Hyperdriving the Improvement of Your Church’s Kid’s Ministry

June 26, 2018

I’ve heard it said that most organizations do the big things well, so it’s in doing the small things well that really set you apart. I remember really taking that idea to heart, and determining that we were going to make at least one small change in the Kid’s Ministry every single week.

This strategy went great at first, but over time it became more and more difficult to come up with a new small change… Every. Single. Week.

Finally, there came a week when I couldn’t think of anything new, which was no big deal until not doing anything new became the norm. At this point, I thought, “It’s no big deal; it’s just a one-off. I’ll think of something by next week.”

But next week turned into the next week and the next and…you get the point.

And I realized that maybe I didn’t have an unlimited capacity to come up with new stuff, and I felt deflated like I was a failure in some way. It took one of my volunteers and a mentor to help me come out the other side with a much healthier outlook.

Here’s what happened:

A volunteer approached me after church one week to let me know that our kids’ checkout process wasn’t working well: It was disorganized, didn’t feel secure and parents were having to wait too long for their kids.

I met with her, and she helped me come up with a new process that worked much better.

You would think that I’d have learned an important lesson about finding new ideas right then and there, but I was still too thick headed.

It wasn’t until a few weeks later when I was talking with a mentor about how I wasn’t super passionate about being the guy who communicated with the kids in our Large Group every week.

I thought this was fine because I had developed a team of volunteers who hosted our Large Groups, but my mentor caught me off guard when he said, “Anything you lead will only go as far as your vision and passion for it.”

And as I sat there and thought about the impossibility of being passionate about every single role I had as a kids’ pastor—–caring for parents, volunteers and adults, doing outreach, stage design, small groups, production, safety and security, etc.—I finally had a personal epiphany.

I didn’t have to be the sole visionary and passionate advocate for every role; that’s why God gave me (and you) workers (I wrote more specifically about this concept in last week’s post: What to Do When You Don’t Have the Same Passion for All 2,500 Roles You Have to Fulfill as a Kids’ Pastor).

But here’s how it relates to hyper-driving the improvement of your ministry:

Instead of putting all the pressure on yourself or paid staff to come up with new ideas, use volunteers who are more passionate than you in certain areas.

For example, I thought of a volunteer who is really passionate about safety and security. I talked with her, and she had about 10 great suggestions right on the tip of her tongue.

There was another volunteer who is more passionate than me about our large group time. I spoke with him, and he had five great ideas just sitting there waiting to be drawn out. And I realized that making things better doesn’t, and shouldn’t, sit squarely on my shoulders.

When I allow others to flourish and operate in their passions and giftings, they can help improve our ministry so much more quickly than I ever could alone.

Here’s a simple exercise to help you with this:

Write down the names of volunteers who you notice have a big passion for a certain area: safety/security, volunteer care, large group time, small group time, worship, decorating, etc.
Go to each of those volunteers and ask them what they would suggest for your ministry to get better in [blank] area.
Challenge and empower them to make those changes by giving them the authority, support and responsibility to do it.
Act as their guardrails to make sure they are staying within the mission of your church and your ministry. Point them back the right direction if they are going the wrong way, and cheer them on if they’re hitting it out of the ballpark.

As I’ve started to do this, we’ve been making much more than one improvement every week, and it’s been amazing to see the transformation, not just in our church’s children’s ministry, but also in our volunteers!

How do you leverage your volunteers to improve your ministry?

This article originally appeared here.

6 Secrets of TURNAROUND Churches

Thom Rainer

June 26, 2018

I love hearing stories of hope. Especially when those stories are of turnaround churches.

Instead of waiting for the stories to come to me, I recently interviewed 19 pastors whose churches had moved from struggling to breakout. All of the pastors had been in the church at least four years, and all of them had reached points of frustration.

Then their churches began to reverse their decline and stagnation.

None of the pastors I interviewed were new at their churches. None of the churches had relocated in recent years. And none of the communities in which the churches were located had grown dramatically.

Themes of Turnaround Churches

So what happened at these churches?

All of the pastors were careful to give glory to God. Most of them articulated that their stories were not ones of mere methodological devices.

But they did have six common themes worth noting.

1. They led the church to become highly intentional about starting new groups.

The fewest groups started by any one of the churches were four in a one-year period.

These churches were serious about new groups, and most of them saw that, at least from a human perspective, as the primary source of turnaround growth.

2. They led the church to a culture of inviting people.

These pastors expressed amazement at how many people started coming to their churches simply because they were invited.

To be clear, this type of invitation was personal, from a member to someone else. It was not some type of major commercial marketing initiative.

Some of the churches had a big event, “invite-a-friend day,” to kick off this new culture of inviting.

3. They began new member classes.

These classes set the tone for new members. They established the expectations for new members.

Jesus Is Not Your American Patriot

Ameen Hudson

June 26, 2018

God is not an American.

I live in the South, where “God and country” is a popular sentiment. Despite the fact that America was reputedly built on Judeo-Christian values, this seemingly honorable motto is problematic. It fails to promote an ideology that seeks God’s glory and multinational kingdom while encouraging American citizens to submit to his will.

Instead, it turns Jesus into a patriot.

God Is Not an American

Such a mentality tends to confuse God’s interests with those of a political party. It makes the United States the center of God’s affections, above every other nation. But even though God is not an American, critiquing the sentiment is seen not only as an assault on the principles of American democracy, but on God himself.

It conflates religion and politics, yielding a false god made in America’s image.

Civil Religion

This dynamic is not new. Many of America’s forefathers built this country believing God’s hand of blessing was on them to bring good fortune to their endeavors. And for centuries, many have attributed America’s superpower status to God’s favor.

Unsurprisingly, this dynamic has created a potent civil religion in our country. Compassion and justice for the poor and oppressed (Isa. 1:17; Prov. 31:8–9; Matt. 14:14) is often subverted for the sake of partisan values. The importance of wisdom and moral character in leadership (Luke 22.24–27; Prov. 3:13–18; Phil. 2:3) is overlooked for the sake of a political party’s reign.

To a watching world, our public witness and cultural credibility is undermined to the degree we seek social dominance over biblical faithfulness.

America? New Israel

So often the leader of this civil religion is Jesus, whose supreme interests seem to be “America first” and reinstating a golden age of traditional values. This Jesus is a mascot for a political team; he is not found in the Bible.

God is not an American. The Jesus of the Bible has one nation: his people (1 Pet. 2:9; John 4.34). No earthly nation, including America, has a monopoly on God’s favor and blessing.

No earthly nation, including America, has a monopoly on God’s favor and blessing. All of God’s promises and blessings are directed toward the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multinational body of Christ.

Additionally, the Jesus of the Bible shed his priceless blood for people from every nation (Rev. 5:9). All of God’s promises and blessings are directed toward the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multinational body of Christ.

In Christ we are all blessed, from the least to the greatest. From Englewood in Chicago to the Korengal valleys in Afghanistan, God has children all over the globe. Salvation has come to all nations. The United States is not a new Israel; the church is.

Supreme Court Strikes Down California Law That Forced Pro-Life Clinics to Promote Abortion

Bob Ditmer

June 26, 2018

In a highly anticipated ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a California law that forced pro-life pregnancy centers to provide free advertising for the abortion industry. The ruling also affirms that the government can’t force Americans to express messages with which they disagree. The case was NIFLA v. Becerra.

On behalf of the 5-4 majority, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, “The people lose when the government is the one deciding which ideas should prevail… This Court’s precedents are deeply skeptical of laws that ‘distinguis[h] among different speakers, allowing speech by some but not others.’”

Alliance Defending Freedom applauded the ruling. “No one should be forced by the government to express a message that violates their convictions, especially on deeply divisive subjects such as abortion,” said ADF President, CEO and General Counsel Michael Farris, who argued on behalf of the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), the group that brought the suit.

“In this case, the government used its power to force pro-life pregnancy centers to provide free advertising for abortion. The Supreme Court said that the government can’t do that, and that it must respect pro-life beliefs.”

The California law required licensed medical centers that offer free, pro-life help to pregnant women to post or distribute a disclosure saying that California provides free or low-cost abortion and contraception services. The disclosure was also required to include a phone number for a county office that refers women to Planned Parenthood and others in the abortion industry. Additionally, the law forced unlicensed pregnancy centers to add large disclosures in multiple languages about their non-medical status in advertisements, which obscured and crowded out their pro-life speech. Failure to comply carried civil fines up to $1,000 per violation.

“The right of free speech protected in the First Amendment not only includes the right to speak, but also the right to not be compelled by government to speak a message with which one disagrees and which violates one’s conscience,” said NIFLA President Thomas Glessner. “The court correctly found that the California law clearly offends this principle. We are very pleased with the court’s decision and for what it means for the many pro-life centers that serve and empower women in California and throughout the country.”

Jor-El Godsey, president of Heartbeat International, also celebrated the ruling saying, “The justices have rightly supported the freedom of speech of over 200 pro-life pregnancy centers and medical clinics in California, so we can continue to help women choose life without being forced to post a state-sponsored message of abortion. This is an unquestionably major triumph for U.S. pregnancy centers working to save families from the sting of abortion. Today’s ruling is the latest—and most significant—court victory for pro-life pregnancy centers which have been the target of similarly onerous free speech restrictions in New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Texas, Hawaii and Illinois.”

Lawyers for California argued that the roughly 200 pro-life pregnancy centers in the state used “intentionally deceptive advertising and counseling practices that often confuse, misinform and even intimidate women from making fully-informed, time-sensitive decisions about critical health care,” and for that reason should be instructed what to tell expectant mothers who went to the centers for help.

A unanimous three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco upheld the law, but today’s ruling strikes down that verdict and blocks the law.

Keep Growing by Avoiding These Seven Leadership Traps

Rick Warren

June 25, 2018

A lot of ministries begin with a bang, then explode with new growth. But after the initial growth, they plateau. I have seen this repeated thousands of times from pastors I’ve talked with over the years.

God doesn’t want ministries to stagnate. Not only does he want them to succeed, but he also wants us to succeed as ministry leaders.

To help us achieve this goal, God has given us examples of errors to avoid that Satan is most likely to use to keep your ministry from becoming all that God wants it to be.

Seven common traps of leadership…

1. You stop growing personally
Whenever you find yourself resisting a new way of doing something, defending the status quo or opposing a change that God has told you to make, watch out—you’re about to lose your place of leadership.

What’s the key to overcoming this leadership trap? You must continue developing your skills, your character, your perspective, your vision, your heart for God and your dependence upon him.

Never stop learning. Read and reread the Bible. Listen to podcasts and sermons. Read books and blogs and magazines. Attend conferences and seminars. Keep feeding yourself!

2. You stop caring
The leader who stops having a passion for ministry won’t last long. This is one of the subtlest traps in ministry—you go through the motions of serving the Lord because you know it’s the right thing to do, but your heart is not in it. That’s no way to serve God.

If you’ve found yourself in this trap, there’s hope. If you want to recover your heart for people, you must do the things you did in the beginning.

Start acting the way you used to act when you were passionate about ministry. Even if you don’t feel passionate, act passionately.

It’s easier to act your way into a feeling than it is to feel your way into an action. If you act loving, those feelings will come back. So, do the things that originally brought you joy in ministry.

3. You stop listening
Learn to listen and be sensitive to others. Encourage the people you serve in ministry to talk to you. Let them tell you about their problems, their troubles, their fears, their aspirations, their dreams and their hurts. Be open to suggestions and constructive criticism, and look for other perspectives.

4. You get distracted
Many things can distract you from ministry. Personal or health problems can distract you. Competing interests can distract you. Finances can distract you. Things that you think are fun and good and wonderful can distract you. Satan doesn’t care if you aren’t sinning while distracted, because as long as you’re distracted, you aren’t doing what God wants you to do.

But God wants us to stay focused. Never forget your mission. The Bible says in Luke 9:62, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (KJV).

Stay focused. Don’t get distracted.

5. You get complacent
Complacency is the enemy of a good leader. If God says go for it, stick your neck out! Never stop depending on the Lord. Stop coasting. Take some risks in faith. Push the envelope. Attempt something that cannot be accomplished in the power of the flesh. Say to yourself, “What am I going to try in my ministry this next year that I know is bound to fail unless God bails me out?” Unless God is your only safety net, you’re not truly living by faith. Depend on the Lord.

6. You become arrogant
I’ve seen this again and again. When a leader becomes arrogant, it leads to ruin. When you think that everything depends on you, when you don’t think you need the Lord’s help in your ministry because you’ve got it all together, watch out.

If you sense that you’ve become prideful and arrogant about your leadership, humble yourself. Submit your heart to God for softening, and bow before his greatness.

7. You fail to delegate
When a ministry plateaus, God is telling you that you’ve reached the limit of what he’s empowered you to do by yourself. You need to move from doing to delegating.

Involve other people in your ministry. Move from being a minister to a manager of ministers. Managing is a ministry in itself. D.L. Moody said it like this: “I’d rather put 10 men to work than do the work of 10 men.”

If you avoid these seven traps, you’ll go a long way toward building a ministry that lasts.

This article originally appeared here.

Three Marks of a Faithful Minister of Christ

Warren Peel

June 25, 2018

It’s so easy to skim over the ‘minor characters’ in Scripture, isn’t it? Men and women whose names are mentioned only once or twice—about whom very little is said. Epaphras is one of those names that only appears three times in the whole Bible (Col 1.7, 4.12; Phm 23), and yet he was a spiritual giant whose example we would do well to follow. He was a church planter and the pastor of the churches in at least Colosse, Laodicea and Hierapolis, if not in other towns in the Lycus valley of Asia Minor. Paul describes him in Col 1.7 as a ‘beloved fellow-servant’ and a ‘faithful minister of Christ’. In Col 4.12 he is referred to as a ‘servant of Christ Jesus’—a phrase that Paul uses of only two other men: himself and Timothy. So this is a man who was exceptionally highly regarded by the apostle Paul. Why? What marked him out as a ‘faithful minister of Christ’? Paul mentions three things:

1. Faithful preaching. Paul says that the Colossians heard ‘the word of truth, the gospel’ (Col 1.5), and that they ‘understood the grace of God in truth’ (Col 1.6). How did they come to know these things? Col 1.7: ‘…you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.’ When Epaphras preached the gospel to these people he didn’t just give them a few bullet points—he taught the gospel comprehensively and deeply, carefully explaining its truths and unpacking its applications. This is probably one of the reasons why Luke could say in Acts 19.10 that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord—because men like Epaphras came to hear Paul declaring the whole counsel of God at the hall of Tyrannus in Ephesus (Ac 20.27) and then re-preached what they heard back at home. This should be one of the marks we look for in a faithful minister of Christ—he preaches the word of truth, the gospel so that people understand the grace of God in truth.

2. Frequent pains. Epaphras poured himself out for the sake of Christ’s people. Col 4.13 literally says, ‘He has much toil on your behalf and on behalf of those in Laodicea and Hierapolis.’ The word ‘toil’ is not the usual Greek word for work, but a word that we only find three other times in the New Testament, all in the book of Revelation. It’s a word from the battlefield—a word that throbs with painstaking strain and exertion. Epaphras spent himself on behalf of the Christians in the churches under his care. He labored hard in preaching, praying, combatting false teaching, traveling around the Lycus valley to visit the churches, counseling late into the night, debating with false teachers, and on and on. His life and ministry revolved around these people. Since it’s likely that Paul wrote Colossians from prison in Rome, it means Epaphras travelled 1,200 miles to seek Paul’s help in responding to the false teaching threatening the Colossian church. In fact, it seems from Philemon 23 that Epaphras was even imprisoned along with Paul for a time. Whether this imprisonment was voluntary or not, this was a man willing to sacrifice his freedom and his rights for the good of others—the mark of a faithful minister of Christ.

3. Fervent prayer. Col 4.12 describes Epaphras as ‘always struggling on your behalf in his prayer, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.’ This word ‘struggling’ is another word that pulses with effort. It refers to wrestling and hand-to-hand combat. That’s how much toil Epaphras poured into his work of interceding for the saints at Colosse. And he did this ‘always’—the people of God were constantly on his heart and mind and he gave himself to pray for them, that they would grow to maturity in their faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ. This is what all faithful ministers of Christ do—they pray for the congregations under their care.

Why was Epaphras marked by these things? Because these were the hallmarks of Jesus’ ministry on earth. He preached faithfully to crowds and to individuals, in season and out of season. He poured himself out on behalf of others—can you imagine a more appropriate description of Jesus’ earthly ministry, from birth to death, than Col 4.13: ‘He has much toil on your behalf’? And he prayed constantly for his people, day and night. In fact, according to Heb 7.25 he still prays constantly for his people, that we may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.

Pray that your minister will embody these marks of a faithful servant of Christ, reflecting the marks of Christ’s own faithful ministry, more and more.

The original article appeared here.

Family Worship at the Vine—Love Why?

Danielle Bell

June 25, 2018

As I picture Jesus speaking to people in towns and on hillsides, I see families sitting together. Through scripture, I hear Him using everyday objects (bread, fish, sheep, etc.) to build bridges from abstract concepts to concrete beliefs for all ages. I imagine kids asking their parents questions as they heard Him speak and family discussions continuing on long after He left. I envision faith being built and strengthened as families. These thoughts encapsulate reason number one of why worshipping as a family is a passion of my heart.

Another reason is because I see sweet spiritual fruit from these intentional times spent together as families. Fruit shared in an email I received the next morning after vine family worship that had a subject line stating: “One more for God’s Kingdom!” After our first Dawson kids vine family worship, a young boy went home and prayed to receive Christ as his Lord and Savior. How cool to think that a worship song sung and a hands-on activity shared as a family (things he referenced from the night of family worship) contributed as one of many puzzle pieces that lead him to the cross, confessing his need for a Savior. Glory!

Our theme for our first vine family worship was “Love, Why?” We were following a church-wide emphasis from Matthew 22:37-39 to “Love God and Love People.” I wanted the children to see in God’s Word why were are to love and not do so out of: religious ritual, because I told them to, because the church was emphasizing it, but because God said so and He first loved us! Below is the order of our service for that night along with pictures that help paint the story. I am already smiling as i think about what God may do in the lives of families in our next family worship.

We began with a “why” family intro activity that families had to work on together. (It was important that they sat as families so each part of the night could be shared as a family.) Each table had dot stickers and an info sheet that gave them instructions (see pic). I was overwhelmed by something someone shared with me during this opening activity. She said, “You realize there are three languages being spoken in here tonight?” As I panned the room, I could see many English speaking tables, but it was the Spanish and Arabic speaking tables that made me beam. Such a sweet picture of the body of Christ.
We then opened with a child led worship song that was straight scripture. Here is the one we used for this service. I love seeing the kids up in front leading and the parents doing the motions.
Then a family and another child performed a skit entitled “The Love Family.” This was precious, because the young boy that played “the love man” is a new believer and his part was to share the love of God with this family so they could be freed to love with God’s love.
Next, families discussed what the skit meant to them. I think this part is crucial because each person could have received something different. If we are not intentional to discuss it immediately, we may lose valuable family faith teaching time. I loved sitting back and listening in on families grappling with what this skit had to do with their daily lives.
After they discussed the skit, a young man came and read the scriptures for the evening and I talked about two reasons why we are to love: 1) because God says so and that is enough (it was a command, not a suggestion) and 2) because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
I ended my talk confessing and challenging families that maybe we don’t love like we should because we forget all the many ways we see proof of how God loves us (i.e. His Son Jesus, His comfort, He made us, etc.). Families were then challenged to take each dot off of themselves and place it on the pot of their vine plant. With each dot they removed, they were to name one reason why they know God loves them. I told them if they ran out of reasons (which we really never could) they could say the name of Jesus, because no other has given up their life for sinners like us. This was my favorite part of the evening. Watching families count the ways they see God loving them was priceless. A child at one table even turned to grandparents and an uncle to hear from each of them.
We then ended the night in worship singing “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever” and “Amazing Love.” I don’t think I will ever tire of watching families worship together.
After closing prayer and me encouraging them to take their pots home and put them in a place where the family would always see them, we ended with dinner and sweet fellowship.

I still stand amazed at how our great big God showed up and blew us all away with His love.

This article originally appeared here.

3 Types of Small Group Leader Training You Need to Cover

Chris Surratt

June 25, 2018

3 Types of Small Group Leader Training You Need to Cover

Summer is a perfect season to work on the ministry and not just in it. We have a little bit of breathing room before the fall groups semester kicks in, so this is the time to re-examine all aspects of our systems and processes. A good place to start digging in is with your leader training.

You should never ask a volunteer to do a role that you are not going to train them for. That doesn’t mean you have to cover every aspect of leadership in an eight-week course, but you should set them up for success in those critical first weeks of their small group. As you think through your current leader training, here are three areas to make sure you are covering:

1. Training for the head

In this aspect of the training, you want to cover things they need to know about your church’s theological and doctrinal stands, and the basis for biblical leadership. This part of the training can get really deep, really fast, so choose only the aspects that are critical to a new leader in the church. The rest can come through accessible documents online or in a booklet.

2. Training for the heart

When designing training for the heart, talk about what the new leader needs to be when it comes to group dynamics. This is a perfect place for the senior pastor to share the heart behind why the church offers small groups in the first place. Leaders should hear the “why” from the lead vision caster. This is also where you want to teach what it looks like to be a shepherd leader. You are asking these new leaders to shepherd a portion of the congregation, so they need to know what that means.

3. Training for the hands

This hits what the leader needs to do. You will focus on skill training for the first 90 days of the group in this section. Look to cover topics like: how to host an effective group meeting, how to facilitate a conversation, how to deal with a difficult group member, how to encourage your group to serve, how to handle prayer time, etc. The more practical this portion is, the better. Example role exercises can be very effective here if you have time in the training.

After you have filled in your training outline, the next decision will be what needs to be in the initial training before they launch the group, and what should be included in ongoing training. I like to take each one of these categories and list out my top five for each one. What five things do they have to know before the group starts to be successful? Everything else goes into ongoing training that takes place more informally along the way. Too much information initially will overwhelm new leaders.

So what are you going to cover with your leader training this fall?

This article originally appeared here.

Here’s Why Your Church Needs to Study the Book of Revelation

David Baxley

June 25, 2018

The book of Revelation gets mixed reactions from people. There’s a certain sense of curiosity about the future, yet the book can be intimidating and overwhelming because of the futuristic symbolism used.

In this amazing, and some say the best, book of the Bible, God offers a special blessing for all who read it, believe it and practice what it says. To understand the book of Revelation, and to receive those blessings, it helps your congregation to have an understanding of the events of the end times.

The Bible tells us that John was sentenced to a small Greek island called Patmos. Patmos was quarry mine for the Roman Empire, located in the Aegean Sea. It was used to house political and religious prisoners of Rome. John probably worked in the quarry, yet his faith was unwavering. It was there that Jesus gave him the book of Revelation. John wrote down what he saw. Just imagine what it must have been like as John saw these things from the future. He was miraculously transported from the primitive, non-technical age of the first century into the future. John witnesses the most horrific war of all times, fought with weapons completely beyond his comprehension.

Today, we still struggle with comprehension. After years of being a pastor and having preached on Revelation many times, the long recovery from a heart transplant gave me the opportunity to study it again and receive additional insights.

I realized there was a need for a simple user-friendly explanation of every verse in Revelation to help demystify what it meant. Additionally, many people were reading Revelation without direction to other Scriptures that supported what they were reading. Those who study Revelation can also be surprised to find that they also have to understand the different Old Testament covenants with Israel that won’t be totally fulfilled until the end times.

The symbolism in Revelation is used to demonstrate how severe divine judgment is going to be. When the symbolism and the sensational pictures of judgment become the focus of study the readers miss the main message of the blessing of Revelation—the assurance that Jesus is coming again and will bring judgment on evil and injustice. Then Jesus Christ will rule on earth with all believers during His
Millennial Kingdom!

Excerpted from Understanding Revelation and End Time Events by David Baxley, D. Min.

Rick Warren to Priests: How to Maintain Your Moral Integrity

Megan Briggs

June 25, 2018

Pastor Rick Warren spoke to a group of almost 800 Catholic priests in New York earlier this month. The topic of his message was how to maintain moral integrity as a minister.

“Brothers, what we do matters more than what anybody else does in the world,” Warren started. “That’s because the only thing that’s going to last on the planet is the Church of Jesus Christ.”

Speaking of temptation, Warren noted that Satan doesn’t tempt us with anything new. Using 1 John 2:15-17 and the outline it provides for temptation, Warren articulated three worldly temptations ministers must watch out for: passions, possessions and positions. He also gave three antidotes to these categories of temptation: integrity, generosity and humility.

Integrity is important, Warren argues, because “all leadership is built on trust, not title.” He likened the need for a pastor’s congregation to trust in his or her integrity to a credit check. “The people in my congregation do a credit check on me 24 hours a day,” he said. “If I betray their trust, then I forfeit my right to lead them.”

To maintain moral integrity, you must know when you’re tempted.

To maintain one’s integrity, Warren offered a list of questions for the priests to consider in order to understand their personal patterns of temptation.

• When am I most tempted?
• Where am I most tempted?
• Who is with me when I am most tempted?
• What temporary benefit do I get if I give in?
• How do I feel right before I am tempted?

Speaking at the Safe Environment Convocation at St. Joseph’s seminary to a room of priests is not Warren’s first foray into ecumenicalism. After his youngest son’s suicide, Warren drew support from Bishop Kevin Vann of the Catholic church in California. In May, Vann and Warren spearheaded an initiative to put an end to the stigma surrounding mental illness.

Ecumenicalism is important to Warren, who told the news outlet Catholic New York that the evangelical church and the Catholic church should be “on the same team…the enemy is not other believers.”

Simple Tweet Results in $50,000 Donation From Ivanka Trump

Bob Ditmer

June 25, 2018

On June 19, Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, tweeted about his church’s efforts to care for children who were in federal custody and separated from their parents after trying to cross the U.S. border illegally.

We @Prestonwood are currently working to provide solutions to care for children during this terrible immigration crisis. Our Espanol ministry let by Gilberto Corredera is stepping up to the challenge to express the love of Jesus. We are broken-hearted and determined to act

— Jack Graham (@jackngraham) June 19, 2018

That simple tweet has gotten 223 likes. But it also caught the eye of Ivanka Trump, the daughter of President Donald Trump and one of his advisors.

She didn’t just read the tweet, Graham told his congregation at Prestonwood’s Sunday service this weekend that the First Daughter donated $50,000 toward the church’s efforts to care for immigrants.

Graham thanked Ivanka for her generosity.

“I’ve had the opportunity to meet with Ivanka Trump a number of times over the last year, and I’ve been struck by her kindness and concern for those in need,” Graham told CBN. “So, it wasn’t that surprising to know that she would want to help these families. But I certainly never expected to hear from her after a simple tweet.”

Graham told his congregation that the money would be used to make an assessment trip to the detention centers near Brownsville, Texas, to determine need and how churches can respond to it. Graham, alongside several of the informal evangelical advisers to the administration, will then plan an event the first week of July for the children being held.

“HHS officials have told us that the basic needs of the children are being taken care of,” Graham said. “What the kids really need most is someone to brighten their day. They need someone to give them hope. Our plan is to create an event for the children that will encourage them and make them smile. Of course, we will also focus on how we can provide financial aid to families to assist them in their situation.”

Since Graham made the announcement on social media, Prestonwood has been receiving calls from congregations and Christians across America who want to participate in the church’s response. Graham believes Ivanka’s donation—the largest contribution so far—will encourage more people to help.

“The beauty of America and the people in our church is that we don’t have to wait for our politicians to sort out their disagreements in order to do what is right,” Graham said. “Our country is facing complex issues that will take time to fix, but this shouldn’t delay or stop our response to the needs of others.

“Our national politics ought not to keep the churches in this country from helping people. In fact, we might have fewer challenges for our nation’s political leaders if churches did more good in their communities. I’m so proud to serve at a church known for its love and care for our community, our state, our nation and the world. All of this, of course, begins with our love for Jesus Christ.”

Ivanka Trump had been silent on the administration’s immigration policy. She had refused to speak publicly about the issue until her father signed last Wednesday’s executive order, where-after she tweeted in support of ending the separation of families.

86 Killed in Nigeria After Muslim Herders Attack on Christian Farmers

Bob Ditmer

June 25, 2018

The ongoing religious violence in Nigeria has a new flashpoint— economics.

In the latest episode in the Nigeria conflict, 86 people were killed in an attack by suspected Muslim nomadic herders against Christian farming communities in the center of the country. The grim discovery came after days of violence apparently sparked after an attack by Christian farmers against Fulani herders on Thursday.

Deadly clashes between herders and farmers in central Nigeria are a growing security concern in Africa’s most populous country, which is roughly split between Muslims in the north and Christians in the south.

The deaths are the latest in a long-running battle for land and resources as drought conditions have forced the Fulani into more populated farming communities in search of grazing lands.

Adamawa police spokesman Othman Abubakar told news outlets: “The violence started when Bachama farmers prevented Fulani herdsmen from grazing in a field outside the village. Clashes erupted as a result. “The Bachama mobilized and burnt some Fulani settlements and the Fulani went into Dowayan and burnt houses.”

The deaths are putting President Muhammadu Buhari under pressure as elections approach next year. On Sunday, he called for calm “and assures that no efforts will be spared” to bring those responsible to justice to prevent further attacks.

“The grievous loss of lives and property arising from the killings in Plateau today is painful and regrettable,” he added.

Buhari has been accused of failing to act in previous violence as he is a Muslim and a Fulani former military ruler. His government has proposed setting up cattle ranches to prevent tensions over grazing land.

After the latest killings, Nigerians for hours Sunday on social media shared a growing sense that something awful had occurred.

Those fears were realized when the Plateau State governor, Simon Bako Lalong, said he had awoken to the “shocking news” of the attacks. In a series of message posted on Twitter he gave few details about “this horrible situation.”

Government officials have imposed a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew that is in effect indefinitely.

Greear Calls for SBC to ‘Decouple’ From the Republican Party

Bob Ditmer

June 25, 2018

J. D. Greear, the newly elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, told NPR’s Morning Edition that the SBC needs “to decouple the identity of the church from particular political platforms over which there can be disagreement.” He did not specify what those issues were.

In an interview that focused entirely on politics, NPR’s Rachel Martin asked Greear about the controversy surrounding Vice President Mike Pence addressing the SBC gathering, Attorney General Jeff Sessions using the Bible to support enforcing immigration laws, the definition of an evangelical and the #metoo movement.

Regarding the Pence speech, Greear said evangelicals have taken the gospel and encumbered it with too much specificity on political positions where there is room for disagreement. Using the story of Jesus selecting his 12 disciples, Greear said Jesus chose Simon the Zealot and Matthew the Tax Collector to follow him, two people who were “on opposite sides of the most pressing political issue of the day– the attitude toward Rome” suggesting Jesus chose followers from diverse political backgrounds.

Greer said the Pence speech sent “terribly mixed signals” about the SBC being aligned with the Republican party while admitting Republicans have championed certain positions that evangelicals have favored. He also expressed concern over the tone and message from President Donald Trump on issues such as race, immigration and his treatment of women.

On immigration Greear said the Bible teaches submission to authority but then entered the political debate saying, “we recognize to separate families in the name of immigration policy seems too harsh a punishment for the crime,” adding “I am very grateful to see things happening that are going the other way on that.”

Asked by Martin his thoughts on some evangelicals shedding the term over political disputes Greear said “We don’t need to cast off the label to pick a new one…we need a change of heart, a change values.”

As for the #Metoo movement, Greear said there sometimes has been a “hesitancy to listen to the victim when we should have listened to the victim.”

While politics was the focus of the NPR interview, it was not one of the priorities identified in a news conference that Greear gave following his election at this month’s SBC annual meeting in Dallas.

He told reporters he had six priorities in the coming year; the Gospel message, diversity in leadership, a focus on evangelism, church planting, mobilization of college students, and engagement, specifically in the areas of cooperative giving and missions.

Greear said of his top priority, the Gospel message, “we come together united by a common Gospel confession and also by a common Gospel mission, “Greear explained.

“For as long as there has been a convention you’ve had things that threatened to challenge that unity of the Gospel. [I’m] just wanting to see the Gospel be what we unify around and not be divided on secondary and tertiary issues.”

At the news conference, Greear was asked what he could do to help women feel more comfortable in the church, especially those who have been victims of abuse.

“We have to be very clear that some things are not only immoral, they’re also illegal,” he stressed. “And because they are illegal and we, as Southern Baptists who believe in the Bible, believe God gave government authority for our protection … that means we have to be safe places for women to report abuse, and be immediate in reporting things to the proper authorities.”

People will Disappoint You, Pastor. Here’s What to Do

Ronnie Floyd

June 24, 2018

It is never easy to deal with disappointment. People will disappoint you. It is not easy to live through. It is real and will visit you from time to time. Learning to live and work through disappointment will save you from a life of resentment and bitterness.

How Disappointment Comes

Disappointment comes in several ways. Identifying disappointment will help us know what to expect and perhaps give us some insight on how to live through it.

1. People will disappoint you.

All kinds of people will disappoint you in life. At times, even people you love and admire may disappoint you. No one is perfect. Each of us has disappointed others. Hopefully, it has never been intentional, but it does happen.

2. Organizations will disappoint you.

When you are involved in organizations, there is potential for them to really disappoint you. Perhaps they will not live up to what they state, or they fail to respond in the way you assumed they would. This could be a school, church, business, government or civic organization.

3. Circumstances will disappoint you.

There are times we work hard to shape the future or something we love. Then suddenly, something changes, someone leaves, someone fumbles the vision or resources are not provided. Transition and change can challenge your attitude and lead to disappointment.

4. Unrealistic expectations will lead to disappointment.

Each of us can have unrealistic expectations. We can have unrealistic expectations of the people we love the most, and even of our nation. As a person who has high expectations of myself and others, I have had to moderate some of my expectations.

People Will Disappoint You – 4 Actions to Take

Living through disappointment will require us to take four actions on a regular basis.

Action #1: Realize no one is perfect.

Our unrealistic expectations lead us to assume that people are perfect and operate their lives and leadership perfectly. This is completely unfair and unwise. Personally, I must always remind myself that I am not perfect and I should not expect other people to be perfect.

Action #2: Forgive and let it go.

Forgiving other people who have disappointed us is the key to living with peace and contentment. We cannot hold something against someone else. We have to forgive and let it go.

Action #3: Forget it and drive on.

When we truly forgive and let something go, we also forget about it and drive on. My friend Clebe McClary, who fought courageously in the Vietnam War, taught me this principle years ago. He called it FIDO: Forget it and drive on. This is outstanding counsel for each of us when we are disappointed.

Action #4: Give it to God.

God knows everything. He knows where you are. He knows what happened. He knows the people, situation, organization or experience that has disappointed you. Therefore, give it to God. He will take care of you.

People Will Disappoint You – Your Response Is the Key

When disappointment comes with people, circumstances, organizations or with life itself, the only thing you can control is your response to the situation. Your response is the key! You cannot control others or their actions.

There is one thing you can control: Your response to the situation.

Choose to accept all people.

Choose to forgive and let it go.

Choose to forget it and drive on.

Choose to give all your disappointments to God.

This article about how people will disappoint you originally appeared here.

Should You Use Small Group Video Curriculum?

Allen White

June 24, 2018

Should You Use Small Group Video Curriculum?

Video-based small group curriculum has been with us for a while now. Early innovators like Rick Warren and the team at Saddleback Church brought the local pastor into the living room. This proved to be an easy way to start groups and an easy way for group leaders to prepare for meetings.

With all of the professionally produced video curriculum out there, why would a church want to create their own? While well-known pastors have produced some excellent studies, your pastor’s face on the screen presents some strong advantages for your congregation.

Help People Take Their Weekend Experience Into the Week.

The hustle and bustle of life tends to edge out the Sunday morning sermon after a day or so. While some sermons are remembered better than others, most are long forgotten by mid-week. By providing small groups with studies based on the weekend message, the points made on Sunday can take deeper root.

By creating space in the small group to review the weekend message via a short video (no more than 10 minutes), the group has a chance to review the points, ask questions, discuss issues and make a specific application to their lives. Giving groups the opportunity to think about the message and what it means to them causes the group members to retain more. In groups they can involve more of themselves in the teaching. Rather than simply listening and maybe taking notes, group members can wrestle with hard questions and get the encouragement and accountability they need to live out the message.

Producing Your Own Curriculum Engages the Senior Pastor.

A senior pastor without a teaching gift is not a senior pastor for long. This is the most public and most personal role of any senior pastor. Speaking is hard work. Even the most gifted teachers spend hours gathering material, studying, collecting illustrations and polishing their messages. Once Sunday is finished, for most pastors, the countdown clock to next week’s sermon begins. The one they worked so hard on for this week is now a thing of the past. But, it doesn’t have to be.

What if the pastor could sit down in a living room with his church members and teach them the part he couldn’t get to on Sunday morning? What if in that circle the pastor could share his heart about what the Bible passage means and what it would mean if people started obeying it? A video-based curriculum can breathe new life into a message destined for the archives. Not only will the congregation learn more, but the message will go farther through the group.

The Senior Pastor’s Involvement Elevates the Role of Groups.

For most churchgoers, the initial draw to a church is the pastor’s teaching and the music. As hard as the other church staff work in their roles, this is the simple truth. The senior pastor plays a highly significant role in the spiritual lives of his congregation.

By connecting the small group study to the weekend message, you can leverage the influence of the senior pastor in leading his people to connect in small groups. Once the pastor has created a video curriculum, his next question will be, “How do we use this? How do we recruit more leaders? How do we get people into groups?” Don’t you want your senior pastor asking those questions?

What’s important to the senior pastor will be what’s important to the congregation. Bulletins, video announcements, website—none of these come close to having the #1 influencer in the church direct the congregation. When the pastor asks for people to host groups, people will host groups. When the pastor invites members to join groups, members will join groups. When E.F. Hutton talks…

I learned this lesson over a decade ago. I had spent seven years recruiting and training leaders to find only 30 percent of our congregation in groups. But, the first time our senior pastor stood up and asked for host homes, we doubled our groups in one day. I never looked back. He did all of the recruiting and leading from that point forward. I have not recruited a group leader myself since 2004, even though I have served in another church since then.

Take the Weekend Message Beyond the Church Walls.

When church members invite their friends, neighbors, co-workers, relatives and others to join them for a church-produced Bible study, the senior pastor is introduced to many more people than actually attend the church on Sunday. In homes, workplaces, Starbucks and even commuter trains, the pastor’s teaching goes out to many new people.

Often new people will meet the pastor via video before they meet him in person. But, the transition from the living room to the church auditorium now is not quite as daunting. New folks feel they’ve already met the pastor through the weekly group studies. And, don’t tell the group hosts and leaders, but they’re actually doing evangelism. Shhh.

A Simple Teaching Tool Multiplies Small Group Potential.

A video curriculum is easy to use. In fact, someone who has never led before simply needs to follow the instructions. The teaching on the video provides the wisdom and expertise. The questions in the book provide the pathway for a great discussion. Pushing play and reading questions is not so hard.

Think about this: Every person in your church has friends. The people who are less involved in the church will actually have far more friends outside of the church. What if your church members each gathered a group of eight to 10 people for a video-based study featuring your senior pastor? Could a church of 100 members reach 1,000 people? What about a church of 1,000 going after 10,000? What about a church of 13,000 reaching over 100,000? Is it possible? The Bible says all things are possible with God.

This article originally appeared here.

Why Millennial Parents Are Exiting the Church

Dale Hudson

June 24, 2018

If you’re trying to reach young families with children, then the demographic you’re trying to connect with are the Millennials.

Look closely at the average church and you won’t find an abundance of Millennials. The nursery is quiet due to lack of parents bringing their children. The preschool area, that should be full, has a shrinking attendance.

Look around during worship and you’ll see a lot more gray hair than you do young couples.

Where Are the Millennial Parents?

Why is this? Obviously, it’s because more and more Millennials are leaving the church. Which leads to the bigger question. Why are Millennial parents exiting the church?

Studies show that church attendance among 22- to 35-year-olds is the lowest in recent history. Look at these sobering stats:

Only 2 in 10 people under 30 believe attending a church is important or worthwhile (an all-time low).

59 percent of Millennials raised in the church have dropped out.

35 percent of Millennials have an anti-church stance, believing the church does more harm than good.

Millennials are the least likely age group of anyone to attend church.

Why is this happening? Let’s address some of the big reasons Millennials are leaving the church.

We aren’t including them in planning the future of the church. Millennials want the opportunity to speak into the direction, strategies and vision of the church. They highly value this and refuse to be a part of a church that ignores their input.

If we are going to see Millennial parents become part of and help lead the future church, then we must give them a voice in planning that future.

Practical steps to take:

Give them a seat at your church’s leadership table.

Host focus groups for Millennial parents. Listen to their feedback and ideas.

Have special events and classes that are geared for young couples.

We’re talking it, but not walking it. We talk about changing the world, but we don’t get involved in things that can change the world. Millennial parents want to change the world. They are drawn to churches that are focused on changing the world. They also want their kids involved in this. A cool mission statement that talks about changing the world, but does very little about it, turns Millennials off.

Practical steps to take:

Provide Millennials with opportunities to make a difference.

Provide Millennials with opportunities to serve and make a difference with their child.

Show Millennials how their involvement is making a difference.

How the Best Leaders Develop Self-Control

Dan Reiland

June 24, 2018

Every time I see a homemade chocolate chip cookie fresh out of the oven my self-control is pushed to its limits.

What’s your temptation?

What about the more serious kinds of temptations leaders face when it comes to self-control?

Under pressure it’s easy to be swayed by your own emotions, make reactionary decisions or be tempted to trade long term success for more immediate rewards.

Self-control is the ninth and last in the list of fruit of the Holy Spirit. It has always appeared to me like an out of place add-on at the end of a list of positive attributes.

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control. – Galatians 5:22-23

It appears like it’s the only fruit that is defense and the other eight are offense.

But I’ve learned to see self-control not as the caboose at the end of a powerful train, but the backstop. Without it, the others may easily be lost.

Love may be the engine that pulls the locomotive, but self-control is what keeps it on the tracks.

Without self-control, a leader will be sidelined, derailed or perhaps taken out of ministry.

You may need self-control to win over anger, discouragement or speaking too quickly. Another leader may need self-control for their thought life, managing money or how they use their authority.

None of us escape the great need for consistent self-control.

What is the area you have greatest need to exercise self-control?

Developing self-control:

1) Embrace the significance of life’s daily trades.

All of life consists of daily trades, and over your lifetime the wisdom of your trades becomes very evident.

I’ve made some poor trades along the way. Like trading my potential safety and the well-being of others in order to arrive somewhere faster. Yup. Speeding. Not cool, but I’ve done it.

That may seem like a relatively minor “poor” trade, but not really. I’m just banking on not getting caught. That’s the dark side of making bad trades. Hoping you won’t get caught, or at least no consequence or penalty.

There are more serious trades, but in the moment we can rationalize that they are minor. Like making an optional big purchase when you should be saving money.

It’s always about the bigger picture, and self-control or lack thereof is always involved.

In leadership it might be trading frustration for patience toward an employee, or trading lazy for study in developing a sermon. It might be trading a hurtful word for an encouraging word, or trading compassion instead of comfort.

Most of life is won or lost in these daily trades. These decisions develop patterns that determine the course and outcomes of your life and leadership.

2) Engage the wisdom of pay now and play later.

If you play now you will pay later. It’s not possible to alter the reality of that life principle. This is true in all areas of life, especially leadership.

The wisdom of delayed gratification (pay now play later) is a significant part of making smart daily trades. Self-control and smart daily trades go hand in hand to help you exercise discipline now and enjoy more freedoms later.

Think long-term, values-driven and character-based to build the right foundation to support self-control. This kind of “pay now” character yields the life and leadership you desire.

Discipline now rewards you with the freedom and options that allow you to live well and lead well.

Resist the desire to play now, and lean into the exponential dividends of discipline today. This paves the way for greater rewards in the future.

3) Ask God to help you do what you can’t do.

When it comes to self-control I think God wants to see some effort on my part. If I ask God to remove the need for any work, or even struggle on my part, there is no process that leads to maturity.

The process toward spiritual maturity requires that I face and handle real life tensions that don’t have easy solutions. That’s when God steps in.

As we pray and ask for help, God is eager to grant the power of the Holy Spirit that helps provide the self-control we need. Ultimately, this strengthens the first eight in the list of the fruit of the spirit.

It’s always been about a divine partnership. You do your part, God does His. It’s not works, it’s grace.

The quest is not for perfect leadership or discipline for the sake of discipline. Leaders with great self-control are still human beings who make mistakes, and fall short on occasion.

The point is that the seldom spoken of #9 in the list of the fruits of the spirit may just be a quiet key to much of your long-term health and success as a leader.

This article originally appeared here.

7 Ways Mission Trips Have Helped Me Preach Better

Chuck Lawless

June 24, 2018

I admit that the title of this post sounds arrogant, but that’s not my intent. I’ve simply learned a lot about communicating by trying to preach around the world, and I think I probably communicate better today because of mission trips. Here’s what I’ve learned that I hope might help you, too.

Learn to understand your audience better. I’m surprised by how much time we spend preparing to speak in other places—e.g., learning their religious history and their community customs—while we spend little time learning about our own listeners at home. For some reason, we assume we already understand people who look like us and sound like us.

Learn the value of stories. Particularly for oral cultures (but at some level in all cultures), stories grab the attention of listeners. They remember points via stories, not via the point itself.

Learn to communicate without electronic aids. In some places of the world, Powerpoint is not an option. You have to learn to communicate with just your spoken words—and that’s good for all of us.

Learn to ignore distractions. I could write another blog that lists some of the distractions I’ve seen in worship services around the world. If you’ve not been in that situation, some might surprise you.

Learn that illustrations don’t always connect with your audience. Many of us work hard to avoid illustrations that would be irrelevant in another culture (e.g., speaking about an amusement park to a people who’ve never heard of such a thing), but we don’t think that way in our own church. Sports illustrations, for example, might connect with a lot of your congregation, but a diet of only those illustrations are likely to miss a portion of your listeners.

Learn to communicate a lot in half the time. That’s what you have to do when you’re working with a translator. The process forces you to speak with minimum words while still making your point.

Learn to make the gospel clear. We focus on that goal when we’ve crossed an ocean to tell people about Jesus—but often think too little about it in our own setting.

If you’ve traveled on mission trips, what have you learned about preaching?

This article originally appeared here.

Millennials and Megachurches

Paul Chappell

June 24, 2018

Millennials and megachurches—we often hear these terms used derisively. Or at least dismissively.

Well, you know how millennials are…

Megachurches have more resources. And if they’re that big, it’s surely because they’re full of compromise.

But what if instead of dismissing either of these, we took another approach?

Consider millennials: There is much to appreciate about their unique paradigm and perspective.

The millennial leaders I talk to (including those on our staff) deeply desire Christ-centered, authentic ministry. They want substance over show. They value teamwork. And while they appreciate past heritage, they want to see greater things in the future. Specifically, they want to reach their generation with the gospel.

If we who are baby boomers and older dismiss these leaders because their paradigm is sometimes different than ours, or if we insist that they become just like us in order to serve alongside us, we miss their unique insights and strengths. (I know that with each of the strengths I mentioned above there can be a corresponding weakness. But the same could be said of baby boomer strengths, too!)

Millennials are no longer tomorrow’s leaders. They are today’s leaders.

(In case you’re still thinking of millennials as high school students, they are anyone roughly between the ages of 25 to 35.)

Not only, however, are they today’s leaders, but tomorrow they will be the oldest leaders.

What if instead of treating them dismissively we appreciated and invested in them?

I began pastoring when I was 24 years old, and I have been pastoring what is considered a megachurch since I was 34. That 10-year period (from when I began until our church surpassed 2,000 in weekly attendance) I was the age of today’s millennial.

Even back then, there were leaders who were dismissive, taking a “let’s wait and see how long he lasts” posture. But I remember with deep gratitude those who were encouraging and made an “I’m here to help you any way that I can” offer. These were men like Tom Malone, Curtis Hutson, Lee Roberson, Don Sisk and R.B. Ouellette—all of whom preached for our church in those early years. I’m thankful they didn’t dismiss me because I was young or because the Lord grew our church.

And that brings me to megachurches. If cities were growing smaller rather than larger, I could see why we might favor the idea of a small country church over a megachurch or why we would be concerned that large churches are compromising churches.

I get, too, that conservative Bible-believing Baptists look at some of the largest, most well-known megachurches around the country and see doctrinal compromise (and sometimes heresy) and a lack of holiness and purity, and are greatly concerned.

But rather than assuming that the size is the culprit, we should see a greater need for asking God to raise up sound, Baptist megachurches.

I wish every large city in America had an independent Baptist church that was exploding with newly-saved Christians and solid growth. For the past 31 years, we have endeavored to stay true to Bible doctrine and scriptural practice. We’ve taught holiness in lifestyle and preached “all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).

But if today’s young leaders who have a hunger to see great works planted for God sense older leaders dismissing millennials and megachurches, they will assume they must look to other groups for both acceptance and ideas.

If you’re a millennial reading this, could I encourage you to overcome any bias you perceive in two ways?

First, learn how to appreciate the strengths of and draw out counsel from those who are older than you. Make it an art form. Learn how to ask questions, how to see from another paradigm, how to guard against your own broad brush dismissals, and how to see past quirks and find substance. Proverbs 20:5 tells us, “Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.”

Second, remember that any fellowship or group will have issues. It’s just human nature: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing…” (Romans 7:18). Rather than getting discouraged by inconsistencies or dismissiveness, put your hand to the plow and fully give yourself to the work where God has called you.

And if you’re an older pastor (not that being older than a millennial is necessarily old!), could I encourage you to purposefully invest in a millennial? Take time this week to reach out to a younger pastor. Have coffee with him, encourage him and learn from him.

Perhaps in the days and years to come, the Lord will raise up more megachurches that actually stand for truth, win souls and reach their community for Christ. I pray that in upcoming days we’ll see some of the greatest works for God built through the labors of leaders in the millennial generation. And I want to encourage, train and invest in these leaders.

This article originally appeared here.

If Same-Sex Attraction Is Sinful, Then What?

Denny Burk

June 22, 2018

Recently, there has been much debate about sexuality and human identity. A great deal of it has been related to the upcoming “Revoice” conference in St. Louis. That controversy is ongoing. As I have mentioned previously, evangelicals have not come to a consensus whether same-sex attraction is sinful and whether it is the proper basis for constructing an “identity.”

Heath Lambert and I wrote a book back in 2015 arguing that SSA is sinful as it is a part of our fallen Adamic nature (see Transforming Homosexuality, P&R 2015). Our argument goes against some celibate gay identity proponents who argue that SSA may be a part of the brokenness of creation but is not itself sinful. They would say that SSA is fallen, but it’s fallen like cancer not like pride. Our argument also goes against those like Gregory Coles who suggest that SSA may have roots in God’s good creation design.

In the book, we identify three components of sexual orientation—sexual attraction, emotional attraction and identity (with sexual attraction being the defining feature). Insofar as same-sex orientation designates the experience of sexual desire for a person of the same sex, yes, it is sinful. Insofar as same-sex orientation indicates emotional/romantic attractions that brim with erotic possibility, yes, those attractions, too, are sinful. Insofar as sexual orientation designates an identity, yes, that identity, too, is a sinful fiction that contradicts God’s purposes for his creation. We should not reduce human identity to fallen sexual desires.

If these observations about sexual orientation are true, there are numerous pastoral implications. I want to mention three of them here.

1. To call same-sex attraction or orientation sinful does not make same-sex attracted people less like the rest of us. On the contrary, it makes them more like the rest of us. We are not singling out same-sex attracted people as if their experience is somehow more repugnant than everyone else’s experience of living with a sinful nature. All of us bear the marks of our connection to Adam. All of us are crooked deep down. All of us have thoughts, inclinations, attitudes and the like that are deeply antithetical to God’s law. All of us need a renewal from the inside out that can come only from the grace of Christ. We are in this predicament together. We do not stand apart.

2. These truths ought to inform how brothers and sisters in Christ wage war against same-sex attraction. Sin is not merely what we do. Our corruption is deeper than that. As so many of our confessions have it, we are sinners by nature and by choice. All of us are born with an orientation toward sin. The ongoing experience of same-sex sexual attraction is but one manifestation of our common experience of indwelling sin—indeed of the mind set on the flesh (Rom. 7:23; 8:7). For that reason, the Bible teaches us to war against both the root and the fruit of sin. In this case, same-sex attraction is the root, and same-sex sexual behavior is the fruit. The Spirit of God aims to transform both (Rom. 8:13).

If same-sex attraction were morally benign, there would be no reason to repent of it. But the Bible never treats sexual attraction to the same sex as a morally neutral state. Jesus says all sexual immorality is fundamentally a matter of the heart (Mark 7:21). Thus it will not do simply to avoid same-sex behavior. The ordinary means of grace must be aimed at the heart as well. Prayer, the preaching of the Word and the fellowship of the saints must all be aimed at the Holy Spirit’s renewal of the inner man (2 Cor. 4:16). It is to be a spiritual transformation that puts to death the deeds of the body by a daily renewal of the mind (Rom. 12:2). The aim of this transformation is not heterosexuality but holiness.

This is not to say that Christians who experience same-sex attraction will necessarily be freed from those desires completely in this life. Many such Christians report partial or complete changes in their attractions after conversion—sometimes all at once, but more often over a period of months and years. But those cases are not the norm. There are a great many who also report ongoing struggles with same-sex attraction. But that does not lessen the responsibility for them to fight those desires as long as they persist, no matter how natural those desires may feel. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit can bring about this kind of transformation in anyone—even if such progress is not experienced by everyone in precisely the same measure. As the apostle Paul writes, “Thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed” (Rom. 6:17).

3. This truth ought to strengthen our love and compassion for brothers and sisters who experience same-sex attraction. For many of them, same-sex attraction is something they have experienced for as long as they can remember. There is no obvious pathology for their attractions. The attractions are what they are, even though they may be quite unwelcome. It is naive to think that these people are all outside the church. No, they are among us. They are us. They have been baptized, have been attending the Lord’s Table with us, and have been fighting the good fight in what is sometimes a very lonely struggle. They understand that biblical “struggle” is not entrenched patterns of defeat but rather increasing patterns of faithfulness. They believe what the Bible says about their sexuality, but their struggle is nevertheless difficult.

Is your church the kind of place).

The original article appeared here.

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