This Facebook App Could Be a Danger to Your Child

January 30, 2018

Last month, several former Facebook executives lamented what they had created saying social media was ripping society apart.

Facebook responded to the criticism by launching Messenger Kids. This time, the critics aren’t waiting as long to speak up.

More than 100 child development experts and advocates are urging Facebook to end the app, which is designed for children younger than 13. Experts cite concerns over encouraging elementary school children to use social media.

In a letter sent Tuesday to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the groups noted that it will likely be “the first social media platform widely used by elementary school children.” The letter, organized by the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, points to research showing that “excessive use of digital devices and social media” can harm children and teens.

The letter states, “Younger children are simply not ready to have social media accounts. They are not old enough to navigate the complexities of online relationships, which often lead to misunderstandings and conflicts even among more mature users,” adding that children may not understand the implications of sending private videos or pictures.

Pre-Teens Not Ready for Messenger Kids

The demand letter comes on the heels of a study last month conducted by U.K. media watchdog Ofcom that suggested the use of social media by children younger than 13 is on the rise despite social networks typically having an age limit of 13 years old for signups.

In practice there’s little to stop kids who have access to a mobile device downloading and signing up for apps and services themselves, unless their parents are actively policing their device use.

It also follows more research on the negative effects of social media. Last week, a study conducted by researchers at San Diego State University found that teens who spent more time on social media, gaming, texting and video-chatting on their phones were not as happy as those who played sports, went outside and interacted with people face to face. The Campaign for a Commerical-Free Childhood believes Messenger Kids increases time online for preteens.

When Facebook launched Messenger Kids, it said the app was developed with input from parents, experts in child development and children’s media. And in keeping with federal law, the app requires parental approval to sign up and collect information. Parents must also consent to new contacts being added to their children’s app.

Facebook Defends Messenger Kids

Facebook responded to calls that the social media giant shut down Messenger Kids in a statement to TechCrunch.com:

“Messenger Kids is a messaging app that helps parents and children to chat in a safer way, with parents always in control of their child’s contacts and interactions. Since we launched in December we’ve heard from parents around the country that Messenger Kids has helped them stay in touch with their children and has enabled their children to stay in touch with family members near and far. For example, we’ve heard stories of parents working night shifts being able read bedtime stories to their children, and mums who travel for work getting daily updates from their kids while they’re away. We worked to create Messenger Kids with an advisory committee of parenting and developmental experts, as well as with families themselves and in partnership with the PTA. We continue to be focused on making Messenger Kids be the best experience it can be for families. We have been very clear that there is no advertising in Messenger Kids.”

In theory, an app that helps parents connect and communicate with their children sounds like a great idea. But more questions arise as to whether kids will use the app exclusively for this purpose or whether they will get involved in trying to navigate a social media platform with their peers. This is precisely the concern the experts are voicing.

The organizations that signed the letter calling for Messenger Kids to be discontinued are:

Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
ACLU of Massachusetts
Badass Teachers Association, Inc.
Centre for Child Honouring
Common Sense Media
Corporate Accountability
Defending the Early Years
EPIC Privacy
Media Education Foundation
New Dream
New Moon Girls
Parent Coalition for Student Privacy
Parents Across America
Parents Television Council
Peace Educators Allied for Children Everywhere (P.E.A.C.E.)

J.D. Greear to Accept Nomination for President of SBC

Megan Briggs

January 30, 2018

Pastor J.D. Greear will once again be nominated for the Southern Baptist Convention’s highest office of president. Greear was a nominee two years ago when he withdrew from the election due to a tied vote between himself and current president Steve Gaines.

The vote will take place June 12-13, 2018, in Dallas, Texas, when the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. holds its annual meeting. Ken Whitten of Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Florida, told the Baptist Press (BP) he intends to nominate Greear for the position at that meeting. If elected, Greear will represent the younger voice of the SBC in a position of leadership.

According to Whitten, Greear, 44, will make a good bridge between the younger demographic in the SBC’s ranks and its older contingent. “J.D. Greear will give us the opportunity to impact another generation while continuing to honor the former generation of Southern Baptists,” Whitten says. Whitten also says Greear is all about the mission of SBC, which includes an emphasis on missions, evangelism and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In a statement released to the Baptist Press, Greear discusses the goals he would work toward if elected. Among them are, “’the Gospel above all’ as the convention’s source of unity; ‘cultural and racial diversity’; ‘intentional, personal evangelism’; ‘church planting’; and ‘engagement of the next generation in cooperative giving and mission.'”

Greear is the leader of The Summit Church network throughout the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina. As the BP points out, Greear has grown this congregation from 610 members to just under 10,000 in the 16 years he has been the lead pastor there. The church is also one of the top contributors to the SBC’s Cooperative Program in North Carolina.

Additionally, the Summit has planted 248 churches, 208 outside the U.S. The church has an even bigger goal of planting 1,000 by 2050. 158 members of the Summit are currently serving as International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries.

A commitment to advancing the mission of the SBC is a central factor in someone being nominated for the position of president. It’s clear from The Summit’s ongoing contribution to missions, missionaries and church planting that Greear and his team are actively participating in this mission. In fact, Greear has personal experience in missionary work, serving as a missionary to Southeast Asia with IMB before he became a pastor. He also has experience as a college pastor. He graduated from Campbell University with a Bachelor of Arts and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary with an M.Div. and Ph.D.

Greear is accepting the nomination after “a lot of prayer, encouragement and counsel, with the consent of our [Summit] leadership team and Veronica my wife.” He has the support of former SBC presidents Jack Graham, James Merritt and Bryant Wright, according to BP.

7 Biblical Characters and Their Leadership Tensions

Ron Edmondson

January 29, 2018

I know people who shy away from terms such as leadership when talking about church. One comment I hear is they don’t want us to become too business-like. They believe Christ is the leader of the church and we are simply servants under His command. While I agree with their assessment of our relationship to Christ, I see leadership throughout the Bible. That’s right—there is such a thing as biblical leadership.

God’s greatest servants were significant leaders—with significant examples of leadership challenges I face every day.

Biblical Leadership Lessons

And, as I read their story, I learn great biblical principles—but also great leadership principles.

Here are seven tensions of biblical leadership:

David – Have you ever fought a giant? Did you ever have to recover from a ruined reputation? Do you know what it’s like to feel like the world is against you?

Joseph – Have you ever prepared for a bleak future? Have you ever been accused of something you didn’t do? Have you ever had to reconcile a broken relationship?

Paul – Has a changing culture ever impacted your leadership? Did you ever have problems getting the established leaders to trust you? Do you allow struggles and opposition to fuel your best work?

Gideon – Ever been in over your head? Do you ever feel you are not prepared to fulfill what you know you have to do? Did you land in a position and—honestly—you’re not sure why?

Moses – Is the weight of your responsibility ever overwhelming? Have you been treated with disloyalty? Is someone else getting to complete the work—and enjoy the benefits—of something you started?

Abraham – Have you ever led a team into an unknown? Do family situations ever distract you from what you feel you must do? Do you ever have to wait?

Noah – Do you ever feel you are standing alone? Does the task in front of you seem impossible? Ever feel you’re on an island where no one understands?

Look over the list and see which of these are most representative of your current leadership tension. Then discover things these biblical leaders did wrong or did right in handling their challenge.

Perhaps some of the best leadership advice is closer than you think.

This article originally appeared here.

We Must Share the Gospel Out Loud

Greg Stier

January 29, 2018

There are a growing number of voices in the Christian community that are marginalizing, even mocking, “the propositional Gospel.” Over the last several years I have had more and more conversations about this from philosophizing seminary students to grinding youth leaders to well-seasoned Bible professors to disillusioned pastors.

Those who believe in the power of the Gospel message to save the lost can sometimes be looked down upon as simplistic, even foolish. In a conversation about this not too long ago I was even asked, “Which Gospel are you talking about, the propositional Gospel or the Gospel of real equality and racial unity and systemic transformation?”

This is an important question that must be answered. This is an important conversation that must be explored.

According to the dictionary the word proposition means…

“a statement of the subject of an argument or a discourse, or of the course of action or essential idea to be advocated.”

And the New Testament, again and again, presents the Gospel as a set of divinely empowered propositions. Romans 1:16 puts it this way, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…” Romans 1:16

How can there be power in an “argument” or a “discourse” or an “idea“? How can a simple set of propositions be strong enough to bring about the salvation of everyone who believes in them?

I have no idea.

But what I do know is that, time and time again throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus preached the Gospel out loud with words. He shared it with the religious and the rebels. He declared it to the Jews and the Gentiles. And lives were forever changed as a result.

He was crucified, not for the radical life that he lived, but for the radical message that he preached.

After Jesus ascended and the Spirit descended, Peter stood up and preached these same propositions in front of thousands of his fellow Jews (Acts 2:14-41).

The Apostle Paul preached the message of the Gospel again and again in synagogues (Acts 13:5).

His three famous missionary journeys were really just one big “out loud with words” Gospelfest.

For 2,000 years Jesus has built his church through everyday missionaries who were unashamed to verbally declare these propositions as truth.

Recognize Your Role in the Church—Fence Post #1

Ed Stetzer

January 29, 2018

In the first post of this series, I began a discussion on the importance of pastors establishing healthy boundaries in ministry.

As it’s an area in which I have personally struggled, and one in which I continue to grow, I’m passionate about sharing what I have learned in order to help others not make the same mistakes that I did.

In the next four blog posts, I will share keys to establishing these boundaries. Think of them as four fence posts surrounding a healthy ministry.

The first “fence post” supporting a healthy ministry is to recognize your role in the church.

You, as the pastor, are not ultimately responsible for the church. While you do have some, only King Jesus bears the final responsibility.

When this boundary is ignored, the church ends up being built around the pastor, who then actually becomes part of the problem rather than the solution.

At my second church plant, we had grown to a congregation of about 125 after 18 months. While this might seem like a positive development, it became a bit of an Achilles heel for me. The attendance numbers became my driving force from week to week.

I would actually take time every Saturday to personally call all of our regular and occasional attendees and encourage them to be at church the next day. I was convinced that if I didn’t call everyone, the church would fall apart the next day. Because my identity was so wrapped up in our weekly attendance, if the church numbers collapsed the next day, my life, in effect, would collapse with it.

When pastors misunderstand their role like I did, they tend to put all their focus on some predetermined view of success rather than those things they are biblically called to, such as shepherding and equipping.

Thankfully, a combination of my wife and a pastor friend in another town lovingly pointed out to me that I needed to make some changes. It resulted in my resignation. Well, sort of.

I actually got up one Sunday and “resigned.” (Yep, I used air quotes.) I told my congregation that I was going to resign as the sole shepherd and caregiver of the church.

I apologized for not creating proper boundaries and explained that I was restructuring. Using some very ’90s language (which wasn’t too terrible because it was the ’90s), I explained that I was going to move into a “rancher” role, while appointing “shepherds” who worked there. It was a big step of growth, both for the church and myself.

Although moving to a decentralized ministry model was a good step, it was a hard step. The next boundary “post” we will examine speaks to the difficulty of creating healthy boundaries: The pastor has to be healthy enough to create the boundary.

This article originally appeared here.

The Two Biggest Challenges in Women’s Small Groups

Alan Danielson

January 29, 2018

In 2006 I was asked to do something that I just knew would end my career as a small group pastor at LifeChurch.tv. My senior pastor’s wife started a women’s ministry that had been meeting on campus for eight years, and I was asked to kill it and move all the women involved into off-campus small groups. As a man, I was certain that I was toast!

Fortunately, God was gracious and my senior pastor’s wife was on board with the change. She helped lead the charge, and in the first semester of off-campus women’s groups we saw the number of women’s ministry participants double! It was a huge success, but it came only after much preparation.

One of my favorite stories from that change in women’s ministry strategy is the story of my wife, Stacey. Stacey started a women’s group and had a blast, so I’ve asked her to co-write this article and share her insights. This article is about the biggest challenge facing women’s small group: division. Satan loves to destroy the unity of women’s small groups and he does it in primarily two areas: childcare and cliques.

CHILDCARE

Knowing what to do with the kids can be a challenge for ladies groups because many of them will be made up of stay-at-home-moms and/or single moms. It’s critical for groups to decide up front how they will handle childcare. There’s a great article called “The Childcare Checklist” at SmallGroups.com that will help your group navigate the childcare conversation. In addition, below are some ideas we used at LifeChurch.tv that you can discuss with your group.

Utilize local “Mother’s Day Out” programs. Other churches in your town may offer Mother’s Day Out Programs where ladies can drop off their children for a few hours. Check around your area to see if any MDO programs are available.
Meet outside the home. Get together at local coffee shops, bookstores or the park after the kids are in school.
Work around naptime. Buy some nap mats, meet at naptime and have the kids all take their naps together in another room. (This works in daycare centers; other children are doing it and so will yours if that is what is expected of them.)
Coordinate home-schoolers’ help. Arrange for a home schooled teenager to come to the host home to watch the children in another room.
Contact local colleges. Local colleges have information on students interested in childcare.
Drop in/hourly play childcare center. See if there are any childcare centers in your area that allow parents to drop off their children on an hourly basis.
Use two homes. Some groups will drop their kids off at one group member’s house with a sitter or volunteer from the group and then have the group gathering at another home a few blocks away.
Bring them with you! This is a wonderful way for children to see their moms living their faith. Here are some ideas for having kids present with your women’s group.

Have a signup sheet so that group members can take turns watching the kids during your Group.

Encourage children to participate in a short time together of singing and a scriptural thought or question directed specifically to them, then taking their prayer requests and praying with them before dismissing them to play or other activity (any or all of the above).

Designated play area; designated toys and centers.

Tape butcher paper all over a dining or other table, put markers and coloring crayons on table. Don’t use permanent markers or markers that bleed.

Snacks!!!

Have the kids bring inexpensive seeds and miniature clay pots, and plant their seeds and discuss how we plant seeds in the lives of others, and God helps them to grow. Then they can transplant their seeds at home.

Purchase inexpensive photo albums from the $1 store and let them bring pics from home and do family albums. Talk about how God made our families, etc. all his children (Psalm 68:6).

Treasure box for rewards for positive behavior throughout the night (morning) and/or at the end of the study, kids can pick something out of it.

Stacey’s Thoughts:

These are simply ideas, only limited by your own imaginations. So be creative and don’t allow the beautiful children God has blessed you with to be used as an excuse for ladies not to meet together to do small groups. Yes, it can be a challenge, but don’t let it be an obstacle. Talk to other ladies’ group leaders and share ideas. Tell others about the great things that you have done with the kids in your group. Please, please don’t keep it a secret. Share it with others so they can benefit.

Alan’s Thoughts:

One of Satan’s favorite methods for causing division in a small group is disagreement over the question of childcare. Thus one of the most important things for your group to come to a clear and collaborative understanding about is childcare. Not addressing childcare up front guarantees conflict and misunderstanding later. As such, each ladies’ group should determine what works best for them by looking over this Childcare Checklist and the suggestions above together.

5 Truths About Your Faith as a Leader

Dan Reiland

January 29, 2018

Leaders don’t lead well or last long without great faith.

All leaders experience seasons of question and doubt, but in general, successful leadership and faith go hand in hand.

I’m not referring to your salvation by faith, but a faith that believes God for the promise to build His church.

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. – Matthew 16:18

Leaders possess hope for a better future and believe that God will help the church realize that vision. After all, it’s His church. Therefore, it is faith in a divine promise based on the evidence of His will in Scripture.

Faith is subjective and difficult to measure, yet Jesus infers there are differing amounts of faith. Jesus talked to his disciples about little faith. That indicates that faith can become greater.

In several scripture passages, we can see Jesus’ disappointment and perhaps even frustration and pain with the disciples about their little faith. But I don’t think Jesus was angry. I believe the source of His emotion was love. He wanted them to understand. He wanted them to experience the power and blessing of great faith.

I believe He wants that for you and me too.

The need for faith is not limited to the senior leader or the primary communicator. Every leader from senior staff to volunteers must have faith for the area they lead.

Five truths about your faith as a leader:

1) You can’t force faith.

Faith is not something you can microwave. You can’t “discipline” your way to greater faith. You can’t simply decide to attend a conference on “greater faith.” It takes time.

Much like the tiny mustard seed, faith is something that starts very small but grows and matures to something much greater in size.

When you experience a time of little faith, you can lean into the faith of those close to you, the leaders above you and the body of Christ around you. But ultimately, faith is personal, and every leader must pursue a personal journey of developing their faith.

2) You can’t fake faith.

I’ve coached leaders who found themselves being less than honest about their faith in the vision for their church. Whether they stand up and cast vision to the congregation, or share it in a boardroom, they knew something about it rang hollow. They said all the right words, but they didn’t really believe.

Lack of belief is different than uncertainty. No leader can be “certain” about an outcome, but must still possess great faith in “all things being possible” with God.

Leaders don’t get the option for a “let’s just wait and see” perspective. Casual attenders, bystanders and those who cast their opinions on social media can say “Maybe this will work and maybe it won’t.”

The purpose of leadership is a change toward a better future in Christ. From the essential measurement of one transformed life at a time to the church’s larger impact in the community and throughout the world.

3) You can ask God to increase your faith.

You are not alone in the development of your faith. God does not relieve us of our part, but He can and does increase our faith by answered prayer, the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s power, and the ability to remember and reflect on His abundant faithfulness throughout history.

Choosing a word or a word pair to focus personal growth for the year has become a popular thing to do.

A couple of years ago I chose “Aggressive Faith” for my word pair to focus on. That may be a strange phrase to you or seem more focused on what I can do than what God can do. But I can assure you I’m not fooled by my weakness and His strength.

I simply want to pursue greater faith as a leader, and do all I can rather than sit back and rest in wishful thinking.

Christians Need to Back Off the Criticism

Phil Cooke

January 29, 2018

Of all the damage Hurricane Harvey did to south Texas, one of the most frustrating revelations was the number of Christians who felt “called” to be armchair quarterbacks. Plenty of them surfaced writing about what Joel Osteen and Lakewood Church did wrong (in their opinion). But it’s also reminded me of all the others who feel just as “called” to address the theology, style, behavior, choices and other aspects of numerous pastors, leaders and congregations across the country.

In the case of Lakewood, there were bloggers who went to great lengths castigating Joel and the church, even though they were writing from a thousand miles away, weren’t in the storm, hadn’t been in the prep meetings between the church and city, hadn’t contacted church leadership, and pretty much based their comments on what they’d read online (mostly via social media.)

But no need to get hung up in Houston, because I can give you plenty of others. One remarkably common example is a disgruntled ex-church or staff member who feels called to launch a blog or Facebook page for the single purpose of criticizing their former pastor or church. If you ask them about it, they’ll argue in noble terms like they’re “calling out sin” or “exposing the truth.”

But speaking of truth, there’s that pesky scripture: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.” Obviously, we can’t all get through to people we may think are in the wrong, and many of them won’t respond anyway. But the point is to get as close as possible to the source. Talk to the person, or at least find out the actual facts. Do some research. There’s no scriptural instructions to blog or launch social media campaigns based on hurt feelings, moral indignation or worst of all—sketchy information from the social media mob.

The truth is, the Internet has made it so easy to be an armchair critic. Just get angry, type something up, and “click” to send it on. When I write books, my editor and publisher require that I fact check everything, but not so online. Believers need to control that impulse and wait until we have the facts. CBS News recently did a piece on “Internet Shaming” and it’s a powerful report about just how much damage this causes.

Second, we need to examine our own actions more and others’ actions less. In the case of Lakewood, I’m curious how much their critics were doing to help the hurricane victims. In the case of other critics of pastors and leaders, I’m curious about how many people they’ve led to Jesus recently. It may sound trite, but at the end of my life, I’m not expecting God to ask my opinions about other leaders. He’s going to ask what I did with my life.

Last—stop the sanctimonious posturing. As Maggie Smith’s character Dowager Countess Violet Crawley in Downton Abby remarked, “It must be cold on the moral high ground.” We have little idea of the battles other people are fighting or the obstacles they’re dealing with. Of all people, Christians should be known as the people most willing to extend grace.

Certainly there are hypocrites, apostates and jerks in the church, but I need to deal with my own shortcomings before I start lecturing others. Too many Christians have become like a parent who yells at his kids to get off their phones, while scrolling through his.

It’s time to stop being that guy.

This article originally appeared here.

Submit Your 2018 Easter Egg Hunt Listing Here

Chris Evans

January 29, 2018

Easter Egg Hunt Listings (New for 2018)

Whether you’re hosting a church, community, or neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt, we want people to know about it! Market your Easter Egg Hunt time and location here! Your listing will be published on our Easter Egg Hunt listing page for FREE!

Church Easter egg hunt flyer and graphic

Advertise your Easter Egg Hunt with this free downloadable Easter egg Hunt flyer and this social media graphic!

Typical Easter Egg Hunts can be made into events that kids will love with these extra Easter Egg Hunt ideas.

Submit your 2018 Easter Egg Hunt to the Easter egg hunt map!

On Desktop: Click the on the map to add your church or business.

On Mobile: Click the on the map, then click “+ Add”.

Be sure to include the following:

Church or Business Name
Church or Business Email
Address
Age Range
Day and Time

Easter egg hunt locations

We are listing Easter Egg Hunt event locations all across the United States. Easter Egg Hunt locations are included in the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming

Beth Moore on Sexual Abuse: Why Is the Church Last to Expose and First to Cover?

Bob Ditmer

January 29, 2018

Bible teacher Beth Moore says it is the will of God for Christians to expose evil, and she admits that for years she was part of a culture of silence about sexual abuse.

Moore, herself a victim of sexual abuse as a child, spoke at Saddleback Church this past Sunday about the abuse she suffered in her home.

The crime left her with a pervasive sense of shame that lasted for years. What people don’t understand, she told the Saddleback congregation, is that somebody’s selfish five minutes can cause a lifetime of painful memories and set them on a course to question everything they believe to be true.

Rick Warren, pastor at Saddleback Church, shared the stage as Moore told her story of abuse. In acknowledging the church’s role in revealing sexual abuse he said, “The truth will set you free but it will make you miserable first,” acknowledging how hard it will be for many to stand up and tell their stories. “You may know these steps but not take them out of fear. Then you’re stuck in it for the rest of your life.”

Moore knows telling the truth can be hard and shared how her life was affected when she revealed the abuse.

She first publicly referenced the sexual abuse in a book and even then did not identify her abuser. But she said the revelation caused a schism between her and her mother that never fully healed.

Moore told Saddleback, “When my mom found out she said, ‘We protect the family.’ There was a sense of shame to her for revealing what happened. It was put back on the victim for speaking out about this.”

Moore spoke emotionally of how devastating it was not to have her mother’s support at a time when she desperately need it.

The pressure to remain silent about the abuse came from others too. She was told by a mentor early on in her ministry that she should never share the abuse story, that it would “sink her ministry.” She said her advisor was wrong because staying silent leaves you feeling nothing except anger. The result, in her case, was a shattered worldview and poor choices.

Using Ephesians 5:11 as a reference she said the church must expose sin and needs to become a shelter for the abused, not the abusers: “When we don’t expose them we are taking part in those works of darkness. We are part of the silence culture,” adding, “Why is the church often the last to expose and the first to cover? Why is Hollywood or USA gymnastics more compelled to expose this kind of wrongdoing?”

Moore has a theory; Christians are afraid that speaking out about sexual abuse will reveal their own sexual sins.

“We have this invasive and pervasive guilt about our own sexual sin. We have to get clarity. We have to be able to differentiate between sexual immorality and sexual criminality. One is sin, one is a crime. Both need proper action. One needs the police. Then we can move forward. We don’t talk about it enough.”

Warren, whose wife, Kay, was also a victim of sexual abuse as a child, was visibly moved by Moore’s comment, telling his church, “A good pastor protects the flock from wolves. It is my job to protect this flock from wolves. I want this to be a safe place for the victims, not for the wolves. If you prey on my flock I’m coming after you. I will hunt you down and I will turn you in.”

But Moore said God has blessed her in spite of the abuse. She referenced one of those blessings in a tweet on Sunday.

On plane heading to Saddleback to speak out with the Warrens about sexual abuse. Recalling pain of losing favor from my beloved mom for speaking out years ago. This AM I heard from both my daughters basically saying “Go Mom!” Double portion return on what I lost.Not wasted on me.

— Beth Moore (@BethMooreLPM) January 27, 2018

And she says even though she thought she would lose her mind through this, she “found her mind as Jesus became her redeemer.” And she reminded others who might have been victims in the same way that “you can thrive, you can have joy and you can be full on for the abundant life of Christ because of what he’s done for you.”

You can watch the entire message at Saddleback Church here.

From Clique to Community

Bret Eastman

January 28, 2018

Why your groups must step out of their boats

You’ve seen them walk by. The “cooler than thou” group. The group that everyone in the church wants to be a part of and everyone outside of the church blames as the reason why they don’t come.

Most of us became aware of cliques in high school: the preps, the jocks, the high-achievers and the rockers, to name a few. Ancient cliques included groups like the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Hellenists, who condemned everyone and only enjoyed the company of each other.

We know how cruel kids can be, but we forget that church members and leaders can be just as cold-hearted and narrow-minded.

When our mindset is not one of multiplying people who disciple others and mentors, then we miss out on one of the most fundamental assets of the church: an individual’s capacity to minister to another individual. We know that not everyone is called to be a teacher or a leader, but every member is called to minister.

We’re reminded of this in 1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Inside out and out of the boat
Small groups within the church have the tendency to keep themselves from turning “inside out.” We’re afraid to reach out to new people. When we have community, we have a safe, secure and friendly lifeboat. But this lifeboat isn’t just for us. It’s for everyone else who needs a lifeboat also. They’re reaching out with interests, wants and needs. Yet, we’re often not willing to open up the boat because it may interfere with our own community.

It all starts with a better plan, different from sitting around in a boat waiting for the desperate to come to us. The disciples abandoned years of tried friendship with each other to split up and reach the farthest corners of the world for Christ. It may be risky and at times lonely, but it is our calling.

One key is to seek people who are hungry. They need the gospel. Encourage your small group members to bring friends and invite occasional strangers God may drop in our paths. This will keep the group fresh in ministry and its composition.

Ultimately, though, we must believe that God will preserve the gains we’ve made and help us move toward a community that includes people that weren’t included before. That is the model of Jesus, and it is his calling for all our small group ministries.

This article originally appeared here.

Where God Points His Finger

Greg Laurie

January 28, 2018

The French philosopher Voltaire once said that “if God made us in his own image, we have well returned him the compliment.”

That is what our world wants: a god in our own image, a god who will conform to our wishes and desires, a god who will fulfill our agendas. We want a user-friendly god, if you will, whom we can adapt to our chosen lifestyles.

We want religion a la carte, so we can stroll up to some celestial salad bar and pick and choose the attributes of God that appeal to us and throw the others aside. We are attracted to the qualities of God such as love, forgiveness, compassion and promise of heaven, but we recoil from such concepts as a God of holiness who loves us yet requires repentance.

In Jesus’ day, that is how the people were. They wanted a deliverer and a Messiah to conform to their plans instead of his. They wanted Jesus to destroy Rome but not the cherished sins of their hypocritical, superficial religion.

Many are like this today. They will sing the praises of a Jesus who will give them unlimited wealth, success and happiness, but they recoil from a Jesus who requires obedience and commitment. Like the multitude when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of donkey, they will loudly proclaim Jesus as long as they believe he will satisfy their selfish desires. In a sense they remake Jesus in their own image. They have a Jesus they can be comfortable with.

Luke’s gospel adds this detail regarding Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem: “Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it” (21:41 NKJV). What a strange contrast on this day of great joy and excitement. The Greek word Luke used to describe this weeping is strong, signifying bitter anguish as though one were mourning the dead. It was audible, loud weeping.

Why was he weeping? Jesus, being God, knew what was ahead. He knew his ministry was almost over. He knew time was short. Yet by and large he had been rejected. He had healed their sick. He had raised their dead. He had fed their hungry. And he had forgiven their sin. Yet they remained mostly distant from him. He remained alone and rejected.

Isaiah 53 said this is exactly what would happen: He would be despised and rejected among men. We are told in John’s gospel that “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (1:11 NKJV). This broke his heart. Here was Jesus with his own creation turning their backs on him.

Then, according to another gospel, he went into the temple, looked around, assessed the situation, and returned to Bethany to spend the night with friends. The following morning he returned. He took action and cleansed the temple.

This was righteous indignation. He came back and did a little house cleaning. He drove out the moneychangers in the temple and overturned their tables, saying, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves’” (Matthew 21:13 NKJV).

This is a pretty radical thing Jesus did. These were not little, portable card tables they had set up. These were massive, marble tables in keeping with the decor of the temple. Jesus was brandishing a whip, picking up marble tables and pushing them over, sending these people running.

Why this indignation? If people wanted to pay the temple tax, there were special half shekels for the sanctuary, which they would exchange their money for. The moneychangers had inflated the prices and were ripping people off. It was just a big racket, and they were taking advantage of these people who wanted to worship God.

4 Reasons We Created a Facebook Group

Bryan Haley

January 28, 2018

We recently created a closed Facebook Group for church communicators who follow Church Juice. Why would we take the time to create a group, invest in this small community, and promote it? Here are four reasons.

COMMUNICATORS ENCOURAGING COMMUNICATORS

One of the dynamics that is at the heart of Church Juice’s ministry philosophy is building community among church communicators. For many people who follow Church Juice, church communications and marketing is outside of your normal expertise; it’s just one more element that’s been added to an already-full plate of responsibilities. So we want to help encourage you as much as possible. Building a community where you and other church communicators can come together allows us to serve you and the Church better.

WE WANT OUR MINISTRY TO MIRROR WHAT WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO

Having a Facebook Group for your church, or various ministries is a great idea. Different than a Page, Groups allow for deeper, meaningful interaction with other like-minded people. In your church, this means the opportunity to post news, updates, prayer requests, and more with people who are already invested in your church (namely your members). In Church Juice Community, this means we can build deeper interaction with one another. As a recent article from The Verge mentioned, “Facebook is now about community-building, and not just with friends.” If this is the future of Facebook, and we’re encouraging you to do this, we think we should probably do the same—as the old saying goes, “practice what you preach.”

MORE ACCESS TO CHURCH JUICE’S PRODUCER

I wish I could spend my days traveling to churches all over the globe, meeting you face-to-face, and helping your church’s unique situation and dilemmas. But the reality is time is at a premium and budget dollars don’t stretch that far. Creating a closed community, where members must be approved to join, allows me to create a group that is more interested in Church Juice, with people who desire deeper interaction, at a fraction of the cost of being in person. I love being able to help churches as much as possible, and the Facebook Group allows me to spend more time interacting with each of you.

FEEDBACK & BRAINSTORMING

One of the great features of having a Facebook Group exclusive for church communicators is that you can communicate directly with each other. Want some feedback on a new communication piece or graphic? Post it in the group and ask for constructive criticism. Need help brainstorming ideas for a headline or title? Give the Group a chance to brainstorm with you. Want to see how other churches handle photo release forms? Ask the group. The idea is to create genuine community, so the more involved you are, the better the community is for everyone.

I’d love to have you join our Facebook Group. There are so many reasons I decided to create the Group, but I think the four reasons above are really a great overview of what’s awesome about Facebook Groups. Come join the Group.

This article originally appeared here.

How My Personal Prayer Team Is Structured

Ron Edmondson

January 28, 2018

This week I tweeted, “Meeting with my personal prayer team. I’m confident I’ve underestimated their influence in my ministry. Every pastor should have one.”

I received numerous replies asking me questions about the specifics of who this group is, what they do, how often we meet, etc. I thought it as worthy of a post.

Years ago when I was a layperson, a group of my prayer partners formed our own pastoral prayer team. We would pray during the church services and make appointments with church staff members to pray for them. It was a great marker in my spiritual growth and it seemed to be valued by the ministers.

When I became a pastor myself, knowing the importance of prayer, I decided to be intentional in soliciting people to pray for the church and my ministry. I have done this various ways. I’ve emailed individuals and groups with specific prayer requests. I’ve had Sunday morning meetings before church and recruited a few people to pray during each service. I’ve had a few men that I met with in accountability/prayer groups.

In the past couple of years, I started something new. It’s become my preferred model, simply because it’s intentional, it’s highly functional with my schedule, and I’ve seen the results of prayer working in my ministry.

Here is my current prayer team approach:

I personally recruited seven people in the church who meet with me regularly. (I wasn’t attempting to get to a biblical number. It’s just the way it worked. My goal would be for this group to never be larger than 10 or so, simply so we can function well as a group when we meet. Much larger and we would lose the intimacy of the group we have now.)

We meet every six weeks to two months, as my schedule allows. My assistant sets these meetings up for me at my request.

My part of the meetings lasts less than one hour.

I come to the meetings with a list of things to pray for, and hand it out to them as a prayer list.

Some to do with church
Some with staff (I don’t share names or specifics, but generalities)
Some personal (I don’t share highly intimate things. I have men in my life to share those things with, but I do share requests personal to me and my family, that may or may not have anything to do with the church.)
In regards to the church, some items are general and some specific, but I rarely, if ever, use names associated with the requests. This is not as much about individual prayer needs within the church. We have a separate prayer team for those needs. This group is my personal prayer support group, so items within the church are more centered toward things I personally lead, opportunities or initiatives I feel God is guiding us toward, or personal issues of concern I have within the church, my family or with me.

I talk through each item on the list and allow them to ask me questions about them.

I pray for them.

I leave and let them pray together as long as they want.

They take the list home and continue to pray until we have another meeting.

We begin each new meeting reviewing any carryover items on the list to update the group on prayer results.

Who is on this prayer team?

People I have personally recruited. (In the church I’m moving to pastor, I’m in the process now of gathering those names. Since I don’t know the people, I’m relying on several other people I do know to help me with a group of names.)
People I can trust to hold a confidence. (This is of utmost importance to me and I’ve never had a “leak” from this process yet.)
People I believe are fervent in prayer, and they would be doing so whether I asked them to or not.
People who are humble, not looking for any spotlight or attention.
People I would go to personally to request prayer aside from this group. (You probably could name those people in your church now.)

These people are often not on any other team or committee in the church. They aren’t necessarily eloquent of speech. They are simply people of prayer. This is not a committee or team where members rotate on or off after a term of service. These are prayer warriors. As long as they are willing to serve, and are functioning within the request of confidentiality, they remain in the group.

What’s the benefit?

Do you have to ask?

Seriously, just this week, I gave them a very personal prayer request of something I was asking God to do. Within 30 minutes of our meeting, I had an answer to the prayer request. I emailed them to let them know.

Months before God began stirring my heart toward a change in ministry assignment, I had asked this group to pray for our staff. I knew several were receiving requests to consider other positions. I asked them to pray for our staff to be wise and discerning of God’s direction in our lives. I didn’t know at the time that I would be the one God would deal with next. It was out of my realm of possibilities to take another church at this time, but this group was already praying for the possibility. I’m convinced their prayers have aided in making this transition process so incredibly smooth.

God still answers the prayers of His people.

You don’t have to do it my way, but if you’re a pastor, you need people you can trust praying for you in every area of your life. Yes, you need your entire church praying for you. I’m for more corporate prayer. I believe, however, that you need a smaller group around you to share more personal requests. When we look at the model of Jesus, He seemed to have that prayer support structure within the disciples, even calling a few of them frequently away from the 12 to meet with him in more private settings.

How do you organize people to pray for you?

5 Specific Ways the Current Approach to Church Seems Badly Outdated

Carey Nieuwhof

January 28, 2018

You open the doors to your church every weekend hoping more people will come (or in some cases, hoping somebody comes) only to discover that, with few exceptions, more people rarely do.

It can get discouraging, and many leaders wring their hands over what to do and how to respond.

Even once-growing churches hit plateaus and stumble into decline, and we wonder why it’s so hard to gain traction.

One of the reasons so many churches struggle these days is that the way we do church is badly outdated.

Culture is changing rapidly, which means people are changing rapidly. If you want to reach people, that probably also means you need to change your approach rapidly.

That freaks out a lot of Christians who think that because the message never changes, nothing should change.

There’s a huge difference between changing the message and changing the method.

In the church’s case, the historic message doesn’t change. But the methods have to.

Here’s why: If you don’t change your methods, eventually no one will hear your message.

I have a sinking feeling if we sat down with young adults and asked them why we do things the way we do, we’d hear an earful.

As the pace of change accelerates around us with every passing month, here are five ways the way we do church appears ever-more outdated.

1. Making People Go to Church

As I outlined in my 2018 church trends post, the idea of only doing church in a ‘box’ on Sundays is an increasingly stale idea.

In the (very near) future, people won’t go to church. The church will go to people.

Not sure what that means?

Think about how much your life has changed in the last 15 years.

Quick example: Let’s say I want to buy a specific wooden monitor stand for my iMac (which I do). I have two options.

Option 1: Traipse to store after store looking for what feels like a needle in a haystack (I want a walnut one), realizing, in the end, I likely need to go to Toronto or some major city to find one that: a) I like, b) fits my particular computer and c) is in my price range. (Not factoring in, of course, a lot of phone calls, a day of lost travel time and tons of gas money).

Option 2: Browse Amazon and Etsy from my phone, order the monitor and have it shipped to my house next day.

Which would you choose?

Exactly.

Despite a welcome and thoughtful backlash against technology and what it’s doing to our minds (and souls), the Internet is still not going away anytime soon.

There was a day when going to church was the only option you had if you wanted to be part of a local church.

A century or more ago, you lived in a village or city or on a farm, and you made the trek into town or over a few blocks to hear the local preacher. It was also a chance to connect relationally and socially. Honestly, for many people a century ago it was a highlight of their week.

The car gave people mobility, so we created bigger suburban churches to which people drove.

As a result, our entire model for the last century or more has been built on people going to church as though it was a destination and physical place.

But back up the timeline earlier than that, and you realize that the church going to people is not that innovative. Entire denominations and movements were premised on bringing the church to people (think circuit preachers or even the Apostle Paul).

Now, of course, we have the Internet. Which most church leaders still seem to ignore as a serious tool for ministry.

So many churches remain stuck in the idea that the only way you can access the Gospel is to come to our building at a set hour every week.

Want access beyond that? Not sure how to help you.

Too many churches operate an analog model in a digital world.

Churches that want to reach people will bring the church to people, through:

-A great social media presence

-Messages available anytime, anywhere in multiple formats (web, social, podcast)

-In-home gatherings

-Practical help/advice/encouragement for everyday life (like the ParentCue strategy and the ParentCue app)

-Partnerships in the community with other organizations that are making a difference (which not only does good, but takes you out of your box and into where the people you’re trying to reach gather)

Ironically, when churches begin to go to people, it makes people also want to go to church.

Because you went to them, they will want to come to you.

It creates a reciprocal, daily relationship. Whatever you do during the week builds on what happened on the weekend. And whatever you do on the weekend built on what happened during the week.

But most churches still only want people to come to them. That clock is ticking…fast.

10 Things Pastors Should Really Fear About Capital Campaigns

Brian Dodd

January 28, 2018

BRIAN DODD ON JANUARY 16, 2018, IN GENEROSITY

For the past 15 years I have had the privilege of working with INJOY Stewardship Solutions helping churches raise significant capital and fully fund their mission and vision. One of the things I often do is help pastors and church leaders work through some initials fears they may have about the process. This would include some of the following:

How much can we raise?
What if we fail?
Will this campaign be high-pressure?
Will you understand our unique environment?
What about debt?

I can usually alleviate these concerns with relative ease as they are often unfounded. Over the years, however, I have witnessed a great tragedy happen when churches decide not to move forward with their capital campaigns or attempt to conduct them in-house. As a result, what I have witnessed are legitimate fears pastors should really have.

The following are 10 Things Pastors Should Really Fear About Capital Campaigns:

What is the impact on your community and people’s eternal destinies if your mission and vision are not fully funded and realized? A question is often asked, “If our church ceased to exist, would our community miss it?” Do you realize when your mission and vision is not fully funded, a portion of your church has ceased to exist. A lack of financial resources should be a fear.
What happens to those people who are turned away because you are out of space and refuse to build? People spending eternity separated from God should be a fear.
What happens to those young families and people in your congregation who are not discipled and never learn the joy of generosity and the blessings that come from giving to their local church because you did not move forward with a campaign? A lack of young families, discipleship, first-time givers and an increase in weekly giving should be a fear.
How will leaders respond when you never move forward after it has been talked about over and over again? Leaders are about advancement and moving forward. A lack of trust and confidence in leadership should be a fear.
If you conduct a capital campaign without a partner and miss your goal, who is held accountable from a trust and credibility perspective? “Five loaves and two fish” won’t work. Doing a campaign without a partner should be a fear.
What happens to a congregation who is never taught to sacrifice? Greed should be a fear.
What will happen if you conduct a capital campaign and do not have the proper prayer and biblical teaching as its foundation? People not connecting with the heart of God should be a MAJOR fear.
What if you never invite your financial leaders into the process and those funds wind up in the hands of organizations that provide no eternal value? Competition for the nonprofit dollar should be a fear.
How do you avoid a transactional fundraiser and instead experience a transformational journey of generosity? A transactional fundraiser should be a fear.
What happens when the campaign concludes? Did any lasting life-change actually happen? Returning to business-as-usual should be a fear.

These are legitimate fears. A God-honoring, vision-driven, biblically based capital campaign experience undergirded by prayer with a great partner alleviates these fears.

Pastor and church leader, if you need to raise significant capital in 2018 and would like to talk about timing, how much you could raise, how to engage the next generation in a biblical process, how to make a capital campaign fun, or any fears you may have, simply reply to this email or send me a note at briand@injoystewardship.com.

I would like to help you and set up a FREE 30-minute phone consultation to do so. In fact, this subject is of such importance, you can even call or text my personal cell number at 678-814-9403.

Thanks for reading these thoughts. I hope God blesses everything your hand touches and 2018 is the best ministry year you have ever had.

This article originally appeared here.

2018 Easter Egg Hunts Across the Country

Chris Evans

January 28, 2018

Looking for an Easter Egg Hunt Near You? (Updated 2018 List)

Children love Easter Egg Hunts and they’re not always easy to find in your area. That’s why we came up with this list that makes it easy for you to find an Easter Egg Hunt in your area.

Easter eggs are so bright and colorful and it’s so much fun to go on a hunt with your Easter basket to find them. Bring the kids on Easter Sunday (or another day) for an Easter Egg Hunt!

If you’re looking for an Easter Egg Hunt, we have all the location listings here.

Find a 2018 Easter Egg Hunt Near You!

You’ll find Easter Egg Hunts hosted by churches, neighborhoods, businesses and more.

Easter Egg Hunts are listed in the following states:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisian, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming

Don’t see your location listed? Submit your Easter Egg Hunt here!

5 Keys to a Long Tenure

James Emery White

January 26, 2018

Meck recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. A fellow pastor asked me, “What are the keys to a long tenure?”

It was a good question, and one (to be honest) I hadn’t reflected on. I immediately thought of the usual things such as prayer and spiritual vitality, but in truth, I had never thought about what it has taken to plant a church and then lead it for now more than a quarter of a century. That is a long time to lead a single community of faith. Today it seems like the news is littered with leader after leader falling to moral compromise, a lack of integrity with finances, or leading from pride and power. I just knew, from the beginning, that I had one church plant in me—kind of like one marriage, or one family—and I was going to plant it and then be faithful to it to the end.

But when I reflected on his question, five things did come to mind:

1. Persistence and determination

One of my favorite quotes comes from a speech given in 1920 by then President Calvin Coolidge. He said:

Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

I wrote about this in an earlier blog titled “Give Everything but Up.” There is simply nothing that can take the place of hanging in there week after week, month after month, year after year—never abandoning your post or calling. Not because it’s easy. Not because you always want to.

But because you are committed to being faithful.

2. Integrity

I once heard a journalist who had seen more than his fair share of scandals in religious leaders comment about a man who had served 20 years as pastor of a church. He said, “After two decades, if there was something to come out, it normally would have by now.”

He meant it as a compliment to the man’s integrity. But he was right. The longer you lead without scandal, the more it indicates there wasn’t any to come out.

And earning that is what makes for a long tenure, for nothing will end ministry faster than a lack of integrity, whether it is sexual, financial or in the manner of how you lead.

Now, in saying this, I certainly do not mean to put myself forward as a man above other men. I’m not. I’m as sin-stained, sin-marked, as anyone. What I mean is that you have to be able to manifest the everyday kind of integrity that protects the longevity of your ministry. People close to me have seen more than their fair share of sin in my life, but they haven’t seen consistent hypocrisy or a double-life. They’ve seen consistent marital faithfulness, commitment to family, relational integrity, financial transparency and more. And the reason is because of intentionally introduced boundaries and accountabilities.

It matters.

3. The hide of a rhinoceros

I believe it was Stuart Briscoe who once wrote that the three qualifications for a pastor are: 1) the heart of a child; 2) the mind of a scholar; and 3) the hide of a rhinoceros. I have always thought the hardest part of ministry is the “hide” part. But it’s also the part that, over time, can matter the most.

Let’s state the obvious: Ministry leadership is not easy. You are subject to abundant criticism, pointed spiritual attack, emotional depletion and more. Without allowing your heart to become calloused, you must find ways to keep your skin thick.

One of the key ways of doing this is to keep your emotional tanks filled. Most leaders are aware of their spiritual tanks and their physical tanks—not many are aware of their emotional tanks. My friend Bill Hybels has schooled me well on this in relation to his own depletions. Find out what puts gas in your emotional tank and then tend to it. Or else you will run out of gas in a way that leaves you empty for a marathon run in ministry.

Who Do You Think You Are?

Joel Rainey

January 26, 2018

“We are going to find a more loving, compassionate pastor!” I remember the sting of those words, even though they were spoken to me nearly 20 years ago now. I can still see the woman’s tearfully angry eyes piercing through me as we ended a discussion explaining why I would not officiate the wedding of her daughter to a non-Christian.

“We have never found anyone who could teach the Bible as effectively as you! It has been life-changing for us!” I was so encouraged as a young church planter to hear such words from a new family. Yeah, that was a good day!

“This whole place is filled with judgmental *$#@! I’m done with all of you!” I heard those words from a musician we had asked to step down from our worship team because he was sleeping with his girlfriend and refused to stop. That incident occurred in that same church plant, on the day after the “good day” I mentioned above. After all, we can all only enjoy so much sunshine.

“The people here are so warm and loving. We and our children have loved it every time we come here!” Those were words I received just yesterday in an email from a family new to our area who have been visiting our church.

“We just can’t get connected here, so we are going to try some other places.” This was another email I received a month ago, from a couple who enthusiastically joined our church only three months ago!

When they tell you “ministry is a roller coaster,” they aren’t kidding!

We pastors are rightly expected to invest heavily in our churches. But sometimes, the way we invest makes us more subject to the emotional roller coaster than we should be. To use an economic analogy, too many pastors relate to their churches the way an investor relates to an “Exchange Traded Fund” (ETF). An ETF is an investment fund that balances stocks, bonds, commodities and other investments in a way that will most closely match stock market performance. The net result is that market performance is nearly identical to your investment performance. So in a year like we have been having, anyone invested in an ETF is pretty happy. Conversely, 10 years ago ETF investors probably wondered if they would ever be able to retire!

In short, investment in an ETF most likely means your mood is determined by the market’s daily performance. And when something that volatile determines your peace of mind, well, you don’t typically enjoy a lot of true peace.

That’s what happens to a lot of pastors. We are invested in our churches at a level that ties our disposition to the largest pockets of volatility in the congregation. And that’s not healthy.

The truth is, we are never the saint our biggest fans think we are, nor are we the antichrist our worst critics see in us. But when our daily disposition toward our churches—or even our own sense of competence and worth—is measured solely in terms of how people react to us, we can become just as emotionally and spiritually volatile as the most immature in our churches. “The fear of man,” Proverbs 29:25 tells us, “will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” The key to getting off the emotional roller coaster that is powered by a focus on the approval of others—and staying off—is to remember these four truths:

Remember who you are.

You and I are, first and foremost, not pastors, but children of the most high God! We are purchased by the blood of Jesus and adopted into God’s family with all the rights that come with being His children. That, and nothing else, defines the core of who we are. When we tie our worth, or our identity, to the opinions of a few, or to how many people filled the seats this past Sunday, we insult our Redeemer and lose the very stable and sure ground on which He intends us to stand.

3 Reasons Why This Weekend Is So Important if You Want Your Church to Grow

Rich Birch

January 26, 2018

This weekend is critically important for the growth of your church. It could be make or break when it comes to influencing your community with the message of Jesus. As much as we’ve talked in the past about the importance of being ready for “big days” that only come along a few times a year, your church also needs to be ready every single weekend to make an impact. We can’t rest on our laurels, but need to be ready to make the impact that we’re expected to. Churches who are making a difference in their communities leverage every single Sunday to see the mission moving forward. Here are three reasons this weekend is so important if you want to see your church grow in the coming years:

Guests Show Up to Your Church Every Weekend

This weekend is going to be someone’s first experience at your church. As a rule of thumb, your church should see the same number of people visit it each year as your average Sunday morning attendance. [ref] That would mean that even if your church comprises of 100 people you’ll see one or two guests, this weekend. Ensuring that your teams are ready to receive guests every single weekend is important.

Because there might be guests at your church this weekend who would be trying church for one last time. Therefore, you need to be ready in the following ways:

“New Here” System – What are you doing to ensure that your guests feel “expected” & “accepted” as they arrive this weekend? There is no worse feeling than going somewhere for the first time and feeling lost and unwelcome. However, often guests can feel like that when they arrive at our churches. A simple gift for guests is an easy way to start this process. We gathered together 33 “first time guest” gifts from churches to give you some ideas to implement at your church.
Helpful Content – When people arrive at your church they are wondering if whatever is being presented is going to help them at all in life. In fact, adults are primarily “just in time learners,” which means that they learn best when they face problems that they are trying to immediately solve in their lives. Therefore, so many people only end up coming to your church when they are going through a personal crisis or an issue in their lives. They are looking for help with what they are faced with. They don’t care what it says in the Greek but they are wondering what to say to their kids!
Clear Next Steps – One of the stark differences between struggling churches and those that are thriving is that prevailing churches have made it dead simple to get connected to the church. It can be confusing or even frustrating when you first arrive at a church. Often, we have way too many programs running and all of them are presented equally in a program or church bulletin. Churches must strive to understand that they need to narrow the focus and give people clear steps from the moment they arrive at the church. The best practice prevailing in churches is to provide a single first step that everyone is pointed toward after the weekend service. Listen to this helpful podcast with Greg Curtis on how his church is integrating hundreds of people every year through a simple next steps approach.

Prevailing Churches Use the Persistent Rhythm of Sundays to Help Them Grow

The weekly persistence of Sundays can be tough for leaders to get used to, if they haven’t experienced it before. I’ve seen this first hand, as leaders have joined our team from the marketplace where deadlines aren’t as tight as the weekly nature of what we do in church leadership. The weekend is always coming and the way that looms over everything that happens in our lives in church leadership can make it difficult to make progress as an organization. In fact, I’ve known churches that get caught in a rut and can’t seem to get out of it because they get on the hamster wheel of “Sunday is always coming!’

However, prevailing churches have figured out a way to use the persistent nature of this rhythm to help fuel growth and improvement. Here are a few ways that the weekly rhythm can help and not hinder your church as it develops:

Constant Improvement – Growing organizations are always looking for ways to improve what they do. You’ve been given a gift in that you get to “do” your main thing 50+ times a year, which implies that, you make incremental improvements all the time! Churches who are leveraging this weekend for growth pulled together a team after last weekend to evaluate what exactly happened and are trying to make small improvements for this weekend.
Responsive Teaching – The teaching you’re doing with your church is an ongoing conversation. It should be responsive to what has been happening in the life of your community. Things happen in your church every week that should weave their way into the messages on Sunday. Good teachers have their story-finding-senses turned on at all times, looking for what’s happening in the community around them to apply to their teaching.
Community Presence – Finally, there is something to do with the week in and week out nature of what we do in the communities we serve, on a regular basis. We become baked into the rhythm of how a community works. Simple things like having signage and flags that go up around our buildings on Sundays are a regular reminder to our community that we are available for them. In fact, because that signage is only up on Sundays it sticks out and gets people’s attention. Leading churches look for ways to communicate weekly about its “game day” and that people are invited to come to church.
Vision Injection Opportunities – Every Sunday is a chance to re-articulate the vision for your people. Prevailing churches are taking time every weekend to communicate how important the vision is and what exactly it is that God is wanting a church to do. Vision tends to leak over time and smart churches understand the need to use the rhythm of the weekend to communicate the vision again. Here are a few places that you could inject the vision of the church regularly:
- Huddles – Every time your volunteer teams gather, it is a perfect chance to explain again why we do what we do. Share a report of life change or take time to pray that the vision would happen this weekend.
- Announcements – You have five minutes in your service to move people to take action toward the vision. Leverage the announcement time to connect the dots for people between why the church exists and how they can get involved.
- Message – Your message is a prime place to explain again why the church is what it is. Prevailing churches find opportunities within the teaching to point again to the vision of the church.

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