Dear Cornerstone Family,
Greetings and blessings to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I’ve been a long-time subscriber to and an occasional writer for Tabletalk magazine. If you’re unfamiliar with Tabletalk magazine, it’s a monthly publication of Ligonier ministries, which was started by the late Dr. R.C. Sproul in 1977. As a ministry of Ligonier, Tabletalk magazine is dedicated to helping you read and understand the Bible and grow in Christ. With articles from pastors, scholars, and teachers, every issue of Tabletalk focuses on something different. Each issue contains feature articles, daily Bible studies, and columns touching on biblical, theological, and practical themes to help strengthen and encourage you in your walk with Christ.
The February edition of Tabletalk was just released this week. The theme for the month of February is Sadness. Topics include the origin of sadness, learning to lament, grieving with hope, learning how to extend comfort in the church, and many other topics. We have fifty copies of the February edition of Tabletalk to give away today! If you’ve never read Tabletalk magazine before, please pick up a free copy today while supplies last.
Writing about Tabletalk’s mission to help you read and understand the Bible reminds me of Barna’s 2025 State of the Church report published in September of last year. There are some fascinating tidbits in the report especially related to Bible reading and church attendance generationally.
For instance, on Bible reading, there is a reported uptick in Bible reading among Christians generally. Nearly 50% of Christians report reading their Bible at some point during the week, which is up from 42% from the previous year. Interestingly, the Bible-reading surge has been led by younger generations, Gen Z and Millennials particularly.
Another interesting tidbit—it’s been generally true for years that women read the Bible more faithfully than men. New reports, however, show that young men (Gen Z and Millennial) are reading the Bible on par with young women if not surpassing them. This increase in Bible reading syncs with other data indicating spiritual interest and engagement among young men is on the rise.
This uptick in Bible reading parallels the uptick in church attendance. Gen Z Christians attend church/worship 1.9 times a month. That’s up from Millennials at 1.8 times a month, Gen Xers at 1.6 times a month, and Boomers at 1.4 times a month. Though the statistics are still disappointing, the trend among Gen Z and Millennials to pick up their Bible and go to church more is a cause for praise.
As we think twenty-five years into the future planning for ministry expansion as a church, we want to make room for the many moving to middle Tennessee and the younger generation of men and women waking up to the truth of Scripture and the value of the church. Whether it’s a larger facility, adding services, church planting, or some combination therein, maintaining the status quo isn’t the answer. God is calling us to more.
Toward that end, a congregational survey was sent out this week from our ministry expansion team. If you’re a member, you should have received it. If you did not, please contact our Church Life Coordinator, Dan Fiedler, at dan@cstonepres.org for the link. If you’ve received it and haven’t yet filled it out, take time today or tomorrow to do just that. We value your input as together we press forward in the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
Grace & Peace,
