Comfortable Churches Don’t Make History

by Tracee Swank | Jun 1, 2026 | Mission, Movement, Prayer, Tracee J. Swank

Scripture “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Revelation 3:20 NIV) Laodicea was a wealthy, comfortable city. Even so, Jesus did not stop knocking on the...

The Pipeline Is Broken (And Your Church Will Feel It by 2030)

by Tracee Swank | May 28, 2026 | Discipleship, Leadership, Movement, Tracee J. Swank

You already sense it, even if you have not said it out loud yet. The last pastoral search took longer than expected. The resumes did not quite fit. A church down the road has been looking for 18 months. A pastor you respect just stepped out of ministry. Your associate...

Your Community Changed—And Your Church May Not Have Noticed

by Tracee Swank | May 26, 2026 | Mission, Outreach, Tracee J. Swank

Drive around the neighborhood surrounding your church building tomorrow morning and ask yourself one simple, honest question: Who actually lives here now? Not the neighbors who lived here 20 years ago when your current ministries were first designed. Not the families...

Activity Is Not Momentum

by Tracee Swank | May 25, 2026 | Mission, Movement, Prayer, Tracee J. Swank

Scripture “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” (Revelation 2:4-5a NIV) If the calendar is full but the heart feels faint, you are not alone. Even...

A Gifted Church Is a Sent Church

by Tracee Swank | Apr 9, 2026 | Mission, Spiritual Gifts, Tracee J. Swank

Acts reveals a pattern: When believers are filled with the Spirit, they speak boldly, serve courageously, and cross boundaries for the sake of Christ. The Spirit’s gifting always moves outward. A local church that systematically teaches, discerns, and deploys...

A Networked Local Church Reflects the Early Church in a Fragmented Age

by Tracee Swank | Apr 8, 2026 | Microchurch, Networks, Tracee J. Swank

We live in a highly individualized culture. Institutions are questioned. Loyalty is thin. Isolation is common. The local church has an opportunity to model a different way of life. A microchurch network demonstrates unity without uniformity. Congregations remain...