6 Strategic Discipleship Initiatives

By

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November 14, 2022

We have no greater mission as followers of Christ, or as His bride, the Church, than to see people come into a relationship with Christ AND live out their faith by observing all that Jesus has commanded. At Mission Hills, we will live out our cause to call people to becoming greater disciples of Christ by being intentional not only to invest in and invite, but also provide proven means for spiritual growth. In and effort to see lives transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are working hard to provide elements at our church that raise people to be spiritually mature adults. We call these elements discipleship initiatives. These are the six essential discipleship initiatives that we have keeping on the forefront of all our efforts at Mission Hills:

6 Strategic Discipleship Initiatives

1. Biblical Understanding:

To see an ever increasing number of people engaging in passionate discovery of God’s Truth for their life with the Bible as their authority.

2. Worship Environments:

To develop and sustain excellent opportunities for Christ-centered worship that is accessible to all ages and genders.

3. Authentic Community:

Provide opportunities for those who attend MHC to be a part of a small group or medium groups, as well as foster life-stage specific ongoing intentional mentoring.

4. Gospel-Living Opportunities:

To see a growing number of maturing believers engaging their gifts, strengths and passion to serve at MHC, locally and globally and give without reservation.

5. Continuous Prayer:

To see people believe deeply in the power of prayer by them asking for it and engaging in it on a consistent basis

6. Crisis, Care and Counseling:

Provide authentic and consistent pastoral care for preventive and reactive situations in people’s lives.

What discipleship initiatives drive your view of mission?

This article on discipleship initiatives originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Greg Laurie: Are Thoughts Sin?

By

Greg Laurie

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November 14, 2022

You must be very careful to watch your thoughts. Oscar Wilde said, “I can resist everything except temptation.” That’s the problem with temptation. It’s so tempting. But are thoughts sin? Sometimes we unnecessarily put ourselves in the way of it.

Are Thoughts Sin?

In the Old Testament, we find the story of Joseph, someone who faced some heavy-duty temptation. Joseph’s world suddenly changed when his brothers sold him to a group of traveling slave traders. Overnight he went from a life of relative comfort to a life of uncertainty.

Joseph was sent to Egypt, a pagan country filled with religious superstition. The Egyptians worshiped as many as 2,000 gods and goddesses, as well as animals, insects and the Nile River. And of course they worshiped the Pharaoh himself. They also were given over to gross immorality.

Here in this place of wickedness and idolatry, 17-year-old Joseph arrived on the scene. He was effectively a country boy coming to the big city. Joseph was purchased by a man named Potiphar, identified in Genesis 39:1 as “captain of the guard.” This meant Potiphar was a high-ranking Egyptian official, head of the military police. He also was in charge of the royal bodyguard (a Secret Service of sorts) and was the chief of the executioners. In other words, Potiphar was one bad dude.

Joseph, however, wasn’t intimidated at all. Why? Genesis 39:2 gives us the answer: “The LORD was with Joseph” (NKJV). Joseph was a classic example of Psalm 1, which says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season” (verses 1–3 NKJV).

Potiphar was a hard guy to work for, but Joseph worked with complete integrity. Joseph was so successful at what he did that Potiphar made him his executive assistant. He was second in command in Potiphar’s household.

Are thoughts sin? Sometimes when things are going well, we become more vulnerable. When we can’t always make ends meet, or we’re sick, or we’re having challenges, we are dependent on God. But when things are going well, when we have a little extra money in the bank and our health is good, that is when temptation will hit. That’s when it hit Joseph.

Genesis 39 tells us that “Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. ‘Come and sleep with me,’ she demanded” (verse 7 NLT).

But Joseph refused. He told her, “How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God” (verse 9 NLT). Joseph’s no to Potiphar’s wife was a yes to God.

From that point on, Joseph did his best to steer clear of her. But then we’re told, “One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, ‘Come on, sleep with me!’ Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house” (verses 11–12 NLT).

That’s the way you deal with sin. You turn around and run. You put as much distance between it and yourself as you possibly can.

Are People in Heaven Praying for Those on Earth?

By

Randy Alcorn

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November 13, 2022

The answer is possibly yes—at least sometimes. Consider the evidence.

Christ, the God-man, is in Heaven, at the right hand of God, interceding for people on Earth (Romans 8:34), which tells us there is at least one person who has died and gone to Heaven and is now praying for those on Earth.

Then in Revelation 6:10 we see martyrs in Heaven praying to God, asking Him to take specific action on earth. These are saints who have died and are now in God’s presence. They’re actively praying for God’s justice on earth for persecuted believers. It seems likely they’d also be interceding for other aspects of their suffering brethren’s welfare. (Their keen urgency about the justice of God demonstrates again we won’t be passive in Heaven—we’ll be far less tolerant of persecution and a hundred other evils.)

The saints in Heaven are just as much a part of the body of Christ as the saints on earth. (Ephesians 3:15 speaks of “his whole family in heaven and on earth”.) Their sense of connection and loyalty to their brethren logically would be enhanced in Heaven, not diminished, wouldn’t it?

There’s no indication in Scripture that we should pray for the dead. It would do no good to pray for them, since “it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Once they die, there’s nothing that can be done to change the state of a believer or unbeliever.

Do our loved ones in heaven pray for us?

The pertinent question is not “should we pray for the dead?” but “do the dead pray for us?” Revelation 5:8 speaks of the “prayers of the saints” in a context that could include the saints in Heaven. Prayer is simply talking to God. Angels talk to God, therefore angels pray. We will communicate with God in Heaven. That means we’ll pray in Heaven. Will we pray less or more? Given our enhanced righteousness, it seems that in heaven our prayers would be all the more “powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

If people in Heaven witness some of what transpires on earth—then it would seem strange for them not to intercede for those they observe.

5 Resources on Church Multiplication

By

Eric Geiger

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November 13, 2022

From time to time I find it helpful to share a list of some of the top resources on church multiplication. Here are several that have impacted me:

5 Resources on Church Multiplication

1. The Master Plan of Evangelism, Robert Coleman

In this classic work, Coleman shows how Jesus called disciples to Himself, invested in them, and commissioned them to serve the world. The book is a great reminder and practical tool for personal–as well as church multiplication.

2. Center Church, Tim Keller

Under Tim Keller’s guidance Redeemer Presbyterian Church has effectively multiplied and planted churches that are impacting cities. Center Church is a comprehensive look at the gospel-driven theology and philosophy that drive their church multiplication efforts.

3. Let the Nations Be Glad, John Piper

When considering a global missions/multiplication strategy, one must look at Piper’s work and the call to pursue different people groups—not only more people—with the gospel.

My next two books are from the business world, and while they were not written for the people of God, they are helpful in thinking through the strategic nature of church multiplication.

4. The Leadership Pipeline, Ram Charan

A church leader would want to read this book through the lens of leadership development and multiplying leaders in a local context. A helpful question while reading the book would be “What is the pathway of development in our church?”

The E-Myth Revisited, Michael Gerber

A church leader that is considering multiple campuses or launching churches with supporting systems (back-office support) could benefit from Gerber’s nuggets of insight on how to build scalable structures and systems for expansion.

This article on resources for church multiplication originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Pandemic, Migration, and Mission: Church Response

By

Ed Stetzer

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November 13, 2022

When the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout the world, it forced massive changes in how people lived their lives throughout 2020 and 2021. For Christians, this included changes in how the Church lived in community with one another, as well as how it served and ministered to the contexts in which God has placed it.

So in the Summer of 2021, mission practitioners from around the world gathered virtually for the Lausanne Diaspora Summit, to understand the impact of the pandemic on missional engagement around the world. Sam George and Bulus Galadima, who both serve as Catalysts for diaspora for the Lausanne Movement, edited the insights from that meeting into a new book called Pandemic, Migration, and Mission: Global Reflections for Christian Witness. Sam George is also serves with me at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College as the Director of the Global Diaspora Institute.

The following is the third installment in a four-piece series containing excerpts from contributing chapter called “Impact of the Pandemic on Missions in North America.” In this piece, I discuss how the church in North America responded, for better or for worse, to the challenges of the pandemic.

Make sure to read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 4 in this series, as well.

Church Response

We can look back at church history to see times when the church responded heroically and prophetically in dark times. In Acts, the fledgling church in the face of persecution continued to proclaim Christ while also caring for those in need (see Acts 4:23-35). In the fourth century A.D. historian Eusebius wrote of the church’s response in a time of plague: “all day long [Christians] tended to the dying and to the burial, countless numbers with no one to care for them. Others gather together from all parts of the city a multitude of those withered from famine and distributed bread to them all.” He added the impact of this on those who saw the church’s response: “The deeds of the Christians were on everyone’s lips.”¹

How has the church responded today?

First, and sadly, churches in North America have not stepped up to be a consistent and uniform prophetic voice during this turbulent time. Of course, some churches have done this very well and I am grateful for their boldness and conviction. However, this is not the consistent witness of Christian churches in the United States and Canada—and our congregations have taken note. When we consider all these events together and examine their impact on the broader culture, we find a culture of scrutiny.

Naturally, some of the scrutiny is warranted, but some scrutiny arises on account of failure to comprehensively affirm or deny current events as they occur. This creates a remarkably difficult situation for Christian ministry leaders. Every word and phrase is being scrutinized, and in turn, everything we say (or forget to say) can be attacked. People are keeping score. For example, if you mention the Capitol riot but you do not mention the summer riots, people notice and will point it out.

Next, we have a phenomenon I call the “Great Sort.” North Americans are reorganizing themselves into churches that align with their political positions. While this phenomenon has happened in more isolated instances before the pandemic, COVID-19 marks the beginning of its wide-scale implementation. The temptation here may be to assume that people are looking for new churches because they are being offended by the church or pastor. While that may be happening, it is certainly not in a majority of cases.

Rather, people are listening to how their pastors minister and preach during this time, discerning their congregations’ attitudes toward social issues, and evaluating whether their own beliefs match the portrait of the rest of the church body.

As a result, the remarkable political and social division right now also impacts churches across North America. People are being discipled by cable news choices and sorting themselves out into churches based upon their rights as an American/Canadian citizen rather than as a citizen of God’s Kingdom. They want their cable news-discipled ideology to be their first choice even before their church’s theology. This ideology quickly becomes the litmus test for faithfulness to God and the Bible. North Americans are changing churches because of their politics when we should hope that they may change their politics because of their Church’s witness.

Canadian and American churches are coming back at lower percentages on account of all these things. Very few churches are larger than they were before, but some are. The “Great Sort” concerns COVID-19, ideology, politics, social issues, and race and ethnicity. Witnessing this process has been grievous to me and many others in the North American Evangelical church. We do not need to agree on all of these issues to realize that walking faithfully through this time has been remarkably tumultuous and turbulent for myself, church congregants, and pastors. Despite the division and difficulty of the pandemic, the resilience of the church is a sure testament to God’s faithfulness to his people.

¹ Eusebius had a letter by Dionysius as his primary source. See Eusebius of Caesarea’s The Ecclesiastical History: Book 7, chapters 22-23.

5 People You’d Rather Not Pray For … But Really Should

By

Daniel Darling

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November 12, 2022

Let’s be honest. There are certain types of people we are conditioned, by our culture, to not like. These are the people that nobody is going to give us credit for liking, the people we tend to distance ourselves from. For good reason. And yet, these are the sinners Christ most likely would have sought out to save, the people we should, at the very least, pray for.

So here is a list of Five People We Should Pray For Even Though We Don’t Want To:

1. Politicians (Really Anyone in a Position of Power)

Have politicians ever held a lower standing in the eyes of the American public than they do now? There are whole cottage industries (talk show hosts, pundits, some columnists) who generate millions of dollars essentially mocking and criticizing politicians. Nobody will think you are cool for praying for a politician. Everybody will laugh if you criticize one and/or post some hilarious meme about one on Facebook. And yet there is this sneaky little prayer in the Bible that says this:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. (1 Timothy 2:1-2, ESV)

Yeah, that’s a tough verse. Praying for politicians (and not just in the snarky Psalm 19:8 way) is countercultural. But here’s a reason we can and should pray for our government leaders, local and national: We believe that authority is granted by God. Psalm 75:6 says that power doesn’t come from east or west, but from God. Romans 13 reminds us that the “powers that be” are ordained of God.

So we can pray for our leaders, not only out of obedience to the Scripture, but out of a deep and abiding trust in Christ as the ultimate sovereign authority. And here’s a tip. Let’s pray for these politicians, not always for the policies we’d like to see implemented, but in a personal way. Let’s pray for their families. Let’s pray for their spiritual lives. Let’s pray for their blessing (yes, you heard me right).

2. People Who We Think Poorly Represent the Christian Faith

There is a tendency among evangelicals to distance ourselves from Christians we think poorly represent the Christian faith. I do this. I could give you a list of people whose public displays of Christianity make me want to stand and shout, “But most Christians aren’t like that. We’re different. Don’t look at them.” You have a list like this, don’t you? Isn’t this pride? Do we ever consider that perhaps it’s me—yes me—who might be the poor display of Christian witness?

I’m humbled by Jesus’ words to Peter in Luke 22:32, where he essentially said, “I’m praying for you, that your faith doesn’t fail. Satan wants to sift you as wheat” (my paraphrase). Peter was the Christ-follower who embarrassed everyone by his public displays. He’s the guy who panicked and fell beneath the waves on the Sea of Galilee. He’s the guy who blurted out about the tabernacles during the miracle of transfiguration. He’s the guy who cut off the soldier’s ear in the garden. He’s the guy who denied Jesus three times. Yeah, I’m guessing pre-Pentecost Peter is probably the guy who exemplifies, “Christian I don’t want to be like.”

And yet, Jesus said to Peter, patiently, “I’m praying for you.” I’m deeply convicted by this. Rather than mocking those Christians who I don’t think “do it right” so I can make myself look better, I ought to … pray for them. Here’s what happens when we do this: Suddenly we see the humanity in people we’re ashamed of. Suddenly we see our own clumsy attempts to represent Christ. Suddenly we accept them as brothers and sisters rather than enemies. This is a hard discipline, but like Jesus, we should pray for the Peters in our lives.

3 Ingredients for True Worship

By

Russell Henderson

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November 12, 2022

God is seeking people that will worship—truly worship—and he has promises that if you are faithful to worship on His terms that there are endless rewards and blessings. I challenge you to engage in true worship. There are three ingredients for true worship in which we all can grow.

Ingredients for True Worship

#1: True Worship Has Humility

Recently I observed a church on TV. I switch to this station right in the middle of one of their songs. They were singing “Holy Spirit, Thou Art Welcome”. During the song every person that the camera showed just stood their and read the words off the wall. When the song was over, the congregation sat down and the rest of the service went off like clockwork.

As I watched this I began to think about how we have lost sight of what worship really means. Jesus said in John chapter 4 that there is only one true way to worship. Jesus set up the system of worship, so when we decide to enter into worship, we are no longer in control of ourselves, but we are entering His turf and submitting ourselves to the will of God. This is where humility kicks in.

Humility is the first key to any successful time of worship. Throughout the entire bible the primary Hebrew and Greek words for worship mean humility. Without humility you cannot truly worship. Humility means to lower yourself and submit yourself to the will of another. So when you worship, you are coming under submission of the Holy Spirit, and allowing Him to act, walk, and speak in and through you. Romans 12 says it best by saying that you should present, or submit, your body to God as a living sacrifice.

Many of our churches today will not come under submission of the Holy Spirit. They have a schedule to keep, this song has to be sung, these announcements have to be made, the pastor has to get done by 12:00. All the while the Holy Spirit is trying to point out people that are hurting, a marriage that is falling apart, or someone that might be contemplating suicide.

As long as we stay in control, we will go on and have church as usual so that we can get to the buffet line by 12:15. But when we let the Holy Spirit takes control we will stop having church and start being the church. When the Holy Spirit is actually involved in our services sickness will be healed, marriages will be restored, joy will reign in our midst once again, and the lost will come to Jesus.

Will the services go past twelve o’ clock? Probably. But who cares? When I choose to worship, I expect the Holy Spirit to take control. I don’t want Him hanging around in the back corner somewhere. I want Him center stage. I want the lost to see Him and come running. I want the broken to see Him and start shouting because they have been healed. I want the proud and stubborn to see Him and start weeping in humility.

That is true worship! Worship in truth is great and wonderful—singing the songs, raising your hands, clapping, and all the other tangible stuff. But we must go beyond that and learn how to worship in the Spirit and let the Holy Spirit have his way.

#2: True Worship Has Faith

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

In a previous study we saw that the first ingredient required for worship was humility. We cannot come to God with a proud or haughty spirit. Pride can do nothing but die in the presence of God. God will not allow it into His presence.

The second ingredient required for a successful life of worship is faith. In the above passage, the term “earnestly seek him” can also be translated as worship. So we can flip this passage around and say, “Those who worship Him must believe (have faith) that He exists and He will reward them.” Then the first part of that passage says that when we believe those two things that we will be pleasing to God, and we know from Romans 12:1 that true worship pleases God.

Let’s look at Abraham. If you continue to read through Hebrews chapter 11, you will find the many ways that Abraham exercised His faith, but let’s look at how He showed his faith in the midst of worship. This first instance of the word ‘worship’ in our English bible comes in the account of Abraham being asked to sacrifice his only son, Isaac.

Gen. 22:5 (NKJV) 5And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”

This passage reveals our first two ingredients of worship. The first ingredient, humility, is seen in the fact that Abraham equated his sacrifice of Isaac to worship. In Abraham’s view of things he was simply going to worship. The second ingredient, faith, is seen in the last thing that Abraham tells his servants, “…..we will come back to you.”

How could Abraham make such a statement? Because He had a deep faith in God. He believed with all his heart that God would either spare Isaac’s life, or He would raise Him from the dead. Why? Because God had given him a promise about his seed many years prior to this turning point event. Abraham knew that God existed. There was no doubt in his mind. He had experienced the hand of God many times in his life. He also knew that God was going to reward him for His act of worship. Remember what Paul said in Romans 4, “Abraham believed (had faith), and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” In other words—heaven took note of him because of his faith.

While the act and attitude of worship is 100% selfless, God has promised that He will reward us for our diligence. When we worship it is just fine to expect a blessing, because God promised that He would bless us. God may ask us to do things in worship that stretch our comfort level. He may even ask us to do something that challenges our theology. That’s where faith kicks in. When God asks those things of us and we trust Him to work everything out for good, we will be led to the third ingredient of true worship—obedience.

The key here is that we must believe that God is a keeper of His promises. When we hear the voice of God leading and prompting, we cannot disregard what He is saying. We must turn our ear to listen.

#3: True Worship Has Obedience

So far in this study we have looked at two ingredients that are vital to the life of a worshiper—humility and faith. If either of these are missing from worship, then I believe we have not entered into true worship the way God has designed it. The final ingredient we are going to look at is obedience.

Obedience, if you will, is the icing on the cake. Obedience is the key that finalizes our worship. We cannot come to God unless we have first humbled ourselves. Then as we enter His presence He will begin to speak to us, and we must make the decision to believe Him or not. But all of that is in vain, if we do not put it into action through obedience.

Now as you have been reading these articles, I suspect that some of you may have become a little frustrated. You’ve probably felt that I am trying to make the act of worship more difficult than it should be. I am not trying to make it difficult, I just want you to understand that when we make the choice to worship, there are some things that God requires of us. Remember that in the days of the Tabernacle only one person, the high priest, was allowed into the Holy of Holies. Why? Because he was the one that was totally clean, and he was the one that was bringing the pure sacrifice before the mercy seat.

Obedience is simply our faith in action. James put it best in James chapter 2 by saying that faith without works is 100% dead. And lo and behold he begins to talk about Abraham.

James 2:21 through James 2:22 (NKJV)

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

Abraham’s worship (the sacrifice of Isaac) was not made complete until he actually attempted to carry out the call of God. So what does that mean for you and your life of worship? If you truly want to worship the way that God has ordained, you must be prepared to move. Be ready to heed the voice of the Lord. Remember that Jesus said in John chapter 4 that true worshipers must worship in Spirit and in Truth. Now watch this. We worship in Spirit through our humility and faith and we worship in Truth through our obedience—faith in action.

If Abraham had not gone through with the sacrifice of Isaac, he would have nullified his faith. He would have also shown that his plan was more important than God’s plan, and that is pride which nullifies humility.

I challenge you to humble yourself before God, allow Him to speak to you and give you instruction, and be ready to move when He speaks. Then I believe God will look down and say “Behold, this is my child in whom I am well pleased.”

Find more humility quotes here.

Lysa TerKeurst on How to Set Healthy Boundaries in Ministry

By

Jason Daye

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November 11, 2022

As ministers we have a heart to encourage, to bless, and to engage with people relationally. However, if we’re not careful, we can find ourselves emotionally drained and mentally fatigued if we are not setting healthy boundaries, but the question is, how do we set good boundaries and continue to serve those around us? In this conversation on FrontStage BackStage, host Jason Daye is joined by Lysa TerKeurst. Lysa is the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, has written 25 books, including her latest Good Boundaries and Goodbyes. Together, Lysa and Jason discuss how setting good boundaries actually helps us live more fully into the calling that God has on our lives to serve and to minister.

FrontStage BackStage Podcast Guest Lysa TerKeurst

Watch the entire episode here.

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Ouija Board for Christians? ‘The Holy Spirit Board’ Sold on Amazon Advertises as ‘Christian Religious Talking Board’

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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November 11, 2022

A video promoting a “Christian” version of a popular occult board game called “The Holy Spirit Board” has begun circulating online, pointing viewers to an actual product available for purchase on Amazon.

In the video, a man dressed as Jesus uses explicit language and sexual innuendo to introduce a spirit board described as designed to talk to the Holy Spirit directly.

The “Holy Spirit Board” uses a planchette, typically a heart-shaped piece of wood or plastic used on Ouiji Boards to spell out messages during a séance. Only, the “Christian” themed board uses a planchette in the shape of a golden “magic cross.”

The board of letters displays artwork of the crucifixion, angels, and a dove.

Holy Spirit Games, the entity behind the board, recently released another video encouraging Christians to purchase the board so that they can hear messages from God.

“If you call yourself a Christian, listen up,” a Holy Spirit Games spokesperson said. “I’ve been Christian my whole life, and talking to Jesus is really nothing new to me. My faith is what guides me to do the right thing and be a better person, but the problem is the Lord’s messages weren’t always clear.”

Describing his first interaction with the “Holy Spirit Board,” the man said that he immediately felt Jesus inside him when he touched the golden cross planchette.

“[Jesus’] messages are super clear everyday and I can understand it in plain English,” he said, thanking Holy Spirit Games for reigniting his faith.

Former Salvation Army Youth Pastor Charged With Sending Porn to Minor

By

Stephanie Martin

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November 11, 2022

A former Salvation Army youth pastor has been arrested and charged with sending sexually explicit materials to a minor. Jeffery Williams, 38, turned himself in to police in Fountain, Colorado, on Nov. 10. He was booked on charges of obscenity and unlawful sexual communication by a person in a position of trust.

According to Salvation Army officials, Williams served in Fountain from 2013 to 2017. After that, he served in Chandler, Arizona, until being suspended and then terminated last month. The church says it took immediate action when it learned of the allegations against Williams and is cooperating with authorities.

Jeffery Williams Incident Reportedly Occurred Seven Years Ago

Before being commissioned as a Salvation Army officer in 2013, Jeffery Williams completed a two-year church training program in California. Then he was stationed for four years in Fountain, where the alleged incident occurred.

Fountain police say they began investigating Williams last month, and that investigation led to his arrest this week. They are asking anyone with relevant information about the case—including witnesses or other potential victims—to contact Corporal Tori Slater at (719) 382-4288.

Although Fountain police didn’t indicate a timeline for the alleged incident, the church’s statement notes: “The Salvation Army understands that the charges at issue involve conduct that occurred about seven years ago in Colorado, but the charges are serious.” The church also says it had not received any previous complaints about Williams’ conduct with minors.

‘The Salvation Army Stands Against Abuse’

In its statement, the Salvation Army emphasizes that it “does not tolerate sexual misconduct or improprieties of any kind.” It adds, “In accordance with our policy, once we learned of the allegations last month, [Jeffery Williams] was immediately suspended and we reported these allegations to the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline. Since making this report, we have been cooperating with Fountain Police and Williams has been terminated. We have also attempted to contact the victim in the case to extend any assistance she may require.”

For more than 20 years, the Salvation Army has used an abuse-prevention program titled “Protecting the Mission.” According to the church, the program was developed with “industry leaders” and features “stringent screening requirements, monitoring and supervision rules, training standards, and, most importantly, a culture of transparency where internal and external reporting is welcomed and encouraged.”

Ruth Haley Barton on How Busy Leaders Can Discover True Sabbath Rest

By

Jason Daye

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November 11, 2022

There is something special, something powerful, something beautiful about the concept of Sabbath rest. And yet, as pastors and ministry leaders, it often feels just outside of our grasp. It’s something we’re happy to teach about and share with others, but something that is challenging for us to experience fully in our own lives. In this conversation on FrontStage BackStage, host Jason Daye is joined by Ruth Haley Barton, founder of the Transforming Center, and author of numerous books, including Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, Sacred Rhythms, and her latest, Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest. Together, Ruth and Jason explore the spiritual reality of rhythm in our lives, and look at the idea of Sabbath in a way that is accessible for pastors and ministry leaders just like you.