Church

I can admit that Substance is a strange church. When close to 70% of your attendees are under 35 years old, it results in a lot of trendiness. Every once in a while, someone will ask me the question: “At what point is your church overly hipster?” (as if we are intentionally advocating for this).…

Did you know that frequent church attendance dramatically increases your life-expectancy?  In fact, epidemiologists (doctors who study epidemics) have routinely noticed a strikingly and significant health difference for those who devoutly participate in God-centered social groups. At first, researchers simply reasoned that, church-goers tend to have a higher number of supportive relationships – which has…

When I gave my life to Christ, I experienced a deep sense of joy and freedom in knowing that I was loved by God and forgiven for all of the less than perfect things I had done. Truly, repenting for my past mistakes was exhilarating; knowing that I received God’s free gift of grace made…

A little over 8 years ago, the Lord spoke to me that I should start preparing for a church in downtown Minneapolis. It wasn’t just a passing fancy (& trust me, I’m dreaming about a LOT of locations). But those close to me know that I’ve never stopped talking about a downtown campus ever since.…

As we’ve been studying the Book of Acts, many people have been asking me questions about the Holy Spirit. For example: How do I know if I’ve received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? What’s the Biblical evidence of the Holy Spirit? Is it included in salvation? What’s up with Unknown Tongues? What does a…

Have you ever had a “Holy Hangover?” “What is it,” you ask? Well, it’s a numb euphoria mixed with exhaustion and shepherding stress. For years, as a senior pastor, I used to hate Easter. Part of it was because, every year our church would experience record “low attendance” on Easter – partly because 70% of…

When are we starting construction? Are we launching new services, new campuses? When will our building be done? A few weeks back, I answered all of these questions and more at an exciting “family meeting.” So, if you call Substance home and you missed this meeting, make sure to watch our “State of the Church”…

One of the most comprehensive and methodically sound sex studies ever done found that consistent church attendees have a significantly higher frequency and intensity of orgasms than the general population of the U.S.[i] Even more exciting, women who attend church more than once a week experience even bigger, (cough), …you know what I mean. But…

Hey Substance! Today is the big day–the day we all begin our 21 day Awakening Fast! If you were in Church this weekend, you might remember that I challenged everyone to read a Psalm a day during the fast. Remember, the Psalms are more than poetry–they are prophetic and powerful! So, join us in reading…

For years, I falsely thought that attending a church service would transform me. Yes, there is power in a church service. But there are also certain benefits that the Bible reserves for authentic fellowship and confession. For example, Biblical healing is often preceded by “confession of sin” and prayer with “righteous people”according to James 5:16.…