EDITOR’S NOTE: “Signs and Wonders” is a column that shares thoughts on news items that either do not rise to the level of a news story for MinistryWatch or are slightly (even significantly) outside of our normal charity and philanthropy “beat.” My goal is to be punchy, opinionated, and not to worry much about being slightly off brand. If that is not for you, no hard feelings. But if it is…read on.
Quiet and Peaceful Lives. We live in a hyperactive world, and one of the implications of that hyperactivity is the temptation to neglect rest, reflection, and the hard but essential business of minding our own affairs. That is one reason so many Christian leaders whose public persona and platform are glossy, have private lives that are in shambles. Alan Noble has written helpfully and wisely about the need to stand for truth in the public square while also taking care of business at home. You can find that piece here.
How Many Leaders Should Your Church Have? Data guy Ryan Burge is at it again. And by that I mean he has published new data that I can’t resist. This time, it is an analysis of how many leaders churches have relative to their congregation size. By “leaders,” he does not mean paid staff, but includes deacons and elders. His conclusion: “It’s nearly impossible to offer a single, one-size-fits-all answer to the question of leadership staffing. Still, as a general rule of thumb, one new leader for every 20–25 new members seems like a pretty reasonable benchmark.” If that number sounds off to you, I invite you to dig into the data. It is fascinating.
Demography is Destiny. In 1990, New York City had 2,262 homicides. Last year, that number was 302 (as of 12/28). A lot of people, politicians, and political parties are taking credit for the decline, but no one is giving credit to demography. Violent crime is down because most young men commit violent crime. The idea that criminals “age out” of criminal behavior is a well-known concept among criminologists, and 35 is the magic number for that graduation from criminal behavior to more socially acceptable behavior. We are getting older as a nation. Therefore, less violent crime. In 1990, the median age of a New Yorker was 31. Today, it is 39. That age difference completely explains the drop.
Pro-Life Leaders React. President Trump is telling GOP lawmakers that they need to be “flexible” on the Hyde Amendment. The Hyde Amendment is a U.S. law that prohibits federal funds from paying for most abortions through programs like Medicaid, except in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. But pro-life activists and the groups they lead are reacting negatively. Lila Rose, founder of Live Action, wrote, “The GOP must stand firm for human life. No exceptions. No inch given. If you sacrifice Hyde, you sacrifice innocent human children.” Tony Perkins, of the Family Research Council, shared a similar sentiment. “Abortion and gender experimentation are not health care. The only flexibility needed is for the government to allow taxpayers to get out of the abortion and gender mutilation business.”
Daystar Drama Dominates. I subscribe to the Radio+Television Business Report because, well, I am a nerd and industry publications fascinate me. But that is not the only reason. Christian broadcasters own or operate (by some estimates) 5,000 of the 15,000 or so radio signals in the country. That includes translators and low-power stations, but it means that R+TVBR does a surprisingly good job of covering Christian broadcast media. One of their stories about the scandal at Daystar was their most viewed story of the year. You can see that story here. To read MinistryWatch’s coverage, click here.
Thank you. Since this is my first Signs & Wonders column of the new year, I want to thank you for helping us close out 2025 in a grand fashion. Our fundraising goal for December was $100,000. We raised about $124,000. For the last quarter of the year, our goal was $214,000, and we raised about $211,000. I also want to thank you for reading MinistryWatch. We set a goal of 3.6 million page views for 2025. We ended up at more than 3.9 million, a 15% increase over the year. We are humbled and grateful for your continued support.
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