How many of you subscribe to e-zines? Do you have the time to read them? I, for one, have subscribed to several, yet don’t find much time to keep up with them. However, sometimes when I do read them, I find some real nuggets of information. For example today, I discovered two items that may also be of interest to you:

From Saturday’s Wall Street Journal, Page 1

In Europe, God Is (Not) Dead

Christian groups are growing, faith is more public.
Is supply-side economics the explanation?

By ANDREW HIGGINS
July 14, 2007; Page A1

Stockholm

Late last year, a Swedish hotel guest named Stefan Jansson grew upset when he found a Bible in his room. He fired off an email to the hotel chain, saying the presence of the Christian scriptures was “boring and stupefying.” This spring, the Scandic chain, Scandinavia’s biggest, ordered the New Testaments removed.

In a country where barely 3% of the population goes to church each week, the affair seemed just another step in Christian Europe’s long march toward secularism. Then something odd happened: A national furor erupted. . .

To read the whole article, go to: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118434936941966055.html?mod=hpp_us_pageone.

I find the above article to be quite intriquing. For those of you who have gone to Europe to visit the emerging church, you’ll especially enjoy the article.

Another article that I found very interesting is on understanding how to introduce change in your congregation. Those of you with the gift of being a “prophet” may not always be received very well when you tell your church leaders what you “see”. The following article gives some very helpful tips for motivating people to change.

Leader’s Insight: Your Church’s DNA
Each church has unique make-up that’s essential to its life, health, and future.
by Kevin G. Ford, guest columnist

Aurora Advent Christian Church, located just outside of Chicago, was stuck. The church was dynamic in many ways. The leaders were talented and highly motivated, but as a unit, something was wrong.

The first things I noticed were the signs—in the office, in the gymnasium, on the doors to the bathroom. The place was plastered with “do not’s.”

  • Do not bounce balls on the wall.
  • Do not wear black-soled shoes.
  • Do not leave the lights on.
  • Do not sit here.

Each notice was signed: “The Trustees.”

The meetings I attended were formal, focused on procedure and rules. Yet everyone seemed so friendly, warm, and passionate about ministry. When I took a direct, left-brain approach and told leaders they were overly focused on the business of the church, it did not go well. . .

To read more of this article, go to:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/leaders/newsletter/2007/cln70723.html

I hope you enjoy these!

Jeff Glass