Children’s Lessons on Faith: 7 Tips for Navigating Doubts

November 15, 2022

While teaching children’s lessons on faith, you’ve likely heard lots of tough questions. “What if Jesus isn’t really real?” “How can we really know that the Bible is true?” “Those miracles didn’t really happen, did they?” Such questions are spiritually scary for Sunday school teachers and parents alike.

Tough questions can cause a level of panic. Suddenly we’re afraid that all we’ve taught kids has gone out the window. We fear they’re headed down a worldly path toward destruction. We begin envisioning a godless future awaiting them and the pain and turmoil that would bring.

Hang on Mama, Daddy and/or faithful church volunteer. No need to panic! Nine times out of 10, doubt is not a sign that your sweet kid is headed to hell. He or she won’t necessarily walk away from God’s truth.

Doubt is a healthy and normal part of faith. Adults’ responses to kids’ doubts can make all the difference.

7 Tips for Teaching Children’s Lessons on Faith

Follow these 7 tips when exploring faith dealing with kids’ doubts:

1. Don’t freak out or dismiss kids’ concerns.

Appreciate that this child felt safe enough with you to ask a really hard question or express a deep concern. Don’t blow it off, but don’t blow it out of proportion either. Avoid any hint of shame for asking a question that may have taken a lot of courage to voice. Of course, some questions may just be random and off-hand. Ask for clarification. Say something like, “What’s made you think about that?” or “Tell me more about what you’re thinking.”

Before you try to answer, learn what children are truly asking. With all your children’s lessons on faith, remember this. Your reactions to their questions will greatly determine the comfort they feel in asking hard things in the future.

2. Avoid communicating that doubt is bad.

The Psalms are full of questions from David, a man after God’s own heart, as well as other writers. It is OK to ask God hard questions and to ask hard questions about God. We never want to squash that in a child. Encourage hard conversations with complicated answers. These are the conversations you want kids to have!

3. Doubt can lead to stronger faith.

By asking the questions and seeking answers, kids have the opportunity to strengthen their faith, not weaken it. Imagine if they have these thoughts but don’t seek better answers and instead just dwell on the doubt? God often uses this process in all of us to bring us closer to Him. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.”

4. Don’t feel like you have to protect God.

God is big enough for our questions. Ask Job. He also knows that we are thinking them, whether we voice them or not. It’s much healthier for kids to learn how to handle doubt and questions rather than just internalize them. My pastor, Sam Rainer, says, “In a free market of ideas, Christianity does well. Among all the faith stories, we have the better, true story.”

Beth Moore’s Tweet on Christian Nationalism Goes Viral

Jesse T. Jackson

November 15, 2022

Best selling Christian author and Living Proof Ministries president Beth Moore made a comment regarding Christian nationalism that went viral on Twitter yesterday (Nov 14).

Moore’s words didn’t leave any room for interpretation, as she let her Christian followers know exactly where she stands when it comes to the political philosophy.

“Christian nationalism isn’t the way ahead for Jesus followers. Christian faithfulness is,” the renowned Bible teacher explained. “It’s fidelity to Christ—not fidelity to notions of American Christianity or to any political party—that will bring light into this present darkness. The church is bride to no one but Christ.”

The “Jesus, the One and Only” author, who has over 1 million followers on Twitter, has received over 14,000 likes and almost 700 comments—many of which agreed with Moore. Nevertheless, there were a few who did not.

“Grow up, Beth,” one commenter retorted, while another said, “Then why don’t you take a stand for biblical and moral issues. Your silence says a lot. Would you have stood with pharaoh, the Caesar’s, the Pharisee’s? Blessed God’s people did not.”

However, someone else pointed out that Moore’s comments were less controversial than most would seem to think, saying, “This tweet is going to attract a ton of controversy when it really shouldn’t. She’s saying Jesus over flag. If you struggle with that…welp.”

One commenter reminded Christians about the golden Trump statue at CPAC in 2021.

“I really thought when they wheeled out an actual golden statue (golden calf), the spell would finally be broken. I was heartbroken when that didn’t happen. I’m sick at how our faith has been twisted,” she said.

Some genuinely asked Moore to define the “Christian nationalism,” because they feel as though it means different things to different people.

9 Challenges To Church Planting

Ed Stetzer

November 15, 2022

In just a few decades, we’ve witnessed an explosion of interest and engagement in North American church planting. What was just a sideshow that a few entrepreneurial folks did in the 80s and 90s is viewed as the main act for many church leaders today. The church planting boom has reordered the priorities of many denominations, who are now directing significant resources to see new churches established and providing training for their prospective pastors in how to plant well. We’ve also seen a host of effective church planting networks emerge onto the main stage with aggressive plans to plant their next church in a town near you.

Still, challenges remain. Like any movement, challenges exist that threaten the vitality and longevity of church planting. We must consider how to address them. This list certainly isn’t exhaustive, but I’ve identified nine challenges that could hinder the forward advance of church planting.

1. Many Established Churches Are Still Resistant To Planting

While many more churches emphasize planting today than when I planted my first church in the 80s, many established churches still resist planting churches. This resistance can take the form of outright hostility to a new church in town. But it can also be demonstrated in the lack of prioritizing multiplication within the established church itself.

This resistance can be attributed to several reasons, including the fear of losing key members, finding competent and called planters, and a lack of a kingdom vision that sees far beyond the local church.

I can understand the impulse to resist. If a pastor is leading a struggling established church, the last bit of news you want to receive is that a young, energetic, and entrepreneurial planter is coming to town, backed by the resources of a denomination or network.

But not only is a broader, kingdom-minded vision toward the expansion of the body of Christ biblically faithful, it also benefits the established church. As Tim Keller has said, “The continual planting of new congregations is the most crucial strategy for … the continual corporate renewal and revival of existing churches.” Studies repeatedly show that when an established church catches a vision for multiplication, it breathes new life into the existing church. (There is a free video course designed to equip churches to become sending churches available here.)

2. Church Plants Often Delay Developing a Culture of Multiplication

Sometimes it is not an established church that resists planting. New churches often wait until they are well established to begin involvement in planting other churches. As I wrote here, new churches need to be like the Tribbles from the original Star Trek series. Tribbles were born pregnant and spread at an incredible pace. New churches need to take root in their communities with a similar “born pregnant” culture. Planters don’t have to wait until they’re ten years in, have a multi-million dollar budget, and have hundreds of people to create a culture of multiplication.

What’s more, multiplication has everything to do with the development of leaders, not merely the gathering of resources. In other words, the only thing your church needs to multiply is a ready leader to send. A ready leader will often succeed without an abundance of resources.

Churches that lack a multiplication culture often also lack a development culture. In a development culture, leaders focus on developing future leaders to send out. Even without resources, ready leaders will succeed. We see this play out in the Book of Acts where the church was determined to multiply at any cost. Church plants that delay establishing a culture of multiplication risk setting their churches on a steady path toward stagnation.

A culture of multiplication must become imbedded in the DNA of a church at all levels for it to impact planting. As I said here, “We cannot lead what we do not live. We must be multipliers.”

3. Some Would-Be Church Planters Just Don’t Want the Sacrifice

Church planting always requires sacrifice. When someone plants a new church, they must count the cost. It requires you to sacrifice time and money. It often requires you to uproot and relocate your family to the new context. If you’re a pastor sending out a group of people to plant, it also is a sacrifice of people.

Once the church launches, the new planter often deals with a lot of relational upheaval. Often the type of people that join the effort to get a new church off the ground are not the same people who will stay rooted in that church for years to come. Church planting is a strange mix of the thrill of seeing people come to know Christ and serving your community through an outreach event that involves cleaning porta-potties after a Memorial Day celebration—all to the glory of God.

In recent years, the training and funding provided by denominations and networks has reduced the severity of some of the sacrifices involved in church planting. Many of these groups invest tens of thousands of dollars into each church plant and provide best practices that catalyze growth and avoid the mistakes of those of us who learned best practices the hard way.

And yet, in our consumer culture, we can easily forget how sacrifice is a kingdom value (Luke 9:23). This video of Duke women’s basketball coach Kara Lawson talking about the value of “handling hard well” is a good word for church planting. Church planting is on the frontier of missional work and will necessarily require sacrifice.

4. Churches Lack Community With Churches in Other Contexts

Despite a dramatic push toward mutual learning and cooperation in recent years, many churches (or their leaders) remain isolated relationally. This isolation hinders cooperative work that can be done to see new churches planted.

It’s possible to cultivate meaningful relationships across denominational boundaries without compromising your convictions or denominational distinctives. These relationships provide learning opportunities that leaders can take back to their own church traditions to improve their church planting efforts.

Pastor Admonished for Skinny Jeans: ‘I’ll Let It Bring Me Closer to Jesus’

Stephanie Martin

November 15, 2022

When an anonymous congregant scolded South Dakota Pastor Adam Weber for preaching in skinny jeans, he tried not to “become jaded because of it.” Instead, the leader of one of America’s fastest-growing churches says he’ll let the incident “bring me closer to Jesus.”

Weber, pastor of Embrace Church in Sioux Falls, received a handwritten letter last month calling his apparel “disgusting,” “completely offensive,” and “morally wrong.” The unnamed writer urges Weber, 40, to dress “more conservatively” while leading worship because he’s “a representative of Jesus Christ.”

Letter Reminds Pastor: ‘You Are a Role Model’

The two-page letter reprimands Weber, asking, “Where is your common sense?” The writer continues, “This looks like you are trying on purpose to be sexy!” He or she adds, “You are not in middle school but rather responsible for an entire church. … You are a role model, for crying out loud!” The letter adds that the church’s “praise and worship team should also dress conservatively.”

Weber posted the letter on Facebook not to be “passive aggressive towards the anonymous person who sent this. Or for anyone to feel sorry for me,” he writes. “Only to encourage you: Please don’t walk away from Jesus because of people.”

The United Methodist pastor says he bears “no ill will” toward the sender, adding, “I know when I’m hurting, I think/say/do hurtful things.” He asks his social media followers to pray for the writer, “that God would shower them with His love, grace, & kindness today.” Weber says he’d love to “grab a coffee with this person to hear their story.”

About his wardrobe choices, the pastor calls them “very limited,” saying he’ll probably “keep wearing my skinny jeans. Even if they’re…sexy?”

‘Wear a Robe and Sandals Next Time’

In response to his post, Weber received a range of mostly supportive comments. “I have always thought the way you dress while on stage makes you feel more relatable to us,” writes one congregant. “Wear a robe and sandals next time and sit down to teach,” notes another. “That’ll make ‘em lose their mind!”

Continuing that theme, someone writes: “I bet this person would have really loved what Jesus wore when he preached. He most likely wasn’t even wearing pants.” Another notes: “I’m pretty sure those that followed Jesus were more concerned about what he was preaching than his clothing.”

One comment points out: “Your church is growing! Obviously Jesus and all of us like it!” Another person takes a tongue-in-cheek swipe at Weber, writing, “Ahem. I don’t think they make you look very skinny.”

‘It’s a Difficult Time’—Pastor Miles McPherson Addresses Former Church Elder Arrested for Torture, Murder of Adoptive Daughter

Jessica Mouser

November 15, 2022

Pastor Miles McPherson of Rock Church in San Diego has shed more light on the recent arrest of one of the church’s former volunteers, Leticia McCormack. McCormack was charged with the torture and murder of her 11-year-old adoptive daughter, Arabella.

“I want to address a very sad situation that was in the news this week,” said Pastor Miles McPherson before he began his sermon Sunday, Nov. 13. “I know some of you know her, Leticia McCormack, and we want to pray for everybody involved, all the people who knew her…I know when things happen like this, [there are] a lot of questions about how it could happen and why it would happen, and we have the same questions. And so we got to go to the Lord for those, for comfort in that situation.”

Miles McPherson: ‘We Appreciate Your Prayers’

Brian and Leticia McCormack began fostering Arabella and her two sisters (ages 6 and 7) in 2017 and adopted them in 2019. On Aug. 30, sheriff’s deputies responded to a 2 a.m. “call of a child in distress” at a home on Lakeview Drive in Spring Valley. Arabella McCormack, whose body showed signs of malnourishment and abuse, was rushed to the hospital, where she subsequently died. Law enforcement began an investigation, and in the course of that investigation, Brian McCormack killed himself in the presence of deputies.

Leticia McCormack and her parents, Stanley and Adella Tom, were arrested on Nov. 7 in connection with Arabella’s death. All three defendants were charged with torture and willful cruelty to a child. Leticia McCormack and Stanley Tom were also charged with murder. The defendants face life in prison if convicted on all charges. They have pled not guilty and will next appear in court on Nov. 16.

Miles McPherson is a former NFL player who founded Rock Church in 2000. According to its website, the church now has five campuses and an attendance of over 18,000. Per a statement from Rock Church sent to ChurchLeaders, Leticia McCormack began volunteering with the church in 2013. She was an ordained elder, but in this role was not “responsible for church governance and/or operations,” said a church spokesperson.

McPherson told the Rock Church congregation that the news about Leticia McCormack is “bewildering because there were so many background checks done.” McCormack volunteered with law enforcement, as well as being a foster mother and church volunteer. She had therefore received background checks not only from law enforcement but also from Child Protective Services and Rock Church. “Nothing revealed that anything like this would happen, could happen,” said McPherson.

The pastor asked the congregation to “pray for everybody involved” and read 1 Peter 5:6, which says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

McPherson encouraged church members that God cares for them and exhorted them to humble themselves before God, depending on him to live their lives. “God will lift you up,” he said. “God’s the one who’s going to get us through.”

‘I Am Jesus Christ’ Video Game Allows Players a First-Person Gaming Experience as Jesus

Dale Chamberlain

November 15, 2022

A new video game called “I Am Jesus Christ” will allow players to assume the persona of Jesus of Nazareth for a first-person narrative style experience wherein they reenact famous moments from the life and ministry of Jesus Christ as recorded in the New Testament gospel accounts.

A trailer for the game showcases some of its gameplay, featuring scenes from first century Israel and showing potential users how they can play as Jesus to perform miracles such as making fish appear for Simon and Andrew to catch, turning water into wine, and healing the sick.

“Many people have attempted to write about the things that have taken place among us. Reports of these things were handed down to us,” a narrator says at the beginning of the trailer, paraphrasing Luke 1:1-2.

Later in the trailer, a female voice questions Jesus, “Why, tell me only why, would you want to save all those humans? They don’t deserve that, and believe me that in the end, they will betray you and kill you.”

The game is being developed by SimulaM, a Polish tech startup.

“I Am Jesus Christ: PROLOGUE is a stand-alone game and the introduction to the full version of I Am Jesus Christ,” the game’s description reads. “Walk in the footsteps of Jesus in this incredible first-person retelling of the story of Christ from birth to resurrection. Become the Messiah in ‘I Am Jesus Christ.”

To gamify the experience, players must charge up their “Holy Spirit energy” to perform miracles in the game, which include using telekinetic power to complete carpentry tasks.

In one vignette of the game, players act as Jesus during his period of fasting in the desert, being aided and instructed by angels in how to combat Satan by throwing energy balls at him, leaving in question how faithful a portrayal of the biblical account the game will offer, as well as how Christians will react to it.

Nevertheless, the makers of the game are apparently not developing it in jest but rather as an attempt to provide a new way for users to interact with the story of Jesus.

Speaking about how the idea for the game came about, SimulaM CEO Maksym Vysochanskiy told VICE, “Basically, over 20 years ago, I was so inspired by computer-animated movies like ‘Shrek’ and ‘Toy Story’ that I thought, ‘It would be great to make such a movie about Jesus Christ.’”

Canadian Artist Hopes To Be ‘Visual Ambassador’ of Pope Francis’ Message to Poor

Claire Giangrave

November 15, 2022

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — A self-proclaimed “visual ambassador” of Pope Francis’ message, Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz is on his way to becoming the most prolific Catholic sculptor under the pontiff’s tenure, with another installation at the Vatican this week.

Schmalz, whose most famous statue, “Homeless Jesus,” has been recast and installed in more than 100 locations around the world, has focused much of his work on the central themes of Francis’ pontificate: migration, human trafficking and poverty.

On Wednesday (Nov. 9), Pope Francis blessed the artist’s latest statue in St. Peter’s Square ahead of the 6th World Day of the Poor on Sunday, which the pope established in 2016 to highlight the suffering of the poor.

The bronze sculpture, named “Sheltering,” depicts a life-size homeless man and a hovering dove, representing the Holy Spirit, pulling a blanket over the man. Schmalz hopes the piece can act as a reminder for Christians and non-Christians alike to aid the suffering around them.

“It is our spiritual duty to take care of the least in our community and society,” Schmalz told Religion News Service in a video call from his New York studio on Monday (Nov. 14).

Over his 25-year career, Schmalz has created numerous statues that are installed in dioceses, learning centers and churches around the world. The Bible, he said, has been “the endless well” of his creativity, inspiring his smaller works as well as his more ambitious, large-scale projects.

“Homeless Jesus” — which depicts a life-size man asleep on a park bench covered almost completely by a blanket, except for his feet which reveal punctured flesh — was Schmalz’s first artwork to appear in Rome, installed in 2016 in the courtyard of Sant’Egidio, in front of the Office of Papal Charities. A similar statue, of Jesus appearing as a shrouded beggar recognizable only by his stigmata, or crucifixion wounds, was installed at the Vatican in 2017.

In “Sheltering,” Schmalz said, he chose not to feature Jesus but instead to make “the Holy Spirit the hero of the sculpture.”

“I didn’t want Christianity to get in the way of the Christian message,” he said, explaining that the dove, as a universal symbol of peace and spirituality, could be more approachable to non-Christians.

While homeless people and birds are common sights in cities, he said that bringing the two together offers a message that usually escapes urban dwellers, often buried in their phones. “The actual homeless person is not shocking people,” Schmalz said, adding that if his sculpture can capture the increasingly volatile attention of people, “then it’s a great use of artwork.”

Did Faith Fall off a Cliff During COVID? New Study Says No.

Bob Smietana

November 15, 2022

faith_covid — Photo via Unsplash.com @pabloheimplatz

(RNS) — When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many Americans lost the habit of churchgoing after almost every church in the country closed down their in-person services and shifted online.

But did some of them give up on God?

Sociologists like Michael Hout want to know.

Hout, a professor of sociology at New York University, has long tracked the decline of organized religion in America. So he was interested to see that several indicators of what he called “intense religion” declined in the 2021 General Social Survey.

In that survey, fewer Americans than in 2016 said they take the Bible literally, pray frequently or have a strong religious affiliation. Even as church attendance had been consistently dropping off over the past decades, those more personal measures of faith had previously held steady or showed only slight decline.

“Then they fell off a cliff,” said Hout in a video interview.

In a new, yet-to-be-published study, Hout and colleagues Landon Schnabel from Cornell University and Sean Bock from Harvard, raise questions about the rapid decline in those measures during the pandemic, which they argue may be more due to changes in how the GSS was administered rather than a sign of religious decline.

Founded in 1972 at the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center, the GSS, conducted every two years, has long been considered a gold standard for national surveys, in part because it has been administered in person rather than online or over the phone.

When the pandemic made in-person surveys unworkable, the GSS switched to a hybrid approach, with most participants answering questions online, while others took the survey over the phone. Researchers also asked some of the participants in the 2016 and 2018 surveys to take part in the 2020 survey, which was published in 2021.

Hout and his colleagues compared past participants who agreed to retake the survey with those who did not and found that fewer “intensely religious” people retook the survey.

For example, they wrote, 36% of those who took part in the 2016 survey said they took the Bible literally. That dropped to 25% among those who completed the follow-up. They also found those who did not take the follow-up survey were more distrustful of institutions and more disconnected from civic society and the internet than those who did.

As a result, the change in survey format led to fewer religious people participating in the 2021 survey, which Hout believes skewed some of the results on religion.

That’s unfortunate, he said, especially at a time when the religious landscape in the United States is changing.

“If you want to measure change, don’t change how you measure it,” he said. “In this moment of great change, we changed how we measure it.”

Hout said that the 2022 GSS data will give a clearer picture of how religion in the United States changed over the pandemic. And he hopes the GSS will remain an in-person survey in the future — though he admitted doing in-person surveys is costly and difficult.

Overall, Hout said, surveys have become more difficult in recent years because of larger changes in American culture. In the past, he said, surveys offered ordinary people a way to comment on larger trends in the culture. Now, he said, social media allows everyone to speak their mind. And people are more skeptical about talking to strangers.

“Before the internet, one of the things that kept GSS and other survey response rates really high was the fact that people said, ‘Oh yeah, I’d love to get a few things off my chest,’” he said. “Now they have a lot of other options that they control much more of.”

A spokesman for the GSS did not respond to a request for comment about changes in methodology.

Eastern University on Hold From CCCU After Dropping Ban on LGBTQ Faculty

Yonat Shimron

November 15, 2022

(RNS) — Eastern University, a Christian school affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA, has amended its policies to allow for the hiring of LGBTQ faculty and to add sexual orientation to its non-discrimination statement.

As a result, its membership with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities has been put on hold during the 2022-23 academic year, and the school is no longer listed online among the 150 U.S. and Canadian schools that belong to the Christian higher education association.

Located in St. Davids, a suburb of Philadelphia, Eastern has leaned left on the evangelical spectrum for some time. Among its faculty are Tony Campolo and the late Ron Sider, two evangelicals who urged social action and justice on behalf of the poor. Its best known alumnus may be Bryan Stephenson, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, who has fought for eliminating unfair sentencing and exonerating innocent death row prisoners. (The school’s alumni also include Doug Mastriano, the recently defeated Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor.)

The decision to change its policies on LGBTQ students and faculty took place at the end of the last semester, the school said in a statement. Specifically, the school removed its ban on hiring LGBTQ faculty and added sexual orientation to its non-discrimination policy.

That immediately set the school on a collision course with the CCCU, the largest association of Christian schools. The CCCU does not allow member schools that hire married gay faculty members and requires policies upholding traditional Christian marriage between a man and a woman.

A spokesperson for the CCCU board confirmed that Eastern’s membership is on “hiatus” during this school year.

In 2015, two Mennonite schools in the CCCU, Eastern Mennonite University and Goshen College, amended their policies to allow the hiring of LGBTQ faculty. A subsequent discussion about giving the two schools affiliate status prompted the exodus of two of the more conservative schools from the CCCU, Oklahoma Wesleyan University and Union University, in Tennessee. Ultimately, the two Mennonite schools voluntarily departed the association, making the discussion of affiliate status moot.

John Fea, a professor of American history at Messiah College, said Eastern is the first non-Mennonite school to change its policies on LGBTQ people, but it may be a harbinger of what’s to come.

“There are growing numbers of LGBTQ-friendly students and even more LGBTQ-friendly faculty that will push their college in this direction,” Fea said. “I’d hate to be a college president right now.”

Until this semester, Eastern welcomed LGBTQ students and allowed a student-led club, Refuge, to advocate for the LGBTQ students. But its student handbook banned “inappropriate displays of affection” and “sexual intimacy … outside of marriage between a man and a woman.”

That has now been amended. Sex outside of marriage is still prohibited, but marriage is no longer defined as the union of a man and a woman. The new policy states:

“It is the University’s position that sexual intimacy is prohibited outside the commitment and bond of marriage. The University reserves the right to take action under the Code of Conduct for students found in violation of this policy.”

US Bishops To Elect New Leaders, Mark Abuse Reform Milestone

Peter Smith

November 15, 2022

U.S — FILE - In this Friday, May 1, 2020 file photo, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez gives a blessing after leading a brief liturgy at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. The nation's Catholic bishops begin their fall annual meeting Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, where they plan to elect new leaders — a vote that may signal whether they want to be more closely aligned with Pope Francis' agenda or maintain a more formal distance. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, Pool)

U.S. Catholic bishops began their fall meeting Monday, with an agenda that includes the election of new leaders — a vote that may signal whether they want to be more closely aligned with Pope Francis ‘ agenda or not.

Several of the 10 candidates to be the next president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are part of its powerful conservative wing, and have not fully embraced some of the pope’s priorities, such as focusing more on the marginalized than on culture-war battles.

The USCCB also will be marking the 20th anniversary of its adoption of policies designed to root out sexual abuse and abusers in the priesthood — measures adopted amid the white-hot scandals of 2002 when The Boston Globe exposed widespread abuse and cover-up.

Outside groups are calling on the bishops to use the anniversary to renew efforts to help survivors heal from abuse, increase lay involvement and consider making another apology to victims.

The opening sessions of the meeting on Monday were held in private. The official highlight of the gathering in Baltimore is the election Tuesday of the next USCCB president, who will succeed Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles.

Usually this is a formality, with the bishops elevating the conference’s vice president to the post. But this year’s election is wide open because the current VP — Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron — will turn 75 soon, making him ineligible to serve.

The 10 candidates range from the relatively moderate Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle to San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, a staunch conservative. Cordileone made headlines this year by barring House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a San Franciscan, from receiving Communion in the archdiocese because of her support for abortion rights.

There is no clear-cut front runner, though some Catholic media outlets on both sides of the ideological spectrum have identified Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Military Services as a strong contender.

The candidates were nominated by their fellow bishops, who bypassed several of their colleagues who have been elevated to cardinal by Pope Francis.

It remains to be seen if the bishops will make another apology for the sex abuse crisis during the meeting, but they have a time of prayer and reflection in observance of the charter’s 20th anniversary scheduled. Bishops have voiced remorse for the scandal at various points over the past two decades.

A coalition of lay advocacy groups organized an online petition pushing for a new apology that has gained more than 1,100 signatures.

The petition acknowledges the bishops’ June 2002 public contrition in the preamble to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the document of reforms they passed in response to the scandal. The petition also calls for an audit of a new reporting system for complaints against bishops — enacted in 2019 to close a prior loophole in the charter — and for laypeople to play a greater role in such investigations.

While 20 years ago the bishops apologized for “too often failing victims and the Catholic people in the past,” petition organizer Kevin Hayes said many don’t know or remember that. He cited Pope Francis’ trip this summer to Canada, where Francis said he was “deeply sorry” to Indigenous survivors of abusive and culturally destructive residential schools.

“This is a good opportunity to not only remind people the bishops had apologized but reaffirm that apology,” said Hayes, of Catholics for Change in Our Church. The Pennsylvania group was created after a 2018 grand jury report into abuse in the church.

Gomez reflected on the milestone year in June, the month the charter passed in 2002.

“This is not a time of celebration, but a time of continued vigilance and determination,” said Gomez, in a statement. “We remain firm with Pope Francis’ commitment, ‘that everything possible must be done to rid the Church of the scourge of the sexual abuse of minors and to open pathways of reconciliation and healing for those who were abused.’”

But David Clohessy, a longtime leader in the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, isn’t among those calling for a new apology: “All the apologies on Earth don’t keep a single kid safe. Promptly suspending molesters and harshly disciplining enablers, those steps both protect kids now and help survivors heal.”

Louisiana Churches Leave Methodist Denomination Amid Schism

AP News

November 15, 2022

NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — The United Methodist Church, a mainstay of the American religious landscape, has cut ties with 58 churches in its Louisiana conference amid a nationwide schism within the Protestant denomination.

The disaffiliations, approved in a virtual conference session Saturday, were the latest in a series of decisions that many Louisiana churches have made in recent weeks to leave the national congregation. Internal tensions over sexuality and theology have roiled the church.

The congregation’s delegates voted 487-35 in favor of the departures. The disaffiliations required support from two-thirds of the delegates.

Six churches leaving the conference are from the New Orleans area. Another seven churches are from the Baton Rouge area. St. Timothy, which at 6,000 members is one of the largest Methodist congregations in Louisiana, voted to pursue disaffiliation on Nov. 1, The Advocate reported.

The United Methodist Church is the latest of several mainline Protestant denominations in the U.S. to begin fracturing amid debates over sexuality and theology. The flashpoints are the denomination’s bans on same-sex marriages and ordaining openly LGBTQ clergy — though many see these as symptoms of deeper differences in views on justice, theology and scriptural authority.

The denomination has repeatedly upheld these bans at legislative General Conferences, but some U.S. churches and clergy have defied them. This spring, the Church’s conservative wing launched a new Global Methodist Church, where they are determined to maintain and enforce such bans.

A proposal to amicably divide the denomination and its assets, unveiled in early 2020, has lost its once-broad support after years of pandemic-related delays to the legislative General Conference, whose vote was needed to ratify it. Now the breakup and the negotiations are happening piecemeal — one regional conference at a time.

In annual regional gatherings across the U.S. earlier this year, United Methodists approved requests of about 300 congregations to quit the denomination, according to United Methodist News Service. Special meetings in the second half of the year are expected to vote on as many as 1,000 more, according to the conservative advocacy group Wesleyan Covenant Association.

Those departing are still a fraction of the estimated 30,000 congregations in the United States alone, with nearly 13,000 more abroad, according to recent UMC statistics.

The Louisiana disaffiliations will take effect after Dec. 31, church officials said. The Louisiana conference will also see a new bishop in the new year, Delores Williamston. She is the conference’s first Black female bishop.

This article originally appeared here.

Report: Russia Has Attacked at Least 270 Religious Sites in Ukraine

Tom Strode

November 15, 2022

Russia Ukraine — A Ukrainian woman waits in tearful anticipation for a bus full of refugees to arrive at the border near the Polish town of Chelms. IMB Photo. Courtesy of Baptist Press.

NASHVILLE (BP) – Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has included increased violence against religious leaders and widespread attacks on religious sites, according to a recently issued report.

The Ukrainian-based Institute for Religious Freedom (IRF) reported at least 270 houses of worship, religious educational institutions and sacred sites such as cemeteries were either destroyed or damaged during the first five months after Russia began its assault in late February. The report covers the military aggression ordered by President Vladimir Putin through July 15 and analyzes the state of religious freedom in Crimea since Russia invaded and took over the Ukrainian region in 2014.

Russia’s attacks on religious liberty “have become crueler” since its Feb. 24 invasion that has included the subsequent annexation of eastern regions of Ukraine, the report said.

“If previously priests [in] the occupied territories only received death threats, now religious leaders are tortured and killed – again, but on a scale far worse than in 2014,” according to the report.

“If previously Russian occupational authorities expelled Ukrainian believers from their churches and prayer houses, now Russia is destroying the spiritual heritage of Ukraine with missile attacks, shelling, and looting of religious buildings without justification by military necessity.”

Brent Leatherwood, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said, “We are well aware of the human toll that Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion has taken on the people of Ukraine. Now we are learning details about the ways Ukrainian churches have suffered from Putin’s invasion — and they are ghastly. From religious leaders being targeted and tortured to churches being shelled and taken over, the cruelty and evil displayed by these invading forces is nothing short of ghoulish.

“America and our allies must make it clear these attacks are unacceptable and that Russia’s retreat from Kherson should be followed up by leaving the nation of Ukraine entirely,” he told Baptist Press in written comments.

Ukraine gained a major military victory Nov. 11 when Russian troops retreated from the city of Kherson.

Ukrainian religious leaders delivered the 36-page report, which was published in September, to members of Congress during the week of Nov. 6-12, veteran journalist Mindy Belz reported on her “Globe Trot” website.

In its list of recommendations, the IRF called for the Senate to pass and President Biden to sign into law the Ukraine Religious Freedom Support Act. The bill would direct the president to consider conditions in Ukrainian regions occupied by Russia when deciding whether it is a “country of particular concern,” a designation reserved for the world’s most severe violators of religious freedom. The House of Representatives approved the legislation by a 421-4 vote in April.

Of the 270 or more religious buildings or sites damaged by the Russian military, the IRF reported 108 belonged to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in affiliation with the Moscow Patriarchate. The religious groups with the next highest number of damaged locations were the Baptists (43) and Pentecostals (42). The largest number of attacks on buildings occurred in eastern regions and the north central region of Kyiv, where the capital is located.

While Russian media and religious leaders have defended the invasion of Ukraine as necessary to protect Orthodox adherents of the Moscow Patriarchate, the UOC’s congregations have suffered the most from the widespread shelling and missiles, the report said. The armed forces’ artillery and aircraft “are destroying both houses of worship and believers, regardless of language, denomination, and ethnicity.”

This destructive approach resulted in the conclusion “that Russia would rather eliminate whole cities and destroy the Ukrainian historical and spiritual heritage than accept the right of the Ukrainian people to self-determination and sovereignty,” according to the report.

As in other locations, Russian forces turned the site of a Christian ministry in the Kyiv region into their headquarters, the report said.

‘Dominion’ Over Technology Use a Must, Leaders Say

Timothy Cockes

November 15, 2022

NASHVILLE (BP) – Whether it is a new app sweeping the nation, a brand-new must-have iPhone upgrade or a new way to use virtual reality, technology is advancing at lightning speed.

As usage of digital devices increases, some Southern Baptist leaders are urging Christians to examine ways technology may be shaping them.

Jason Thacker, director of research and chair of research in technology ethics for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), told Baptist Press he believes technology is no longer merely a tool we use, but something that is changing how we view the world.

“Technology’s complexity, usefulness, growth and development often happen at an exponential scale,” Thacker said. “This is the nature of technology and what we’re experiencing now will only continue to increase in some sense. Technology isn’t going anywhere.

“As technology keeps advancing, things will become faster, get complex and more connected. Digital devices are not just a tool that we use, but it’s a tool that’s radically altering us.

“It’s shaping how we understand the nature of reality and truth, as well as how we connect in relationships. In a way, technology is discipling us. I think people are starting to wake up and see that something is not right about this.”

In his work with the ERLC, Thacker leads a research project for the entity called the Digital Public Square. The project focuses on providing resources for Southern Baptist churches related to navigating the ever-changing technological landscape.

Specific focus is given to issues related to free speech and religious liberty.

He explained this research is important for ministry, because technology influences every area of life.

“Technology isn’t a separate set of issues that Christians have to address or think about. It’s an element of all of the other issues related to the Christian life and Christian ethics,” Thacker said.

“Issues like marriage, sexuality, human dignity or justice, they are all affected by technology because we live in a digital society.”

In his book “Following Jesus in a Digital Age,” released this year, Thacker encourages Christians to use technology in a more sanctifying way.

One of the main pieces of advice he shares is for Christians to take their time in deciding how to use technology in their lives, and take steps to be a light in the digital space.

“At the heart of technology is making things faster, but what we see throughout the wisdom literature is we are called to slow down,” Thacker said. “Wisdom is not gained overnight. There is not an app for that. There is no on and off switch.

“It’s important for Christians think wisely and think deeply, and that is going to come from slowing down and asking some of these big questions how this is shaping me and how do I then walk with wisdom and seek to follow Jesus better.

“Christians need to engage the culture for how it is, not as we want it to be. A digital society comes with a lot of unique challenges, but also a lot of unique opportunities, and I believe God’s calling us to step into these things and be a voice of hope, peace and of Gospel transformation in our communities.”

One Southern Baptist seeking to apply this kind of wisdom in his own life is Jeff Mingee, regional strategist for the Southeast Region of the SBC of Virginia.

What began as a doctoral research paper while a student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary became a self-examination into the way he was using technology in his own life.

Southern Baptist Seminarians, Pastors Discuss Role of Women in Pastoral Ministry

Brandon Porter

November 15, 2022

Southern-Baptist-seminarians-pastors-discuss-role-of-women-in-pastoral-ministry- — SBC President Bart Barber speaks to students during a discussion with Jason Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. (MBTS photo) Courtesy of Baptist Press.

NASHVILLE (BP) – The role of women in pastoral ministry was front and center in discussions on the campuses of at least two SBC seminaries last week.

Jason Allen, president of the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, released a podcast with SBC Pres. Bart Barber Nov. 6 in which the two discuss both theological and practical applications regarding the role of men and women in pastoral ministry.

In the final regular chapel service of the fall semester at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, a group of key leaders participated in a panel on the topic led by seminary President Albert Mohler. Panelists included Dustin Bruce, Denny Burk and Jeremy Pierre.

Barber says churches dealing with relatively new staffing issue

In Fort Worth, a personal conversation between Allen and Barber turned into a conversation that Allen believed needed to be recorded.

Barber believes that while most Southern Baptist churches are clear on the role of senior pastor being reserved for men, modern churches are dealing with an issue that would not have been understood by most Southern Baptist churches in 1965.

“The idea of what terminology to use with regard to your second pastor would be similar to trying to figure out where you were going to park your second Lamborghini. Churches didn’t have more than one member on staff,” he said.

Barber reflected on how in his local church they would never have imagined having a full-time staff member to lead in the areas of worship or student ministry.

“We had a song leader when I was a kid, not a worship pastor,” he said. “We had youth volunteers, not a student pastor. And so, this idea that a church has a staff that consists of different people with age-graded or talent-based responsibilities is something that’s really taken off since kind of the mid-1970s.”

Barber and Allen agreed the issue of women in pastoral ministry is a watershed one for Southern Baptist churches because it deals with the biblical authority given to pastors in the local church.

Allen said churches are wrestling through the issue on a local level with what he called a Baptist Faith and Message that is “more descriptive” for churches.

“And the truth of the matter is, look, the Baptist Faith and Message is prescriptive for the entities, and I’ll die on that hill, but, it is really more descriptive for our churches. It is. And that’s just the truth of the matter,” Allen said.

Mohler: New Testament “isn’t compatible with the modern ideal of egalitarian opportunism”

In a wide-ranging panel discussion on the state of the SBC, SBTS leaders talked about the relationship of the convention and the local church and Conservative Resurgence before discussing the issue of women in pastoral roles.

Mohler, who started as a student at SBTS in 1980, said the issue was just becoming a hot topic on the campus in those days, “… but it really took on an enormous amount of energy that women should be pastors of churches, that the church had misread scripture for 20 centuries. And that this was the inevitable wave of the future in the society, and thus the church was going to have to be reconciled to it.”

Years later, Mohler served on the committee that forged the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.

He said he would have “preferred the New Hampshire Confession language about elders and overseers or bishops” when it came to the office of pastor.

Unify Project Set to Launch With Widespread Participation

Diana Chandler

November 15, 2022

MOBILE, Ala. (BP) – The Unify Project, a Gospel-centered, ethnically diverse racial reconciliation ministry designed to mobilize Southern Baptist pastors and leaders in unifying their communities, is expected to launch Nov. 15 with widespread national participation, project co-chairman Ed Litton told Baptist Press.

“The response has been good and it’s across the board,” said Litton, immediate past Southern Baptist Convention president and senior pastor of Redemption Church in Mobile. “Obviously we had some concern. We wanted to see, are they going to come from certain regions over others. And it is everywhere Southern Baptists are.”

Fred Luter, senior pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans and the lone African American to have served as SBC president, joins Litton as co-chairman of the project that has renowned pastor Tony Evans as a chief collaborator.

Luter appreciates the widespread project participation.

“I am truly encouraged by the number of pastors and members of churches who have expressed interest of wanting to be a part of the Unify Project,” Luter told Baptist Press. “Since then-SBC President Ed Litton first introduced this project in California at the Southern Baptist Convention with the support and input of nationally respected Dr. Tony Evans, the response has been overwhelming and supportive.

“This project has the potential of unifying the Southern Baptist Convention, which is so desperately needed not only in this Convention but across this nation.”

Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas and a noted author, theologian and radio host, has helped shape the Unify Project with resources used in The Urban Alternative ministry he leads.

“Dr. Tony Evans has been so helpful,” Litton said. “The Urban Alternative has a three-step process that they have very graciously allowed us to share.”

The Unify Project will encourage pastors to assemble in their communities, to address racial strife and to act by serving their communities in tangible acts of love aimed at healing. The outreach is also inspired by The Pledge Group, which Litton helped launch with an ecumenical Christian group of pastors and leaders in Mobile after the murder of George Floyd.

“Basically, it’s to begin assembling, meeting, sitting at the table. That is the first step, and it’s getting to know people,” Litton said. “This takes some time, but it doesn’t take a long time. It just has to start. What we say in Mobile is we had to come to the table and we had to stay at the table. … When you have people from such different cultures coming together, we learn about each other. We learn to respect and appreciate and honor one another.”

The project’s steering committee embraces the SBC’s ethnic diversity, including Asian, Hispanic, African American and Anglo members.

“To me, this is the most exciting part of the Unify Project,” Luter said. “We have purposely made reaching all ethnic groups a necessity starting with the chairman and vice chairman to all the members of the steering committee, there is diversity across the board.”

At the grassroots level, Litton said, the work is expected to address the unique needs of each community.

“We promised Southern Baptists that we would give simple tools and encourage them, for pastors and leaders in our churches to become leaders in racial reconciliation in their community,” Litton said. “Our hope is it will have a different expression just about everywhere it goes.

“Our hope is that it will begin to reveal to our communities and to the nation the power of the Gospel to heal old wounds, to unify for the sake of the Gospel, so that our churches will serve our communities together. And we believe it will open doors for the Gospel.”

The project will launch at theunifyproject.org with a series of web events for pastors and leaders including discussions, individual experiences and stories of success predating the project. The group is planning a celebration for the 2023 SBC Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

“The real heart of Unify Project is not to tell people here are the strict rules you have to follow,” Litton said. “We want to give a simple game plan, a lot of encouragement and resource the local pastor and local leader to really be the hero of this story, to really see what God will do in their cities.

“Our goal is to give the SBC the tools and encourage them to promote the cause of racial reconciliation in their community. That’s the only reason we exist.”

Members of the steering committee are:

Marshall Blalock, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Charleston, S.C.;
Missie Branch, SEBTS assistant dean of students to women and director of graduate life;
Victor Chayasirisobhon, SBC first vice president, lead pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Anaheim, associational mission strategist for the Orange County Southern Baptist Association, and president of the California Baptist Convention;
Brett Golson, vice president for spiritual development and church relations and dean of the Cooper School of Missions and Ministry Studies at William Carey University;
Charles Grant, SBC Executive Committee associate vice president for African American relations and mobilization;
Marcus Hayes, lead pastor, Crossroads Baptist Church, The Woodlands, Texas;
Ramon Medina, lead pastor for Spanish Ministries, Champion Forest Baptist Church, Houston and president of the SBC Hispanic Council;
Greg Perkins, lead pastor of The View Church in Menifee, and NAAF Western Region director
Keith Whitfield, provost, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS);
Frank Williams, senior pastor of The Bronx Baptist Church and Wake-Eden Community Baptist Church, both in New York, and president of the National African American Fellowship of the SBC (NAAF).

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

How Pastors Can Help Their Churches Overcome Apathy

Dale Chamberlain

November 15, 2022

Being a pastor has never been easy, but pastoring in America today seems to come with certain challenges that weren’t present even a few short decades ago.

Amid social unrest, political discord, and economic crises, pastors are working tirelessly to show with their words and lives that Jesus is the answer to all that ails us. Very often, however, they are met with apathy in their communities—and even within their own congregations.

Recent research has revealed that even while almost all churches in America have reopened following the lifting of pandemic restrictions, most are still struggling to regain traction in attendance numbers relative to pre-pandemic expectations.

In short, the pandemic has led many, even those who would characterize themselves as deeply committed followers of Jesus, to reorder their priorities, with regular church attendance dropping on that list.

The same can be said of giving, which has been down in many churches, partly as a result of a down economy. Furthermore, pastors have seen some of their congregants leave for churches that are more vocally supportive of their own political policy stances, which has been part of a trend wherein many Christians are apparently becoming more committed to a particular political expression of their faith than the call to be a body that is unified in its diversity.

Pair these statistical realities with the fact that an alarming number of Christians in emerging generations believe that evangelism is morally wrong, and you may begin to believe that things are looking bleak for the mission of Jesus in America.

But pastors ought not to be without hope. Revival often comes just as things are looking their most spiritually grim.

While only a move of God can redress the spiritual apathy that is often present in our churches and communities, there is much that pastors can do to ensure that they are prepared for such an awakening.

Here are three things pastors can do to fight apathy in their churches and communities.

1. Remember That It Starts With You.

A church will never be more spiritually vibrant than its senior leadership. Furthermore, the overall temperature of a pastoral staff or elder board will never exceed that of its lead pastor. So it has to start with you. If your heart has grown cold, so will the hearts of those whom you lead.

Church staffs, elder boards, and volunteer leaders should be marked by their commitment to praying together, discussing the scriptures together, and being committed to one another.

These are behaviors and traits that must be modeled by the pastor. When your elders, staff members, and volunteer leaders come into contact with you, they should have a sense that they are interacting with someone who regularly encounters God. In order for that to be the case, you must actually be someone who regularly encounters God through prayer, scripture study, and contemplation.

12 Ways Pastors Help Their Kids Hate Church

David Manner

November 15, 2022

12 Ways Pastors Help Their Kids Hate Church…

Always ask how something might impact your ministry before asking how it might impact your family.

Move to a new church every couple of years.

Consider unscheduled phone calls or visits from church members as divine interruptions, but unscheduled phone calls or visits from your children as disrespectful intrusions.

Never remove your pastor hat to wear your parent hat.

Attend out of town conferences at prime locations but never have enough time for family vacations.

Miss ballgames and concerts to attend church stuff that you scheduled.

Don’t protect them from unfair and unrealistic church member expectations.

Have a different spiritual persona at church than you have at home.

Use them as sermon or teaching illustrations without their permission.

Express your disappointment or embarrassment when they act like regular kids.

Never show them affection at church.

Expect them to have the same passion for your calling as you do.

This article about things that make pastors’ kids hate church originally appeared here and is used by permission.

Led by the Spirit—What Does it Mean?

Nicholas Batzig

November 15, 2022

Deep down, we’re all intrigued by the mystical. Many find it to be more “spiritual” if they experience something working powerfully and inexplicably upon them. This, no doubt, is partially the reason why charismatic views of the Holy Spirit prevailed throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. There is everything right about wanting to experience more of the power and working of the Holy Spirit, provided we rightly understand the biblical teaching about the power and work of the Spirit. Two of the most frequently misunderstood and wrongly interpreted passages of Scripture with regard to the work of the Spirit are Romans 8:14 and Galatians 5:18: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God,” and “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Many have intimated that these verses speak of a personal, supernatural guidance by which God directs those who are living in a close and intimate relationship with Him. Without in any way wanting to diminish the privilege believers have of living in a close and intimate relationship with the triune God, I do wish to correct misunderstandings about the “leading” of the Spirit in these passages. So, what does the Apostle Paul mean when he talks about being led by the Spirit?

B.B. Warfield once explained that many misunderstand the concept of being “led by the Spirit” by suggesting that it is referring to “something sporadic, given only on occasion of some special need of supernatural direction.”1 Rather, Warfield insisted, it is “something continuous, affecting all the operations of a Christian man’s activities throughout every moment of his life.” How did Warfield arrive at this conclusion?

When we consider the contexts in which these verses occur, and specifically the context of Romans 8, we will have to conclude that being led by the Spirit is related to our sanctification. Romans 6:1–8:14 forms a pericope about the place of holiness in the lives of believers. Giving consideration to the immediate context, Warfield wrote,

“In the preceding context Paul discovers to us our inherent sin in all its festering rottenness. But he discovers to us also the Spirit of God as dwelling in us and forming the principle of a new life. It is by the presence of the Spirit within us alone that the bondage in which we are by nature held to sin is broken; that we are emancipated from sin and are no longer debtors to live according to the flesh. This new principle of life reveals itself in our consciousness as a power claiming regulative influence over our actions; leading us, in a word, into holiness.”2

It is the process of sanctification that Paul has in view in this context. In short, the “leading” of the Spirit is merely shorthand for “sanctification.” Again, Warfield explained,

“When we consider this Divine work within our souls with reference to the end of the whole process we call it sanctification; when we consider it with reference to the process itself, as we struggle on day by day in the somewhat devious and always thorny pathway of life, we call it spiritual leading. Thus the “leading of the Holy Spirit” is revealed to us as simply a synonym for sanctification when looked at from the point of view of the pathway itself, through which we are led by the Spirit as we more and more advance toward that conformity to the image of His Son, which God has placed before us as our great goal.”3

Being Led by the Spirit

Every true believer is being led by the Spirit of God. We are led away from our sin and into paths of righteousness. This is what it means to be led by the Spirit of God. There is, to be sure, no greater experience to be enjoyed by the children of God than that of being transformed by the Spirit of God into the image of God. When the Spirit leads the sons of God, He leads them into conformity to the Son of God. As children of God we gain the family likeness. God is committed to conforming His children into holy sons and daughters. In order to do this, He gives us His Spirit to lead us to mortify sin. The leading of the Spirit then is not a special mystical experience reserved for the few, but a present reality for all true believers in Jesus Christ.

This article on being led by the Spirit originally appeared here, under the title “The ‘Leading’ of the Spirit?”

B.B. Warfield The Power of God Unto Salvation (Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1903) p. 158
Ibid., p. 156.
Ibid., pp. 156–157.

6 Ways to Integrate a Special Needs Ministry at Your Church

Brian Dodd

November 15, 2022

Intentionally building a program for individuals with special needs provides your church an opportunity to share the Gospel with individuals of varying abilities and allows them to fully grow in their faith. It also lets the families of those with special needs feel supported, knowing their loved ones feel comfortable and confident in their environment, and are valued members of the church family. The church is called to special needs ministry.

The following projects we worked on for Chapelstreet Church’s Masterpiece Ministry and Parkview Community Church show how design can help support a special needs ministry:

Sensory Rooms

These rooms provide a range of stimulating experiences that can be designed for groups or individuals. They can include swings, weighted blankets, mini-trampolines, exercise balls, and squeeze toys. Some sensory rooms also incorporate special visual features, such as lava or colored lamps, water fountains, and dimmable lights.

Chapelstreet Church, Geneva, Illinois

Parkview Community Church, Glen Ellyn, Illinois

“We have new families come in and check out our space and say, ‘Wow! You made this just for us!’” –Jamie Valenti, Director of Special Needs, Chapelstreet Church.

Quiet Rooms

These small, comforting spaces with soft, oversized furniture provide a calming, peaceful environment for those who might need short-term respite from larger, more active rooms.

Chapelstreet Church, Geneva, Illinois

Soothing lights, sound machines that play various sounds, and essential oil diffusers can be helpful additions for those with visual, auditory, and olfactory sensitivities.

Strategic Check-In Areas

These specially designed drop-off areas allow families to check in with leaders or volunteers in an organized and confidence-inspiring way. These check-in zones can help parents feel less overwhelmed when arriving to church, and give volunteers the peace of mind when working with individuals.

Parkview Community Church, Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Oversized Restrooms

These restrooms are intentionally designed to accommodate wheelchairs and may include adult-sized changing tables. Because of their height, size, and stability, loved ones can manage diapering needs of any sized person.

“You need the right furniture in the room, but you also need space to move in the room.” –Jamie Valenti, Director of Special Needs, Chapelstreet Church.

How you design and utilize your space is crucial in supporting those with special needs, as well as communicating your understanding of their world and your desire to meet them in effective and creative ways.

Each church’s special needs program will be unique and the space should mirror that, so it should be approached with intentionality. Talk with the families and special needs experts to get their advice and wisdom in this area before starting out.

Is your church looking to incorporate a special needs ministry? Let our design experts help you create a space that supports individuals of varying abilities. Let’s talk!

This was a guest post by Lynn Pickard of Aspen Group. The Aspen staff includes architects, project managers, field superintendents, and other design and construction professionals working together as a unified team. We believe this collaborative approach brings forth the highest level of innovation and integration and creates a true partnership between Aspen and the churches we serve.

Scores of churches have benefited from our ministry-focused planning, design, and construction process. The goal of each church building project is to create a facility that radically enhances ministry effectiveness. I cannot recommend this group enough!!! Click HERE to learn more about this great organization and start a conversation with them today!

This article on special needs ministry originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Thanksgiving Bible Lessons: 12 Great Grateful Resources

Stephanie Martin

November 14, 2022

Thanksgiving Bible lessons teach children gratitude for God’s blessings. These 12 resources work well in Sunday school, for children’s church, and as at-home family devotions. Gratitude is a worthy teaching topic at any time of year. But Thanksgiving Bible lessons are especially important during November, as we gather to give thanks to God.

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever,” says Psalm 107:1. What an important message to convey to children through Thanksgiving Bible lessons!

Lessons about gratitude can be short and informal. In fact, teachers and parents can sprinkle these Bible truths into day-to-day life. Adapt the Thanksgiving Bible lessons below to the ages and attention spans of your children. Add an activity, game, or prayer to round out the class time or devotion.

Enjoy using these Thanksgiving materials with your students and kids!

12 Thanksgiving Bible Lessons

Choose from a wide variety of materials at these sites:

1. One Gave Thanks

Use this free Thanksgiving lesson from Sermons4Kids to teach about Jesus and the 10 lepers. Based on Luke 17:11-17, the material encourages children to express gratitude, as the one healed man did.

6. Thank You, God

Check out these free materials, complete with solid discussion questions.

7 Tips for Teaching Children’s Lessons on Faith

1. Don’t freak out or dismiss kids’ concerns.

2. Avoid communicating that doubt is bad.

3. Doubt can lead to stronger faith.

4. Don’t feel like you have to protect God.

1. Many Established Churches Are Still Resistant To Planting

2. Church Plants Often Delay Developing a Culture of Multiplication

3. Some Would-Be Church Planters Just Don’t Want the Sacrifice

4. Churches Lack Community With Churches in Other Contexts

Letter Reminds Pastor: ‘You Are a Role Model’

‘Wear a Robe and Sandals Next Time’

Miles McPherson: ‘We Appreciate Your Prayers’

1. Remember That It Starts With You.

Being Led by the Spirit

Sensory Rooms

Quiet Rooms

Strategic Check-In Areas

Oversized Restrooms

12 Thanksgiving Bible Lessons

1. One Gave Thanks

2. Lessons for Multiple Age Groups

3. Bible-Based Gratitude

4. Give Thanks for Everything

5. Thanksgiving Lessons to Gobble Up

6. Thank You, God

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