Barnabas File

The stock market continues its erratic course as I write this.   Investors are concerned about their portfolios and those with retirement accounts get a bit nervous.   What will be the return on investment (ROI) in the long term? Two recent blogs addressed a different kind of return on investment.   The twentieth century was the era of the big denomination in America.   Denominational infrastructure grew as church attendance surged.   The churches provided funding to the denominations and, in turn, the denominations provided services, managed mission and ministry programs, and encouraged stability.   That time has passed. In recent blogs, two observers of the American denominational scene have addressed this topic. Bill Wilson of the Center for Health Churches asked “Are Denominational Bodies Doomed?”   Luke Edwards of Fresh Expressions addressed “ How to Innovate in a Traditional Denomination.”   Wilson diagnoses the problem and su...