Jesus-Brand Communities

By Mark Driscoll, In the following interview, Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church, Seattle, WA, shares about church planting, as well as what it will take for the church to appeal to young men. Interview. . .