The following article was recommended by Brian Elmer of First Alliance:

Five Myths About Living Together Before Marriage

By Dan Delzell , Special to CP
May 4, 2012|8:13 am

“So you think there are advantages to living together rather than getting married. Before you close your mind any tighter on the issue, check out these five myths:

Myth #1
Living together first will tell us if we are right for one another.

No it won’t. You are comparing apples to oranges. Just because one tastes good or bad to you doesn’t mean the other will taste the same. Marriage is a totally different proposition than simply living together. Marriage is built upon a promise before God to remain faithful to one another. Living together involves no such promise. You could fail at living together with someone you may have succeeded with in marriage. It all depends upon how much both people are relying on God for assistance and love. By the way, the divorce rate of couples who live together first is significantly higher than for those who do not…”

To read the rest of the article click here!

_{Quoted from http://www.christianpost.com/news/five-myths-about-living-together-before-marriage-74355/}

OuterEdge.com has four key foundations:

• OuterEdge.com is a place to meet friends in a safe, faith-based setting.  The goal is not to take you away from other social network sites but to offer a place where the global body of Christ can support and challenge you.  It’s not a place to hide from the world. Rather it’s a place to come and be challenged to use all the talent God has hard-wired into you to shine His light into a world that needs the difference only He can make.
• OuterEdge.com is a place to engage your faith.  They have designed media to challenge you, to encourage you, to excite you about what God wants to do in and through you.  All productions use top-quality film to take you into characters and situations where you can relate.  We are excited to feature independent artists focused on using their talents for God’s glory.
• OuterEdge.com is a place to see lives changed. Watch as your friends share how you encourage them — as others around you begin or grow in faith.  Share what God is doing in your life in a safe, nurturing community.
• OuterEdge.com is a place where you can seek a life with purpose. They have found no purpose is greater than growing in a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.  Outeredge.com wants to fuel the passion God has created in you. It’s what Outeredge.com and every partner organization on this site is all about.

The following article was recommended by Nils Saunders of Monroe Alliance:

3 Common Traits of Youth Who Don’t Leave the Church

By Jon Nielson

“‘What do we do about our kids?’ The group of parents sat together in my office, wiping their eyes. I’m a high school pastor, but for once, they weren’t talking about 16-year-olds drinking and partying. Each had a story to tell about a ‘good Christian’ child, raised in their home and in our church, who had walked away from the faith during the college years. These children had come through our church’s youth program, gone on short-term mission trips, and served in several different ministries during their teenage years. Now they didn’t want anything to do with it anymore. And, somehow, these mothers’ ideas for our church to send college students ‘care packages’ during their freshman year to help them feel connected to the church didn’t strike me as a solution with quite enough depth.

“The daunting statistics about churchgoing youth keep rolling in. Panic ensues. What are we doing wrong in our churches? In our youth ministries?

“It’s hard to sort through the various reports and find the real story. And there is no one easy solution for bringing all of those ‘lost’ kids back into the church, other than continuing to pray for them and speaking the gospel into their lives. However, we can all look at the 20-somethings in our churches who areengaged and involved in ministry. What is it that sets apart the kids who stay in the church? Here are just a few observations I have made about such kids, with a few applications for those of us serving in youth ministry.”

To read the rest of the article click here!

_{Quote taken from http://www.churchleaders.com/youth/youth-leaders-articles/159175-3-common-traits-of-youth-who-don-t-leave-the-church.html}

Looking for some great church media? Shift Worship is an organization that strives to provide high quality church media, at an affordable price, and an easy to use web service for you to locate the media you need.

They have been creating media since 2003, and have seen the church media industry grow rapidly since. Shift Worship feels strongly that churches should be able to have great media without having to pay $5, $10, or even $20 per clip. Take a look through the Shift Worship web site and perhaps consider the All Access Pass.  With a low annual membership fee, you can have access to everything they offer as well as everything added during your membership. With their weekly media releases, you’ll find the content is always new and fresh!

If you have been purchasing church media, you know how fast “per clip download” costs add up. Hopefully, Shift Worship can be an easy to use, low cost option for your church media needs. With a convenient sign-in process you can share the username & password within your different church ministries. As long as you’re using the media for your church, you can download as much media as you need, as often as you want!

With over one thousand media clips on the Shift Worship site, you’re literally paying pennies per clip!

Want to know more about what they can offer your ministry? Visit shiftworship.com or watch this short video:

“Stats are predicting that  mobile internet usage is due to overtake desktop usage in 2014!”

That’s right, in two short years, more people will be visiting your church’s website through their mobile device than through their computer. Is your church ready?

Need more convincing? View some great examples of mobile church websites (such as the one below), by clicking here!

ChurchSafety.com, is  a website dedicated to bringing churches valuable information and tools to help you operate safely.

How it Works

ChurchSafety.com offers free articles and safety assessments in eight different categories of safety: Kids, Staff,Ministries,Money,Law,Property,Transportation, and Emergencies. Just select a category to get started, then choose a topic.

Safety information is presented in three easy parts:

• Simple. Free articles that give you a quick overview and provide a basic understanding of the topic.
• Smart. Free resources, including in-depth articles and online assessments, help you determine how well your church addresses the topic.
• Step-by-Step. Premium content—safety downloads with 25-40 pages of how-to articles, assessments, discussion starters, and more. Downloads can be purchased individually ($14.95) or you can purchase an annual membership ($99.95) for unlimited access.

You choose how ChurchSafety.com works best for your church.

Church Metrics is an incredibly powerful, completely free data-tracking application for your computer and mobile device. It is simple to set up, easy to use, and has tons of features.

What can you do with ChurchMetrics?

• Keep tabs on information like attendance, giving, salvations, baptisms, and more.
• Track any data you choose — if you can count it, you can track it!
• See your church’s historical data clearly in simple charts, reports, and dashboards.
• Access data anywhere using mobile and desktop options.
• Use it online, so there’s no software to install or update.

And it’s 100% free! No trials, no paid plans.

_{All information and pictures taken from https://www.churchmetrics.com/}

The following article was recommended by Brian Elmer of First Alliance:

The 10 Warning Signs of an Inwardly Obsessed Church

By Thom S. Rainer, Christian Post Guest Columnist
May 3, 2012|8:27 am

“Any healthy church must have some level of inward focus. Those in the church should be discipled. Hurting members need genuine concern and ministry. Healthy fellowship among the members is a good sign for a congregation.

But churches can lose their outward focus and become preoccupied with the perceived needs and desires of the members. The dollars spent and the time expended can quickly become focused on the demands of those inside the congregation. When that takes place the church has become inwardly obsessed. It is no longer a Great Commission congregation.

In my research of churches and consultation with churches, I have kept a checklist of potential signs that a church might be moving toward inward obsession. No church is perfect; indeed most churches will demonstrate one or two of these signs for a season. But the real danger takes place when a church begins to manifest three or more of these warning signs for an extended period of months and even years.”

Click here to read the rest of the article…

_{Quoted from http://www.christianpost.com/news/the-10-warning-signs-of-an-inwardly-obsessed-church-74292/}