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By Gordon Govier – Before COVID, the average church size in America was 137 people. Today it’s 65, according to veteran religion writer Bob Smietana, who shared some thoughts about the future of the American church in an UpperHouse forum, Friday, November 18, 2022. Smietana has been one of the top religion reporters in the country for over two decades and is currently National Reporter for the Religion News Service. Smietana’s book, Reorganized Religion – The Reshaping of the American Church and Why it Matters, just out in August, provided the focus for the forum, which attracted a diverse group…

By Gayle Worland – Wisconsin State Journal – More than 20 Christian congregations will gather Monday evening for the first Madison-area ecumenical Thanksgiving service in recent history. Church leaders from the Catholic, Orthodox, mainline Protestant, Evangelical and African American communities helped plan the one-hour service, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, 418 Holly Ave. The prayer service has room for more than 1,000 people and will emphasize commonalities across denominations, said organizer John Schmitz. Read more of this story.

Healthy and connected pastors/clergy are foundational to collaboration between churches and the flourishing of our communities. Since 2019, the Collaboration Project has been coming alongside over 100 pastors, clergy, and ministry leaders in Dane County. A NEW Ministry Co-Working Space is the Collaboration Project’s latest investment in pastoral support and connection for ministry practitioners across Dane County. The Co-Working space is located conveniently at 6506 Schroeder Rd, on Madison’s west side and offers a choice of working environments and common areas to network with other members. Find out more about this new facility at the Collaboration Project’s website.

“Fall Gospel Fest fills a certain niche, a certain void that we have here in Madison … It brings the biggest and brightest national gospel artists here where people can actually see them live and in person,” says Clyde Gaines, the organizer of the 18th annual Fall Gospel Fest. “Most of the time you’re seeing these artists you’ve going to other cities to see these gospel artists. Talented musicians have traveled to Madison from all over the world to perform in front of a live audience at Fall Gospel Fest, which annually features some of gospel music’s biggest and brightest…

By Fred Grossenbach, director of the Madison Christian Giving Fund – The Madison Christian Giving Fund (MCGF) is committed to investing in the success of our Ministry Partners.  Surveys have confirmed that fund raising is a top priority for our Capacity Building Workshops. On October 7, 2022,  about 40 people representing a wide cross-section of Madison-area Christian ministries, from hyper-local to international, attended a three hour interactive learning session led by Marcy Heim, a fund raising professional with over 20 years of experience. The participants learned that fund raising is about building relationships over time with people who have common…

As people of faith, it is easy to say that we believe in the power of prayer.  But what do we mean when we talk about prayer?   Tim Mackie, co-founder of BibleProject, shared this teaching on prayer at the 2022 National Gathering of 24-7 Prayer USA in Portland, OR: Paradise Now – Luke 23 We invite you to join a community-wide week of prayer shared by churches around Dane County, from October 16-23, 2022. Five physical prayer rooms will be set up with guided prayer stations and located conveniently around the city.  ALL are welcome to participate! Each prayer room will be inspired…

By Chris Rickert, Wisconsin State Journal — Citing reduced membership and Mass attendance, and sundry other indicators of what Bishop Donald Hying describes as an “increasingly post-Christian culture,” the Diocese of Madison is planning to roll out a major restructuring next year that would consolidate parishes and possibly sell off unused church property. According to an “initial outline” released Oct. 1, the Diocese’s 102 parishes — including 135 churches and other associated buildings — would be consolidated into approximately 30 “pastorates,” or groupings of parishes, with “each under the leadership of a single Pastor and other priests collaborating with him…

In a room “full of entrepreneurial, grass roots, mission-minded leaders,” in the words of keynote speaker Dave Bechtold, three visonaries were recognized for their leadership. A surprise presentation began the Madison Christian Giving Fund’s Celebration of Generosity held Friday evening, October 7, 2022, at High Point Church on Old Sauk Road. Tom and Barb Hoffner, and Scott Haumersen, were recognized as Faithful Servants by Ryan Klund of the National Christian Foundation Wisconsin. The Hoffners and Haumersen took the lead eight years ago, launching the Madison Christian Giving Fund (MCGF) and the Madison Christian Generosity Council (MCGC) under the umbrella of…

Snizhana Bykova and her two children, Daniil and Arina, left their home in Kyiv to flee to safety in the United States. Their American friends Anne and Jeff Munson welcomed the Bykovs into their already crowded Fitchburg home on March 6. Six months later, the Bykovs are living on their own. They moved into a Middleton duplex in July. The congregation at Midvale Community Lutheran Church sponsored the Bykov and Munson families and helped make this all possible.

by Marcus Allen, Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Madison For the last several months, I have been partnering with Upper House to plan and host an innovative event coming up this month— the Midwest Gospel Preaching Summit. When I approached Upper House with the idea, the Midwest GPS took on the shape I had hoped for—a spiritually invigorating event that will uplift and equip preachers and pastors of diverse congregations. How it might help us advance the kingdom of God in Madison and the surrounding region is something we can only imagine. I want you to be a part…