Robert Harris, a former church elder at Repairers Kansas City who was charged with killing his wife after less than two years of marriage, has been convicted of first-degree murder. Several people gave testimony at Harris' trial, including a young man who testified that he was involved in a romantic relationship with the former church elder and Army veteran. The man, who publicly identified himself as Steven Junior, took to Facebook Live to demand justice for Harris' wife, Tanisha, who he said was a longtime friend. Junior also accused congregants at Harris' church, where controversial pastor Carlton Funderburke served as lead pastor, of being hypocrites. Funderburke, who now leads Church at the Well Kansas City with his wife, was recently forced to apologize after a video of the pastor throwing a spiritualized tantrum from the pulpit in which he called his congregation "broke, busted and busted" for not "honoring" him with a Movado watch went viral. Read more.

The latest annual report for Hillsong Chuch Australia, the flagship branch of the global Hillsong Church brand, has revealed the church suffered significant drops in both giving and church attendance in 2021. Total revenue for the flagship branch for 2021 was $76,924,646, a 12.3% drop from the nearly $88 million the church generated in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. The report explained the financial hit led the church to cut its operation costs, including for "church and other benevolent activities." While the 2020 annual report showed the church's weekly live views of services increased from nearly 4,700 to an average of 444,127 in the wake of the pandemic, the 2021 report revealed the total combined average weekly attendance online and in-person slumped to 21,219. Read more.

Modern hymn writer Keith Getty writes about the decrease in the number of churches that participate in congregational singing and why he believes it is so important that churches come together to worship with music. "Our responsibility as believers of God is to sing together. Throughout Scripture, the command to sing is given to God’s people more than 400 times. Ephesians 5:19 instructs believers to address one another in 'psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.' We are spiritually renewed, realigned, and sanctified by singing to the Lord and singing to each other as the body of Christ," he explains. Read more.

Wallace B. Henley pens an open letter to young ministers to encourage them in their calling. "Never forget, young minister, though you have the call of God on your life, and the Holy Spirit within, you are still human—no matter how old and 'hoary' you may be, still you are a person of flesh. Flee temptation even if you must drag yourself or hobble away on a cane. Recognize situations where you could be easily compromised," he says. Read more.

CEF® wants to support you in reaching children where they are - the public school. Let us show you how to bring them into the church, before it's too late. Learn More

Costi Hinn's church plant in Chandler, Ariz., has little in common with the prosperity gospel ministry of his uncle, Benny Hinn's, world-renowned televangelist ministry. "I wear Nike high tops because we're a church plant, and I'm on my feet for nine hours straight, so I don't need to be in dress shoes," Costi Hinn says. "I wear button-ups and not a suit because it's 112 degrees right now in Arizona. I preach sound doctrine because Paul said, 'preach the word.'" The church planter, who focuses on a "discipleship culture," says says he believes in the need for a "balanced diet" in ministry that both fights wolves and feeds sheep. Read more.

Amazon Studio's upcoming spinoff series for the late author J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy seeks to honor Tolkien's work by exploring the complicated origin stories of some of Middle Earth's greatest heroes and antagonists. In this interview with The Christian Post, the "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" stars discuss the show's major themes and why The Lord of the Rings is so universally relatable. The cast also explains how the fantasy series serves both as an "escape" into an alternate world and a connection to the universal human experience of "friendship, love and hope over despair"—elements that make Tolkien’s work so beloved and timeless. Read more.