Hillsong Worship’s ‘There Is More’: Simultaneously Personal and Corporate

May 2, 2018

After bringing home a Grammy for their song “What a Beautiful Name” earlier this year, Hillsong Worship is sitting pretty in the world of Christian worship music. Now with the release of their new album, “There Is More,” the Australian band proves that we will never grow tired of worshipping God and meditating on the truths of God’s word.

Hillsong Worship is just one of the handful of bands birthed out of the Hillsong Church movement originating in Sydney, Australia. The band is a worship music powerhouse, releasing an album each year with fresh worship songs worship leaders are eager to learn and share with their congregations.

Other Hillsong bands like Hillsong UNITED and Hillsong Young & Free have taken a slight trajectory away from more traditional worship music, with songs like the mega-popular “Oceans” and “This Is Living”, respectively. While still fitting squarely in the Christian music genre, these bands explore music that speaks to the Christian experience but not every song on their albums are go-to set picks for Sunday morning. Not so with Hillsong Worship. The songs written by this group have been sung in churches on Sunday mornings practically wherever the Gospel of Jesus has been preached. Hillsong’s website estimates “Hillsong Worship songs are sung by an estimated 50 million people in 60 languages.”

Even after 46 albums, the band doesn’t fail to say something new about God. It’s incredible how popular their music is. The band has almost 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify and “There Is More” debuted at the second position on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart.

Singer Brooke Ligertwood speaks about the theme of the album. “There is more at stake than we dare realise—souls, communities, families, nations on the other side of our wrestle through the night seasons. Our personal freedom is for corporate revival. There is more of God and more to God and His love than we can possibly conceive of,” Ligertwood says.

Ligertwood’s quote speaks to the intriguing, almost oxymoronic, personal yet corporate feel of the album. The majority of the songs use personal pronouns “me” and “I”, while a couple tracks of the album use the plural “we” and “us”. In an ocean of personally-focused music, the corporately-themed songs like “The Passion” and “The Lord’s Prayer” really stand out. However, even the songs that rely on personal pronouns like “Who You Say I Am” feature a chorus of voices to embody the corporate feel.

The Biblical Themes Present in “There Is More”

The album wastes no time referencing Scripture. The first track, “Who You Say I Am”, points to the truth Jesus tells us in John 8.

“’Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’” (John 8: 34-36)

The chorus, which is sung repeatedly in a meditative fashion, reads “Who the Son sets free/ Oh is free indeed/ I’m a child of God/ Yes I am”. The second verse completes the thought of the passage by saying “While I was a slave to sin/ Jesus died for me/ Yes He died for me.”

“The Passion” takes a close look at the consequences of Calvary and “The cross that leaves no question/ Of the measure of His love”. The chorus reads, “Our chains are gone/ Our debt is paid/ The cross has overthrown the grave/ For Jesus’ blood that sets us free/ Means death to death/ And life for me”. Like this one, a lot of the songs on the album follow a sort of call and response format. One stanza contemplates what God has done or who he is and then the singer(s) respond to how these actions affect them, eliciting things like praise or surrender.

The Lord’s Prayer also makes an appearance on the album, the words almost exactly matching Scripture, again with certain stanzas repeated. It feels like a modern-day attempt at the doxology. Any music that compels you to contemplate or meditate on Scripture is a good thing, and Hillsong’s “There Is More” achieves this.

Honestly, this is what Hillsong Worship does best: Communicate the timeless truths of Scripture in a new way through the meditative expression of worship music. We could certainly use more of that in this world.

Paige Patterson and Doing the Right Thing for the SBC, Again

Ed Stetzer

May 2, 2018

Social media is abuzz with comments about the church and domestic violence.

The cause is not a new incident; rather, it’s the result of an old audio clip that has resurfaced with comments from the president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Paige Patterson. His statements in an institutional press release and Baptist Press interview have not helped the situation.

It may seem odd to outsiders, so I thought I’d share some explanation of what’s going on, why Southern Baptist leaders generally do not criticize one another, and why the comments from some of them now are more significant.

Who is Paige Patterson?

Many of my readers who aren’t Southern Baptist cannot fully understand why this is happening. People have asked me, “What’s going on?” and “Why is it so difficult for people to speak out clearly on this?”

The answer is in the dynamics of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) today.

Paige Patterson and a judge named Paul Pressler met in 1967. Over the next decade, they set out to turn the SBC in a different direction theologically. They started a grassroots movement that is one of the many reasons I am a Southern Baptist today.

They worked for years to turn the SBC toward greater conservatism, rallying around the banner of inerrancy—that the Word of God is truth without any mixture of error. This became known to many as the Conservative Resurgence and has been celebrated by many of us as a victory for almost three decades.

Judge Pressler is now being sued for alleged sexual assault and coverup. Patterson has been named as being part of a coverup. Both deny the accusations, but the situation is extremely troubling, especially since Pressler has been such a prominent figure in the Southern Baptist story.

Now, we face a troubling conversation surrounding the other prominent figure, but because of his continuing role in leadership, the situation is even more complicated.

Patterson didn’t just lead a grassroots movement. He went on to serve as president of not one but two seminaries. He served two terms as president of the convention itself. He has received numerous honors, awards and more standing ovations than I can count.

He has been rightly appreciated for his service.

But this dynamic presents a challenge.

The Challenge of Paige Patterson

Because of the Conservative Resurgence and the role that he has played for decades, Patterson is one of the most significant leaders in SBC life, and one who does not often get criticized without the critic receiving significant backlash.

I know this firsthand.

A. J. Swoboda: The Sabbath Is a Gift from God

Jason Daye

May 2, 2018

A. J. Swoboda teaches biblical studies, theology, and church history at George Fox Evangelical Seminary and Fuller Seminary, among others. He pastors Theophilus church in Portland, Oregon, and is the author of “A Glorious Dark “and coauthor of “Introducing Evangelical Ecotheology”.

Key Questions for A. J. Swoboda

– Why are we so obsessed with being busy?
– How do you discern between needs that we should respond to and those we don’t?
– How do you present the alone time you need to your church board?

[SUBSCRIBE] For more ChurchLeaders podcasts click here!

Key Quotes from A. J. Swoboda:

“We are addicted to opportunity. We’re addicted to invitations. We’re addicted to doing too much…It’s a kind of idolatry.”

“One of the long standing critiques of Christianity is that Christianity gets people to think about Heaven so they stop thinking about Earth.”

“Secularism is one of the most unhealthy mindsets in the world because we try to pack too much into this life.”

“When you treat this life as if it is the totality of your experience, you’re going to jam pack in everything you can.”

“We don’t believe this is our only existence and that frees us from this idolatry and addiction of doing too much.”

“Jesus and his disciples didn’t say ‘yes’ to everything…they didn’t live the mantra “find a need and fill it.”

“Not every need represents God’s will for my life. The right needs, need to be filled, but not all needs.”

“In order to discern what I’m called to do and what I’m not called to do is I need 20 minutes of unencumbered silence in the mystery and presence of the Holy Spirit.”

“I encourage any pastor to first do the hard work of sitting down with the Bible and time in prayer before making any substantive changes….asking God what do I need to change in my life.”

“I preached for three weeks on the Sabbath and I can’t remember when we’ve had more people leave our church.”

“(Sabbath) is the one commandment in the Bible that we literally celebrate and compensate breaking.”

“The Sabbath is a simple gift from God that God doesn’t treat us like slaves and that one day a week he wants us to stop be with him, be with our friends and our family and be back in the garden of Eden with him.”

Links Mentioned by A. J. Swoboda in the Show:

Subversive Sabbath

ajswoboda.com

How the Spirit Ignites Our Supplication

Daniel Henderson

May 1, 2018

A few years ago, my wife and I spoke at a women’s gathering on a Saturday morning. After the breakfast, a mother and daughter from our church gave the first presentation. We were slated to follow them on the program. Their story was riveting.

Linda Barrick and her daughter, Jen, gave an account of the events that took place on a Sunday evening, November 5, 2006. As the family drove home from church, a drunk driver traveling 80 miles per hour struck their minivan head-on. The father, Andy, and Linda were in the front. Fifteen-year-old Jen and 11-year-old Josh were in the back. All sustained life-threatening injuries. They were rushed to emergency rooms at different hospitals.

While all four family members were in serious condition, doctors did not expect Jen to live through the night. But God sustained her life. She remained in a coma for five weeks with traumatic brain injuries and multiple skull fractures. Jen’s slow emergence from the coma took many more weeks. Doctors feared the brain injuries might prompt a flurry of strange behaviors such as screaming or cursing. Instead, Jen’s spirit poured out with praise songs and constant prayers. Even though she was not cognizant of her injuries, her location or even the names of her family members, she continued to praise God. Her mom commented, “The Holy Spirit was so alive and evident in her.”

Unable to open her eyes or comprehend her surroundings, Linda says her daughter literally prayed for hours. “But she did not ask for one thing,” recounts Linda. “Even with her body thrashing back and forth uncontrollably, she would cry out for hours, ‘Lord, you are so good. Lord, you are so faithful.’” Linda notes, “I would just sit there and weep as the Spirit enabled her to praise her Father, sing worship songs and even quote Scriptures. It was as if she had been in His presence the whole time.”

The Holy Spirit’s Produce

Today, Jen is still in the recovery process, suffers memory loss and endures cortical blindness. Yet she is able and eager to join her mother regularly in telling this amazing account of God’s grace and the power of prayer. As Rosemary and I listened to the Barricks’ story, we were struck by this truth: The Holy Spirit produces truth-based worship and thanksgiving in the hearts of His children.

How the Holy Spirit Ignites Our Intercession

Beyond our mental and physical capacities exists a spiritual dimension that we must grasp if we are going to learn to pray by the power of the Holy Spirit. Worship-based prayer brings our hearts into intimate harmony with the person of the Holy Spirit and enhances our surrender to His control, wisdom and power for our prayers. The Spirit then enables us to worship more fully. This worship, in turn, brings us into a deeper reality of the Spirit’s life, thus continuing the circle.

Worship-based prayer brings our hearts into intimate harmony with the person of the Holy Spirit and enhances our surrender to His control, wisdom and power for our prayers.
Jen Barrick, with limited mental and physical capacity, exhibited a profound experience of prayer in the realm of the Holy Spirit. Many of us depend on our own intellect and forget the Holy Spirit’s essential role. We may punch the prayer clock, but transformation eludes us.

Graveyard or Insane Asylum

My friend Jim Cymbala urges Christians toward a vibrant and practical reliance on the Holy Spirit. He strongly notes that when it comes to the person of the Holy Spirit, churches tend to be either cemeteries or insane asylums. Some hardly recognize the Holy Spirit or seek Him at all. Others engage in all kinds of bizarre, extra-biblical antics, for which the Holy Spirit gets “credit.” In our prayers, we want to avoid these extremes, but must set our hearts on the very real, powerful and practical reality of the Holy Spirit.

If You Go to Church to Be Ministered to You’re Missing the Point

Kris Vallotton

May 1, 2018

Are you going to church just to be ministered to? Church hopping, church skipping and church judging is all too common these days. It seems that many people are struggling to find the “right” church with the “right” pastor who has the “right preaching style.” Maybe you struggle with this in a less overt way. Perhaps you go to church and feel bored or disillusioned. Or maybe going to church is just a part of your Sunday routine that you don’t think about when Monday comes along.

Coming Just to Be Ministered To?

Today I’m here to tell you that life in the Body of Christ is so much richer than simply showing up on a Sunday to consume. What if finding a church was less about showing up to be taught something, and more about being a blessing to the people around you? I want to encourage you today with a fresh perspective on the real point of church. It may be different than how you’ve been approaching it. Check out this Flashback Friday video for more:

Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
Whatever you do after you meet Jesus is spiritual. There’s no such thing as secular when you receive Jesus.
If you’re saved, you’re in the royal priesthood.
You don’t come to church to be ministered to, you come so that you can be equipped to minister.
Banning Liebscher spoke at Bethel and shared stories from planting a church in Sacramento. He said that people would come to him and ask, “What do you guys do for the poor? He would respond, “I don’t know…what do you do for the poor? You’re the church!”
I understand there’s another side to this. Oftentimes we have beautiful corporate expressions of ministering together. But we can’t forget that the church isn’t an organization…it’s a body of people.
We are the church. The church can’t start with the organization, rather it has to be in our hearts.
When you know you’re a minister, you’re not waiting for someone to minister to you. Instead, you go to church to be equipped, so that you can minister to the people around you.
If you work in a nail salon, you’re a minister at a nail salon! Hallelujah! You’re bringing the kingdom wherever you go.
Some people say, “I work in a dark city…” and what I’d say to you is it’s not dark when you’re there! Before you got there maybe it was dark, but it can’t be now because you’re there. And you’re the light of the world so wherever you show up, light shows up. And beyond that, darkness flees when light shows up.

HOW WILL YOU SHOW UP THIS SUNDAY?

So as we approach the weekend I want you to take some time and think about your perspective on church. Do you usually go as a consumer, waiting to be ministered to? Or do you go with open eyes and an open heart to Holy Spirit’s moving? Picture going to your Sunday Service as a minister of the gospel. How will you be equipped? How will you serve? How will you pour out?

I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below! If you struggle with seeing yourself as a minister of the gospel, how can you move away from that and into an empowered life as a saint? If you’ve been going to church for years, feel bored and like you’re going through the motions, how do you plan to allow God to breathe fresh fire in and through you?

My biggest challenge to you today is to pick one thing, anything, and do something to be the hands and feet of Christ in this world. Whether that’s at church serving, or in your job, you are called to be a royal priest!

This article originally appeared here.

Are You Only Connecting the Usual Suspects?

Mark Howell

May 1, 2018

Do you have a small group connections problem?

It turns out that there is a relatively simple solution to almost every small group ministry problem. And, the set of problems faced by small group pastors and directors is not extensive. It’s a fairly short list of problems.

Note: There is a difference between simple and easy. Simple can be the opposite of complex or complicated (i.e., “It was a simple solution that only required one change.”). Easy, on the other hand, is the opposite of hard or difficult (i.e., “Solving the problem was easy. It hardly required any effort.”).

Problem Solved: We’re Only Connecting the “Usual Suspects”

One of the most common small group ministry problems is only a certain percentage of the adults in any church are naturally drawn to connect in community (while the rest range from mild to extreme disinterest).

Note: I refer to those who are naturally drawn to community as the “usual suspects.”

As was the case with the problem of not being able to find enough leaders, there is a set of underlying issues in this problem and every underlying issue has a solution.

Underlying Issues and Solutions

The Wrong Champion: Relying on the wrong champion is the number one reason churches struggle with connecting beyond the usual suspects. Churches that succeed in connecting a high percentage of their adult attenders in groups have senior pastors as champions. Churches that struggle to connect beyond the usual suspects often have allowed the senior pastor to delegate the champion role (or have senior pastors who are ineffective champions).

Solution: If you want to connect beyond the usual suspects, your senior pastor must be the champion. The senior pastor is the most influential person in the congregation 99.9 percent of the time. What they make a big deal out of is a big deal. References to connecting opportunities and stories about the importance of being connected embedded into the sermon/message have the greatest chance of grabbing the attention of unconnected people.

Too Many Options to Choose From: The reality is that a key underlying issue is a lack of clarity about the right next step. When unconnected people look at the website, read the bulletin or listen to the announcements…they see and hear “options” (distortion) when they need to see and hear “best next step” (clarity).

Solution: There are two solutions to this problem: Trimming your menu options or at a minimum limiting what gets promoted. Either solution requires courage, honesty and determination. The reason there are options almost always has to do with the people championing them.

Legacy programs (the way connecting used to happen or the way adults were discipled in the past) are often led by influential people and it is rarely an easy conversation. It is also rarely a single conversation.

Still, if you want to connect beyond the usual suspects, you must move from a buffet of options to a set of tailored next steps that are easy, obvious and strategic.

Infrequent Connecting Opportunities: Unconnected people are almost always infrequent attenders. Infrequent attenders are almost never in your auditorium or on your website the weekend you are holding your connecting event.

Solution: If you want to connect beyond the usual suspects you must offer connecting opportunities year-round. Relegating starting new groups and connecting unconnected people to one main time a year leads to a low percentage connected. Scheduling connecting opportunities to take advantage of seasonal promptings will connect more unconnected people.

Note: Your percentage connected is found by dividing the number of adults in groups by your average adult weekend worship attendance.

Poor Promotion of Connecting Opportunities: Again, unconnected people are almost always infrequent attenders. They will almost never be in the room or on your website if you use a single shot approach to promotion. And, they will only rarely be listening to anyone other than the pastor (and even that is not a certainty).

Solution: Connecting beyond the usual suspects requires promoting the things that are important multiple weeks in a row and in multiple ways (i.e., website, bulletin, announcements and sermon reference).

Poorly Chosen Topics: Programming for the interests and needs of insiders will connect insiders. If you want to connect beyond the usual suspects, you must program to meet the interests and needs of outsiders.

Solution: Learn the interests and needs of unconnected people. If you don’t know any unconnected people, figure out ways to get to know them. Spending time talking with new attenders, holding focus groups, reading the latest from Barna.org or James Emory White will broaden your understanding.

I point readers to the Easy/Hard Continuum as a way of gaining further understanding.

This article originally appeared here.

Spiritual Growth and the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon

Daniel Im

May 1, 2018

Have you ever noticed what you notice?

For example, if you’re thinking about buying a Volkswagen Golf or a Mazda 3, have you ever noticed that you begin noticing those cars everywhere you go? All of a sudden, your neighbor has one, the streets are filled with them, and every commercial seems to be about them.

Or, when you encounter an obscure piece of information or a particular phrase, have you ever noticed that you begin noticing that phrase over and over again?

THIS IS THE BAADER-MEINHOF PHENOMENON, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE RECENCY ILLUSION OR THE FREQUENCY ILLUSION.

Here’s a quick summary of the phenomenon:

In point of fact, coincidences themselves are usually just an artifact of perception. We humans tend to underestimate the probability of coinciding events, so our expectations are at odds with reality. And non-coincidental events do not grab our attention with anywhere near the same intensity, because coincidences are patterns, and the brain actually stimulates us for successfully detecting patterns, hence their inflated value. In short, patterns are habit-forming.

But when we hear a word or name which we just learned the previous day, it often feels like more than a mere coincidence. This is because Baader-Meinhof is amplified by the recency effect, a cognitive bias that inflates the importance of recent stimuli or observations. This increases the chances of being more aware of the subject when we encounter it again in the near future.

What does this have to do with spiritual growth?

When it comes to your children, have you ever noticed that you don’t notice when they grow? Especially if you’re with them on a daily basis? Sure, when you see a child that you haven’t seen in a year or two, you definitely notice how much they’ve changed and grown, but not if you’re with them daily.

Here’s the fascinating thing…

WHILE YOU MAY NOT NOTICE THE DAILY GROWTH OF YOUR CHILDREN, YOU DEFINITELY NOTICE WHEN THEY’RE SICK.

After all, what happens when we’re sick? Our fuse is shorter, our ability to make decisions is hampered, our energy is lower, our focus turns inward because we become more self-centered, and the list goes on and on.

The same is true for your spiritual growth.

You may not notice when you’re growing, but it’s definitely noticeable (to others, and hopefully to yourself as well) when you’re not. When you’re digging deep into God’s word (click here to learn 3 Ways to Normalize Bible Reading), the Lord will shape, mature and transform you. The changes aren’t necessarily immediately noticeable, but they’re happening through the power of the Holy Spirit. After all, as it says in 1 Corinthians 3, what we’re responsible for is not the growth, but the sowing and the watering of seeds. It’s “God who gives the growth” (1 Cor 3:7).

On the flip side, if you’re not meeting the Lord daily through the Word and through prayer, and if you’re not in healthy biblical community with other believers, you will stop growing spiritually.

YOU WILL THEN BEGIN NOTICING THE SYMPTOMS OF PHYSICAL SICKNESS IN YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE.

Your fuse will be shorter, your ability to make decisions will be hampered, your energy will be lower, your focus will turn inward because you will be more self-centered, and the list goes on and on.

What do you think would happen in our lives and in the lives of those we’re discipling and leading if we stopped treating the symptoms and instead addressed the root issue?

Let’s stop waiting until we’re sick to make a change; and instead, prioritize the daily disciplines (both physically and spiritually) to keep ourselves healthy.

This article originally appeared here.

Fostering an Environment of Collaboration

Joe Hoagland

May 1, 2018

I’ve been in many church offices where I observe walled-off office after walled-off office. I’ve also seen settings where you are the only person in the office so instead you work at home or in Starbucks by yourself every day.

So in these situations how do we spur on collaboration? Collaboration is paramount to a healthy church culture. Even if you are the only paid staff member you still need to be collaborating internally on projects, creativity and other things.

Here are some ways we can foster an environment of collaboration within our congregation:

Create Intentional Spaces for Collaboration

Open office designs are trendy and work for many people, but that does not mean it is going to work for you, or your space, or your staff. But what we should all do is create intentional spaces with collaboration. Look in your building and think of a space you could turn into a comfortable place for people to think, dream and brainstorm. Maybe you put a nice couch and whiteboard and a space to stimulate collaboration when it is needed.

Designing even a simple space suited for collaboration is going to help your team come up with powerful new ideas.

Use a Business Messaging Client Like Slack

Slack or Microsoft Teams is something you should explore right now if you are looking at fostering more collaboration in your context. Instead of relying on unreliable and annoying group texts or email chains, Slack and like-minded programs funnel all your communication into one place. All threads and discussions are searchable if you need to go back and find an important piece of communication.

Foster a Better Philosophy on Meetings

We might think, “meetings foster collaboration,” but this is not necessarily the case. Better collaboration will come at less but focused and laser sharp meetings. Come in with a tight agenda and stick with it. Most marathon meetings are less productive than we think.

Build a Staff Even if You Are the Only Paid Staff

It is impossible to collaborate by yourself. You need to identify people you can collaborate with and begin building that culture. You cannot do everything by yourself, and every idea you have is not a good one.

Have Anything to Add?

This article originally appeared here.

Is It Time For Your Church to Upgrade to 4K Video?

Bob Ditmer

May 1, 2018

Around 16 percent of U.S. households now include a 4k TV, with projections that percentage could double in the next year.

The sustained growth has many churches considering moving to 4k technology. If your church is in the midst of those discussions, here are a few things to consider.

Consider the cost of producing 4k video.

Get ready for sticker shock. Transitioning to 4k will increase costs in several areas including cameras, computers, monitors and storage. Even with the new equipment, 4k capture and production will come with problems. Low to mid-level priced 4k cameras are prone to overheating after just 20 minutes of shooting. That’s a problem for worship services that last close to an hour.

Video editing is very demanding of the computer’s performance, and CPU, GPU, memory and hard disk are the four key parts that have the most impact on performance. As for the motherboard, it is the communication center at the four major hardware parts. Therefore, the key to the smooth video 4k editing work depends on whether the motherboard is able to fully support or let these four parts work together in a stable condition.

The other cost is time. Working with large 4k files will increase transfer, export and upload times. Without a fast internet, you’ll spend 3-4 times as long to get your work done.

Another consideration is storage. Your 4k files will be 4 times larger than your 1080p files. That adds up if you’re producing weekly worship services. Budget for twice as many storage devices after your transition.

How does your church plan to use 4k TV

Most churches use video projection as the main form of ‘video’ content for displaying song lyrics, sermon notes, and graphics. In the truest sense, this isn’t actual video content, but rather computer-generated outputs at a variety of resolutions. The overwhelming majority of churches have invested in specialized church software for handling the database of song lyrics and scripture notes, with popular choices being ProPresenter, MediaShout, and EasyWorship. Though each of these vendor tools allows for video playback, the majority of the work is done in the software as purely graphical elements sent to the projector as simple computer input.

Considering that over 90 percent of the 300,000+ churches in the United States have the attendance of fewer than 90 people, the need for video is far lower than it is for larger churches. In this sense, the need for 4K is also minimal considering the content is computer-based graphics that look terrific on a screen suitable for viewing in a 100 seat — or less — venue.

You’ll find greater benefit in post-production, especially if you capture video in the field. Because 4K allows for far more picture information, it’s possible to use a single camera in the field and crop content as if it was shot with multiple cameras. In this way, 4K is a church editor’s dream because he can zoom, pan, and change camera composition. The higher resolution also makes it easier to pull stills from the video.

Video projection and LED curtains and video walls have also allowed churches to introduce staggeringly large electronic canvases that act as scenic backdrops. With 4K resolution, the opportunity for stunning, crisp, and bright images takes these church stage sets to new levels of immersion. Today, multiple HD scenes are stitched together via software, but it’s now possible to simply open up a 4K canvas and seamlessly introduce the fidelity of visual imagery that exceeds what their attendees see in most movie theaters. The most likely church candidates for 4K are those venues currently used with larger-than-life IMAG video venue campuses where the sermon is projected/displayed via video (live or playback). In particular, those churches that have opted for the huge, dropped-to-the-floor center screen for the lock-down shot of the main stage and side screens for the close-up IMAG will realize the most impact of 4K on this center canvas, as the life-like realism of 4K will further enhance the suspension of disbelief that helps attendees focus on the message and not think about it being a video screen they’re watching.

Looking to the future

Some churches might also consider the change to get ahead of the next upgrade. That was the case for Redemption Church in Greenville, South Carolina. The church had been operating with 1970s technology when it began capturing video of worship services back in 1997. In 2008 the church upgraded to 720p but that was also behind the technology of the day.

Almost a decade later, the church needed to spend almost twice that to upgrade Redemption’s broadcast capabilities to 1080. To avoid another costly change two-three years down the road, they opted to leapfrog to 4k now.

Donnie Haulk, CEO of AE Global Media, helped Redemption navigate the upgrade. He told Worship Facilities:

“Most people judge a ministry in the same way they judge a website, which is in about six seconds. If you can hold on to someone longer than that, the chance to keep them on for the service is much greater. You want viewers’ interest to be piqued. The new design and new delivery does that. It changes the way the presenter is perceived because of the platform design, space design, music systems and camera angles.”

Redemption’s church leaders have seen benefits. The viewing numbers of the church’s broadcasts have increased 10-fold from what they were. Before the switch, the church was at approximately 20,000 viewers. Now that number is closer to 200,000.

Now the bad news, tv manufacturers are well into working on 8k video.

Nigerian President Under Pressure to Stop Persecution of Christians

Bob Ditmer

May 1, 2018

Attacks on Christians and churches in Nigeria must stop.

That’s was the message Sunday from a national protest in Nigeria organized by the Christian Association of Nigeria.

It was repeated Monday by President Donald Trump when he met with Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari at the White House.

The pressure on Buhari has been building since last Tuesday’s attack that killed 19 people during a Catholic mass and destroyed dozens of homes. According to local sources, the worshippers were gathered in their St. Ignatius Church at about 5:30 a.m. for their morning Mass when the attack occurred.

The violence in Benue state continued last week with fatal late-night attacks on Christians’ homes and another church, where Christians were taking refuge. Hundreds have been killed so far this year. Two priests died in the attack.

Officials believe the Fulani, nomadic majority-Muslim herders, are responsible for the violence. They are the largest nomadic group in the world.

Christian leaders have accused Buhari—who is Muslim and whose family is Fulani—of failing to prevent or prosecute the ongoing attacks, which the Nigerian president recently called “vile, evil and satanic.” None of the suspected perpetrators have been punished.

“We are deeply concerned by religious violence in Nigeria including the burning of churches and the killing and persecution of Christians. It’s a horrible story,” Trump said in a joint press conference.

“We encourage Nigeria and the federal state and local leaders to do everything in their power to immediately secure the affected communities and to protect innocent civilians of all faiths including Muslims and including Christians.”

The President praised Buhari’s efforts to fight ISIS and Boko Haram in the West African nation, but Fulani herdsmen have recently outpaced both as the deadliest terror force in Nigeria.

“We’ve had very serious problems with Christians who have been murdered, killed in Nigeria,” said Trump. “We’re going to be working on that problem and working on that problem very, very hard because we can’t allow that to happen.”

David Curry, president of Open Doors USA, had called on Trump to use this week’s meeting with Buhari “to insist upon meaningful protection for Christians who continue to be violently attacked.”

In their plea to Trump, Curry pointed out that in the last year 50 Christian towns have been destroyed and thousands killed.

Nigeria’s Catholic bishops and leaders of the Methodist Church in Nigeria have been the most vocal in their criticism of Buhari. The bishops recently demanded Buhari resign due to ineffective leadership. “Whether this failure is due to inability to perform or lack of political will, it is time for him to choose the path of honor and consider stepping aside to save the nation from total collapse.”

Nigeria is a country divided by religion. The south is majority-Christian, while Muslims are dominant in the north. The Fulani are carrying out their murderous attacks through the middle of the African nation. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom designated Nigeria as 1 of 16 “countries of particular concern” in its 2018 report, released last week.

Could This Building Prove the Existence of the Biblical David?

Bob Ditmer

May 1, 2018

Whether or not King David, one of the most prominent figures in the Bible, ever existed was in doubt until 1993. Now, more proof of the historicity of David has been uncovered in a valley east of the Hebron hills.

With the help of burrowing mole rats, archaeologists discovered a large building attributed to the kingdom of King David. The building is in the biblical city of Eglon, a Canaanite city, which fought against Israel as part of the five Amorite kings coalition and was later listed as part of the tribe of Judah.

The dig at Tel ‘Eton is led by Professor Avraham Faust of Bar-Ilan University.

“We, of course, did not find any artifacts that said ‘King David’ or ‘King Solomon’ but we discovered at the site signs of a social transformation the region underwent, including the construction of a large edifice in a plan known to archaeologists as ‘the four-room house,’ which is common in Israel but is rare to non-existent elsewhere… Since the source of the change seems to be in the highlands, and since it took place at the time when David was supposed to have existed, the link is plausible.”

The discovery has become part of an ongoing dispute among archaeologists about whether King David actually existed as a real historical figure or whether he was just a mythological figure existing only in the pages of the Bible. The finds from Tel ‘Eton, recently published by Faust and Yair Sapir in the journal Radiocarbon, led the authors to claim that the city was once part of David’s kingdom. The structure was dated to the 10th century—the time in which King David was supposed to have ruled according to the Bible—on the basis of radiocarbon dates of samples from the floor make-up and from the foundation deposit. After describing the building and the reasons that led them to date it to the 10th century BCE, Faust and Sapir wrote:

“This has bearings on the date in which social complexity evolved in Judah, on the debate regarding the historicity of the kingdom of David and Solomon.”

Faust believes the discovery sways the debate toward the existence of a major united monarchy in the Davidic and Solomonic eras.

Skeptics have doubted the existence of a united kingdom since no discoveries of fortifications, public works or signs of statehood have been found in the region of Judah from the Davidic era. Now, there is one.

In support of a powerful central kingdom is the fact that the governor’s house atop Tel ‘Eton couldn’t have been built by a less sophisticated culture. It contains ashlar stones, the earliest such use found yet, and was built on deep foundations, using quality building materials. Such investment in construction would be hallmarks of a complex society and a strong political entity.

The researchers were aided by mole rats, burrowing rodents that live in the region. Archaeologists have little idea of what lies underground when they begin digging, and many hours of meticulous work may be spent in a fruitless effort. By sifting through the earth brought to the surface by the burrowing rodents, archaeologists can glean clues about what lies below.

My Confession: Toward a More Balanced Gospel

Paul David Tripp

April 30, 2018

I am writing today, on the day following the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., because I have a humbling confession to make. For all of my passion for the gospel of Jesus Christ, which has been accurate and faithful to the best of my ability, the gospel that I have held so dear has been, in reality, a truncated and incomplete gospel.

Toward Aa More Balanced Gospel

If you know me, you know that I have invested my life and ministry in teaching, preaching and writing about the gospel. I have taught that the gospel not only addresses our past forgiveness and our future hope, but also everything we face today. I have talked and written again and again about the “nowism” of the gospel – —that is, the right here, right now benefits of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

I have endeavored to hold the gospel as the lens through which we see and understand everything we are dealing with between the “already” of our conversion and the “not yet” of our homegoing. And I have worked to help people see how the gospel sets the everyday agenda for how they see themselves, how they view and relate to others, how they make decisions, and how they live in the place where God has put them.

But as I have taken time to examine the cross of Jesus Christ once again, I have been confronted with a very significant area of personal blindness. I am grieved that it took me so long to see this, while being filled with joy that my patient and faithful Savior did not give up on me, but kept working to open my eyes, soften my heart and give balance to my gospel voice.

You may be thinking right now, “Paul, I understand your words so far, but I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about!”

Let me explain, by giving you the last chapter first and then unpacking what it means.

THE GOSPEL OF JUSTICE

By God’s grace, I have become deeply persuaded that we cannot celebrate the gospel of God’s grace without being a committed ambassador of the gospel of his justice as well.

From the moment of his very first breath, Jesus marched toward the cross because God is unwilling to compromise his justice in order to deliver his forgiveness. On the cross of forgiveness, even speaking words of forgiveness as he hung in torture, God would not close his eyes to humanity’s incalculable violations of his just requirements in order to extend to us his forgiving and accepting grace.

Jesus never said to the Father, “You know I have lived with these people—they mean well, but they just don’t understand who you are, who they are and what life is all about. Why don’t we just close our eyes to all of their rebellion, selfishness, pride, idolatry and inhumanity, act like everything is OK, and welcome them into our family?”

Of course, God would have never have participated in such a negotiation, because he is a perfectly holy God! And if he had, there would have been no need for the penalty-bearing, forgiveness-granting, and acceptance-resulting sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

Think with me for a moment. Grace is never permissive. Grace never calls wrong right. If wrong were not wrong, there would be no need for grace. Forgiveness always assumes some offense against moral law.

You don’t need to forgive a child for being immature, because immaturity is a normal part of development and not a sin. You don’t have to forgive an elderly person for forgetting, because forgetfulness is a condition of old age and not a sin. You don’t need to seek forgiveness for being weak, because weakness is not a sin but an indication of your humanity.

But when someone comes to you to confess wrong against you, you should not say, “It’s OK, don’t worry about it.” Sin is never OK. The person needs to hear you say, “I forgive you,” because communicating forgiveness doesn’t compromise God’s just standard and will help to bring relief to their troubled conscience.

If there is no breaking of God’s just requirements, there is no need for forgiveness. It is vital to recognize and remember that the cross not only extends God’s forgiveness, but it also upholds his justice. On the cross of Jesus Christ, grace and justice kiss. That means we cannot celebrate and proclaim the message of God’s grace while we do what God would never do—close our eyes to the injustice around us. We cannot be comfortable with exegeting his mercy for all people without being an advocate for his justice for all people.

Why You Should Multiply—Not Divide—Small Groups

Allen White

April 30, 2018

Small Group Multiplication

Small group multiplication is difficult. Multiplication involves developing leaders within a group in an effort to start new groups. Some methods of multiplication involve group members leaving the group to start new groups. “Multiplication” really becomes a euphemism for division. For many groups in North America, multiplication like this is unwelcome.

Many churches I’ve coached and the two churches I served on staff have experienced multiplication efforts as subtraction. We weren’t multiplying groups. We were losing groups because no one wanted to multiply. Or, more accurately, we were losing the opportunity to multiply.

In my days of handpicking group leaders, pushing an apprentice model and encouraging group multiplication, I faced considerable pushback. Members didn’t want to leave groups. Group leaders couldn’t identify an apprentice. I ran out of people to handpick. Our groups were stuck with only 30 percent of our congregation connected into groups. Then, out of frustration, we discovered something that worked.

1. Stop Recruiting Leaders.

I have not personally recruited a small group leader since 2004 (and I served a whole other church since then). How do you multiply groups without recruiting leaders? You engage the senior pastor. Whether you hand a copy of Transformation Groups to your pastor to show him how groups can solve most of your church members’ needs or create video-based curriculum with your senior pastor’s teaching, there is no better spokesperson for groups than the senior pastor.

When we created a video-based curriculum that aligned with my pastor’s message series, we were giving our people more of what they already wanted—our pastor’s teaching. When he stood up on a Sunday morning and invited people to open their homes and host a group, we doubled our groups in one day. Semantics aside, we had never seen groups multiply so fast.

Small group pastors and directors at best will recruit only 30 percent of the leaders that the senior pastor is able to recruit. How do I know? After seven years of personally making the invitation to lead, our church had only 30 percent in groups. When my senior pastor made a similar invitation, our groups jumped from 30 percent to 60 percent the first time around. Within six months, we had 125 percent of our average adult attendance in groups. My pastor recruited every leader from 31-125 percent.

2. Stop Coaching Leaders.

Up until the day our groups doubled, I coached all of the leaders myself. In many ways, I had become the “lid” on our small group ministry. The limited number of groups we had at that point was a true reflection of my leadership. As Andy Stanley says, our system was perfectly designed to achieve the results we were getting. We were stuck because I was the bottleneck, so I stopped coaching the leaders.

Instead, I handpicked a leadership team of six coaches to help me lead the small group ministry. This felt like a risky move because things were moving so fast that I couldn’t keep up. As their pastor, I had to admit that I didn’t have it all figured out and that I needed them to figure this out with me. They were up for the challenge. We led together, and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. They coached the leaders. I led the leadership team. Our groups multiplied.

3. Stop Assigning People to Groups.

There are a lot of reasons to assign people to groups. It’s efficient. It’s easy. It helps to prevent combinations of troublemakers from meeting together. It’s a pure expression of control. Yikes!

Assigning people to groups, sign up cards, websites and group directories are all efficient ways to place people in groups, but they aren’t effective. The wheels fall off these efforts simply because these are task-oriented approaches in forming relationally-based groups. Do you see the problem?

By placing people into groups, we are setting them up on a blind date, if you will. Most people don’t enjoy blind dates. It’s awkward. It’s stressful. It rarely works out. The same is true of small group “blind dates.”

Instead, when people offer to host a new group, their first job is to recruit people to join their group. By making a list of people they know, praying over the list, and personally inviting these folks, groups filled up quickly and stayed together for a second study. Make opportunity for those who aren’t invited to a group to meet the group leaders and join a group. In a church of 800 adults, we connected 1,000 into groups without sign up cards, websites, or directories. In the churches I coach (both larger and smaller) this has proved effective in forming lasting groups.

4. Stop Training Apprentices.

We broke the rule of attempting to recruit and train one apprentice. I learned from Brett Eastman and Lifetogether to “apprentice” the entire group. Everyone chose a responsibility to host the group in their home, lead all or a portion of the study, bring refreshments, plan outreach events and parties. Potential leaders were much easier to identify when they were put into action rather than picked out of a lineup.

As groups grew, some left to start a new group. There was no mandatory splitting of groups. They just got too big for the houses they were meeting in.

Concluding Thoughts

Honestly, 14 years ago, I didn’t believe this would be my story. Once we implemented the principles I shared here, I couldn’t believe how easy it was to multiply groups. Now, I’ve seen this story multiplied across over 1,500 churches that I’ve had the privilege of coaching.

This could be your story.

This article originally appeared here.

Two Seasons of Life Ahead

Regi Campbell

April 30, 2018

When we read stories about mentoring, we usually visualize an older person meeting with younger one. But how much older?

For years, we’ve been saying the best ‘spread’ between mentor and mentee is two seasons of life but we’ve never really explained it. Here’s a rough approximation…

Two seasons of life ahead of a grade school kid is a high schooler.
Two seasons of life ahead of a high schooler is a young single person.
Two seasons of life ahead of a college kid is young married without kids.
Two seasons of life ahead of a young single person is a young married with small kids.
Two seasons of life ahead of a person who is newly married but still without kids is someone who is married and has teenagers.
Two seasons of life ahead of a young married with small kids is a married person with kids in college.
Two seasons of life ahead of a person with teenagers is a person with kids out of college, but still single.
Two seasons of life ahead of a person who is married and has college-age kids is an ‘empty-nester’ who is married and has married kids.

Get the picture?

This isn’t precise nor is it universal. There are old souls in younger bodies and immature souls in older bodies. But you get the gist of it. We respect people who have been where we’re going. That have walked the path, know which roots and rocks tripped them up, and are humbly willing to share their experiences…especially those where they wish they could get a ‘do over.’

Having a season of life sandwiched between their experience and mentoring others gives mentors time to process and objectively assess what they did right and what they didn’t. It’s still fresh enough to be meaningful but not so fresh that they’re emotional or defensive.

So, if you think you’re ready to mentor, take a few minutes and think through your seasons of life. Where are you now? What season of life or age frame did you come through before the one you’re in now? What was the one before that? Keep thinking back through those seasons, one by one, until you get back to one where you think, “Hey, now I know something about that one!” The age frame where you know the questions (and some of the answers), that’s where you’re going to feel confident as a mentor. And it’s probably where you should start.

Scripture: Wisdom is with aged men)

Mentor Tip: When the guys in your group are in the same season of life, they’re seeking answers to the same questions. When you’re a couple of seasons ahead, you’re more likely to have some answers.

This article originally appeared here.

10 Things I’ve Learned About Gossip—And Why I Hate It So Much

Ron Edmondson

April 30, 2018

Have you ever pondered, “Why do people gossip?”

I hate gossip.

I realize hate is a strong word, but it’s the one I prefer here. I’ve seen so many negative results caused by gossip.

Gossip happens in families, in the workplace—wherever two or more are gathered—gossip will be among them. And, gossip is always destructive to building healthy relationships. I hate gossip in any setting, but especially in the church.

Relational gossip, especially among believers, shouldn’t even exist. We have to violate a lot of principles of God’s plan for the church and believers for it to be present at all.

Gossip is destructive and has no part in our lives or in the church. I’ve counseled with families caught in drama, such as after the loss of a loved one, and gossip is fueling their division. I have witnessed gossip destroy a healthy work environment. And, I have worked with so many churches where gossip—drama—is a leading cause of why the church isn’t healthy, isn’t growing and isn’t accomplishing all God has for the church.

Along the way, I’ve learned some answers to the question, “Why do people gossip?” as well as a few other things about the nature gossip.

Not all rumors are true. In fact, most aren’t, especially not exactly as they are presented. When we repeat things we shouldn’t we seldom get all the facts straight. There is usually something we don’t understand.

People like to expand on what they think they know. People love to speculate and add their opinion to what they’ve heard. When they do the story gets further from the actual truth. People enjoy telling others “the good stuff.” With practice, some have even learned to make things seem “bigger” and “better” than reality. (And, I don’t mean better in the positive sense.)

There is almost always more to the story than what you know. Whenever multiple people are involved there will be multiple sides to the story. Even in stories involving only one person—if we aren’t hearing it from them—we only know what we know. We don’t know another person’s thoughts, history or individual circumstances. And, it may or may not be what your mind stretches it to be.

Sometimes people don’t consider the ramifications of what they are doing. This is so potentially damaging. I have seen gossip destroy a person. I’ve even seen it run people from the church—and then watch as some of the people involved in creating and furthering the drama wonder later what happened. They honestly didn’t realize the damage their rumor-repeating was causing. It’s so easy to get trapped in drama without considering the damage being done to others. I’m convinced, at least the hopeful side of me is convinced, people don’t always intend the harm they cause with gossip.

Gossip is fueled by reaction. When someone tells you something you shouldn’t even know, the way you respond often determines how many times it’s told again. If you gasp with wonder and interest the person sees they have something worth repeating and are motivated to seek the same reaction in others. If, however, you appear not as interested or intrigued, the person may feel disarmed somewhat from sharing it more.

Some of the juiciest gossip is disguised as a prayer request. Be honest. You’ve done or seen this done many times. People do this to pastors all the time. “Pastor, please pray for the Jones family. I’ve heard their son is really causing them problems. Just wanted you to know so you could be praying.” And, actually, many times they just wanted me to know so they could do the telling.

What Really Happened at the Wheaton Meeting?

Bob Ditmer

April 30, 2018

It’s been two weeks since the invitation-only Wheaton meeting of evangelicals was held at Wheaton College, but both Christian and secular media are still running op-ed pieces about the gathering.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the state of evangelicalism since the 2016 election, but many news accounts described the sessions as “Trump-bashing” and political. The latest editorial pieces appear aimed at refuting those characterizations.

Attendee says Wheaton meeting was not Trump bashing

Skye Jethani, an author, speaker, consultant and ordained pastor, wrote in the Christian Post:

“I WAS a participant in the room and can assure you these reports are inaccurate and exaggerated.

“We gathered to have an honest, and at times uncomfortable, conversation about the current state of American evangelicalism. All of the issues discussed predated the 2016 election and the focus of the dialogue was not the President or any current policy matters. The focus was how to have a consistent Christian public witness that affirms the dignity of all people as created in the image of God. We explored our history and affirmed when evangelicals did this well, and when necessary we lamented when we have not. There were extended times of prayer, confession, repentance and open discussion. And, yes, we prayed for President Trump.”

Peggy Wehmeyer, a writer and journalist, had a similar take in her op-ed for the Dallas Morning News. She wrote of the gathering,

“Their mission was not to bash President Donald Trump or draft a political platform Jesus might like.

“Instead the discussion was full of prayer, repentance and painful conversations about how the church has aligned itself so closely with Trump that the gospel, once synonymous with good news, has lost its meaning.”

Nevertheless, the meeting began with Mark Labberton, the president of Fuller Theological Seminary, telling attendees, “This gathering emerges instead from worry, sorrow, anger and bewilderment—whether we are Democrats or Republicans.” That so many white evangelicals supported Trump had created a “a toxic evangelicalism” that has turned “the Gospel into Good News that is fake.” He charged that U.S. evangelicalism had been complicit in violence against people of color over centuries, and that where denunciation was needed there had only been silence.

Wheaton meeting highlights political divide in the church

Tim Keller, the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, in Manhattan, also spoke on day one. He reserved judgment on the gathering but noted the church, like the culture, had become more politically polarized. “There’s now a red evangelicalism and a blue evangelicalism.” He said evangelicals are cherry-picking Bible verses to support their preferred political leanings. The focus of his talk, along with that of others, was not Trump’s policies and how they affect people, but the way politics have divided the church.

And the rest of the day’s speakers illustrated the chasm.

In a piece in the New Yorker titled At a Private Meeting in Illinois, a Group of Evangelicals Tried to Save Their Movement from Trumpism, Katelyn Beaty reported on the apparent deep divide.

“With a few exceptions, the older, white cohort stressed civility and unity. What the movement needed, they said, was a gentler evangelicalism that reached across partisan aisles for the common good. Others, especially the leaders of color, stressed repentance; there could be no real unity without white evangelicals explicitly confronting the ways in which they had participated in the degradation of persons of color and women. They contended that white evangelical churches and organizations had for decades supported a political agenda that deemed unborn lives more sacred than living black lives.

“The younger participants argued that what evangelicals need isn’t a kinder, gentler faith but a bolder one that speaks out against injustice and stands with the vulnerable.”

Beaty observed there were fewer people in attendance on the second day. “Some had to get back to their churches; at least two attendees left in protest that the tone was too critical of Trump and his Christian supporters.”

Day two included summaries and recommendations from leaders on issues such as Islam, immigration, racism, the media and the objectification of women. For more than an hour, participants stood up and, for the first time during the summit, addressed the entire group using a microphone.

But with disagreement over wording and with comments now on the record, no statement about the meeting was produced.

Are You Using Your ‘Calling’ to Hide Narcissism?

Megan Briggs

April 30, 2018

Are you a Christian narcissist? Jo Saxton asks some tough questions of leaders in her talk at the Q Conference. Saxton believes there is a thin line between narcissism and calling that most leaders—including Christian leaders—walk on a daily basis.

“Our ambitions and our appetites and our longings for approval will take us to places our characters won’t sustain. They’ll take us to places we don’t have the capacity to resist,” Saxton warns. Leaders have power, privilege, and opportunity, Saxton says. And sometimes, even Christian leaders will use the resources at their disposal for selfish reasons.

Christians are constantly told we are fearfully and wonderfully made, we’re gifted, talented, here to change the world, amazing, worth dying for. “Narcissism never touches our lives at all, does it now?” Saxton asks the audience with a grin.

In the Christian world, leaders are in danger of using their callings as a cover-up for self-actualization or “wish fulfillment”. “In those places, our dreams become our rights; our popularity determines our success; our needs can become our necessities; and our celebrity is interpreted like it’s an anointing,” Saxton explains.

“Where is this calling a call? And where is this calling a need about us?” Saxton asks. This is where we need to understand the nature of narcissism so that we can avoid using our calling to cover up a problem with narcissism.

Symptoms of Being a Christian Narcissist

Taking some information from the Mayo Clinic, Saxton moves into the symptoms of narcissism.

Exaggerated sense of self-importance
Sense of entitlement that requires constant and excessive admiration

Exaggerate their achievements and talents. Saxton gives a Christian example for this one: How big is your church? There is a temptation to give the “Christmas numbers”, Saxton says, when we are asked that.

Believe they’re superior and can only associate with special people
Expect favors and take advantage of people to get what they want.

The ends always justify the means here, Saxton says.

Saxton has thought about this problem of being a Christian narcissist on a personal level. She says she is “one breath away” from allowing her appetites, dreams, ambitions make her the center of it all. We call it serving, Saxton explains, “and it actually is about me meeting my desperate needs”.

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas (to Buy & Make)

Lindsey Whitney

April 29, 2018

Whether you’re looking to create a craft with the kids in your Sunday School (or classroom) or searching for a great gift for your own mother, here are some crafty ideas and some store bought ideas to get you headed in the right direction!

Things to Make (For DIY and Crafty People)
Nothing says Mother’s Day like a handmade gift, especially if it involves an actual hand print. Here are some adorable crafts to make either in the class or in the home. Of course, most would be great for Grandma as well!

Hand Print Flower Tote Bag

Everyone can use an extra bag right? Especially when it is as adorable as this! Perfect for Spring time and a great keepsake! Find more details at a Mountainous Journey. Grab some plain Canvas Tote Bags at Amazon!

Hand Print Apron

Keeping in line with the cute factor of the hand print, take a look at this fun apron featuring all the kids in the family. This would also make a great gift for a classroom teacher (if you could someone get all the hand prints without them knowing!). Find all the details at Simply Kierste.

Mason Jar Picture Frame

This is a charming gift — both sentimental and practical! Find all the details and the full tutorial at Home Stories A to Z.

Video or Pictures

I spotted this cute set up on Pinterest and headed on over to Soaring through Second to read more. I thought it was originally a video backdrop, but it looks like she made pictures out of it. Either one would be a great idea, but I personally would love to hear a video from my kids about why they love me or some favorite memories they have.

Button Tree

There is something so fun and whimsical about these pieces of art, and though they take some time, they aren’t exactly hard to make. Check out the full tutorial on Art by Wiley.

Things to Buy (For Everyone Else)

This seems like something that every kitchen can use. Even if it just serves a decorative purpose, I’m sure almost every mother would love it. Check out MRC Wood Products for a great selection!

Soaps

Everyone uses soap, right? Well. Hopefully. You can usually find some at your local craft fairs, but in case you don’t have time to scour your city, you can also grab some great soaps on Etsy. This lemongrass soap looks tempting as well as these trial size goat’s milk soaps.

Canvas Family Tree

I love this canvas water color family tree, and right now it’s only $35 for the smaller canvas. You can put names in the hearts or family characteristics as well. Check it out at Personalization Mall.

A Robe (Fair Trade)

Not only is this robe simple, elegant and lightweight, it is also Fair Trade, which means the people who made it get paid a fair wage (instead of sweat shop wages). Check out the whole fair trade mother’s day gift guide here.

Hope that gets you headed in the right direction!

What About You?
Are you a mom? What would you LOVE to get for mother’s day? Leave me a comment below!

This article originally appeared here.

Stop Inviting People to Big Events

Gurmit Jassal

April 29, 2018

After a large event with a big spike in new visitors, your attendance reports are going to look pretty nice for a week or two. But it doesn’t take long for reality to set back in as you see a return back to your regular pattern in the weeks to follow. Why is there such a drastic fallout? I believe a major factor comes down to the lack of community and relationships.

People are more likely to stick around when they get to know other people in your church. Fostering authentic, biblical community and developing meaningful relationships around the Word of God are essential for growing a healthy church on mission for God.

This need for community is more evident today than ever before. In his book Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam claimed that the greatest epidemic in American life is not a disease, but loneliness. New technology has made communication easier, but connection rarer. It drives us to screens instead of to other people. It facilitates entertainment but, at the same time, isolation and loneliness. Humans are not designed to live in isolation.

The need for community is at the very core of who we are as human beings.

God created us for community—both with Himself and with each other. When we create true biblical community, we step into God’s design for how we are to live and for how He planned on spreading His name throughout the nations.

There are around two billion people on the planet who claim to be Christians—more than any other religion (so far). This is an astounding fact, considering Acts 1:15 tells us that the number of Jesus’ disciples around the time of His ascension was about 120. Over the next 2,000 years, these disciples continued the movement that their Master started. This movement outlasted the Roman empire and spread to every populated continent on the Earth.

So how did the first-century church accomplish such an amazing feat?

They didn’t do this by having a few well-spoken master evangelists or by only focusing on large events; they did it by creating true, life-changing community. Biblical community is more than a Bible study or a hangout time with friends; it is what happens when the people of God come together to be His church.

Our task as the church is to continue the work that Jesus began when He passed the baton to His disciples in Matthew 28. It should be our mission to help people know God, find community, make disciples and change the world with the Gospel. If this is our true desire, there has to be a place where that kind of God-guided transformation can occur in their lives. Biblical community, based on the community Jesus built, is the space for that transformation.

Disciple-making churches understand that inviting people into community is more effective than merely inviting people to attend events. People are longing for meaningful connections. They are longing for a place to belong. Ultimately, people want to belong to a community that gives them purpose.

Am I against having large crowds come to events? Of course not! That being said, the key to reaching your community is not merely inviting people to more large events as some in the church growth movements have suggested; the key is inviting people into meaningful relationships that can lead to discipleship and multiplication.

Effective ministry is all about relationships. Our relationship with Jesus motivates us to develop meaningful relationships with people in our community that provide us with opportunities to introduce them to Jesus and His church. Brothers and sisters, it is time for us to step out of our comfort zones and invite people into our lives for the sake of the Gospel. We need to stop merely inviting people to events and start inviting them into biblical community. Churches should have a pathway to help move people from the crowd to community.

Moving People From the Crowd to Community

Many of us who serve as leaders in churches desire to see revival breakout in our communities. In fact, I’m sure many of us have prayed for revival on several occasions. Imagine what would happen if God answered our prayers and brought droves of people to faith in our community. Would our churches be able to handle all that numerical growth? As exciting as it is to see many people respond to the Gospel message, have we created a culture in our existing church body that can embrace and assimilate all these new people?

Those questions got me to think about my local church and eventually drove me to search for answers in the Scriptures primarily by observing the life and ministry of Jesus and the early church.

When Jesus commissioned His disciples to make disciples of all nations, He didn’t also give them a step-by-step manual for how to do it. Rather, they simply did it the way that Jesus had modeled it for them. They relied on His precedent to be sufficient for them. The strategy was going to have to be both flexible enough to handle large numbers of new believers and simple (and powerful) enough to be replicated in any place where there were believers to replicate it.

Avoiding the Church Comparison Trap

Thom Rainer

April 29, 2018

Comparing your church to another church can be one of the worst things you do as a church leader.

To be clear, I am not referring to learning from other churches. We can always learn from our peers and our sister congregations.

But comparison for the sake of comparison is bad. Let me share a few thoughts about this issue to expand upon the concern.

We should focus on what God is blessing in our churches. Do you remember the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:8? “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.” We are not dwelling on the things of God when we compare our church to others. We are dwelling on what we don’t have. The Word of God mandates to focus on the blessings God gives us, including the blessings of our congregation.
Comparisons only make matters worse. There is little good that can come from comparing our church to others. When we do so, we are taking one of two postures. The first is one of jealousy; we wish we had what someone else has. The second posture is one of ingratitude, which leads to my next point.
Our continuous disposition should be one of joy. Just a few verses preceding the text in Philippians 4:8 I noted above is a double command to rejoice. Indeed, it is a command to be in a constant mode of joy: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). We should take great joy in the calling God has given us right now. He has you in the exact place He wants you to serve. Rejoice instead of comparing.
Comparisons give us a short-term perspective. When we compare, we long for something we do not have. Our focus shifts to a place and a calling that is not for us. As a consequence we often desire to be somewhere else. We develop a short-term perspective for our current calling. Our congregations need leaders who are willing to serve for the long haul. The green grass of the other church is often brown once we get there.
We are not showing love for the bride when we compare. Marriages begin to deteriorate when a husband or wife compares his or her spouse to someone else. “If only my spouse was like that person,” we may think. Such thoughts show dishonor to our spouse. The church is the bride of Christ. We are not showing love or honor to His bride when we compare her to others.

Learn from other churches. It is always healthy to be in a learning disposition.

But don’t compare your church with others in a negative sense. Nothing good can from it.

Rejoice in your present calling. Such an attitude will transform your leadership and, as a consequence, transform the church to which God has called you.

This article originally appeared here.

First Father’s Day in Heaven: Minister to Children Coping With Loss

Stephanie Martin - June 12, 2025

The first Father’s Day in heaven can be difficult for children. Learn how to minister well to these students.

Joby Martin: What Happens When Pastors Finally Understand Grace

Jessica Lea - January 8, 2025

Joby Martin joins “The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast” to discuss what happens when a church leader has truly been run over by the “grace train" and understands the profound love and grace of God.

Key Quotes from A. J. Swoboda:

Links Mentioned by A. J. Swoboda in the Show:

The Holy Spirit’s Produce

How the Holy Spirit Ignites Our Intercession

Graveyard or Insane Asylum

Coming Just to Be Ministered To?

HOW WILL YOU SHOW UP THIS SUNDAY?

Problem Solved: We’re Only Connecting the “Usual Suspects”

Underlying Issues and Solutions

Have you ever noticed what you notice?

THIS IS THE BAADER-MEINHOF PHENOMENON, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE RECENCY ILLUSION OR THE FREQUENCY ILLUSION.

What does this have to do with spiritual growth?

WHILE YOU MAY NOT NOTICE THE DAILY GROWTH OF YOUR CHILDREN, YOU DEFINITELY NOTICE WHEN THEY’RE SICK.

The same is true for your spiritual growth.

YOU WILL THEN BEGIN NOTICING THE SYMPTOMS OF PHYSICAL SICKNESS IN YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE.

What do you think would happen in our lives and in the lives of those we’re discipling and leading if we stopped treating the symptoms and instead addressed the root issue?

Here are some ways we can foster an environment of collaboration within our congregation:

Create Intentional Spaces for Collaboration

Use a Business Messaging Client Like Slack

Foster a Better Philosophy on Meetings

Build a Staff Even if You Are the Only Paid Staff

Toward Aa More Balanced Gospel

Small Group Multiplication

1. Stop Recruiting Leaders.

2. Stop Coaching Leaders.

3. Stop Assigning People to Groups.

4. Stop Training Apprentices.

Concluding Thoughts

Attendee says Wheaton meeting was not Trump bashing

Wheaton meeting highlights political divide in the church

Symptoms of Being a Christian Narcissist

Moving People From the Crowd to Community

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