How Can Two Microphones of the Same Brand Sound Different?

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August 8, 2023

“Why does my new Shure Beta 87 lack the warmth of my old Shure Beta 58?” This was the basic question to me in an email last week: how can two microphones sound so different? The answer begins with a glance at our old friend, the regular ol’ Shure SM57.

Over the weekend, I visited a church that had recently migrated from an electronic drum set to an acoustic set, and they purchased their first drum microphone kit. Before the service, I checked out the drum microphone placement and was surprised to see something other than a Shure SM57 on the snare.

A quick note, the SM57 isn’t the only snare mic option, but it’s one many people use, so my surprise was only that they were using something else. It wasn’t a judgement.

The drum kit was the new Shure PGADRUMKIT7. Yes, that’s the official name and I hate it. It’s like saying I bought the new Ford MUSTANGSPORTSCAR6. Seven microphones, six cylinders. Which, by the way, I did not. Moving on …

The PGADRUMKIT7 (sigh) includes a PGA52, three PGA56s, two PGA81s and a PGA57. Not an SM57, but a PGA57. The PGA line is the economy line, so the PGA57 retails for around $54USD while the SM57 retails around $99.

Similar but Different

The SM57 and the PGA57 are good for snare drums, but what’s the difference? Is there a difference? Heck, WHY is there a difference?

Both are dynamic cardioid microphones with the same sensitivity, impedance and with only a four-gram weight difference. But then things change.

The PGA57 has a frequency range of 70 to 15,000Hz. while the SM57 is 40 to 15,000Hz. At this point, the SM57 can support a wider range. Not an enormous difference, but it’s a start.

The polar pattern response chart is similar in both, though from what I could find, the details shown for the PGA57 are only for a response at 1000Hz so that’s what I compared. The amount of frequency detection, even as a cardioid, differs based on where the sound is detected and its frequency. This can be seen below for the SM57 and then the PGA57. (Sorry about the clarity—for some reason, Shure doesn’t standardize product specs so I had to grab one from their web site and another from a PDF spec sheet. )

‘Sound of Freedom’ Crowdfunder Charged With Child Kidnapping; Angel Studios Responds

By

Stephanie Martin

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August 7, 2023

One of the thousands of crowdfunding supporters of “Sound of Freedom,” this summer’s surprise box office hit, is now charged with being an accessory to child kidnapping. Fabian Marta, a 51-year-old Missouri man, was arrested last month by St. Louis police. Marta’s attorney called the charge “unfounded.”

“Sound of Freedom,” which addresses child trafficking, so far has grossed $163 million during its five weeks in theaters. The movie stars Jim Caviezel as former Homeland Security agent Tim Ballard, who founded the anti-trafficking group Operation Underground Railroad. Some people have criticized “Sound of Freedom” due to possible links with right-wing conspiracy theories such as QAnon.

Crowdfunder Is Listed in ‘Sound of Freedom’ Credits

Angel Studios, which produced “Sound of Freedom,” said 6,678 people invested an average of $501 each into the movie’s launch. “Just as anyone can invest in the stock market, everyone who meets the legal criteria can invest in Angel Studios projects,” said CEO Neal Harmon. He added that the studio “adhered to the requirements of federal and state laws and regulations” for its crowdfunding process.

In a now-deleted Facebook post, Fabian Marta, one of those 6,678 investors, discussed his financial contribution to “Sound of Freedom.” According to screenshots shared by media outlets, Marta wrote, “The ‘Sound of Freedom’ movie tackles a very tough subject, and took extraordinary effort to bring it to movie theaters. I’m proud to have been a small part of it. If you see the movie look for ‘Fabian Marta and Family’ at the very end of the credits.”

The amount of money that Marta and his family contributed isn’t known, but he isn’t considered to be a main financier of the film. Marta, a resident of Chesterfield, Missouri, was released on personal recognizance after a July 24 court appearance. His next court date is scheduled for Aug. 28. If convicted of the Class A felony, he could be sentenced to at least 10 years in prison.

Deadline reported that Marta is “a landlord to a woman who was involved in a custody dispute with her aunt. Marta was allegedly providing living arrangements to said woman and her child, the former [of whom] is involved in rehabbing the rental property.”

Crowdfunder’s Attorney Disputes Charge

In addition to calling the charges against Marta “unfounded,” attorney Scott Rosenblum said of his client, “I don’t understand how they’re charging him with this. He has nothing to do with kidnapping anyone.”

Child kidnapping, the allegation against Marta, is different from child trafficking, the subject of “Sound of Freedom.”

Craig Groeschel Shares Life.Church Baptized Over 2,000 This Past Weekend

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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August 7, 2023

Life.Church baptism Craig Groeschel — Screengrab via Facebook / @Life.Church

Over the weekend, Life.Church baptized over 2,000 people across its 40-plus campuses.

At the start of Life.Church’s online broadcast on Sunday, the Evangelical Covenant Church with over 80,000 in weekly attendance took a moment to celebrate the baptisms.

The video also showed prerecorded baptisms taking place in homes and public places.

Life.Church founder and senior pastor Craig Groeschel shared that the number of baptisms taking place had set a record for the church.

“Well, if I can take a moment to express my love for our church family and just say to those of you that are being baptized today, we praise God for the work of Jesus in your life,” Groeschel said.

Groeschel said he got emotional when he looked over at someone sitting in the congregation who was baptized when the church held its first baptism in 1996.

“I think we baptized five people,” Groeschel recalled, “and here we are, over a quarter of a century later, and this is a record weekend that our church has the honor of celebrating with over 2,000 people this weekend getting baptized.”

“Can you feel the presence of God?” Groeschel asked, stating that “the power of God is moving in this place.”

“We’re not praying for revival. We’re in the middle of one. I thank God for what he’s doing,” the pastor said.

Groeschel said that if you miss a week at Life.Church, you miss a lot because “God is doing a big thing.”

Life.Church is known for creating and developing the popular YouVersion Bible App. This year, the app celebrates its 15-year anniversary and has been installed on almost 700 million devices.

YouVersion recently launched YouVersion Bible App Lite in order to reach people who have have limited access to the internet in places like Nigeria, Kenya, and Pakistan. Since launching in October of last year, Groeschel shared that the lite version of the app has been downloaded over 9 million times.

Abraham Piper, Exvangelical Son of John Piper: ‘I’m Coming Out as Pro-Christian’

By

Janna Firestone

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August 7, 2023

Abraham Piper, son of author and theologian John Piper, is not afraid to speak out against fundamentalist Christianity and his conservative upbringing. This time, the avid TikToker with nearly 2 million followers, used a softer tone as he admitted to supporting Christianity.

“I think everyone should be a Christian,” Piper said, “if they want to be.”

Abraham Piper: ‘I’m More Pro-Christian Than I Used to Be’

Abraham Piper took to TikTok once again to clarify his stance on Christianity. The video, lasting a little over a minute, took viewers on an outside walk with the preacher’s kid as he shared his thoughts.

“I often hear around the internet that I am anti-Christian,” began Piper. “I’m not anti-Christian. I’ll show you.”

“I only ever say anything negative about evangelicalism, fundamentalism, or conservative Christianity,” Piper said, “three terms I use interchangeably because, for my purposes, they’re the same anyway.”

He continued with an analogy to cars, saying, “If a person hears me say something bad about conservative Christianity, and what they hear is that I’m against all Christianity, well, that’s like hearing someone criticize Jeep Renegades and thinking they’re anti-SUV.”

Piper explained how “most fundamentalist critics” are “anti every other way.” They’re “more anti-Christian than I am because they’re against almost all Christianity,” Piper continued. “They perceive their sect as the only way.”

He then used his car metaphor again: “If you think people should only buy Jeep Renegades, you’re more anti-SUV than people who think you should get whatever car you want.”

“I’m not anti-Christian, because I think you should be a Christian if you feel like it,” Piper went on to say.

He further reflected, “When I was an evangelical, I would sit down with people and try to get them to change their religion, become more like me.” Piper admitted, “I don’t do that anymore because I’m more pro-Christian than I used to be.”

Finally, Piper pointed out the countless evangelicals that he knows—and likes. “I like most people I meet, and I have met many evangelicals. I know so many conservative Christians, and I like most of them.” He continued, “I am pro those people. They’re lovely people who get off on some funky ideas.”

“And the more generous among them would say the same about me,” he concluded. “And, I find that to be a perfectly tolerable tension to live in.”

@abrahampiper Coming out as pro-Christian. 😆🤷‍♀️ #christianity #religion #nonreligious #exchristian #exfundie #exvangelical #fundamentalism ♬ original sound – Abraham Piper

Candace Cameron Bure Tells Katy Nichole a Key Lesson She Learned From Bob Saget

By

Jessica Mouser

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August 7, 2023

One of the lessons that actor and producer Candace Cameron Bure learned from Bob Saget, who played her father on the ‘90s sitcom, “Full House,” was the importance of regularly telling the people in her life how much she loves them.

“He always told you that he loved you no matter what,” Bure told Christian artist Katy Nichole on the July 12 episode of “The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast.”

Bure is chief creative officer at Great American Family channel and played “D.J. Tanner” on “Full House.” Her TV dad, actor and comedian Bob Saget, passed away suddenly over a year ago in January 2022 at age 65.

“When you have people like that in your life,” said Bure, “you realize how valuable it is, and so I’m grateful for that relationship to show me how much that means and that I can pass that forward.”

Candace Cameron Bure, Katy Nichole on Love, Regret and Forgiveness

Breakout Christian singer Katy Nichole is Bure’s guest for Season 3 of “The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast,” where Nichole is sharing the “stories behind the songs” on her debut album, “Jesus Changed My Life.”

During the July 12 episode, Nichole and Bure discussed the song, “Things I Wish I Would’ve Said.” Bure admitted she cried the first time she heard it. The chorus of the song is:

‘Cause I love you and I miss you and I need you
I’m so sorry for the words I used to hurt you
Time keeps goin’ by, but time just won’t let me forget
All the things I wish I would’ve said

This song “is about Jesus and the forgiveness of Jesus,” said Nichole. Even though the focus of the lyrics is “person to person, rather than Jesus to person,” nevertheless, “Jesus is just in the center of all that.”

Nichole described being burdened by how easily close relationships can be divided, giving the classic example of the tension that often comes when the topic of politics arises during family get-togethers at Thanksgiving. “Jesus is so loving, and Jesus isn’t one side or the other side,” she said. “Jesus is for love,” so we can carry the character and grace of God into such difficult moments.

‘Definitely Cringe’—Twitter Users Share Their ‘Worst Church Service’ Experiences

By

Dale Chamberlain

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August 7, 2023

What is the worst church service you have ever attended?

This question was recently posed on Twitter/X by Carlos A. Rodríguez, founder and CEO of The Happy Givers, a Puerto Rico-based nonprofit organization seeking to fight poverty. Rodríguez is known for his provocative tweets, many of which center on issues of justice.

Many followers were quick to chime in with their worst church service experiences. Some responses recounted embarrassing, if not humorous, failed attempts at cultural relevance. Others highlighted troubling patterns of abuse and politicized theology.

One person described a Christmas Eve service in which a priest preached the sermon that “consisted of standing in the pulpit with two sock puppets and having them sing Bette Midler’s ‘From a Distance’ to one another.”

“I mean…maybe not ‘the worst’ but definitely cringe,” he added.

Another person brought up a superhero-themed church play, which included the character Loki hanging Ironman on a crossbeam while singing R.E.M.’s “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine).”

Clips from that performance have long circulated online and have become the butt of numerous jokes.

On a more serious note, someone described attending a Christmas service at the Robert Jeffress-pastored First Baptist Church in Dallas, a service that featured an appearance by former president Donald Trump and ended with chants of “U.S.A.!”

Another person described a service in which it was reported to the congregation that “the youth pastor had been caught in a ‘relationship’ with a sixteen year old in the congregation. He got on stage to repent, along with his 8mo pregnant wife who publicly stated that God would bless them for working through it.”

Social Media Users Share Their Worst Church Service Experiences

Below are some more notable responses to the prompt: “What is the worst church service you have ever attended?”

The one where the elder teaching the class talked about the “War of Northern Aggression” is the first one that comes to mind.

Ken Ham teaching about dinosaurs.

Worst church service ever attended … go:

— Carlos A. Rodríguez (@CarlosHappyNPO) August 6, 2023

Former Southwestern Seminary Trustee Calls for Forensic Audit of Troubled School

By

Bob Smietana

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August 7, 2023

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary board — The BH Carroll Memorial Building Rotunda at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Michael-David Bradford/Creative Commons

(RNS) — Aaron Sligar, the former pastor of Living River Chapel, a Baptist church in tiny Sutton, West Virginia, believes in the mission of the Southern Baptist Convention and encouraged his congregation for years to give generously to the denomination, the United States’ largest Protestant body.

“The whole thing about Southern Baptists is we are better together,” he said. “We can get more done working together.”

But Sligar has had a harder time in recent weeks making his case. In June, the board of trustees at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, one of the SBC’s flagship schools, announced that its leaders had run up a $140 million deficit over 20 years, a pattern of financial mismanagement that has left the school’s future in jeopardy. The school’s accreditor has issued a warning, giving the seminary two years to make improvements.

Sligar, a former trustee of the seminary, said that Southwestern’s financial crisis puts the SBC’s relationships with individual churches at risk. Working together is built on trust, especially when it comes to money, said Sligar. Baptists trust that the money their pastors ask for will go to God’s work and won’t be wasted.

When things go wrong, the grandmother in the pew is going to want answers.

Right now, there are no good answers for what’s gone wrong at Southwestern. Much of the blame for the school’s trouble was laid at the feet of former President Adam Greenway, who resigned in the fall of 2022 after a task force appointed by the board of trustees criticized his spending, according to a report, “without deference to financial controls and seminary financial policies.”

Adam Greenway addresses the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex on June 12, 2019, in Birmingham, Alabama. RNS photo by Butch Dill

The report cited $1.5 million spent on renovations and decorations for the president’s official residence on campus, including an espresso machine costing more than $11,000, some $60,000 for Christmas decorations and more than $25,000 for artwork.

Sligar, who quit the board in June, said that Greenway deserves some blame, but not all of it. A former investigator for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the pastor said that in allowing Greenway to resign the trustees shirked their own accountability. If Greenway was solely to blame, he asked, “Why didn’t we fire him?”

As he learned more about the school’s finances, Sligar asked for a forensic audit, a common practice during his time at the federal prison bureau. “It’s hard to reset and go forward financially if you don’t know where the money has been spent,” he said.

Sligar said his call for a forensic audit was rejected.

The task force that examined Greenway’s renovations to the president’s house initially got a proposal from an outside firm, according to the board report, but decided in 2020 “that it was unwise to expend additional resources to conduct an audit until there was reason to do so.”

Sligar, who served on the task force, said he got “volumes” of receipts for Greenway’s spending but was shut down when he asked for the details of the spending of other leaders. Without that context, Sligar argues, the board could not get the full picture of what happened.

Anne Graham Lotz, Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright on End Times, Their Health, Their Ministry

By

Adelle M Banks

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August 7, 2023

(RNS) — Like mother, like daughter: Anne Graham Lotz and Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright, the daughter and granddaughter of the late evangelist Billy Graham, are both Bible teachers and have both endured serious medical conditions.

Lotz and Wright even share the same social media posts. Each recently forwarded a video, recorded on an airplane, of a young evangelist declaring to his fellow passengers that “Jesus is coming back really soon.”

With their seemingly melded minds, it’s no wonder they would collaborate on writing projects together. Their second joint book, “Preparing to Meet Jesus: A 21-Day Challenge to Move from Salvation to Transformation,” is set to release on Aug. 8.

Lotz, 75, wrote the introduction and the epilogue and rounded off each of the 21 chapters with a prayer. Her daughter, 48, wrote about the book’s main focus, the character of the soon-to-be-bride Rebekah, found in the Bible’s Book of Genesis.

Lotz started AnGeL Ministries in 1988, creating Bible studies and daily devotions. Wright leads one of those Bible studies, which grew in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, to reach thousands of people online. Earlier this year, they traveled with 115 women on AnGeL Ministries’ tour of Israel, where Wright taught on Mount Carmel about the prophet Elijah and Lotz spoke from aboard a boat on the Sea of Galilee.

Anne Graham Lotz speaks aboard a boat on the Sea of Galilee during an AnGel Ministries tour of Israel. Photo by Beth Rubin

Lotz, a member of a Calvary Chapel church, and Wright, a member of a Southern Baptist congregation, talked with Religion News Service Tuesday (Aug. 1) about End Times, illness and whether there’s a succession plan in place for Lotz’s ministry.

The interview was edited for length and clarity.

Anne, someone just seeing the title “Preparing to Meet Jesus” might think it refers to your feeling you could be nearing the end of your life. Would that be correct or not?

Lotz: That would be right — I’m 75 — but I think it applies to Rachel-Ruth, who has had two back-to-back heart attacks. You never know when you’re going to step into eternity, and I also believe Jesus is soon to come back. So it could be through my death or it could be through the rapture, but I’m going to see him.

You mention in a recent interview that you’ve made a shift by preaching about End Times. How has your traditional audience responded to that emphasis in your message?

Lotz: I think people are fascinated right now with prophecy — what the Bible says about what’s going on today and where we’re headed. When I first felt like he (God) gave me the freedom to do that, it was about 10 years ago. One of the messages he’s laid on my heart now, and I put it at the end of this book, is Matthew 25, which is the story of the 10 young women — five of them were ready and five were not. We’re living at the end of history as we know it. And it’s time for us to get ready.

Why did the two of you choose the Genesis story of Rebekah, who is selected as the wife of Isaac, as a model for today’s Christians?

“Preparing to Meet Jesus: A 21-Day Challenge to Move from Salvation to Transformation” by Anne Graham Lotz and Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright. Courtesy image

Wright: I was teaching Genesis in my Bible study, and I just love that chapter. And shortly after, I was invited to come speak at a bridal shower. I’d pulled out all these characteristics, just to share with the bride and then, we were thinking about the next book. I thought there were so many lessons we could see in Rebekah — it’s not like Rebekah is perfect. I felt like the Lord just downloaded each chapter each day, with the characteristics that we could just look inside of ourselves and see if we can do it better than we are.

Pope Francis’ ‘Peace Offensive’ in Ukraine Puts Dialogue Over Demonization

By

Claire Giangrave

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August 7, 2023

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — In a speech to political and diplomatic authorities in Portugal during his visit in late July, Pope Francis reminded Europe of its commitment to making peace after the horrors of the world wars.

The “real Europe,” Francis said, “triggered the spark of reconciliation, by realizing the dream of building tomorrow with yesterday’s enemy, of creating paths for dialogue, roads of inclusion, by developing a diplomacy of peace that quiets conflicts and eases tensions, that is capable of recognizing the feeblest signs of appeasement and of reading between the most crooked lines.”

His words seemed to be an admission that the Vatican, the smallest country in the world, cannot bring Russia, the largest country in the world, to the negotiating table by itself. But if not, it has not been for lack of trying.

As much of the Western world has focused on ending the war with pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, Francis has remained firm in his belief that peace in the region cannot be achieved without dialogue with Russia. Francis is among the few world leaders who have kept the doors of dialogue open, mostly avoiding demonizing Russia while criticizing the economic sanctions that, in his view, do more to harm common people than change the minds of political stakeholders.

Meanwhile, Francis has conducted what he called, in an interview with the Spanish magazine Vida Nueva published on Friday (Aug. 4), “a peace offensive.”

His primary weapon in this offensive has been Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the head of the Italian Bishop’s Conference, who has years of experience in diplomacy and was appointed by Francis to lead the Vatican peace initiative in May. In July Zuppi met with Putin advisers in Moscow and also visited Washington, where he sat with President Joe Biden for two hours.

Beijing will be Zuppi’s next destination, because Francis believes that, along with the United States, “they hold the key to lower the tension of the conflict.”

In his push for peace, Francis isn’t adhering to the script laid out by the Western powers, which has valorized the vow by the leaders of Ukraine to push the Russian invaders out. Commenting on Zuppi’s mission, Francis told the Spanish magazine that in Kyiv, “they keep to the idea of victory without opting for mediation.” The odds for peace look better in Russia, he said, where “there is an attitude that can be described as diplomatic.”

The timing of Zuppi’s trip to Washington was notable in that the meeting occurred immediately after Biden’s unpopular decision to send Ukraine cluster munitions, which are banned by 125 countries. The Holy See was among the first 30 countries to back the ban, which went into effect in 2010.

“What Pope Francis is attempting to do is to create opportunities for dialogue,” said Victor Gaetan, author of “God’s Diplomats: Pope Francis, Vatican Diplomacy, and America’s Armageddon.”

“Don’t forget that Pope Francis is among the most well-informed men on the planet and the only head of state who has no military, economic or political designs in this war,” Gaetan said.

In the interview, Francis said Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin is organizing a peace summit of religious leaders in Abu Dhabi before the meeting on climate change scheduled for the end of November in Dubai. Most importantly, Francis said he wishes to appoint a permanent representative who can act as a bridge between Russia and Ukraine.

Will Trump’s Latest Indictment Hurt Him With Evangelical Christians? Probably Not.

By

Jack Jenkins

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August 7, 2023

WASHINGTON (RNS) — As president and since, Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to blunt the impact of scandals and prosecutions by leaning into his nearly ironclad support among evangelical Christian pastors and other leaders. Some of those figures are again rallying to Trump after his arraignment Thursday (Aug. 3) on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election.

The Rev. Tony Suarez, chief operation officer of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and a longtime faith adviser to Trump, dismissed the new federal indictment, Trump’s second, as a distraction. Echoing GOP politicians’ summation of the charges lodged by special prosecutor Jack Smith, Suarez insisted Democrats were attempting to “disqualify Trump’s run for the Republican nomination.”

Suarez predicted the indictment would fail to stifle evangelicals’ support. “Evangelical Christians, conservatives and independents are tired of these games and ready to fight to protect our democracy and ensure a fair election in 2024 that we believe will lead to President Trump returning to the Oval Office,” he said.

Another longtime Trump faith adviser, the Rev. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas, told Religion News Service that he had exchanged texts with Trump after the indictment was announced and that the former president is “upbeat and optimistic.”

Jeffress, who initially declined to endorse anyone in the 2024 primary, said he is now openly supporting Trump.

“It’s doubtful that the latest indictment of President Trump will have any meaningful impact on his overwhelming popularity with evangelical voters, given the fact that previous indictments have only increased his support among Republicans — and most evangelicals vote Republican,” Jeffress said in an email. “I predict evangelical voters will continue to support President Trump because of his strong pro-life, pro-religious liberty, and pro-Israel track record.”

President Donald Trump, left, is greeted by Pastor Robert Jeffress of Dallas at the Celebrate Freedom Rally on July 1, 2017, in Washington, D.C. Photo by Yuri Gripas/Reuters

Jeffress added that while he considers the charges against Trump to be “serious,” he believes them to be “politically-motivated” and accused the Department of Justice of attempting to imprison President Joe Biden’s political rival.

A New York Times/Siena College poll conducted before the indictment found that 56% of white evangelicals said they would most likely support the former president, with 18% saying they would back Florida Gov. DeSantis. All other GOP candidates draw 5% or less of white evangelical support.

In the same poll, 76% of white evangelicals said they do not think the president has committed any federal crimes.

Those who analyze religion in politics also agreed that the latest charges, following those charging falsification of business records and conspiracy to retain classified documents, won’t dent his popularity among evangelicals.

Michael Wear, an evangelical Christian who worked on faith outreach for both of President Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, said, “The majority of white evangelicals have accepted this idea that Trump wants what they want — I’m not sure this indictment changes that.”

9 Skills to Move From Singing Songs to Leading Worship

By

David Santistevan

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August 7, 2023

Worship leaders: we’ve gotten really good at leading songs but not leading worship. But for us to see the breakthrough we want to see, we need to grow as leaders. Why? Because we are leading a post-Christian people. There are people in our churches who have never been to church. They don’t know the Gospel and they don’t know what worship singing is all about.

Your leadership skills on Sunday will help those who are new Christians to engage in worship singing. Having a great band and getting through songs isn’t enough. Leading worship is not musical ability and musical ability is not leadership. Leadership goes deeper. It sets foot in uncomfortable places. It goes where most are not willing to. A leader is a catalyst for change.

9 Leadership Skills for Leading Worship

And here are some ways a worship leader can increase their leadership and be a catalyst for change:

1. Helping people relax

A good worship leader helps people feel comfortable. Vulnerability is cultivated in a safe environment. And corporate singing and worship falls into that category.

2. Challenging people to go deeper

A pastoral worship leader isn’t content with just getting through a set. The goal isn’t to sing a few great songs. They have a passion for the people of God to go deeper—to sing louder, to take steps of faith, to move closer to Jesus. It’s always easier to hide behind the songs. It takes guts to step out.

3. Being Prophetic

The best worship pastors are prayerful. They’re not just in prayer about Sunday’s set, but about the people. They pursue the voice of God for their church. They want to know what God is saying.

Porn: The Subtle Anesthesia

By

Ethan Renoe

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August 7, 2023

I cannot count the number of worship services I’ve stood through unmoved. Others around me would be weeping, dancing or shouting their passionate cries to the Lord while I stood in the midst of it wishing I felt something. Anything. The Catechism states that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, but most of the time, if I’m honest, there has been little to no enjoyment of Him. In fact, in the midst of my porn addiction, there was often no enjoyment of anything at all. Call it porn anesthesia.

I’ve been thinking about porn addiction for a while, and how exactly I want to say this. Because what I have found to be one of the absolute worst effects of porn is that it numbs me to reality. To the good and the bad. It files down the sharpened points of agony when suffering comes into my life, but it also curtails the heights of joy when there is reason to rejoice.

Porn Anesthesia

I feel like men and women turn to porn because something is lacking in their lives. They want to escape the bad and painful bits, but end up escaping the good too.

Sometimes it would be so that I could not enjoy sunsets
or hikes in the mountains
or board games with friends
or sitting by the sea
or any of the small things that simply enrich our lives
because my mind was elsewhere.

It was as if the volume was turned down on reality. It’s similar to the way C.S. Lewis described grief:

“At other times it feels like being mildly drunk or concussed. There is a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want to take it in. It is so uninteresting.”

I didn’t cry for seven years.

What is Your Pet Sin?

By

Tim Challies

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August 7, 2023

Every Christian can think of a sin he has identified and attacked with all the brutality he can muster. One of the great joys of the Christian life is seeing God be true to his Word as he motivates and empowers us to wage war against indwelling sin. Yet every one of us probably also has a sin we rather enjoy, a sin we refuse to put to death. In fact, we may even protect and promote it. We might refer to it as a pet sin. Here are some tips on identifying your pet sin.

What is Your Pet Sin?

Your pet sin is the one you hate to have challenged. Herod refused to tolerate John the Baptist criticizing his incestuous relationship, and John’s rebuke cost him his head. You may be glad to hear the preacher rail against every other kind of sin, but react angrily when he rebukes just one particular sin. He has probably just identified your little pet sin. What sin do you hate to have challenged?

Your pet sin is the one your thoughts naturally run to. It is where your heart flees in trouble or your mind drifts in fantasy. Consider where your thoughts go when you fail to restrain them and consider what promises to soothe your heart when you are sorrowful. This may just lead you to your pet sin. What sin do your thoughts tend to drift to?

Investing and Inviting To Achieve Maximum Impact

By

James Emery White

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August 5, 2023

The core dynamic of evangelism is investing and inviting. Let’s start off with the invest part. Investing in someone is simply about building a relationship: getting to know them, spending time with them, entering into community with them.

Only within the confines of a relationship will there be the trust to be authentic and to have conversations about what matters most in life. You already have these relationships built into your life. You have friends, family members, neighbors, coworkers. You’ve got people you interact with through your kids at school or with sports teams.

But if you’re going to make an impact on them for the cause of Christ, you’ve got to be intentional about those relationships. You’ve got to serve those relationships. You’ve got to invest in them as someone who is on mission for them and their life.

You’re going to pray like mad for them. You’re going to pray for your time with them. You’re going to pray for openings to talk about spiritual things, opportunities to let them get to know you and how Christ has intersected the deepest needs of your life.

And those openings will come.

The fact that you’re a Christ follower will come out. You’ll have chances to peel back the layers and tell your story: what you were like before Christ and what life has been like after. The ways you ran from God and chased after anything and everything else, and then what it was like when you finally came home.

You can tell them the difference your relationship with Christ has made in your marriage. The difference it’s made in the lives of your kids and your parenting.

Then comes the invite part.

Along the way, they’ll have good, fair, honest, and reasonable questions. They may want to explore, and they may be intrigued by your life. They may see something in your life (and I hope that they do) that they don’t have themselves. That’s where the invite part comes in.

Invite them to come and see, come and hear, come and explore.

This tandem of investing and inviting is at the heart of the mission. It always has been.

Do you know how Jesus not only gathered his first followers, but how the whole Christian movement burst onto the world scene? This is from John’s biography of Jesus in the Bible:

The next day John [the Baptist] was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.

The Pastor’s Calling: Spiritual Formation and Discipleship

By

Ray Hollenbach

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August 5, 2023

Discipleship is the great calling of the church, and the only soil that grows disciples is a local church culture of spiritual formation. Every other ministry of the church can (and should) grow from this soil.

But here’s the challenge: Each church already has an existing culture; any attempt to change the mixture of the “soil” will require the deep, patient work of tilling, fertilizing and weeding. Culture change is neither a tactic nor a strategy: It is a transformation. Peter Drucker famously observed, “Culture eats strategy for lunch.” He should have said “breakfast, lunch and dinner” because the prevailing culture in any organization is the great unspoken factor in ministry. (By the time your church is two years old, church culture is beginning to produce fruit, either good or bad.)

Issues of spiritual formation and discipleship are not questions of planning, method or even teaching—they are hardly even questions at all. Spiritual formation and discipleship are more like horticulture than education. The ground is prepared, seeds are selected and planted, weeds are tended as they arise, and the harvest can seem like a distant dream. But good soil brings great harvests. Success in making disciples is not (at first) measured quantitatively, but qualitatively.

Here are the kinds of questions we should be asking: Are the people of our church becoming more like Jesus? Do we even think it’s possible to be conformed to the image of Christ? Do our leaders think it’s possible? Who should do the work of making disciples? How does spiritual growth interact with the metrics of attendance and finances? Is my church’s current cultural model sustainable apart from outside instruction or motivation? If our facilities and resources vanished, could our church continue to exist?

Being a disciple—and making disciples—is where personal growth and church life intersect. So (together) we should all ask these questions. Why not bring them up at your church?

Are You a Salesperson for Sin?

By

Paul David Tripp

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August 5, 2023

Are you an effective salesperson for sin?

No, I’m not referring to causing others to stumble—although the Bible has harsh words for when we do. “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” (Mark 9:42, ESV)

What I meant was, are you able to persuade yourself of sin’s pleasure without ever mentioning its pain?

I will admit it: sin doesn’t always appear sinful to me. Sometimes I am skilled at seeing beauty in what God says is ugly. Arguing my wife into a corner to get my way sometimes looks more pleasing to me than serving her sacrificially as Christ loved me.

I don’t know if you can relate, but a brief moment of lust can look more attractive than the wholesome beauty of a pure heart. Being the center of attention can feel better than humbly pointing to God’s glory in everything I do.

Do you experience similar struggles?

God calls us to be people on guard, always warning ourselves that on the other side of his boundaries is danger, destruction, and death. The Word of God is full of warnings and case studies that hold before the reader the bitter harvest of rebellion.

Hell is one of those reminders. I’ve been writing about hell recently—an uncomfortable, terrifying, but necessary doctrine. Yes, the doom of hell awaits with unending torment and inhumanity, but the warning of hell is a beautiful display of mercy from a just and loving Judge.

Hell reminds us that nothing in this present life is more important than a relationship with God. The dark side of eternity prompts us to please God more than ourselves. Eternal damnation spurs us on to pursue spiritual blessings more than physical pleasures.

If hell is real and as full of torment as the Scriptures describe, then we must live with that same kind of seriousness in the here and now. We must prohibit ourselves from minimizing what God says is wrong, and we need to surround ourselves with people who encourage us to take God at his word.

Since one of the devil’s principal tricks is to present sin as significantly more harmless than it is, the commitment to name sin as nothing less than evil must stay with us as long as sin remains inside us and outside temptations continue to entice.

Be sobered by the existence of hell, and be thankful for the final justice of God. Eternity reminds us that there is a Judge of all things who keeps perfectly accurate records. No evil escapes his eye. He will never be tricked into seeing evil as good or injustice as just. The day will come when he will say, “Enough is enough,” and will proclaim just judgment on all that is evil.

Until then, we should be thankful that his justice waits. Each day he gives every human being one more opportunity to confess, repent, and accept the gift of eternal life.

All of us deserve the penalty of hell, but Jesus came to live the life we could not live and to die the death we deserved to die so that we might know God’s forgiveness and eternal acceptance and escape the eternal doom of the dark side of forever.

Now that is reason to celebrate.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. Have you caused someone to stumble recently? Do you need to confess and repent for something specific?

2. Have you minimized the effects of your sin on other people? How is it more damaging than you want to admit?

3. Identify a recent moment when sin looked more beautiful than evil. What was it so enticing? What was the false reward that it held before you?

4. How is obedience to God its own reward? Remind yourself (or others, if in a group) of the delight and pleasure that come with following the Lord.

5. How can you take advantage of God sparing his judgment on those who don’t yet believe? Who do you have a relationship with who does not yet know the forgiveness of Christ?

This content was originally posted by Paul Tripp on www.paultripp.com

Back to School Devotion on Fruit of the Spirit: An Interactive Lesson

By

ChildrensMinistry.com

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August 4, 2023

A back to school devotion is an effective way to welcome and engage children. Whether kids are new to classrooms or seasoned pros, they always have something to say about returning to school.

Use this engaging back-to-school activity to show kids the importance of faith and the fruit of the Spirit. (Some assembly required. Banana not included!)

Back to School Devotion on the Fruit of the Spirit

Bible verses: Jeremiah 33:3 and Galatians 5:22-23

You’ll need:

a child’s backpack containing the following items:
- a banana with the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23 written on it with a permanent marker
- a hand weight
- a cell phone
- a gold construction-paper heart
- a box of Band-Aids
- funny glasses

Interactive Back to School Devotion: Fruit of the Spirit

Say: School is starting soon. How many of you have been preparing for school already? What have you done to get ready? I hope you haven’t forgotten to pack the most important things. Just in case you did forget, I packed these things for you.

Pull out each item and explain it.

Banana

Say: When you’re on the playground or in the classroom, you’ll need to have the fruit of the Spirit. These are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Hand weight

Say: Exercising your faith and trust God will make your faith muscles stronger.

Cell phone

Read aloud Jeremiah 33:3.

Say: Don’t forget to call on God with prayer anytime you need help or just want to talk to him.

Ministry Burnout: Are You Next?

By

Full Strength Network

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August 4, 2023

Ministry leaders face certain unique risks that could disrupt their leadership role and even end their calling to shepherd God’s people. Here’s the bad news: Burnout ranks at the top of the list in most risk surveys. But there is good news—with proper precautions and appropriate disciplines the burnout risks are manageable and burnout is preventable.

Here are four helpful ways to manage the risk of ministry burnout.

1. Assess

Conduct periodic assessments of your vulnerability to burnout. Schedule these assessments on your calendar to force yourself to pause and take stock of your wellbeing. Take a minute and complete the burnout inventory included in this month’s PastorWell™ newsletter. If the inventory indicates you’re a candidate for burnout, seek help now before it’s too late. Full Strength Network’s approved group of counselors and coaches are on standby to support pastors, ministry leaders, and your family members. You can request help right from within your PastorWell™ membership account portal.

2. Accountability

Recruit an accountability partner or small team that you trust to help you manage your personal exposure to burnout and who will help you complete your periodic burnout assessment.

3. Early Warning Signs

Familiarize yourself with the risks and signs of burnout and, with the help of your accountability partner or team, customize an early warning system that alerts them and you to the fact that a downward spiral has begun. Download the book At Full Strength: Navigating the Risks All Pastors Face that is included in your PastorWell™ membership and learn more about common risk factors and forces unique to ministry leaders.

4. Principles and Practices

A lead pastor burnout can easily set a church ministry back two or more years with the healing and recovery period. So reflect on and implement the leadership principles and practices of Jesus. Here’s a link to a recent Vanderbloemen Leadership Podcast featuring an interview with Pastor Tom Nelson. The first 12 minutes of the podcast covers a theology of burnout prevention that may inspire you to be more proactive in managing the risks of burnout.

Please don’t underestimate the damaging consequences of burnout. It saps your emotional, spiritual, and physical vitality. It can damage all the important relationships in your life and be especially hurtful to those you love and who love you the most. If you’re at risk, please seek help now!

This article originally appeared here.

Albert Tate’s Message to Discouraged Pastors: ‘Keep Showing Up’

By

Dale Chamberlain

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August 4, 2023

On Thursday, Aug. 3, pastor and author Albert Tate shared a transparent message with attendees of the Global Leadership Summit (GLS), providing encouragement to leaders who are discouraged or overwhelmed.

“If I’m honest, I’ve had a really hard year for about three years,” Tate, co-founder and pastor of Fellowship Church in Los Angeles County, admitted at the beginning of his talk.

Tate went on to joke that one of his more recent struggles has been that his new book, “Disobedient God: Trusting a God Who Goes Off-Script,” was released on the same day as T.D. Jakes’ new book, “Disruptive Thinking: A Daring Strategy to Change How We Live, Lead, and Love,” adding that the two pastors have the same publisher and same marketing team.

Noting that he saw via an Instagram post that Jakes’ new work was promoted on a jumbotron at Times Square, Tate joked, “Y’all could have at least called me. I could have come over and stood in the back with my book and just, ‘Cheese!’ Just smiled. Just let me get in a selfie. Tag me on Instagram or something!”

On a more serious note, Tate expressed that he has been enduring a difficult season of leadership, causing him to wonder how it could be that he is a featured speaker at the world’s largest leadership gathering when he feels like he isn’t even leading well.

Albert Tate on Finding Encouragement During a Difficult Season of Leadership

“The year really has been rough,” Tate said. “Some personal struggles, organizational struggles, challenges with navigating family and trying to find balance and priorities.”

Nevertheless, Tate recounted having lunch with Craig Groeschel, whom Tate considers a mentor, and telling Groeschel about his current leadership struggles. After asking Tate how many years he had been pastoring Fellowship Church, Groeschel revealed that his most difficult years in leadership came during the season of life in which Tate currently finds himself.

“I was like, ‘Yo, that’s amazing,’” Tate exclaimed, indicating that it was a relief to find out he wasn’t alone. Noting Groeschel’s transparency, Tate said, “It lets me know that you can have a hard season and still be a good leader.”

“My charge to you is to lead where you are, regardless of if that’s from a bad place, from a struggling place, from a discouraged place,” Tate said. “Lead where you are.”

Calling on the Old Testament account in which God provided daily bread, called “manna,” to the people of Israel and comparing it to both the joys and struggles of life, Tate said, “This is what God has provided for today.”

“And I guess what I want to say is, lead from right where you are, trusting God’s portion of manna for the day. He’s given you what you need for the day,” Tate said, pointing out that the people of Israel were strictly instructed only to gather the amount of manna they needed for the day, rather than storing it up for the coming days.

J.D. Greear Rebukes His Congregation for Arriving at Church Late and Leaving Early

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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August 4, 2023

J.D. Greear, lead pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina, and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), went viral this week after a clip from his sermon, titled “People Who Don’t Belong in Church,” flooded social media.

In the clip, Greear can be seen scolding the megachurch of more than 10,000 weekly attenders across 12 campuses for arriving late to worship services and leaving early.

To soften his words, which came during an exposition of the epistle of James, Greear joked, “James is punchy. I get to be a little bit punchy too.”

Greear became impassioned when addressing this question: How quickly do you identify and reach out to disconnected people in the church?

Many consider the church a religious show… maybe you’re the problem.

An important part of demonstrating the gospel is how we treat people in church, and that requires presence.https://t.co/WMtJRoZKfZ

— J.D. Greear (@jdgreear) August 3, 2023

“There’s something powerful about showing love to somebody that the world says is not worthy of love,” Greear preached. “Church, this ought to be the place where people from various ethnicities and classes and backgrounds put their arms around each other and love each other. Is that what people experience here?”

After stating his point, Greear asked, “How quickly do you reach out and talk to somebody who looks alone?” He then shared that he hears “so many people complain that they went to some church and nobody ever talked to them.”

Greear suggested that the seven minutes before the worship service begins and the seven minutes after the worship service ends should be designated as times for making those who appear to be lonely feel welcomed.

“Wouldn’t that be a way of demonstrating the gospel?” Greear asked. “Do you know what kind of place this would become if we did just that?”

Greear told attenders that he gets irritated when people come to worship services late or leave five minutes before the congregation is dismissed.

“It’s not that I’m mad that you’re missing part of the service. It’s that you treat church like it’s a religious show instead of a welcoming family that you’re a part of,” Greear scolded.

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