April 20th, 2024

Ryan Churchill

26 POSTS
Ryan Churchill, author of The Covenants, Christ, and You, is first and foremost a lover of God’s Word. In everything Ryan writes, his aim and passion is to encourage others to read God's Word as a pathway to worship and intimacy with their Creator. Ryan’s heart is to teach others to engage Scripture with a new lens so they can see themselves through their Father's eyes, through the eyes of covenant. Get Ryan's free devotionals on peace and communion today.

Exclusive articles:

Experiencing God’s Faithfulness with Faith and Belief

Today’s Scripture Lesson: Ezra Chapters 1-3, Haggai 1-2, Zechariah 1-3  In a previous Bible Study To Go article, we took a look at Ezra and the...

Seeking the Treasures of Lady Wisdom

Today’s Scripture Lesson: Proverbs 8 Proverbs is an interesting word. It’s the title of a book from the Bible, but we also hear it used...

When Justice Blinds Us to God’s Covenant

Today's Scripture Lesson: Genesis 34 The Converted Con Man Genesis 34 finds us in about the midway point of the story of Jacob. If you’ll recall,...

Breaking

Trolls Band Together in Theaters November 17th

Nothing's Stronger Than Family Harmony About This holiday season, get ready...

Are State Laws the Solution to Kids’ Access to Porn?

As data continues to show the harms of viewing porn, particularly for children, support for stricter legal limits on pornographers has grown.

The Burial: A Glimpse Into the Life of William Gary

The Burial: Based on a True Events About Inspired by true...

Pandemic Restrictions Had No Lasting Effect on Churches, Study Finds

Even in states where regulations were severe, most congregations moved on quickly. Jeff Schoch was ready to be done with COVID-19 health safety regulations. Like most ministers in the US, the pastor of Crossroads Bible Church in San Jose, California, did his best to comply with the many pandemic rules imposed by state and local governments. But as soon as they were lifted, he wanted to put them all behind him. He quickly tore down the state-mandated signs about social distancing, hand washing, and masks. “I got rid of every visual reminder in the church,” Schoch told CT. “I was anxious, personally, to make that a memory.” Across the country, Protestant congregations are dealing with the long-term impacts of the pandemic. A new, extensive study by Arbor Research Group and ChurchSalary, a ministry of Christianity Today, found that a lot of pastors are still in crisis. Some furloughed staff members haven’t gone back to work. And even when attendance numbers have rebounded, there are still people missing from many congregations. Christian leaders will likely be grappling with the fallout from COVID-19 for years to come. But, surprisingly, state-level pandemic restrictions had no measurable, lasting impact on American churches. Even in places like San Jose—where the county government imposed some of the strictest rules in the country, the restrictions changed frequently, and authorities aggressively went after churches they said failed to comply—pastors like Schoch were able to just move on. The data doesn’t show any adverse effects from the government regulations. Eric Shieh, a research consultant for Arbor Research, said that surprised him. “You would think that the restrictions made things tougher for churches. They didn’t meet as much, and so you’d ...Continue reading...
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