Dr. James Emery White Christian News Articles

The Hybrid Strategy for Growth, Part One: "Hi"

Monday, November 27, 2023

The idea of a hybrid church is simple. When we talk about a hybrid vehicle, we are talking about something that uses two or more distinct types of power, such as a submarine that uses diesel when surfaced and batteries when submerged, or a car that runs on gas and electricity. When we are talking about a hybrid church, we are talking about a church that is also harnessing two types of power—the physical and the digital.

Thankful for the Fleas (2023)

Thursday, November 23, 2023

The barracks where Corrie ten Boom and her sister, Betsy, were kept in the Nazi concentration camp Ravensbruck were terribly overcrowded and flea-infested. Corrie and Betsy had been able to miraculously smuggle a Bible into the camp, and in that Bible they had read that in all things they were to give thanks and that God can use anything for good.

Courageous Parenting

Monday, November 20, 2023

It takes courage to be a parent today. Specifically, to be informed, be involved, and be in charge.

Six Transcendent Values

Thursday, November 16, 2023

Mecklenburg Community Church (Meck), the church I had the privilege of planting in October of 1992, just celebrated its 31st anniversary. Reflecting on those many years, it struck me that there were six transcendent values that, over the course of much methodological change, provided our sense of true north and were still fueling our continued growth.

Lost Men

Monday, November 13, 2023

Right now, there seems to be more confusion than ever about what it means to be a man. The Kens of the world really don’t know what it means to be a Ken.

Veterans Day 2023

Thursday, November 9, 2023

Saturday is Veterans Day. It is a well-known American holiday, but one with many misconceptions. So many that the U.S. Department of Defense issued “5 Facts to Know About Veterans Day” in relation to its observance back in 2018. In honor of Veterans Day, and as my own salute of gratitude to veterans, thought it fitting to share the five again.

Nothing Compares to the Church

Monday, November 6, 2023

Many years ago, I read of a pastor who boarded a plane in a pair of old blue jeans and a T-shirt, looking anything but ministerial. He sat down next to a well-dressed business guy who was reading a copy of the Wall Street Journal. They exchanged the usual pleasantries, and then the pastor asked the man what he did for a living

The Crisis of the Fourth Estate

Thursday, November 2, 2023

It has long been held that there is a “fourth estate,” or fourth power, operating in our world. It refers to the press and news media. And according to a new Gallup poll, it has lost much of its influence.

About Halloween (2023)

Monday, October 30, 2023

I grew up in a day when Halloween was little more than pumpkins, fall festivals, hayrides and dressing up as a pirate or a farmer to go trick-or-treating. And that’s also what it was like for my (now) very post-Halloween-age children. I know its history, but few celebrations in our day are free from pagan roots—almost all had a pagan heritage that was later seized and transformed by a Christian culture.

The Myth of Online Attenders

Thursday, October 26, 2023

When people hear about things like a “hybrid” approach to ministry – utilizing both the physical and the digital, in person and online – they are instantly dismissive. It is, to their thinking, missionally inferior. This is, of course, false.