Author Archives: ashtoncsmith

Many congregations have lost attendees following Covid 19. A commonality for those who have come back to church is that they were a part of a small group. The relationship factor from being in a small group has demonstrated that those who are a part of such a group are much more likely to continueContinue reading “Small Groups”

Too many congregations are weighted with mostly older adults. The Millennials, born between 1980 to 2000, are our largest generation, surpassing even the Baby-Boomers, who were born between 1946 and 1964. According to Pew Research, there are 72.1 million Millennials. Those of us who are older may have concluded that Millennials, on the whole, don’tContinue reading “Reaching Millennials”

There’s a lot to feel down about for believers and congregations. We hear statistics about fewer people identifying as Christians and the rise of the nones–those who don’t identify with any religion or faith. The nones can be explained as basic honesty. Formerly, it was advantageous to profess Christianity and be a part of aContinue reading “Encouragement for Churches”

During my time as a pastor, I’ve witnessed too many congregations that are inwardly focused. People were focused on their own preferences. I heard about one church years ago where the older members threatened to withhold their giving unless they were catered to. They wanted a bus so they could be taken on trips. ToContinue reading “An Essential for Church Growth”

Carneal, George. From Queer to Christ: My Journey Into the Light, 2016 I saw a brief interview with the author and decided to buy the book, read it and review it. Carneal grew up in the family of a Southern Baptist pastor in the southern United States. He had effeminate traits, such as carrying hisContinue reading “Book Review: From Queer to Christ”

I’m an observer of human behavior, and one thing I’ve observed is that women, generally speaking, are much better at social relationships and have closer friendships than men do. Women seem to have a closer social connection with their friends. It’s as though their brains and emotions are connected. I have over 4,000 Facebook friends.Continue reading “Friendship Among Men”

A pastor was recently promoting a building and renovation program to raise money for it. I found one of his examples interesting, and, in all honesty, I have used similar tactics. He drinks lots of sodas. The pastor noted how much more could be contributed to the building programs by limiting the number of softContinue reading “Tastes and Preferences”

A lady recently answered a question in such a way that I was almost sure she was joking. I asked where the men’s room was and she replied, “you can go into the woods.” The problem? I looked at her face to see if she had a wry smile. She was wearing a mask, whichContinue reading “Communication is Key”

At my home church Lori and I have been attending the life group headed by a retired pastor, who also is the father of our lead pastor. He made an important point on this past Sunday on communication. Pastor Jim, as he is known, shared about one lady he had asked about joining our congregation.Continue reading “Communication is key”

I normally don’t pay a lot of attention to how people are dressed, unless I’m at a social gathering, and I realize everyone is attired differently than I am. I had read a recent article (financial news) about clothing companies making more work-out clothing since that’s what’s selling. This morning at a high school IContinue reading “Appearance”