Unpacking the current statistics for “Houston” and what they mean for the churches and Christians who live here

Pastors' wives need community just as much as anyone else in the congregation. True strength lies in allowing yourself to be seen, known, and tenderly upheld.

It’s going to take collaboration to reach the forests and deserts of Houston.

Making an impact in the global refugee crisis can be as simple as welcoming a neighbor well. Here’s how.

How can we plant churches that enrich the community, love the city, and contribute to urban shalom?

¿Cómo podemos plantar iglesias que enriquezcan la comunidad, amén la ciudad y contribuyan al shalom urbano?

These statistics are more than just numbers. They represent the shape of our city and the context in which we minister.

One of the key services that UBA provides to churches is contextual understanding about the city in which we live. UBA staff do this through research, demographics, conducting church surveys, or interpreting outside data points. We’re regularly asked questions about how current our data are and how it actually affects churches. I’m happy to report there is a new answer to these questions. UBA has been asked to be one of the pilot associations for a brand new national research project that has direct implications for you and your church.

It's official. The "back to the city" movement seems to be winding down, at least for the foreseeable future. For years now in North American ministry circles, much discussion has occurred over the rise of city populations. However, trends seem to be shifting once again toward the suburbs. While the particulars of strategy are most often confined to the specific local context, there are at least three high-level insights that merit a mention.

For churches that find themselves in the suburbs, the rapidly changing demographics of these neighborhoods matter. It is no secret that the majority of evangelical churches are located in the suburbs of metropolitan areas. We must ask ourselves, however, if our churches are prepared to minister to new territory. Churches located on the same plot of ground where they started 3 or 4 decades ago may not have moved, but the communities around them have shifted.