The FaithX Project

08/27/2026

In church, we like to focus on life and not think about death.

It's almost as if we don't trust resurrection when it comes to God's work in our churches. But what if decline isn't the end of the story?

This week on the blog, FaithX Partner Relations Director Steve Matthews looks at the Two Loops Model of Living Systems, where every stage of a community's life is honored, and where a fallen tree becomes the soil for what grows next.

What "time" is it for your church? Find out now 👇

The Two Loops Model honors every season of congregational life, including decline, and shows how one season’s ending can feed new growth.

08/20/2026

Do we actually know our neighbors anymore?

That's the question the leadership at Bethlehem in the Midway asked when they began asking tough questions about their future.

Like many urban congregations, they knew the neighborhood they remembered, but not necessarily the one that existed today. What they discovered through using FaithX tools reshaped their mission statement and everything that followed from it.

This week on the blog, read their story.

By Mary C. Frances, Executive Director and Senior Consultant When the leadership at Bethlehem in the Midway, a congregation in St. Paul, Minnesota, began asking tough questions about their future…

08/14/2026

If your congregation closed tomorrow, would your neighborhood notice?

It's an important question, but most faith communities are afraid to ask it.

Yet Proverbs 29:18 doesn't leave much wiggle room: "Without a vision, the people perish."

This week FaithX Founder and President Ken Howard kicks off a new monthly series, Questions Nobody's Asking (But Should Be), with the most existential one of all: Why should your congregation exist? (Or Are You Leading a Zombie Congregation?)

And if you're brave enough, take the quiz to find out.

Read it now 👇

If your congregation closed tomorrow, would your neighborhood notice? A hard question worth asking, plus a quiz to find out where you stand.

08/06/2026

Ever wish a wise prophet would show up and point your congregation in the right direction?

Don't hold your breath. Wisdom rarely arrives through one charismatic voice. It comes to us communally, when we listen well, invite the voices missing from the room, and move at the speed of trust with one another.

This week on the blog, FaithX Partner Relations Director Steve Matthews looks at one congregation of mostly retirees whose data revealed that half their neighbors were families with middle school and college age kids.

What do you do with that? That's where discernment begins.

Wisdom is a communal gift, not a solo act. See how FaithX helps congregations understand their neighborhoods and discern their next best step together.

07/30/2026

A while back we talked about summer being a good time for reflection and planning in the life cycle of a church. And then we asked what you thought summer was a good time for. Most of you focused on time with family and friends, adventure and travel and rest and relaxation.

We are going to follow your lead and take a break from the blog this week in honor of SUMMER!

Catch you next week! If you need us, you can always find us at [email protected]

07/24/2026

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."

This quote is often attributed to Viktor Frankl — a man who survived four concentration camps — to describe his approach to life.

So what does that have to do with your congregation?

This week on the blog, FaithX Partner Relations Director Steve Matthews explores what true freedom looks like for faith communities and what it means to say "yes" to new ways of being.

Link in comments 👇

📸: Jens Lelie on Unsplash

07/17/2026

What if Janis Joplin accidentally wrote the perfect mission statement for churches?

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." This summer, that might be exactly the permission slip your congregation needs to drop what's dragging you down.

This week on the FaithX blog, we're talking about what freedom looks like for faith communities.

Link in comments.

07/10/2026

Coming off the country's 250th birthday, we’re thinking about freedom.

How will we put our freedom to good use for our congregations and for the communities we serve?

This week on the blog, FaithX President and Founder Ken Howard challenges faith communities to stop holding on to your "what" and rediscover your "why."

Link in comments 👇

07/03/2026

“Nothing is more wonderful than the art of being free,
but nothing is harder to learn how to use than freedom.”

― Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
bit.ly/Alexis_de_Tocqueville

Happy Independence Day from your friends at FaithX!

It’s really summer now! Common ingredients for the perfect 4th might include hot dogs, fireworks, parades, backyard gatherings with friends and neighbors, flag waving, parades…

…and beyond all these external ways of celebrating and enjoying the day, what is in your heart this Independence Day? What does this day mean to you? Why is Independence Day important to you?

As we prepare to round the corner on the USA’s 250th birthday, consider pondering these questions:

1. If de Tocqueville is right, how are you learning to “use your freedom” in ways that nurtures the common good?

2. What is the gift of independence? Is there a shadow side to independence?

3. Is inter-dependence something that also deserves some attention and practice?

4. What new 4th of July practice might you “try on” to honor what’s in your heart for the United States this year?

We may be reached at [email protected]!

📸 Colton Duke on Unsplash

06/25/2026

We want to hear from you!

All month we have been sharing our thoughts about summer. Now it's your turn. Please let us know what you think is best about summertime by completing a brief survey.

Link in comments.