Park Road Baptist wants to go 50/50. The Charlotte, NC, church gives about 10-percent of its budget to missions now, but pastor Russ Dean wants to up that to 50% by re-evaluating what they already do and seeing where they can give more.

"I have no idea where we'll be ten years from now, whether we will be a 50-50 church," said Dean. If the goal causes them to look inward and give more, then it will be a ... read full story

A new book, “The State of Church Giving,” says congregations have waning influence among charitable causes because their focus now seems to be on institutional maintenance rather than spreading the gospel and healing the world.

The 20th annual study by Empty Tomb Inc. reaffirmed a “long-term turning inward of congregations” exhibited by a dwindling share of church donations spent on ... read full story

Looking back on a long decline from 1,000 active members a century ago to about 20 today, the lay leader of St. Mark's Church in a Philadelphia suburb understands now why it died. "We didn't really share well" with outsiders, Curt Welty said.

But like a supernova that explodes with light just before it dies, St. Mark's will end by sharing itself in an uncommonly generous way: Instead of selling off its chapel, ... read full story

Financial advisers, researchers, and other observers weigh in on whether churches should increase their operating budgets next year.

"All of us should be on a journey of faith, and we should be ever increasing our commitment to resources for God's kingdom. It's a good thing to continue to strive to grow and to reach more people. But the qualification comes in that there are many ... read full story

I know what it's like to be a Jew jonesing for Jesus -- at least for the purposes of a memoir. I spent a year going to 52 different churches each Sunday. So I was quite happy to find out I was not alone.

Gina Welch's new book, In the Land of Believers: An Outsider's Extraordinary Journey into the Heart of the Evangelical Church, takes the reader into the heart of the religious right as Welch goes undercover at ... read full story