Every two years thousands of high school students gather to minister, learn from God's Word and be challenged to live on mission with Jesus every day, everywhere and with everyone. Challenge 2016 is July 3-7 in Lousiville, KY.  Plan now to take your youth group, large or small, to Challenge 2016, a ministry of EFCA's ReachStudents.

Justin Taylor gives a helpful overview of Scott W. Sunquist's new book, The Unexpected Christian Century: The Reversal and Transformation of Global Christianity, 1900-2000.  In Taylor's article, The Christian Century No One Predicted, he highlights the rapid and significant shift of Christianity from the North Atlantic to the Southern Hemisphere and Asia.  "But it was also a reversal in that Christianity moved from being centered in Christian nations to being centered in non-Christian nations. Christendom, that remarkable condition of churches supporting states and states supporting Christianity, died. The idea of Christian privilege in society was all but killed. And yet the religion seemed stronger than ever at the end of the twentieth century."

While the context of the blog How To Manage Your Time: 5 Secrets Backed By Research is marketplace employment, the suggestions and questions are valuable for those who are involved in ministry, both paid and volunteer.  Eric Barker reviews a book which will be released January 5 -  Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport.  Barker highlights the counter-intuitive discipline it takes today to not be sucked into the world of meetings and email so that you can actually focus on what is most important.

The Barna Group, in partnership with The Navigators, recently released a study on the State of Discipleship in the United States.  While this research relies on self-identifying as Christians and identifying ways they grow in Christ, it is helpful to understand the perceptions and expectations of those who attend our churches.

Aaron Earls summarizes recent survey results of American churches in Facts and Trends.  In his article Six Trends Redefining the American Church, Earls highlights trends from the National Congregations Study sponsored by Duke Divinity School which has been conducted since 1998.

In this podcast, Brad Waggoner discusses how to lead when you're not the top leader in an organization, and tackles the question most frequently asked by church staff: What do you do when you don't really agree with the pastor's vision for the church?  Whether you're in the first chair, second chair or somewhere further down the org chart, Leading from the Second Chair will be helpful to think through how you work as a team.

January is one of those times when many decide they need to do things differently.  In a recent article from Inc., Jessica Stillman highlights an infographic from Pro Easy Writer that suggests there are Five Hobbies That Will Make You Smarter. "Research has shown that mildly creative pursuits like knitting, cooking, or photography actually boost your performance at work. But certain after-hours activities can actually make you smarter too. Choose the right hobby, the site contends, and you will be boosting your brainpower at the same time as you enjoyably while away your evenings and weekends."

As you look ahead to 2016, take a few minutes to read Thom Rainer's article on Big Events.  He is careful to say that sometimes these events are quite effective, but certain key ingredients must be part of the planning and execution and in the DNA of the church.

Every person is created in the image of God. Every person is unique.  There are, however, some similarities in the way people think and perceive.  Tom Paterson has grouped similar ways of thinking and perceiving into five basic groups:  Grinders, Minders, Keepers, Finders and Conceivers.  Knowing how each person on your ministry team tends to view life and ministry is helpful in how you listen to their perspective and incorporate it into decisions made and assignments given.  Eric Geiger has helpfully summarized these issues in his article Five Types of Thinkers on Your Team.