The Banner

At just about every church leadership event, the first question attendees ask of one another is “How big is your church?”

It was almost magical how it filled up again and again, week after week.

In 1956, Ernie Benally was a rarity on the Dordt College campus: a full-blooded Navajo in a world of fair-haired Dutch-American students—and Calvinists at that.

Patient, humble, kind, and a gracious listener, John Van Ryn was a peacemaker who was able to stay calm in difficult situations. He died July 1 at age 90.

Cassie George is determined to stay away from the small Oregon town she fled in shame years ago. But when she learns her aunt is ill, she knows it's time to return.

A Little SPOT of Belonging is a story about the importance of including others and being kind. It also helps children learn how to make friends.

In this Emmy-nominated series, Mark leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives.

Tim Bossenbroek, pastor of Hessel Park Christian Reformed Church in Champaign, Ill., was one of the organizers of Guns to Garden Tools, a community anti-violence event July 29-30.

Still leading a weekly online Bible study and participating in the annual meeting of the Christian Community Development Association that he helped to organize decades before,  John Perkins continues to mobilize Christian communities.

When I am not sure but have to make a choice, I choose to risk erring on the side of love and inclusion.

Having a community of people learning together helps us explore a topic more deeply and gain from each other’s wisdom.

Having written nearly 40 books across a number of genres: fiction, autobiography, theology, essays, and sermons, Frederick Buechner died Aug. 15.

For fans of Pam Jenoff, Ruta Sepetys and Jennifer Robson comes a richly told WWII story of unlikely allies struggling together against Nazi occupation in the Netherlands.

Country queen Carrie Underwood returns with a fun, hook-laden album.

At its triennial Churchwide Assembly in Columbus, Ohio, the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States reiterated its commitment to develop Native leaders in the church and encourage the return of land.

Get some of our top picks for reading, watching, and listening in September 2022.

See how readers responded to recent Banner issues, articles, and columns.

My husband and I can’t agree on whether we should be cremated or not. Is there any biblical instruction for this?

Bethel Christian Reformed Church, in Sioux Center, Iowa, is one of several congregations working to resettle displaced Ukrainian families.

“You never want justice and equity to be dependent on goodwill,” says Rabbi Julia Watts Belser, long-time disability justice advocate in Washington, D.C.

Jazmyn Simon’s debut is a moving love letter to children struggling to accept themselves inside and out—exactly as they are. This gorgeous picture book was inspired by a conversation between the author and her daughter.

A young conman teams with an experienced thief on a globetrotting treasure hunt.

Perfect for children struggling with separation anxiety or a change in family life, this book represents a parent’s promise that they will be back, no matter what.