Church

Did Christ Really Descend into Hell? Over the years, I’ve been asked this question a lot. If you grew up in a good Catholic or Lutheran church, chances are you were forced to memorize the Apostles Creed, which says: “[Christ] was crucified, died and was buried,” followed by the statement: “he descended into hell.” Now,…

How does Digital Church work at Substance? After COVID hit our country, we made a simple decision: “We are no longer a physical church with digital options; rather, we are a digital church with physical locations.”  To borrow a phrase from Amazon, “It takes clicks to get bricks.” But how are we reinventing ourselves? Well,…

After 14 weeks of digital church, we are officially relaunching LIVE worship & preaching at Substance (June 21st!) Sadly, we are not yet able to open our West Side campus (as we do not control that building); but, rest assured, all of these inconveniences are temporary! Last week, we did a live worship and prayer gathering…

Just how dangerous is attending church, really? I mean, if a person infected with COVID-19 sat next to you in church, exactly how long would it take for you to get infected? I’ve been talking to a lot of experts and the answer may surprise you. Every week, the media warns us about the “dangers…

Volunteer Cliffs:  5 Reasons Why Volunteers Quit our Ministries and How to Diagnose & Remove these Obstacles! Have you ever wondered: “How do I get more people involved in my ministry? Or, why do certain ministries always seem to attract volunteers while others struggle?”  Weak leaders always think: “I need more money or good staff…

Easter is coming! And at Substance, we have been planning an amazing service for a long time. But why? We want you to invite your friends! Did you know that 82% of unchurched people stated they would go to church if they were invited by someone1. Yet, less than 2% of Christians ever invite people.…

Well, it was another record-setting year of Christmas services at Substance! And after 11 services, I’m ready to do a whole lot of nothing! Thankfully, Carolyn will be tag-teaming our New Years teaching series called “Changeable” – God’s plan for Reinventing Yourself. (& remember, we have NEW service times at our Northtown campus this Sunday…

If you’ve come to Substance in the last few years, you’ll know that we start out every new year with a season of fasting. Of course, nobody “has to” fast; but, when you understand what the Bible teaches on fasting, you’ll realize: we “get to” fast.  It’s actually an incredible opportunity. In both the Old…

Every 4 to 7 days, Substance (through the Association of Related Churches) has the opportunity to help launch another church somewhere around the United States. Substance was ARC church plant #15. And since that time, I’ve watched the ARC launch over 500 new churches with a 93% success rate (after 5 yrs). So, over the…

At one time in my life, I thought skepticism meant “a lack of faith.” But as I matured, I realized that skepticism is often the evidence of “maturing faith.” As strange as it might sound, doubt is God’s way of making us hungry for deeper revelations.  It’s not something we fear; it’s something we explore. Keep…