The Curiosity Index (26.03.2018)

26 March 2018

Boko Haram kept one Dapchi girl who refused to deny her Christianity

“We begged her to just recite the Islamic declaration and put the hijab on and get into the vehicle, but she said it was not her faith, so why should she say it was? If they want to kill her, they can go ahead, but she won’t say she is a Muslim.”

Powerful. Pray for Leah Sharibu.

Church planting realities

What it’s like being involved in a church plant in Finland. How about this for an endorsement:

Moving countries for a year wasn’t easy but I have felt so loved, supported and encouraged by my church family here. I have never experienced the kind of generosity I’ve received here and I have learnt so much about doing life with others in a selfless, God centred way.

When the congregation has gone, what’s to become of our city churches?

It’s about the buildings but this shows the problem

While church membership in Britain stood at approximately 10.6m people in 1930, by 2013 that number had dwindled to just 5.4m. In 2015, just 4.7 per cent of England’s population were attending church regularly, down from 11.8% in 1980. For better or for worse, the UK’s congregation is in decline. The bells continue to ring, but the pews are emptying out. Each day, the problem grows larger.

It’s not a problem unique to the UK: Gorgeous Dutch home in a converted church seeks buyers