Featured story
International Pentecostal Assembly in Chicago, Illinois (opens in new tab)
The International Pentecostal Assembly was founded in 1972 as a home for Indian immigrant families. As the years passed, the congregation became more and more complex. They shared a space, but elders who spoke Malayalam, young adults who spoke English and children navigating both cultures all experienced it differently. They faced not just cultural differences, but generational differences.
This is the story of IPA’s inward and outward shift, including the creation of a neighborhood engagement event that got the whole congregation involved.
Congregations in the news
Hot dogs with a higher purpose (opens in new tab)
Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Bristol, Virginia, purchased a hot dog cart so they could serve a hot meal to unhoused individuals around their city.
Read more from Lake Institute on Faith & Giving (opens in new tab)
Inside a Brooklyn church where immigration activism is the gospel (opens in new tab)
As fear drives many immigrants away from public life, Good Shepherd offers a counter-story: an immigrant-majority church led by an immigrant, committed to providing care, protection and resistance.
Read more from Religion News Service (opens in new tab)
Why One Student Chose the Church Instead (opens in new tab)
The church did not change this young person’s life through a sermon, a special event or a one-time outreach project. The church changed her trajectory because it consistently showed up.
Read more from Trinity Connection (opens in new tab)
With three prisoners scheduled for execution, southern churches toll their bells (opens in new tab)
Faith-based anti-death penalty activists have used the bell-tolling tactic throughout the country in various waves.
Read more from Religion News Service (opens in new tab)
Resources and insights
The financial dilemma that wound up helping US churches thrive
Americans’ freedom of religion helped faith to thrive in ways that state-sponsored churches did not.
A recipe for thriving rural congregations despite shifting demographics
Faced with declining attendance and aging membership, rural pastors can invite reflection on congregational history and community needs to adapt for new opportunities.
Apply for a Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grant
These grants allow a wide range of Christian worshiping communities to focus on projects that connect public worship with Christian discipleship and faith formation. Funding awards range from $8,000 to $25,000.