3 Approaches to Better Online Audience Engagement

November 3, 2022

Many of us use the online space (social media, emails, websites) to inform and update people already connected to our organization. All kinds of entities—other nonprofits, businesses, and sports teams—use online platforms to promote the goods, services, and information to the organization’s target audiences. We do the same as leaders of churches and ministries. Nothing is inherently wrong with using the space as a bullhorn of sorts. But what if organizational updates and bits of information are only part of what we could offer our online audience? What if we could continue to grow in how we impact people online, not just inform them? I invite you to consider three approaches to shape how you craft your online presence.

3 Steps to Better Online Audience Engagement

Approach 1: Engage people

The first approach is to focus energy on engaging people. Don’t just inform people with information for them to consume, but present them with content they can engage with. How? Focus on questions and prompts that your people can process right where they are—at home, in an Uber, or waiting in line to check out at Trader Joe’s. Engaging people means speaking to the whole of who they are and inviting them to take action.

Example: Post a simple scripture graphic on Facebook and Instagram and include 2-3 questions that encourage reflection and application. Don’t just inform people online; engage them!

Approach 2: Encourage people

The second approach we can take online is to encourage people. Most news and information people consume on the internet, especially in the last few years, can instill negative emotion and controversy. What if the bits of content you publish could be different? What if your online presence stood out because it was uplifting and encouraging? We can make this a reality by using humor, sharing inspiring stories, and “cheering on” people interacting with our content.

Example: Post a funny meme about Mondays and include a short prayer for your people as they return to work, school, a new week, etc. Don’t just inform your audience; encourage them!

Approach 3: Equip people

A third approach to move beyond just informing people online is to do our best to equip them. Instead of trying to get something from your people (like asking them to “attend this event”), give them something that adds value to their lives. Equipping could include resources, helpful content, or simple spiritual practices that help them grow as followers of Jesus, as a parent, or as married couples. You can create or curate helpful resources by taking 15 minutes to peruse the internet to craft a running list of articles, webinars, or other online tools that would benefit your audience.

Example: Post a stock photo of a father and son with a link to a helpful resource on having hard conversations as a parent. Don’t just inform your people; equip them!

So, what do you say?

We have a tremendous opportunity to use the online space to engage people, encourage them, and equip them to grow in their faith and navigate the moments we find ourselves in each week. Let’s do it together!

This article about better online audience engagement originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Is Sex Before Marriage a Sin? How to Handle Premarital Heartbreak

John Piper

November 2, 2022

Is sex before marriage a sin? At some point, every youth worker hears a version of that question. Teens and young adults often struggle with issues of mental and physical purity. And when they sin by having premarital sex, they need help dealing with heartbreak and forgiveness.

Read on to consider how you’ll answer kids who ask, “Is sex before marriage a sin?” Plus, ponder how you’ll respond to someone who’s heartbroken after having premarital sex.

A friend of the podcast, who wishes to remain anonymous, writes in. “Hello Pastor John, I slept with my girlfriend two days ago. Now we’re both left hurt and feeling dirty, cheap, ashamed. We can’t even look at ourselves. We’re both born-again believers in Christ, but we got lured into temptation. Is there any hope that we might become pure again and be healed from our sin? I know the blood of Jesus covers every sin, but how can we get back our relationship’s purity again? Or is that permanently gone? After having premarital sex, what do we do?”

Is Sex Before Marriage a Sin? 6 Steps for Healing

This listener is beginning in the right place. He is, it seems, appropriately shattered, meaning something has been irrevocably lost. He and his girlfriend will never be able to undo this sexual encounter. By having premarital sex, they’ve lost something very precious.

Though that may sound harsh, I begin this way because I feel a tender and jealous concern for people who have not lost their virginity. It’s a very precious thing for men and women. The world views it as weakness. In fact, the world thinks it’s silly to even ask, “Is sex before marriage a sin?”

God views purity as a very great strength and beauty beyond compare. And I’m just as eager to help listeners maintain their sexual purity and virginity before they lose it as I am to help those who’ve lost it recover the purity that Christ makes possible. So that’s why I begin the way I do.

So this young man is beginning in the right place. He is broken. He knows that by having premarital sex, he’s lost a beautiful thing. And he knows that the blood of Jesus covers every sin. People who take their sins lightly and treat Jesus’ blood as a kind of quick fix have never seen the true costliness of what Jesus did to purchase their purity.

Next, let me make a few observations that might prove redemptive and hope-giving to our friend and his girlfriend. Keep them handy for the next time someone asks you, “Is sex before marriage a sin?”

1. Don’t repeat the mistake.

First, I’d draw attention to what this listener already knows. But put it in biblical words. First Corinthians 6:18, “Flee fornication.” God’s will for unmarried people is that they abstain from sexual relations. So is sex before marriage a sin? Yes.

God makes purity possible by the power of the Holy Spirit through faith in his promises. And he gives sweet and special rewards to single people who honor him this way.

Marriage has its special rewards for faithfulness, and singleness—chaste, holy singleness—has its special rewards for faithfulness. Married people can glorify God in some ways that single people can’t, and single people can glorify God in some ways that married people can’t. This isn’t a matter of inferiority or superiority. Singleness and chastity are a very high calling in God’s mind.

2. Accept God’s forgiveness.

I would remind our friend to hear—again, in the words of Scripture: “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness” (Mark 3:28-29). Let’s leave for another time what it means to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit.

But let all of us with tears of thankfulness, with trembling joy, simply revel in these words: All sins will be forgiven the children of man. That means all sins, even having sex before marriage. That is breathtaking. Can you imagine anything sweeter for a person like the thief on the cross, just nothing but sin, nothing but sin for who knows how many decades?

In other words, no specific, single sin or kind of sin is so ugly, so gross, so offensive to God that it cannot be forgiven by the blood of Jesus. As John puts it, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from”—here it comes—“all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

3. Forgive each other.

It will be a huge challenge for the couple now in this situation to forgive each other; not just to receive God’s forgiveness, but to receive each other’s forgiveness. Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

But that’s no easy thing, so they shouldn’t give up too quickly. What makes it difficult to forgive each other in this situation is not only that we’re all proud and selfish and don’t like to humble ourselves before others, but also because there’s a subtle temptation to shift onto the other person blame that belongs at least partly with yourself.

Thanksgiving Children’s Sermons and Lessons on Gratitude

Daniel So

November 2, 2022

Thanksgiving children’s sermons and messages are a great way to teach biblical gratitude. Whether you’re planning a kids sermon or a Sunday school lesson, you can find lots of valuable resources online. (And, as a bonus, many of them are free!)

As the psalmist says, “Give thanks as you enter the gates of his temple. Give thanks as you enter its courtyards. Give thanks to him and praise his name (Psalm 100:4).”

The Thanksgiving lessons below come with all kinds of extras, from games and puzzles to crafts and coloring pages. Pro Tip: You can share these resources with parents in your ministry. That way they can reinforce the lessons at home and make some crafts with their kids too.

8 Free Thanksgiving Children’s Sermons

At Sermon4Kids.com, you can choose from numerous Thanksgiving lessons. Check out these 8 free gratitude-themed kids sermons. Then adapt them to fit your needs!

1. Jesus Heals 10 Lepers

Use this thankfulness object lesson, based on Luke 17:11-17, to remind kids about the importance of saying thank you.

2. Five Kernels

This Thanksgiving children’s sermon teaches kids about the first Thanksgiving and the holiday’s meaning.

3. Top 10 List

Help children brainstorm reasons to give thanks to God. This message is based on Psalm 100:4.

4. Thanks Living

Some Thanksgiving children’s sermons encourage kids to share God’s blessings with other people.

5. Bounty of Blessings

This object lesson uses a cornucopia to remind kids of all the good gifts God gives us.

Saddleback’s Andy Wood Expresses to Baptist Press That Women Can Teach Men in Church; Saddleback To Remain in SBC

Jesse T. Jackson

November 2, 2022

Andy Wood, formerly lead pastor of Echo Church in San Jose, CA, recently took the lead pastor role at one of the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) largest churches, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA, after its founder, Rick Warren, retired at the end of August. Warren had served as Saddleback’s lead pastor for over 40 years.

In the spring of 2021, Saddleback Church made SBC headlines after it ordained three female pastors during one of its services. Although it was a first for the church in its 40-plus year history, it was an act that may have been prohibited by the nation’s largest evangelical denomination.

On June 2, Warren announced Wood and his wife, Stacie, as his successors at Saddleback Church. Like in their previous church, Andy serves as the lead pastor, and Stacie as a teaching pastor. Saddleback Church’s website states their pastors are “Andy and Stacie Wood.”

The SBC’s Baptist Faith & Message (BF&M) 2000, which serves as the denomination’s statement of faith, says, “[The church’s] scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”

Saddleback Church’s ordination of women was a hotly debated topic at this year’s SBC annual meeting after messengers voted in 2021 for the Credentials Committee to investigate whether Saddleback Church should be disfellowshipped from the denomination.

However, the Credentials Committee’s report led to more confusion, after it recommended the formation of a study committee into Saddleback’s use of the title “pastor” with regard to female members of its staff.

One SBC messenger who voiced concern with this recommendation was Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler, who was also a member of the BF&M 2000 Study Committee that was formed in 1999.

Standing at one of the messengers’ designated microphones, Mohler told the Credentials Committee, “My concern as a churchman, a theologian, and someone who loves this Convention—as I know everyone in this room does—if we eventually have to form a study committee over every word in our confession of faith, then we’re doomed.”

“We say what we believe in specific words that are in the Baptist Faith & Message,” Mohler continued. “The moment we start to, of necessity, have study committees decide what the words mean—the words mean what Southern Baptist said in the year 2000. At that time, the word ‘pastor’ was used by the committee and adopted by the Convention, because we were told, that is the most easily understood word among Southern Baptists for pastoral teaching leadership.”

How To Fight Lustful Thoughts Biblically—Advice From an Ex-Porn Star

Jessica Lea

November 2, 2022

What should Christians do if they struggle with lustful thoughts? Ex-porn star Brittni De La Mora shared some advice from her own experience with dealing with lust after she left the porn industry.

“I was in the porn industry for seven years of my life,” said De La Mora in a video titled, “How To Stop Thinking Lustfully,” “and then I had this radical encounter with God, and my whole life started to change. I started going to church, but I still had this inward battle of these lustful thoughts.”

Brittni De La Mora: ‘Seeking God Is Imperative’

Brittni De La Mora and her husband, Richard De La Mora, founded Love Always Ministries, a non-profit that “helps people walk in their calling by discovering God’s love and leading a victorious life through purity.” In addition to providing other resources, they co-host the Let’s Talk Purity podcast.

De La Mora shared that lust does not have a hold over her now like it used to in the past. And even though she did hundreds of “adult scenes” when she was a porn star, she does not dwell on those now. “If I wanted to think about it, I would have to sit and really choose to think about it,” she said. “I don’t think like that any more because the Lord healed my soul and when he did that, he restored the innocence and purity of my mind.”

“I want to teach you how I was able to conquer those thoughts,” said De La Mora, “because I do believe in having a pure mind. God is the God who will restore your mind. He’ll restore your mind to innocence and purity when we just give our lives to him and we surrender it to him.”

RELATED: SERMONS ABOUT LUST

When Brittni De La Mora first began attending church, she “fell so in love with the presence of God” that she wanted to experience him even while at home. So she started worshiping God every day before going to work. First, she would put on a praise song and worship to it; then she would pray and read her Bible. Referencing Psalm 22:3, De La Mora said, “When you start praising God with song, there’s something so powerful.” After she started singing, she would experience God’s presence and respond to him in prayer. Then she would read the Bible and pray in response to what she was reading.

“When I would start to read the Bible, it would give me God’s thoughts for my life and about myself and about my situations, so all of a sudden my brain was just being rewired, and that’s imperative,” said De La Mora. “If you want to overcome lustful thoughts, seeking God is imperative.”

Jerry Falwell Jr. Sex Scandal Was Achilles Heel in Falwell’s Quest for Political Power, According to New Documentary

Dale Chamberlain

November 2, 2022

jerry falwell jr. becki falwell giancarlo granda — Screengrabs via YouTube @Hulu

“God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty,” a documentary following the sex scandal involving former Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr., his wife Becki, and a former pool attendant named Giancarlo Granda, became available to stream on Hulu on Tuesday (Nov. 1).

In the documentary, the narrative of which is driven by an interview with Granda, Jerry and Becki Falwell are portrayed as sexually abusive and emotionally coercive, keeping Granda under their thumb with promises of a lavish lifestyle in exchange for his silence, all while ascending the echelons of the American evangelical political machine.

The opening image of the documentary was of an empty chair, which Granda soon sat in, asking producers for a moment to gather himself before the interview began, noting that his parents would likely one day view it.

“Look, if I would have known that accepting this woman’s invitation to go back to her hotel room would have led to a scandal involving the president of the largest Christian university in the world, and president of the United States, I would have walked away and just enjoyed my private life,” Granda said.

At the time his affair with Becki Falwell began, Granda was working at Fontainebleau, a Miami Beach resort that Granda described as being similar to a Las Vegas club.

Granda was 20 years old at the time.

“In March 2012, it was just like any other day. I’m doing the usual—just changing towels, talking to the guests,” Granda said. “And then I look over, you know, behind my shoulder and I see this woman looking at me…She was actually snapping pictures of me. She was in her 40s, more than twice my age. She was attractive. Yeah, she was a cougar.”

Granda said that when he asked the woman why she was taking photos of him, she replied, “Don’t waste your time with the younger ones, they don’t know what they’re doing.” Granda said that after they began talking, the woman invited Granda back to her room. He accepted, at which point Granda said that she informed him: “My husband likes to watch.”

Raised in a conservative Catholic family, the documentary notes that Granda’s mother, ironically, was shaped by Jerry Falwell Sr.’s “The Old Time Gospel Hour” television program.

Falwell Sr. was an influential political and religious figure among evangelicals for decades, founding what is now one of the largest Christian universities in the world in Liberty University, as well as the Moral Majority, a political coalition that played a key role in the election of president Ronald Reagan.

Jerry Falwell Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps to become an influential figure in evangelicalism in his own right, bringing back Liberty University from the brink of financial collapse and leading it to a place of prominence in the evangelical world. He later became a “kingmaker” of his own via his relationship with president Donald Trump.

20 Truths From ‘Preaching to a Divided Nation’

Ed Stetzer

November 2, 2022

When Matthew Kim was at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, he reached out to me to endorse his coauthored book on preaching in our divided times. I was particularly interested in the book because pastors need advice and counsel on how to do this well, and he was writing with an active pastor, Paul Hoffman.

The fact is, I am NOT a role model for this, because I am a public commentator (less so now, but definitely when I was writing at Christianity Today). So, I often tell pastors not to follow my example and comment as often as I do. But, we need wisdom on how to approach a divided culture that may be impacting and dividing the church.

So, when Paul Hoffman and Matthew (now at Baylor) wrote this book, I was happy to review and endorse it. Here is my endorsement:

An issue that matters today is our divided nation, a nation filled with too many divided churches and divided Christians. That is clear to all. For those of us who call Jesus Christ our Lord, we also know the prayer of Jesus “that they may be one” (John 17:22). But how do we do this? We start with the single most influential time in the church each week: the sermon. But how do we do that practically? In “Preaching to a Divided Nation,” Matthew Kim and Paul Hoffman give a framework to confront the division in our time with preaching grounded in the Bible’s storyline and founded on the redemptive work of Christ.

Here are 20 truths, or short quotes, from the book I am sharing with you.

Preaching to a Divided Nation

“Countless pastors, preachers, teachers, and ministry leaders are dismayed at the dysfunction engulfing the church and the wider culture. Every day, headlines reveal a world divided across ethnic, class, sex, and political lines…Make no mistake: these chasms are expanding and feel increasingly insurmountable.” (9)

“Many Christians are behaving like unbelievers toward those who disagree with them, without exhibiting a trace of patience, understanding, compassion, or empathy.” (12)

“All gospel proclamation begins with theology, which is the story of the triune God. Every teacher is primarily a theologian who must first comprehend the narrative arc of Scripture correctly before she can communicate it clearly.” (18)

“In the first six verses of Genesis 3, then, one can already discern multiple motifs emerging that are related to the fall. These include distrust, discontentment, rebellion rooted in lust and pride, passivity, and complicity. Do these faults sound familiar? They are the forces stoking our present divisions.” (24)

“The aforementioned categories [of sin] are concretized in the four -isms which are sins signifying some of America’s most prominent and intractable rifts: ethnocentrism, classism, sexism, and partisan-political polarization.” (30)

“Let’s be clear: it is our opinion that teachers and preachers cannot constructively address our divisions unless they tackle sin in a robust way. One of the criticisms of the evangelical church—one that we affirm—is that all too often, it has downplayed or minimized the effects of sin generally, and social sin, specifically. There can be no true and lasting healing apart from an honest analysis and diagnosis of what ails us.” (34)

“It seems to us that too many congregations and Christians are devoting too much effort to policing (at its best, humbly critiquing, and at its worst, self-righteously nagging) those outside the Church—people who do not publicly identify as practicing Christ-followers—and not devoting enough effort to developing a thriving, wholistic culture marked by diversity within unity.” (36)

Ralph Douglas West on the Benefits of Being Shaped by Black and White Preaching Traditions

Jessica Lea

November 2, 2022

The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast · Ralph Douglas West on the Benefits of Being Shaped by Black and White Preaching Traditions

Dr. Ralph Douglas West is the founder and senior pastor of The Church Without Walls in Houston, Texas. The church began with 32 members and now serves 24,000+ meeting in three locations and conducting six services each Sunday. Ralph completed degrees at Bishop College, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Beeson Divinity School, where he received the Doctor of Ministry Degree. He has an abiding commitment to the church and the academy and speaks often at colleges, universities and seminaries.

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Ralph Douglas West

► Listen on Apple
► Listen on Spotify
► Listen on Stitcher
► Listen on YouTube

Other Episodes in the Great Communicator Series

Rick Warren on the Kind of Preaching That Changes Lives

Wilfredo de Jesús: How (Not) To Turn Your Sermon Points Into Stop Signs

Charlie Dates: Why Your Church Needs To Identify and Raise Up Young Preachers

J.D. Greear: How Your Sermons Will Benefit From a ‘Multitude of Counselors’

Beth Moore on the ‘Most Important Part of the Process’ of Teaching God’s Word

Andy Stanley: Are You Missing This Key Part of Your Sermon Prep?

Max Lucado: ‘The One Thing That Has Helped Me More Than Anything Else’ as a Preacher

Sam Chan: How the Topical Preacher Can Avoid Getting on a Hobby Horse

Priscilla Shirer: ‘Message Preparation Is the Hardest Thing I Do in Ministry’

Key Questions for Ralph Douglas West

-Talk to us a little bit about 1970s preaching versus today. What are some things you’ve kept from your younger self that you still see as part of your preaching now?

-How do you make expository preaching compelling and interesting to people?

-What are the benefits and challenges of being shaped by both Black and white preaching traditions?

-What’s the correlation between effective preaching and the relational connection between the pastor and the congregation?

Key Quotes From Ralph Douglas West

“I sensed as a teenager that God was calling me to preach. My sainted mother who has a blessed memory now helped me understand what that meant.”

“I think the compelling sermon for me is the one that begins with the exposition, not just of the biblical text, but the people who will be sitting in front of me.”

Too Many Christians Are Afraid To Admit They’re Wrong, Argues Tim Keller in ‘Forgive’

Bob Smietana

November 2, 2022

(RNS) — Author and pastor Tim Keller begins his new book with a warning about forgiveness gone wrong.

Keller cites a famous parable found in the New Testament Book of Matthew, where a king forgives one of his servants, who owes a fortune and can’t repay. Rather than be grateful, the servant turns around and has one of his co-workers, who owed him a pittance, tossed in jail.

When the king finds out he is furious and revokes his initial forgiveness.

“We should not miss the confrontational nature of this parable,” Keller writes in “Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I?” out Tuesday (Nov. 1) from Viking. “Jesus’ parable about forgiveness is not a feel-good story about people receiving God’s forgiveness and then eagerly spreading the love to others. Rather, it is a story about a man asking for forgiveness and then being utterly unchanged when he got it.”

The new book comes at a time when Americans are experiencing a forgiveness crisis, Keller argues, in part because the idea of forgiveness has often been misused, especially in religious circles. At times, he writes, survivors of abuse have been pressured to forgive those abusers and just move on. Or forgiveness is used to cover up the truth about the harm people have done to others.

“People have used forgiveness as a way of destroying the truth,” said Keller.

The longtime pastor in New York City, whose books have sold more than 3 million copies, believes forgiveness is not possible without truth. He links the term forgiveness with the idea of “repentance,” which he says has fallen out of fashion.

That term, he told Religion News Service in an interview, means being truthful about our shortcomings and misconduct.

“The word repent means asking for forgiveness,” he said. “If you don’t think you’ve done anything wrong, you have not repented.”

Keller, who retired as pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in 2017, has remained active in recent years despite being treated for pancreatic cancer. He is currently undergoing immunotherapy, which he said has shrunk some of his tumors.

“It has given me more time,” he said.

Known for his conservative but nonconfrontational approach to ministry, Keller has come under fire in recent months by those who say his “winsome” approach to engaging with culture no longer works in such a polarized time. Keller told Religion News Service he finds such criticism puzzling. As an evangelical pastor in New York, he said, his views were often in conflict with the broader culture. But that was not going to stop him from acting like a Christian.

Oldest Known Map of Stars Obtained by Museum of the Bible

Diana Chandler

November 2, 2022

WASHINGTON (BP) – The Museum of the Bible has detailed the provenance and acquisition of the oldest known map of the constellations, a previously lost writing based on the notes from second century B.C. Greek astronomer Hipparchus’ “Star Catalogue.”

The notes had been written in the fifth century on vellum leaves that were recycled perhaps five or six centuries later to record the Christian manuscript “Codex Climaci Rescriptus” (Ladder of Divine Ascent) by John Climacus, the museum said in an Oct. 28 press release. An emerging process of multispectral imaging technology was used to reveal what was left of the older writings on the vellum, the museum said.

Bill Warren, a New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary expert in New Testament textual criticism, said the technology can make visible the faintest remnants of text that has been scraped away.

“Increasingly we’re using it and we’re actually finding several manuscripts that had another one written underneath,” Warren told Baptist Press. “And it’s a pretty exciting time because every now and then, we’ll find one that’s a good biblical manuscript that was underneath. This time, it was on a Syriac manuscript.”

The older text was discovered by a team of scholars led by Peter Williams at Tyndale House at Cambridge University. Williams and Warren are among several scholars collaborating on the longstanding International Greek New Testament Project (IGNTP) to produce critical editions of the Greek New Testament. Williams is IGNTP president, and Warren is a member of the IGNTP committee of 26 scholars on the project that has the Museum of the Bible among its supporters.

In an ancient system of recycling vellum, a type of parchment made from calf skin, scribes would scrape away the existing ink, wash the vellum and use it for new writings. This is what occurred in the 10th or 11th century when a scribe at St. Catherine’s Monastery at Mt. Sinai needed vellum to record Climacus’ work. The scribe recycled leaves from an older manuscript, which evidently was a star map drawn in the fifth or sixth century and based on Hipparchus’ star catalogue.

While the star catalogue itself has little biblical significance, it does give greater insight into the astronomy conducted by the biblical magi referenced at the birth of Jesus, Warren told Baptist Press.

“The map itself has no biblical input, other than showing that they were very involved in mapping out the stars and such,” Warren said. “Now where that has implications on exegesis, which is different from the actual text, is the magi were actually ones who were involved in mapping out the stars. … This shows they’re part of a long line of studies in this area. There’s nothing quirky about them,” Warren said, clarifying that Christians would not, of course, use the stars to determine future events as did the magi. “They are part of a long history of trying to map out the stars.”

The technique of spectral imaging is important in the discovery of biblical text, Warren said.

“Sometimes our manuscripts contain old texts that we thought were totally lost, that are not biblical,” Warren said. “On the other hand, sometimes we find biblical text that would have been lost if we had not found them.”

Brian Hyland, the Museum of the Bible’s associate curator of medieval manuscripts, explained the work’s historical provenance to Baptist Press.

“This translation was most likely produced at St. Catherine’s Monastery by Mt. Sinai, where John (Climacus) had been the abbot in the early seventh century,” Hyland told Baptist Press. “This manuscript was a palimpsest created by recycling at least 10 different manuscripts, six of which were in Christian Palestinian Aramaic and four of which were in Greek.

Putting God First Enhances Everything Beneath Him

Randy Alcorn

November 2, 2022

In Eyes Wide Open, Steve DeWitt says, “Christians who properly place God as the source and goal of the things they enjoy will find themselves enjoying those things even more. In truth, the way we as believers relish created beauties ought to outstrip that of unbelievers, since we neither find our identity in them nor hold on to them as ultimate.”

Secondary happiness, which is found in something or someone God has created, ultimately leads back to Him. Have you ever pointed to something you want a child to see and then watched the child look at your finger instead of what you’re pointing at? The secondary only fulfills its purpose when people follow it to the primary.

The man who knows his wife is secondary to God can find great happiness in a relationship with her. In contrast, the man who makes his wife primary will be continuously disappointed because she can’t meet his deepest needs. Because he tries to make her into more than any human can be, both will suffer.

Robert Crofts wrote, “Let these earthly pleasures and felicities excite and encourage us to thankfulness, to all duties of virtue and piety, to look higher to their fountain, to God himself, to heaven, to love and enjoy in him, to contemplate his infinite goodness, love, beauty, sweetness, glory, and excellency.”

Paul said, “What is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy” (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, NIV).

But, wait—didn’t Paul know that God is our only joy? No, he knew that God is our primary joy. It’s fine for me to say that my children, my grandchildren, and my friends are joys if I remember that God made them and works through them to bring me happiness. They’re not lesser joys to me, but greater ones—precisely because I know whom these gifts come from!

In the movie The Avengers, Thor’s brother, the evil Loki, weary of the Incredible Hulk, says to him in a commanding voice, “Enough! . . . I am a god, you dull creature!” The Hulk, unimpressed, picks up Loki with one hand and gives him a merciless thrashing, pounding him into the ground. As he walks away, the Hulk turns back toward Loki, looking disgusted, and mutters, “Puny god.” Loki, utterly defeated, gives a pathetic little squeak.

All idols are not only false gods but also puny gods. The very gifts of God that can bring us great joy become dismally small when we make them primary. A couch that’s plenty big to sit on suddenly becomes tiny when you need someplace to land a plane. What’s big enough to bring us a little happiness from the hand of an infinitely big God isn’t nearly big enough to bear the weight of all our happiness. Only the true God is that big, and the larger we see Him, the bigger our happiness in Him.

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

Finding Peace Through an Ancient Prayer

James Emery White

November 2, 2022

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

“I don’t know what to pray. I’m not sure, right now, I know how to pray. I’m not even sure I want to pray, but I know I need to. I’m just a mess.” Ever felt that way? We all have. Whether we are facing the stark nature of our depravity, the aftermath of sinful choices, devastation caused by grief, the crushing weight of setback or the sense of just being overwhelmed, we can be so spiritually depleted, or spiritually numb, that the thought of prayer is simply too much. We don’t know what to say, how to feel, what can break through the complexity of our feelings. We know we need to pray but have little spiritual or emotional strength to even begin. That’s when you should say the Jesus prayer, an ancient prayer, only one sentence:

Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Its origin is unclear. Aspects of meditative prayer such as this ancient prayer date back to at least the time of the monks of the Egyptian desert as seen in the writings of Evagrius Ponticus (d. 339). “The standard form of the Jesus prayer,” writes Kallistos Ware, “is first found in the Life of Abba Phelmon. He was an Egyptian monk, living in the sixth century.” John Climacus, in the seventh century, was the first Greek writer to refer to it with the phrase “Jesus Prayer.”

It is clearly scriptural in origin. “Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 2:6-11), “Son of God” (Luke 1:31-35), “have mercy on me” (Luke 18:9-14). The Orthodox Church took the prayer and developed its use for prayer and meditation. Ware notes that a Jesus-centered spirituality gradually developed around its use, in which four main elements can be distinguished:

Devotion to the Holy Name “Jesus,” which is felt to act in a semi-sacramental way as a source of power and grace. The appeal for divine mercy, accompanied by a keen sense of compunction and inward grief. The discipline of frequent repetition. The quest for the inner silence of stillness; that is to say, for imageless, non-discursive prayer.

This may be more than you care to know or, even more likely, more than you care to attempt to contemplate while praying. The simpler point is that there are times when you have nothing left to breathe out toward God except these few words. And throughout history, even the brevity of this ancient prayer is sometimes reduced to simply praying, “Jesus, have mercy” or even “Jesus.”

Many years ago, I recall counseling a fellow pastor who had shipwrecked much of his life and ended up, for a brief time, in a jail cell and then a mental health institution. He said throughout that experience, all he could pray over and over was, “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

And maybe that’s all you can summon to pray as well. The good news? It’s more than enough.

This article on ancient prayer originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

9 Ways You Can Encourage Families to Make a Return Visit

Missy McKinnon

November 2, 2022

My husband and I are looking for a new home church. It has been awkward, to say the least. We have been married for seven years, and at least one of us has been working at a church for the entirety of our marriage. The church we were at had to close, but I never imagined that the hardest part would be after we closed the doors, that the most difficult part would be finding a new home church. Based on my church shopping experience, I have decided to make a list of ways to encourage new families to make a return visit:

9 Ways You Can Encourage Families to Make a Return Visit

1. Make it easy to find the kids area.

No matter what door they walk in there should be signs and greeters who know where to take the kids. Bonus points if you have signs outside of the building stating where the kids entrance is.

2. Keep the check-in form short.

Have them fill out their name, their phone and any allergies, and then have them fill out the rest later. Trust me, nothing makes me forget my address faster than both my kids screaming and running around my feet.

3. Make a warm transfer from check-in to the classroom.

Once people get their kids checked in, have a volunteer or host walk them to each child’s classroom. This is a MUST if you are in large church and a plus if you are in smaller church.

4. Look for new families.

They usually have a confused look on their face, and might be looking around frantically.

5. Tell parents what happened in class.

I want to know what my child is learning about. Most older kids can tell their parents what they learned, but I would love a handout at least. This is why all of our curriculum Super Church 2.0 and Kinder Church 2.0 (Pst. Kinder Church 2.0 is HALF OFF right now until October 4, 2017) has a Parent Handout for every single lesson!

6. Meet the family’s needs.

Don’t be so rigid in your rules that you put off meeting their needs. A good example of this is when classes are separated by ages. I heard about a family of four kids, and three of the kids went in one class and one was left to go by herself to the older class. The teachers made her go by herself and she started crying. I see no problem in letting the older child go to the younger class. Granted, at some point, she will need to go to her own class, but work with the family and it will be a better experience for all.

7. Don’t forget what it was like to be the new family.

Find a ‘secret shopper’ to visit your church and time how long it takes to get the children checked in. At one church it took 13 minutes from the minute we walked in the door until we sat down in the sanctuary, and at another one, it took almost 25! Let’s start making it easier for new families to get checked in!

8. Offer incentives to come back.

Give the children a card/coupon that when they bring it back they can get something cool.

9. Make it fun!

If church is fun, the kids will want to come back, and they will ask their parents to come back.

Granted there are a lot of different reasons why some people make a return visit and some don’t come back to church. But, I believe that a great KidMin is one of the main reasons why people come back, and this list a great starting point.

What are you doing to encourage parents to make a return visit to your church?

This article about how to encourage people to make a return visit originally appeared here.

13 Ways Church Can Encourage Mental Health

Brandon Cox

November 2, 2022

encourage-mental-health — Adobestock #509120955

It’s inevitable. If you’re in ministry long at all, you will absolutely find yourself ministering to people who struggle with mental health issues. And rather than there being clear boundaries between the mental and spiritual parts of us, we are, instead, whole beings. We think thoughts. We feel emotions. We make decisions. Our bodies and our brains are made of matter and exist in a real, physical dimension. And it all relates. It all overlaps. The church can encourage mental health.

The other day, I sent an email to my list promoting the upcoming Church Mental Health Summit, which featured speakers I know and respect. I received a reply to my email that essentially said, “The only true “mental health” is a right relationship with God.” Every time I write about depression, anxiety, or mental illness of any kind, some people will inevitably respond with a pseudo-spiritual, condescending attitude that suggests all of our mental health issues would disappear if we simply had more faith, prayed harder, or chose to be happy.

Unfortunately, this approach completely ignores reality. It also ignores the stories in which Jesus approached mentally ill people with a great deal of compassion, involving himself in their mental mess to offer his love. Jesus, by his actions and ministry, showed us how to encourage mental health.

I believe we’ve seen a lot of progress in the last couple of decades when it comes to how the church approaches mental health. But we also have a long way to go. I long to see the church keep getting better in this area and wanted to offer some suggestions for pastors and church leaders about how we can intentionally grow in this area.

13 Ways Church Can Encourage Mental Health

LOVE everyone and show it, instilling in people a strong sense that they are highly valued.
Study (and share) the stories of biblical characters who struggled, such as David and Elijah.
Also elevate the stories of historical church leaders who struggled, like Charles Spurgeon.
Accept that for some, mental illness will be a long-term struggle in spite of strong faith in God.
Affirm mental health professionals instead of casting a shadow of doubt over the entire industry and encourage the use of CBD products such as Zilis UltraCell full spectrum hemp.
Build relationships with trusted local professionals to whom you can refer people for help.
When authentic and appropriate, (pastors and teachers) share the story of your own struggles.
Eliminate the assumption that depression or mental illness is the result of someone’s sin.
Respect the work of scientists and professionals who discover and prescribe medical treatments.
Create safe spaces (small groups, particularly) for people to share appropriately with others.
Minister to people holistically, realizing that there is a physical and chemical component to mental health.
Read some good books on the subject of mental health, counseling, and recovery.
Listen to valuable podcasts like The Place We Find Ourselves and Hope Made Strong.

It’s also okay to admit that you’re not a trained expert in this area. You may be a master theologian and be able to translate scripture from its original languages, but that doesn’t mean you’re equipped to diagnose mental disorders.

My biggest recommendation for church leaders in this area is to befriend professionals in the mental health space and be a learner and a listener. Hear and respect the stories of those who struggle with mental illness in any form.

We can get better at this. We can encourage mental health, remove the stigma, help more people, and show the love of Christ in this area.

This article on how the church can encourage mental health originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

How to Plan for Advent

Jamie Wright

November 2, 2022

Advent is coming: the first SUnday falls in November (the 27th), so now is the time to plan for Advent.. Liturgically, it’s the beginning of the new church year. Practically, it’s the countdown to Christmas. It’s a season of waiting, expectation, anticipation, and heightened awareness that a special day is on the horizon. We need to plan for Advent.

Some churches make a big deal of Advent and some churches skip over the whole thing and just start singing Christmas carols before people have even had a chance to finish their left-over Turkey. I’d like to make a case, in whatever church/denominational/liturgical setting you lead, that you try to aim for at least three things as you plan for Advent.

How to Plan for Advent – 3 Targets

1. Build anticipation

The countdown to Christmas taps into a longing in people’s hearts that they might not even be aware is there. The presenting longing is for a fun party, or for some days off, or for time with family, or opening presents, but the underlying longing in all of us is to be rescued. We all want a Savior. If you think I’m crazy just watch people’s faces at political rallies. It’s nuts.

At this time of year, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the weeks the Church has called “Advent” (for “arriving” or “coming”) for centuries, we’re crazy if we ignore the anticipation that everyone is experiencing, and attempt to skip over it and jump to Christmas too soon.

Wait until the last Sunday before Christmas, or even Christmas Eve, to sing Christmas songs. Sing Advent hymns, not Christmas carols. Light the Advent candles. Pray Advent prayers. Let the prophesies of the coming of Christ be read in your services. Don’t decorate your Sanctuary too soon. Intentionally hold off on bringing Christmas into things too early in the season. Build anticipation, even to the point of making people ask you why you’re waiting so long.

The point is to tap into people’s anticipation, and to remind them that the underlying longing is for a Savior. It will make Christmas (and Christmas carols) all the more sweet when you finally get there.

2. Express lament

Some years ago ago I read a tragic story in The Washington Post about a murder/suicide about an hour’s drive from my house that claimed the life of a young mother and her infant while the 5-year-old daughter took a bath upstairs. She didn’t know anything was wrong until her Mom didn’t come to get her out of the bath, at which point she got herself dressed and then made the terrible discovery downstairs.

This kind of story makes me unspeakably sad. And angry. And confronted by the evil, sinful, brokenness that has infected this world. And I don’t know what else to pray besides “Jesus, please come back quickly.”

We all read news stories like that, or hear of yet another case of incurable cancer, or read of more threats of war, or see the villages in the Philippines completely wiped off the map in the latest typhoon, and deep inside of us we know it’s not the way it’s supposed to be.

Advent is a time when we can (and should) sing songs and pray prayers of lament, crying out to Jesus to come back, and to come back soon, and to “make the sad things come untrue”. If we skip past Advent without giving our people an opportunity to express these cries, we do them a disservice.

Let your people lament. And lament in hope. Because one day Jesus came as a baby and he’ll one day come again as King.

3. Give people space to be still

Christmas parties, travel, buying presents, wrapping presents, buying a tree, decorating the house, having a good time, baking cookies, hanging lights outside your house, raking leaves, keeping everyone happy, sweeping up broken ornaments, watering the tree, sending out Christmas cards, getting a family picture taken, baking the pie, trying not to gain 20 pounds, and oh that’s right try to make it to church too.

The weeks leading up to Christmas are the most insane weeks of the people in your congregation’s whole year. We all feel it. I’m feeling it this year especially as Catherine and I prepare to welcome baby girl # 3 on December 18th! And release two new albums (great Christmas present idea!), and manage the Andrew Peterson concert two days after our new baby comes, and the list goes on. All of us have our own long lists this time of year.

Wouldn’t it be a great gift to our people on Sunday mornings if we gave them some space to be still? Between songs. During a song. Between readings. After the message. During communion. Whenever.

Find some time in your services to intentionally leave some space for people to be still. Even just 30 seconds can be powerful. Just say something like: “This morning we’re aware that all of us are experiencing the usual pre-Christmas busyness and pressure and anxiety. We’re just going to take a few moments to pause, and be still, and enjoy God’s presence, and before we sing this next song let’s allow the Holy Spirit to help us to slow down. To rest. To remember our need for a Savior…” Something like that. It will bless people.

So whether you’re in a really liturgical church or a really informal church, I’d encourage you to use the season of Advent to help your congregation anticipate the coming of Christ and the coming of Christmas, to lament all the brokenness and sadness that we long for him to redeem, and to see Sunday mornings as opportunities to rest in the grace and love of God that’s displayed in the cradle, on the cross, in the empty tomb, and on the occupied Throne.

This article on how to plan for Advent originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Thanksgiving Tablecloth Tradition That Families Will Treasure

Dale Hudson

November 1, 2022

Grow gratitude and memories with this fun Thanksgiving tablecloth tradition. Holidays are such a great time for parents to make spiritual memories with their children. On Thanksgiving, family members from multiple generations often gather to share their blessings.

God showers us with so many blessings. And it’s never too early to incorporate gratitude into your family prayers and devotion times. Thankfulness is important year-round, but it receives special attention during the month of November.

Share this Thanksgiving tablecloth tradition with families in your church and children’s ministry program. Parents will love trying this memory-making holiday tradition with their kids!

Thanksgiving Tablecloth Tradition

Materials needed:

plain white tablecloth

fabric markers

Instructions:

Before you bring out the food, place the white tablecloth over your table.

Have each person place their hand on the table.

Next, have each person use a fabric marker to trace the outline of their hand on the tablecloth.

Have each person write the year and a few things they’re thankful for inside their hand trace. Help younger children as needed.

Go around the table. One by one, have people share what they wrote in their hand trace.

Keep the tablecloth in a safe place. Then bring it out each year and repeat the steps. Bonus: For parents, they will be able to see their child’s hand grow in size each year.

Close out this gratitude-themed activity with prayer. Ask each person to put their hand back on their drawing. Then take turns thanking God in prayer for all your blessings.

Share this fun, easy activity with families at your church today. You’ll empower them and grow their gratitude muscles with this great Thanksgiving idea. Parents will love trying out this Thanksgiving tradition. And all family members will enjoy making spiritual memories of thankfulness for years to come.

This article about a creative Thanksgiving tradition originally appeared here.

‘We Don’t Need a Walker’—Pastor Jamal Bryant Slams Herschel Walker in Viral Sermon Clip

Jessica Lea

November 1, 2022

jamal bryant — Screenshot from YouTube / @New Birth Mbc

Anyone who would vote for U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker is “stupid” and akin to “the slave Negroes” who used to live in the state of Georgia, said Pastor Jamal Bryant in his sermon Sunday. Bryant leads New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in the Atlanta area, and a clip of the sermon in which he lambasted Walker has gone viral on Twitter.

“They thought we were so slow, that we were so stupid that we would elect the lowest caricature of a stereotypical, broken Black man, as opposed to somebody who is educated and erudite and focused,” said Bryant in a sermon titled, “I Don’t Need a Walker” that was streamed on Oct. 30. “Ya’ll ain’t ready for me today.”

Stop what you’re doing and watch this complete takedown of @HerschelWalker by pastor @jamalhbryant. #WeDontNeedAWalker pic.twitter.com/TOGnFxliLe

— Quentin James (@QJames) October 30, 2022

Jamal Bryant: ‘We Don’t Need a Walker’

Herschel Walker is a former NFL player and the Trump-backed Republican candidate running for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia. His opponent is Sen. Raphael Warnock, who is pro-choice and senior pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

The race is a key one as the Senate at this time contains 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats and two Independents. Vice President Kamala Harris casts the tie-breaking vote if necessary, but a victory for Walker would mean the Republicans would take the majority. Walker has come down hard against abortion and has said he would support federal legislation proposed by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham banning abortion after 15 weeks.

On Oct. 3, The Daily Beast broke a story alleging that Walker paid for a former girlfriend to have an abortion. The news prompted Walker’s son, Christian, to post a series of tweets denouncing his father and challenging “family values people” who support Walker. “I know my mom and I would really appreciate if my father Herschel Walker stopped lying and making a mockery of us,” said Christian the evening the report came out. “You’re not a ‘family man’ when you left us to bang a bunch of women, threatened to kill us, and had us move over 6 times in 6 months running from your violence.”

Walker denied the woman’s allegation “in the strongest possible terms,” saying he would sue The Daily Beast for defamation the next day, but it does not appear that he has done so as of this writing. Since then, a second woman has come forward saying that Walker also pressured her into having an abortion, an allegation Walker also denies.

Dr. Jamal Bryant, who took over leadership of New Birth in 2018, opened his sermon with gratitude to God for bringing the congregation through COVID-19-related challenges, praise for educators, and exhortation to church members to “sow back” God’s blessings through tithing. Believers will not get to “the next level” when they owe God “seed” because they haven’t tithed, said Bryant, using language common among prosperity gospel preachers.

After a baby dedication, prayer and a performance from the gospel choir from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Bryant delivered his sermon, taking as his text 2 Samuel 9:3, which says, “The king [David] asked, ‘Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?’ Ziba answered the king, ‘There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.’”

Phillies Catcher J.T. Realmuto Follows Jesus While Chasing World Series Championship

Stephanie Martin

November 1, 2022

j t realmuto — Houston, USA. 29th Oct, 2022. Philadelphia Phillies J.T. Realmuto runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the tenth inning to give the Phillies a 6-5 lead over the Houston Astros in game one of the 2022 World Series at Minute Maid Park in Houston on Friday, October 28, 2022. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI. Credit: UPI/Alamy Live News (Alamy Live News via AP)

Playing in the Fall Classic is a dream come true for baseball’s best. While chasing his dream of a World Series championship, Philadelphia Phillies star J.T. Realmuto is vocal about following Jesus and prioritizing his faith.

Realmuto, one of baseball’s top catchers, scored the go-ahead home run in extra innings of game one Friday against Houston. Afterward, the three-time All Star thanked God and credited his teammates during a post-game interview. “I’m just so thankful for this opportunity,” said Realmuto, 31. “I thank God for being able to come out here and play this wonderful game for a living.”

After earning a National League wild-card berth this fall, the Phillies beat two division winners. In October, Realmuto became the first catcher to hit an inside-the-park homerun during the postseason.

The best-of-seven World Series is tied at one game apiece, with the next matchup slated for tonight (November 1).

J.T. Realmuto: Jesus Is No. 1

J.T. Realmuto, selected by the Marlins in the 2010 draft, was traded to the Phillies in 2019 and has a five-year, $115.5 million deal. During a 2020 episode of the podcast “Faith on the Field Show,” the catcher said he grew up in the church but didn’t truly embrace the Christian faith until meeting his wife, Alexis. The couple, married since 2016, have three young children.

“I wasn’t necessarily on fire for [Jesus],” Realmuto admits. “I wasn’t living for him until I met Alexis.” Going all-in with his faith was life-changing for the athlete. “It’s extremely important to me in life to know that the first thing I am…before I’m a father, before I’m a baseball player, the No. 1 thing I am is a follower of Christ,” he says.

J.T. Realmuto: Despite Life’s Uncertainties, Jesus Has a Plan

Amid contract negotiations and the ever-present risk of injuries, trusting God is essential as a pro athlete, says J.T. Realmuto. He and his wife “constantly have this conversation that it’s not really worth it for us to think about or stress about or worry about” those things, he says, because “[God’s] already got a plan.”

Realmuto continues: “Especially in today’s day, being able to fall back on that relationship with Christ, if that’s the center of your life, all these problems that you’re going through, all these worries that you have, always seem a lot smaller. You can always have faith in him that he’ll be there with you to get you through that.”

Lifeway Research: Churchgoers Increasingly Prefer a Congregation That Shares Their Politics

Aaron Earls

November 1, 2022

politics — Photo by Element5 Digital (via Unsplash)

As churchgoers head to the ballot box for midterm elections, most expect the rest of their congregation to be voting the same way they do.

Half of U.S. Protestant churchgoers (50%) say they’d prefer to attend a church where people share their political views, and 55% believe that to be the case at their congregation already, according to a study from Lifeway Research.

“Studies have shown that voting patterns and political affiliation correlate with the type of church and amount of church involvement someone has,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “But when asked if churchgoers want political similarity to flow back into their church relationships, this is desirable for only half of churchgoers.”

Political Preference

While 50% of churchgoers prefer a politically homogenous congregation, 41% disagree, and 10% aren’t sure. Overall, the percentage of those looking to attend a church where people share their voting preferences is similar to a 2017 Lifeway Research study, when 46% said the same. However, more churchgoers are adamant about worshipping alongside their political peers. Around 1 in 5 (19%) now strongly agree they prefer to attend a church where people share their political views, up from 12% in 2017.

“While almost 1 in 5 churchgoers is adamant that they want to attend church with those who share their political views, there are just as many who strongly disagree with that perspective,” said McConnell. “The 23% who strongly disagree are clearly saying the source of unity they have with others in their church has nothing to do with partisanship.”

Younger churchgoers are more likely than older ones to prefer sharing a pew with someone of the same politics. Almost 3 in 5 of those under 50 (57%) want a congregation with people who share their political views, compared to 47% of those 50 to 65 and 41% of those 65 and older.

Ethnicity and education also play a role. White (54%) and African American (53%) churchgoers are more likely to want a church with shared politics than Hispanic churchgoers (25%). Those who are high school graduates or less (44%) are among the least likely.

Denominationally, Methodist (88%) and Restorationist movement (80%) churchgoers are more likely to say they want their congregations to have a common political perspective than Baptists (47%), Presbyterian/Reformed (47%), Lutherans (38%) and those who attend a non-denominational church (38%).

Churchgoers with evangelical beliefs (44%) are less likely than churchgoers who don’t strongly agree with the four core evangelical theology statements (54%) to say they prefer a church where people share their political opinions.

Despite their preferences, churchgoers may stick around even if the rest of the congregation doesn’t share their views. Another 2017 Lifeway Research study found only 9% of Protestant churchgoers said they would consider changing churches over political views.

Political Perception

Regardless of their preferences, most churchgoers believe they’re among their political tribe when at church. More than half (55%) of U.S. Protestant churchgoers say their political views match those of most people at their church. Fewer than a quarter disagree (23%) or aren’t sure (22%).

Just as more churchgoers strongly prefer a congregation of similar politics today, more churchgoers also strongly believe they are a part of such a congregation. In 2017, 51% felt their church was politically homogenous, with 11% strongly agreeing. Today, 21% strongly agree.

Church Food Pantry Robbed of $800 in Meat; Congregation Committed To Providing As Generously As Possible

Dale Chamberlain

November 1, 2022

Vandalia Presbyterian Church, a small congregation located in Greensboro, NC, dedicates the first and third Wednesday of the month to providing a food pantry and clothing closet to those in the community who have need. Unfortunately, when they open up their doors this week, they will be doing so without any fresh meat to provide.

Over the weekend, thieves broke into the church and stole meat designated for the food pantry, the selection of which varies from month to month but typically includes chicken, ground beef, and sometimes bacon, sausage, or even steak.

As food prices continue to increase throughout the nation as a result of inflation, providing a food pantry has taken an increased measure of generosity. A blow like this theft makes it all the more difficult.

The intruders also reportedly left behind an expensive mess, breaking a window and damaging other parts of the building. They took roughly $800 worth of meat, also stealing a computer connected to the Second Harvest Food Bank, which helps supply the church’s pantry and has access to food distribution reports.

Though the congregation is only 20 in number, with the youngest member being 65 years old, they regularly serve over 100 people in the community. This is the highest demand the pantry has experienced since 2009, as the number of people utilizing their services has roughly doubled.

“It’s wrong,” volunteer Joe Gardner told a local Fox affiliate. “It’s wrong, that is all I can say.”

Lynn Gardner, who places orders for the food pantry supplies, told Greensboro News and Record, “They aren’t taking it from me or the church members. They are taking it from the people who really need it.”

Gardner also noted that the thieves were “definitely choicy” in what they stole, speculating that they “may be trying to sell it.”

The congregation is heartbroken, as providing these services to the community is one of the reasons they have opted not to sell their building and close their doors. Despite having an air conditioning unit that has been broken for years, the congregation has offered the $300 in its bank account to help replace some of the meat.

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9 Ways You Can Encourage Families to Make a Return Visit

1. Make it easy to find the kids area.

2. Keep the check-in form short.

3. Make a warm transfer from check-in to the classroom.

4. Look for new families.

5. Tell parents what happened in class.

6. Meet the family’s needs.

7. Don’t forget what it was like to be the new family.

8. Offer incentives to come back.

9. Make it fun!

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How to Plan for Advent – 3 Targets

1. Build anticipation

2. Express lament

3. Give people space to be still

Thanksgiving Tablecloth Tradition

Materials needed:

Instructions:

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