Hey, it’s Brady,

Now, maybe your church doesn't do this. But at the last few churches I've served at, we used sermon starters to cue up the pastor's message. They set the tone. But practically, they make for a useful transition element in the order of service also.

So what's the problem with them?

There’s no major problem. But if you wanted to mix it up, here's what a pastor told me his church does instead. I found it compelling.

So this comes from Luke Simmons from Ironwood Church. The entire congregation stands. And a person who is not him, the preacher, reads the Scripture text for the morning sermon. He said they like to use someone who isn't usually on stage. Sometimes that person stumbles over the words or doesn't read it perfectly. That’s perfectly fine!

There are three keys to this:

1. Read the Scriptural text before the sermon begins.
2. The whole congregation stands.
3. The passage is read, not by the pastor, but by a person in the congregation.

A great swap to consider if you're a mini movie church.

Here's what Pastor Luke said about this: "Having a lay person read it, not the pastor, it communicates that the Word of God is accessible for all. It's not 'I am the pastor and only I can make this approachable to you."

This is not a novel idea. But typically, there are churches that do this and churches that don’t. What is unusual is when you see crossover and this kind of thing happening in a church you wouldn’t expect. Like fusion cooking. Different traditions combining to create something fresh.

Is it the worship? Politics? Programs? That’s what we tend to blame. But new data from Pew and PRRI - covering 80,000+ respondents - points to a very different primary reason people leave. Today, we’ll unpack what the data actually says, why common assumptions fall short, and what churches can do in response.

Get our insights here.

Thanks as always for your time, attention, and trust. Talk to you next Thursday. - Brady Shearer