Welcome to the On The Rise newsletter, where I feature fascinating, helpful, and sometimes curious content that caught my attention this week.

Today, fresh Barna data shows America is still sliding away from its Christian moorings, the death of blogs in 2026 (should we bring them back?), ruthlessly eliminating hurry, and how to beat the winter blues.

Believe It or Not, America is Not as Religious as It Used To Be

New data shows a further dip.

With all the talk of revival, it’s easy to assume America is surging as a Christian nation. New Barna data shows that’s not quite the case.

I shared the dip in people identifying as Christian and as practicing Christians in my 2026 Church Trends report, and if you want to dive a little deeper, here’s the full Barna report outlining 25 years of data.​

That’s not to say the spike in interest in faith among Gen Z isn’t real, but it does confirm that many people remain to be reached.

And my team and I are here to help with that.

Grow Your Leadership On-The-Go

Download The Art of Leadership Academy mobile app!

Here’s your friendly reminder: you don’t have to lead alone.

Your next step to growth is in The Art of Leadership Academy, and it might be easier than you think. As an all-access member, you can dive into any resource (or conversation) you want.

The key? Picking one resource and sticking with it.

All it takes to start is 5 minutes, and you can make it easy by downloading the mobile app.

Start Here

Weird Blogs are Gone

Anyone else miss blogging?

I’ve heard from a few people recently that they miss the blog.

Sure, the internet has gone to video, and I’ve made that pivot too.

What you’re seeing now from my team and me began as a hobby: a blog I wrote 3x a week starting in 2012. It took off from there.

Truth is, I miss blogging. This article notes that private equity killed off several formerly great sites.​

​I guess my question for you is, do you miss it? ​

Answer the poll and let me know if you’d like more of my content in written form again (not just video).

​

Do you miss the written blog? I'd love to read your content. Video works for me. I haven't noticed a difference.

Can We Please Stop Using the Term “Under Compulsion” When It Comes to Giving?

Here's what I mean...

Pastors, can we talk about what Paul actually meant by “God loves a cheerful giver”?

Too often, we emphasize “not under compulsion” so strongly that we end up discipling people to avoid giving instead of stepping into its joy. In 2 Corinthians 9, “cheerful” (hilaros) points to readiness—eager, willing, prepared generosity.

Pair that with Exodus 35–36, where the people gave “more than enough,” and a clearer picture emerges: your role isn’t to guard wallets, but to form joyful givers.

Lead your church toward readiness and watch God supply more than enough. You can read the full article here and share it with your team.

Read Here

Winter Blues Got You Down?

How the Finns fight back.

My wife comes from Finnish stock, and although I’ve never been to Finland (yet), how Nordic people survive the winter is always interesting to me.​

Living north of Toronto, Canada, myself, it’s a bit of an endurance test. But even then, I’m on the road at least twice a month for speaking engagements, and in the winter, that leads to sunnier destinations.

What do you do if you’re, well, stuck in the dark frozen north for months at a time?

Here’s how the Finns do it.

Cheering for you,

Weekend Watching

RuslanKD

YouTuber Ruslan KD sits down to explain that ambiguity from preachers on cultural issues is costing them more than they think. The next generation is looking to the church for what to think and how to think. In this episode, we do a deep dive into how the next generation is leveraging YouTube and social media to preach the Gospel.