How to Format a Sermon Outline

October 7, 2022

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

“What should I take to the pulpit?” This is one of the most common contemplated conundrums for preachers. The second you step to the pulpit, you are going to want the hours of your sermon preparation to be close to your heart and your fingertip. Yet, some seminary classes teach that preaching with a sermon outline is a weakness. They say that you should mount the pulpit like a wild stallion— saddle-less and ready to ride into the sunset with passion and ease.

Is it really a good idea for you to take nothing to the pulpit? On the contrary, should you take a manuscript? How about an annotated outline? A simple outline? Nothing more than a sticky note?

Each preacher is different.

There is not a one-size-fits most solution here. The best solution is to take the perfect amount of notes that will allow your personality to be used by God while allowing His Word to be clearly explained to His people.

The Length of Your Sermon Outline Has to be Right for Your Personality

Knowing what you should take to the pulpit will take trial and error; yet, I assure you — the right solution can be found! When formatting the notes you will take with you to the pulpit, you must ensure that you are as comfortable in them as an old pair of slippers. You should not feel confined to your notes, nor should your notes be so freeing that you cannot keep a good train of thought.

Some preachers will need a full manuscript that is well memorized so he doesn’t read; by having it all written out and memorized, this kind of preacher will feel most comfortable in front of an audience. Others should take minimal notes with them to ensure they are personal, free-flowing and natural, never reading aloud, laborious page-after-page.

I have been preaching for 22 years, and I’ve tried every kind of notes in the pulpit. From the back of napkins to printed PowerPoint slides; from 4,000 word manuscripts to a one-page outline. I’ve tried them all on for size and found the best solution for me is a detailed outline form. My outlines are between 600 to 800 words, bulleted with detailed hierarchy, 1.75 spaced, and only fill one page. I only recently went back to this way of preparing my pulpit notes after six years of manuscripting.

How Does a Preacher Decide Which Type of Sermon Outline to Use?

Start by thinking through your unique make-up outside of the pulpit. Are you quick on your feet? If someone asked you to take a passage and give a devotional thought without notice, could you do it? Do you find that you can organize your thoughts well in a personal conversation? Do you think in chunks of content that can be easily explained? Or, are you more of a processor? Do you need time to think about something before speaking clearly? Do you need help making complete sentences that are easy for the listener to make sense of?

I believe the way you communicate outside the pulpit can give a clue as to how you can best communicate in the pulpit. If you need to have everything really thought through before you speak, then maybe a manuscript is best. If having fluidity in your mind allows you to speak more clearly and passionately, then you should outline. Sometimes this changes by the seasons in your life.

For example, I had to manuscript my sermon for six years as I was leading Grace Chapel through revitalization. I needed to know all the words and transitions were thought through because I had so many other things I was managing in addition to my sermon on Sunday. I needed to know all the words of the sermon were locked in. As our church has become healthier, and I’ve been able to primarily focus on preaching on Sunday morning, I teach off of an outline, and that is perfectly fine.

The goal is to allow your unique voice to be used by God as you preach His Word to His people. Your uniqueness is your “Ethos,” as Aristotle called it. It is “the personal character of the speaker as projected in the speech: the orator should seem trustworthy.” If you have any sense of being inauthentic, untrue to God, others, or yourself, people will smell that out quickly. God has chosen to use your quirks and qualities to communicate; He doesn’t need to— he could convey His truth in a much more standardized way. Yet, he chose to allow your unique makeup to be a part of the delivery process.

When choosing which kind of notes to take to the pulpit, you must choose that which allows you to be yourself — yet always be true to the text. At this stage in my preaching, I am much more myself and true to the text if I do not labor over a manuscript. Rather, I fill one page of an outline (to the brim!) and write all over my ESV double-spaced Inductive Edition. This was not the case for six years of my ministry, but it is now.

My current template is as follows:

One page, landscape
Two columns, no line, 0.25 space between
Margins of 0.3 all the way around
Lato Font, size 11 (my favorite!)
1.75 line spacing

If I have any endnotes or “Appendix” items, those will be on the second page. Otherwise, everything has to fit on that one page. Here is my blank template in Word. If you would like to see a completed sermon outline that I take to the pulpit, you can do so here.

This May Take Time to Figure Out

There is not a Bible verse that specifically tells us how to do this— if there was, I would have quoted it. This is purely a preacher’s wisdom issue. You can choose the best setup for your pulpit notes, but be aware that it may take several times of trying different formats. I encourage you to try something three or four times before you ditch it.

Now for the most important part: No one cares how pretty your notes are or how well you formatted your work. All they care is that you show them Christ through the text you are preaching and the unique perspective that you bring. Do not ever let your notes get in the way of the text doing the deeper work on your heart. If you allow the passage to pierce your heart, it will be a mighty sword in the pulpit.

This article originally appeared here.

5 Things Young Adults Need from Church

Esther Laurie

October 7, 2022

Everyone seems to be talking about millennials, from how they vote to their work and their relationships. It’s a complex generation, and as they enter adulthood, many church leaders are considering how best to minister to young adults, and what they need from church.

I led a young adults ministry at my church. I was told once our group was a chubby youth group – a group of people a little too old and a little too awkward to be meeting together like a high school youth group that never graduated. I’ve answered phone calls and emails where people ask me if their soul mate would be at the group.

It’s a tricky age group. They’ve (typically) already graduated from college, but there are some who are taking a gap year (or five). Some are in steady careers while others are still figuring out what they what to do. Some know who they are and what they believe, while others are far from it.

I understand it’s a difficult group for the church to reach. They’re not in college, but they’re usually not yet married. They could find community through service, and many do, but many want and need to learn with like-minded people in a similar season of life. They don’t want to be the only single person in a 20-somethings small group. It’s not their style to find connection at a women’s Bible study where you sit in a circle with nametags and share on cue, or get up crazy early on Tuesdays to eat donuts and drink coffee with older men.

It’s a socially diverse group. There are people who want leadership opportunities, mentorship, coaching, community, Bible study and growth. And there are people who just want to belong with a group of people. Both are things they need from church.

Many churches see and appreciate the diversity and potential of this group by offering ministries, serving opportunities, internships and leadership experience. Other churches don’t have the capacity or resources to meet their needs through a specific ministry. Some churches have a ministry for young adults, but don’t have the vision to prioritize it.

Core things young adults need from church:

1. Love and Value

One of the ways we can love and serve young adults is by reflecting back to them their strengths, uniqueness and potential. We can show them we care and they matter without catering to comfort. Let’s move them toward the Church through love.

Pastor John Ortberg wrote, “The yearning to attach and connect, to love and be loved, is the fiercest longing of the soul. Our need for community with people and the God who made us is to the human spirit what food and air and water are to the human body.”

He goes on to write, “Neal Plantinga notes that the Hebrew prophets had a word for just this kind of connectedness of all things: shalom—’the webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight.'”

Youth ministry is sexy. We can get many cool people to help with the youth, but what about the slightly less sexy young adults ministry? Can we find quality people to invest in them? Not someone who just wants to hear themselves talk, teach and offer their ‘vast wisdom,’ but someone real and genuine. Let’s take it a step further and offer training for these leaders and find equipped people. Don’t give young adults your leftovers.

If your leaders have to scrap together resources and people, your young adults will know they’re not a priority. I’m not saying everyone should pump money into a young adults ministry. I’m saying show up, let yourself be known and know others. Young adults will respond when they know they matter and know you care. That’s why they’ll show up.

Thanksgiving Bingo: Free Download for Holiday Fun With Kids

ChildrensMinistry.com

October 6, 2022

Thanksgiving bingo is a fun, creative way to spark gratitude in kids. From preteens to senior high youth, group members will enjoy this free activity.

Play Thanksgiving bingo during a regular youth meeting, after a youth worship service, or at a special event. Then tie in a discussion about what the Bible says about thankfulness.

Enjoy playing Thanksgiving bingo with your kids this fall!

You’ll need:

paper
pencils
scissors
a bowl
Bingo game boards (Download free gameboards here.)

Game: Thanksgiving Bingo + Free Download!

Say: God gives us so many reasons to be thankful. What exactly are we thankful for? Let’s think of specifics today. What helps you feel loved, valued, and cared for?

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Have kids name general ideas, such as parents, friends, talents, nature, and so on. Write each on a slip of paper, and have kids fill their game boards. Then have kids cut paper pieces to use to cover their bingo board squares.

Randomly call the words. As you call each thing, let one player explain thankfulness for that word. When someone covers four in a row, the player shouts “Thankful!”

Reread 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Ask:

What was it like to hear things others are thankful for?
How can you put the Bible verse into practice this week?
Why do you trust God to give you everything you really need?

Close by sharing more Bible verses about gratitude. Examples include:

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 107:1
Jesus heals 10 lepers, yet only one returns to say thank you. Luke 17:11-19
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:15-17

Check out all these great ideas for Thanksgiving.

This article about Thanksgiving bingo originally appeared here.

Quick Games to Play in Sunday School and Children’s Ministry

ChildrensMinistry.com

October 6, 2022

Need a whole bevy of fun, quick games to play at a moment’s notice? Then try these 13 games in your children’s ministry programs. They’re reminiscent of the popular game show Minute to Win It.

On the TV show, single players tackle a simple-but silly-challenge in one minute. We’ve transformed the following quick games so all kids can participate at once. Play for a minute or for whatever time frame fits your schedule best.

Ready? Set? Go! Enjoy these fun, quick games to play with kids!

13 Quick Games to Play for Instant Fun

1. Balloon Blaster!

You’ll need:

masking tape
large rubber bands
balloons

Tape a large circle on the floor. Inflate and tie off 12 balloons. Place the balloons in the circle, and have kids stand in a row behind them. Give kids each a rubber band, and have them try to shoot the balloons to move them out of the circle.

WARNING! To avoid choking hazards, promptly pick up any pieces of broken balloons. Balloons may contain latex, so check with parents about allergies.

2. Pass the Paper

You’ll need:

rolls of toilet paper

Form two or more teams. Have each team stand in a line with one roll of toilet paper. The first person in line holds onto the end of the tissue and passes the roll. The goal is for the entire team to pass the toilet paper down the line-without breaking the tissue. Players continue to pass the roll up and down their line until the roll runs out. (To conserve the rolls when done, roll the toilet paper and keep it on hand for small spills.)

3. Blow Your Nose

You’ll need:

coffee stirrers
tissues
tables

Give each child a coffee stirrer and a tissue. Have kids crumple up their tissues and lay them at one end of a table. The object of the game is for kids to blow through their coffee stirrers to get their tissues all the way across a table. Set a time limit, or let kids go until everyone finishes.

4. Food Processor

You’ll need:

drinking straws
small snack items
cups

Give each player an empty cup, a drinking straw, and a cup with a few snack items in it, such as M&M’s candies or Goldfish crackers. Kids pick up each snack item using only the straw to create suction and then transfer it to the other cup-no hands allowed. After kids finish, let them eat their hard-earned snack.

5. Tiny Towers

You’ll need:

Cheerios cereal

Form pairs for this quick game. Have one partner in each pair lie flat on the floor, facing up. Give each standing partner some Cheerios. The object is for kids to build the tallest tall tower of Cheerios on their partner’s nose-without it falling over. After the race, let kids eat their Cheerios.

6. Shooting Star

You’ll need:

plastic spoons
cotton balls
and bowls or cups

Give each child a bowl or cup, a cotton ball, and a plastic spoon. Have kids place their bowls or cups on the floor and stand about a foot away. Challenge each child to place a cotton ball on the spoon, aim at the bowl, and try to flip the cotton ball into the bowl. If the cotton ball lands on the floor, the player picks it up and tries again. If the player makes the shot, the player gets the cotton ball, steps back about a foot, and tries again. Encourage kids to successfully flip the cotton balls into the bowls from as far away as possible.

The Babylon Bee Roasts VeggieTales Creator Following Twitter Abortion Debate

Jessica Lea

October 6, 2022

Christian satire site The Babylon Bee has taken aim at VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer after Vischer said he supports abortion in cases where the mother’s life is in danger and probably in the case of rape, so long as the abortion is early in the pregnancy. The Bee responded by publishing an article on Oct. 4, titled, “Phil Vischer Pens Fun New VeggieTales Episode ‘Laura Carrot Gets An Abortion’.”

“The evangelical world is abuzz after VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer, who recently said he supports abortion in some cases, announced a brand new film in which beloved character Laura Carrot aborts her baby carrot,” said The Bee’s article. It continues, “The feature-length movie, entitled Laura Carrot gets an Abortion: A Lesson in Nuance, follows Laura Carrot as she’s faced with an unplanned pregnancy. After a positive pregnancy test, her friend Bob the Tomato takes her to a nearby Planned Carrothood to rid herself of the unwanted child.”

Phil Vischer Engages Christian Twitter on Abortion

Phil Vischer is an author, podcaster, filmmaker, and one of the creators of the popular children’s series, VeggieTales. He has been engaged this week in a back and forth with William Wolfe, as well as The Babylon Bee’s Joel Berry and several others, on the topic of abortion. Per his bio on the Standing for Freedom Center, Wolfe was a senior official in the Trump administration. Berry is The Bee’s managing editor.

The discussion on the ethics of abortion started in this thread in which Vischer took issue with the following Oct. 1 tweet from Wolfe: “Here’s a periodic reminder that ‘white Christian nationalism’ isn’t a real thing, doesn’t exist in America, and poses no threat to democracy. And the fearmongers who have built a cottage industry by pedaling fake ‘studies, social science, and history’ on this are mostly liars.”

“Serious question,” asked Vischer. “When Lauren Boebert says the ‘church’ should be directing the gov’t, how do you think she would feel if the black church or the Latino church was directing the US gov’t, towards the priorities of the black or Latino communities?”

Berry joined the ensuing exchange on government, race and church, later commenting that a “pro-choice church” bears rotten fruit, an allusion to a biblical concept expressed in Matthew 7:15-19.

Vischer addressed that idea, asking, “And can you tell me EXACTLY what the biblical position is on the permissibility of abortion? When is it allowable according to Scripture?” Wolfe responded, “Never. Easy. What’s your answer?” Several people challenged Vischer, seeing an implication that he was suggesting abortion was permissible in some cases.

A separate Twitter thread that began Oct. 4 led to a conversation between Phil Vischer and several other users regarding the exact moment life begins. During the conversation, Vischer stated he believes that bodily autonomy does not justify ending another person’s life. Noting that this was “too long a discussion to have on Twitter,” Vischer asked a user named Paul Shippy, “Is personhood granted upon fertilization? If so, at what stage of fertilization, since it’s a multi-stage process? Or is it gradual? The Bible isn’t clear on the details of ‘personhood.’”

Shippy responded, “God gave us brains/science to help here. As for what stage of fertilization I would say two things –1. When there is a living human organism with unique DNA, you are dealing with a person. 2. If there’s any doubt about when that occurs, we should err on the side of caution.”

‘Zoinks!’ Scooby-Doo Character Portrayed as a Lesbian in New Animated Movie

Jesse T. Jackson

October 6, 2022

Released on October 4, Scooby-Doo’s new animated movie “Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!” reveals that brainy character Velma has a crush on another girl.

The G-rated Warner Bros. Animation movie, which can be bought or rented on digital streaming platforms, is the first time Velma is depicted as a lesbian since the popular animated talking “Ruh-Roe” Great Dane series was created in 1969.

Questions about the character’s sexuality have surrounded Scooby-Doo’s gang of mystery-solving teenagers since the James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) written live-action movie “Scooby-Doo” was released in 2002.

Clips posted on Twitter show the character meeting female character Coco Diablo for the first time and unmistakably having a crush on her.

One of the clips depicts what Velma is seeing and thinking during her first glimpse of Diablo. She sees Diablo whisking her hair back-and-forth in slow-motion while musing that Diablo is “obviously brilliant, [is wearing] incredible glasses, [has an] amazing turtle neck [on], and loves animals.”

The next image shows Velma staring at Diablo with infatuation, her glasses fogging up as she breathlessly says her catchphrase, “jinkies,” which is an expression of surprise.

In another clip, Daphne and Velma are discussing Diablo, and Daphne asks, “So what do you think about bringing Coco along?”

“Oh, is she coming with us? I hadn’t noticed,” Velma replies while acting coy.

“Yeah, it’s just weird, ’cause, uh, I didn’t know convicted felons where your type,” Daphne replies.

“What?! Type?! Me?! Pleeaasseee! Who has time for a type? We have our work cut out for us and I am focused like a laser on…,” Velma responds. The witty character then pauses, looks at her mystery-solving friend, grabs her arms and shouts, “Who am I kidding? I’m crushing big-time, Daphne! What do I do?! What do I say?!”

How to Structure a Funeral or Memorial Service

Dale Chamberlain

October 6, 2022

funeral service outline — Adobestock #314941491

Being a pastor is a sacred duty in which you find yourself present at both the highest and the lowest points in the lives of the people of your community.

Pastors are one of the first to the hospital when a new baby is born, and they often stand at the altar beside new grooms and brides. But they are also among the first to the hospital during a medical emergency, a terminal illness, sudden death, and more memorial services than they would care to count.

Preparing to officiate a funeral or memorial service can feel like a daunting task, particularly when you understand that the family of the deceased is looking to you not only for comfort, but guidance and wisdom in planning a fitting memorial. Work with Sorensen Funeral Home for assistance you need to plan a cremation, click to find out more about the company.

During this time of grief, one of the most important things you can do is to simply be there for the family. Express sympathy and empathy for their moments of tears. Listen well. If you personally knew the loved one who has passed away, share about your mutual affection for them.

RELATED: BIBCLICAL FUNERAL SERMONS

As for the funeral service outline, it need not be complicated. While some families have particular elements they wish to be included in the service, many look to their pastor to provide the overall framework.

Below is a funeral service outline that I was given by a pastor who mentored me. After decades of pastoral ministry and countless memorial services, he was nothing short of masterful when it came to planning and officiating a funeral.

What he taught me, I pass along to you.

Funeral Service Outline

Opening Welcome and Prayer

During the opening and welcome, introduce yourself and thank everybody who is in attendance for coming to celebrate the memory of their lost loved one.

Assure everyone that it is okay to feel strong emotions and to express those emotions through tears. Also assure them, particularly in the instance of someone who has lived a long and full life, that it is also okay to laugh and smile as they remember the affection they had for someone who has now passed away.

Make your prayer short and comforting.

Scripture Reading

The public reading of Scripture has a way of calming and reassuring the souls of the people who hear it, even if those people aren’t necessarily Christians or even people of faith. For those who do follow Jesus, sometimes the familiar words of well-worn passages can bring an immense amount of comfort.

As the officiant, you may do the Scripture reading yourself, or you may opt to include another pastor on your staff, a leader, or a loved one of the deceased.

John Piper: Turn God’s Promises Into Prayers for a Non-Christian Spouse

Stephanie Martin

October 6, 2022

On the October 3 episode of “Ask Pastor John,” theologian John Piper offers encouraging words to a listener who, for years, has asked his ministry the same short, powerful question: “How do I pray for my husband to be saved?”

Without knowing more details, Piper provides hope from Scripture. The pastor and author also lists specific ways Christians can pray for loved ones who don’t yet know Jesus.

John Piper: God Is Unstoppable

To begin his answer, John Piper points to “the biblical conviction that God is sovereign and, whenever he chooses, he can overcome all resistance and save the hardest sinner.” In other words, humans don’t have “final veto power over the sovereign will of God.” Instead of being fatalistic, Piper says, that concept “actually creates hope” because “nothing can stop [God].”

Other sources of encouragement include God’s many “new-covenant promises of salvation,” and the fact that God is “not a begrudging Father.” All Christians need reminders that “God really does delight to answer the prayers of his children” and is “a Shepherd eager to bless,” says Piper.

Thanks to the new covenant, which Jesus secured “by his own blood,” Christians don’t just face “demands from outside” but are enabled “to do the commands from inside,” Piper says. He cites Ezekiel 36:27, which says, in part, “I will cause you to walk in my statutes.”

Turn New-Covenant Promises Into Prayers for Salvation

Next, Piper shares three targeted ways to pray for a spouse (or any loved one) to come to faith in Jesus. First, he points to Ezekiel 11:19-21, where God promises to give us a “new spirit” and a “heart of flesh” so we can obey him and be his people.

To turn that promise into a prayer, Piper suggests this wording: “Dear Father, I pray for my precious husband that you would, in your great mercy, bought by the blood of Jesus, take out the heart of stone and give him a tender, soft heart toward you. Put a new spirit in him. Give him a new disposition to love your Word and keep it. Become his God. Make him your child.”

Second, Piper says we can pray that God will circumcise the hearts of unbelievers. Based on Deuteronomy 30:6, we can ask God to “cut away the old nature of self-exaltation and self-rule.” Though none of us deserves that, adds Piper, we can plead with God to set people “free from resistance to your truth and goodness and beauty.”

Ohio Pastor Arrested on Felony Charges in Connection With Jan 6 Capitol Riot

Dale Chamberlain

October 6, 2022

On Wednesday (October 5), Bill Dunfee, pastor of New Beginnings Ministries in Warsaw, Ohio, was arrested on federal felony charges in connection with the riot at the United States Capitol Building on January 6, 2021.

Dunfee has been charged with interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding, in addition to five misdemeanors.

An FBI investigation into Dunfee’s involvement began in February 2021, after someone tipped off the agency to a Facebook comment that said, “My local ministry group was there and members of our group ‘stormed’ the Capital (sic) for a redress of our grievances. Leading the way was Pastor Bill. We as Christinas (sic) have the duty to overthrow evil.”

“Just a clarification…Pastor Bill and several others of our group made into the interior doors of the Capital. (sic) They pushed back and forth with the police. They talked to the officers and told them why they were there. Not to harm or destroy,” the same person later commented. “They wanted to talk to the Congress. When an officer came back and said that wasn’t possible, they tried to force the doors open. They were pepper sprayed and were stopped.”

That commenter also identified Bill Dunfee as pastor of New Beginnings Ministries.

After determining through cell phone tracking that Dunfee had been in the area of the Capitol during the riot, the criminal complaint states that the FBI searched publicly available video and photo evidence as well as CCTV footage for Dunfee, which revealed Dunfee was “present in various locations in Washington, D.C., and in the restricted area of the U.S. Capitol grounds.”

The complaint includes several screen captures of Dunfee in various locations at the Capitol. In several photos, Dunfee can be seen pushing through a police barricade along with other rioters. In others, he can be seen speaking to fellow protesters via a megaphone.

The complaint also provided quotations from a sermon Dunfee gave in December 2020, wherein Dunfee said, “The government, the tyrants, the socialists, the Marxists, the progressives, the RINOs, they fear you. And they should. Our problem is we haven’t given them reason to fear us.”

“As I said earlier in another previous sermon is this, they used to tell us, you know what, you settle your differences at the ballot. How did that work out for us? It’s not over. [January] the 4th through the 6th, we are heading to D.C.,” Dunfee later said. “Who’s going with us?”

Christians Do Poor Job of Representing Jesus, Teens Say in Global Study

Diana Chandler

October 6, 2022

DALLAS (BP) – Teenagers have favorable opinions of Jesus but find Christians less loving than the Savior, the Barna Group found in a global study of 25,000 teenagers in 26 countries.

The gap between the number of teens who have positive perceptions of Jesus but negative perceptions of Christians is not surprising, Barna CEO David Kinnaman said Oct. 5 in a webinar exploring the findings.

“Especially as we look at non-Christians, there would be greater sort of gaps here the church has to look at,” Kinnaman said. “So how do we represent Jesus authentically? How do we help close the gap?

“And remembering that we can’t be perfect, but I think it’s even important for us to help young people understand and modify their expectations, that you’re likely going to be disappointed with Christians. And why does that mean that you still need to put your trust in Jesus?”

Barna surveyed youth ages 13-17 and presented the study as insight to help the global church engage with teens in meaningful ways.

In other key findings, about half of teens of all faiths (47 percent) believe Jesus was crucified, one third (33 percent) believe He arose from the dead and the majority of teens (59 percent) are very or somewhat motivated to learn more about Jesus, Barna said in releasing the first volume of its 2021 study “The Open Generation.” Many teenagers who identify as Christian haven’t necessarily made a personal profession of faith.

Of the 25,000 teens surveyed, Barna described 22 percent as committed Christians who profess a personal commitment to follow Jesus and 30 percent as nominal Christians who haven’t made a personal faith commitment. The remaining 48 percent were non-Christian.

“This study is intended to help us listen to teens today,” Kinnaman said in a press release. “The impression these voices offer is that this generation is open, inclusive and curious about different faiths and perspectives.

“Our data suggests that although this generation may not deeply engage with Jesus, they are open to Him, and when they do engage, they experience positive effects.”

Globally, nearly half of teens across all faith groups describe Jesus as loving (49 percent), believe He offers hope (46 percent) and believe He cares about people (43 percent). Jesus is perceived as trustworthy, generous and wise.

But only 31 percent of teens view Christians as loving, Barna said. Rather, 18 percent of teens perceive Christians as hypocritical, compared to 3 percent who ascribe the characteristic to Jesus. While 16 percent of teens believe Christians are judgmental, only 4 percent say Jesus is. Teens ascribe friendliness about equally to Christians (34 percent) and Jesus (36 percent).

The study will be released in three volumes in partnership with Alpha, Biblica and World Vision, with support from Christian Vision, Bible Study Fellowship, Christ In Youth and the Association of Christian Schools International.

Colorado Baker Fighting Ruling Over Gender Transition Cake

Colleen Slevin

October 6, 2022

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado baker who won a partial Supreme Court victory after refusing on religious grounds to make a gay couple’s wedding cake a decade ago is challenging a separate ruling he violated the state’s anti-discrimination law by refusing to make a cake celebrating a gender transition.

A lawyer for Jack Phillips on Wednesday urged Colorado’s appeals court — largely on procedural grounds — to overturn last year’s ruling in a lawsuit brought by a transgender woman.

The woman, Autumn Scardina, called Phillips’ suburban Denver cake shop in 2017 requesting a birthday cake that had blue frosting on the outside and was pink inside to celebrate her gender transition. At trial last year, Phillips, a Christian, testified he did not think someone could change genders and he would not celebrate “somebody who thinks that they can.”

Jake Warner, an attorney representing Phillips from the conservative Christian legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom, said the ruling was wrong. He said requiring Phillips to create a cake with a message contrary to his religious beliefs amounts to forcing him to say something he does not believe, violating his right to free speech.

Judge Timothy Schutz noted Phillips’ wife initially told Scardina the bakery could make the cake before Scardina volunteered that the design was meant to celebrate her gender transition.

One of Scardina’s lawyers, John McHugh, said Scardina did not ask the shop to endorse her idea, just sell her a cake that they would sell anyone else. He said whether or not Phillips sells a cake to someone cannot depend on what the client tells him when he is making the cake.

Both Scardina and Phillips spoke outside the court of larger issues involved. Scardina said the case was about the “dignity of LGBTQ Americans and Coloradans and the rule of law.” Phillips said he was fighting for the rights of all Americans to live according to their consciences “without fear of punishment” by government.

In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission had acted with anti-religious bias in enforcing the anti-discrimination law against Phillips after he refused to bake a cake celebrating the wedding of Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins in 2012. The justices called the commission unfairly dismissive of Phillips’ religious beliefs.

The high court did not rule then on the larger issue of whether a business can invoke religious objections to refuse service to LGBTQ people. But it will get another chance when it hears a different case in coming months challenging Colorado’s anti-discrimination law.

The case involves Denver-area designer Lorie Smith, who wants to offer wedding website services but says her Christian beliefs would lead her to decline any request from a same-sex couple to design a wedding website. She also wants to post a statement on her website about her beliefs but says Colorado’s law violates her free speech and religious rights.

In agreeing to take the case, the Supreme Court said it would only examine the free speech issue.

Smith is also defended by Alliance Defending Freedom. Phillips’ lawyers unsuccessfully asked Colorado’s appeals court to delay hearing arguments in his challenge until after the Supreme Court rules in Smith’s case.

Scardina, an attorney, attempted to order her cake on the same day in 2017 that the Supreme Court announced it would hear Phillips’ appeal in the wedding cake case. Scardina testified she wanted to “challenge the veracity” of Phillips statements that he would serve LGBT customers.

Before filing suit, Scardina first filed a complaint against Phillips with the state and the civil rights commission, which found probable cause that Phillips had discriminated against her. Phillips then filed a federal lawsuit against Colorado, accusing it of a “crusade to crush” him by pursuing the complaint.

In March 2019, lawyers for the state and Phillips agreed to drop both cases under a settlement Scardina was not involved in. Warner told the appeals court panel that Scardina was required to appeal to the state appeals court first before filing a lawsuit and — since she did not — the ruling against Phillips should be thrown out because the state court judge who heard the lawsuit did not have jurisdiction.

McHugh argued the settlement did not reach a conclusion on Scardina’s discrimination claim so there was nothing to stop her from filing a lawsuit against Phillips to pursue it.

After trial of the lawsuit last year, Denver District Judge A. Bruce Jones rejected Phillips’ argument that making the cake would constitute compelled speech, saying it was simply a product sold by a business that couldn’t be withheld from people who have traditionally been treated unfairly and are protected by the state’s anti-discrimination law. He said Phillips’ decision not to provide the requested cake was “inextricably intertwined” with his refusal to recognize Scardina as a woman.

This article originally appeared here.

Catholic Priest in Italy Suspended for Pro-LGBTQ Stance

Claire Giangrave

October 6, 2022

LGBTQ priest — Photo by Sara Rampazzo (via Unsplash)

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — An Italian priest, well known in the country for his support toward LGBTQ couples, abortion and euthanasia, was suspended by the Catholic Church on Monday (Oct. 3) for “holding positions that are not aligned with Church teaching.”

The Rev. Giulio Mignani, 52, a parish priest in a small Southern Italian town, has been barred by his bishop from celebrating Mass and the sacraments after vocally advocating for the welcoming of LGBTQ individuals in the church.

“The Church doesn’t condemn homosexuality but homosexual relations. Which is like saying that it’s ok to be hungry, but you can’t eat,” Mignani told Vanity Fair Italy in an article published on Wednesday.

“I mean it’s a paradigm that must be changed,” he continued. “Homosexual love is still considered a sin, a mistake, when it’s a fundamental aspect in the life of these people.”

Bishop Luigi Ernesto Palletti first reprimanded the priest in 2021, when Mignani refused to bless the palms on Palm Sunday after an announcement by the Vatican doctrinal department banning the blessing of LGBTQ couples.

Some priests in Germany began blessing LGBTQ couples in 2021 as the Catholic community in the country underwent the Synodal Path, a consultation of clergy and faithful on important topics. The Vatican’s department for the Doctrine of the Faith answered by stating that the church “cannot bless sin.”

“I said to myself: we have blessed anything, including weapons and wars in the past. And we don’t want to bless real love?” Mignani said.

The priest also appeared in local newspapers and media channels in support of an anti-LGBTQ discrimination bill named after its proponent, the left-wing politician Alessandro Zan. The Italian bishops’ conference opposed the bill, which was never approved by the Senate.

Mignani has also spoken in favor of abortion and euthanasia, both condemned by the church, and claimed Catholic doctrine is dated and out of touch with society. “To quote a parable of Jesus, today we don’t have one lost sheep and the other 99 in the pen, but the opposite,” he said in the interview.

Mignani said he doubts he will change his views after the period of reflection mandated by his bishop. He said he would like to continue being a priest and that he draws hope from the show of support he has received from faithful and clergy members.

“But most people don’t say it, because if they spoke up, they would be suspended like me,” the priest said. “But sometimes you have to take a stand in front of everyone, to give a new direction.”

This article originally appeared here.

Episcopal Priest the Rev. David Sibley Becomes Four-time ‘Jeopardy!’ Champion

Emily McFarlan Miller

October 6, 2022

-Jeopardy-champion — “Jeopardy!” co-host Ken Jennings, left, and the Rev. David Sibley pose together on the set. Photo courtesy of Jeopardy! Productions

(RNS) — “A priest, a truck driver and a grandma walk into a game show.”

It’s not the set-up to a joke, but rather to one of the five “Jeopardy!” episodes in which the Rev. David Sibley appeared last week.

Sibley, rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Walla Walla, Washington, appeared on the beloved, long-running trivia competition Sept. 26-30, winning four straight episodes and $79,098.

“It was fun, and that was all I wanted to begin with,” the 37-year-old priest told Religion News Service.

Sibley grew up watching “Jeopardy!” in a small town where the show aired on one channel at 7 p.m. and another channel at 7:30 p.m., so he always got a second chance to play, he said.

He started trying out for the show in college, he said, but finally got the call he’d been selected at a moment he was least prepared to play: while he was immersed in the Episcopal Church’s General Convention this summer in Baltimore

Certainly, he said, he never dreamed he’d win — not just once, but four times.

“Has anything in your pastoral or ecclesiastical training prepared you for this moment?” co-host Ken Jennings asked Sibley after his first win in an “Overheard on Set” video posted on the “Jeopardy!” YouTube channel.

“No, absolutely not,” Sibley said, noting he was in shock.

The most pressure he faces as a priest, he told Jennings, is “watching my mouth in certain situations to make sure I’m not saying something inexorably stupid” — though he agreed that skill served him well on “Jeopardy!” He’s at least the third Episcopal priest to appear on the game show, by Episcopal News Service’s count.

Over the course of the week, Sibley ran the board in a category on science, having earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry before discerning his vocation to the priesthood. “Non-Nye Science Guys” was his favorite category ever, he tweeted.

He came close in a category on religion, too, just missing the first clue. In his defense, he said, the answer, stated in the form of a question, that he was late to buzz in on was, “What is the rapture?” and many Christians, himself included, don’t actually believe in the rapture.

A huge soccer fan, he also kicked himself for missing a Final Jeopardy question about soccer balls and for mixing up musicians Beck and Ed Sheeran after his ride-share driver played Sheeran’s music nonstop on his way to the studio that day.

But, he said, “It’s OK to be wrong sometimes, and it’s OK to do it in front of a national audience. I think my results stand for themselves, and I had a good time.”

The five episodes were filmed in a single day in August, and Sibley tweeted along with viewers at home when they finally aired last week.

More than anything, he said, he just wanted fans of the show to see he was a “normal person.”

He took some flak online for wearing his clerical collar during one episode, something he said he did at the encouragement of the show’s producers and didn’t feel was all that important either way.

He also took the opportunity to share some of his beliefs on Twitter — after he was made aware that some viewers who had experienced religious trauma were triggered seeing a priest on “Jeopardy!” As a fellow “Jeopardy!” fan, he didn’t want to take that away from anybody else. Tweeting in response, he said, “was the one thing that was in my power to do.”

“It felt like, OK, I’ve got this strange little platform. Let me use it in the best way possible,” he said.

In one thread on Twitter, he shared that he planned to donate 10% of his winnings to his church. In another, he tweeted, “This priest is affirming of the lives, loves, and vocations of LGBTQIA+ people.”

“So for anyone that needs to hear it from a priest: This priest loves you. But more than that? God loves you. Exactly as you are,” he added.

But, in the end, Sibley said appearing on “Jeopardy!” wasn’t about representing the church or building a platform to talk about all the things he cares about. It was just about his love for the game that bills itself as “America’s favorite quiz show.”

“I’m just a nerdy trivia buff kind of guy who wanted to play ‘Jeopardy!’ all my life,” he said

“If I had gone in on that first day and gotten wiped off the board in third place, I would have been thrilled that I just had the opportunity to play. Instead, somehow it turned out I was pretty darn good.”

This article originally appeared here.

Affliction Was Necessary To Me

Randy Alcorn

October 6, 2022

Affliction — Photo via Unsplash.com @jontyson

I want to share the following, written by my friend Denny Hartford, the director of a terrific organization I highly recommend, Vital Signs Ministries (FYI, that’s not Denny in the picture, it’s Martin Luther). Denny works in the ministry with his wonderful wife Claire.

As I research the subject of evil and suffering, and interview many people who have suffered much, my heart is being touched with God’s grace, as well as with a longing for the day when at last He will make all things right in the new heavens and new earth.

Last year I wrote three blogs about Charles Spurgeon’s suffering, especially with depression. But what follows is from Denny Hartford:

Martin Luther wrote from an intense personal experience when he addressed the topic of enduring trials and testing. Throughout his life, Luther experienced ill health, often severe. He had to deal with problems of the heart, kidney and bladder stones, ulcerated legs, devastating prostate troubles, migraine headaches and recurrent breathing difficulties.

However, Luther refused to see his illness as divine punishment but rather as a natural consequence of man’s sinful state. It was to be countered with both prayer and medication but one relied ultimately on the will of God. Indeed, he felt God’s presence and power more acutely in his sickness than in times of greater vitality. After recovering from an illness so serious that his basic life signs were undetectable, Luther wrote the great hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” in which he expressed his trust in God’s victory over the devil’s forces with these concluding words, “Though life be wrenched away, they cannot win the day. The kingdom is ours forever.”Also, take note of the following words from the great British preacher, Charles Spurgeon. He too dealt with poor health all his life, but especially in his last decade when he was nearly incapacitated. He writes, “I have suffered many times from severe sickness and frightful mental depression seeking almost to despair. Almost every year I’ve been laid aside for a season, for flesh and blood cannot bear the strain, at least such flesh and blood as mine. I believe, however, the affliction was necessary to me and has answered salutary ends. But I would, if it were God’s will, escape from such frequent illness. That must be according to His will and not mine.”

This is a frank admission of the pain that trials involve but, near the end of his life, Spurgeon also wrote this, “I venture to say that the greatest earthly blessing that God can give to any of us is health, with the possible exception of sickness. Sickness has frequently been of much greater use to the saints than has health.”

This article originally appeared here.

Church Youth Groups: 6 Types of Small Groups for Student Ministry

Paul Sheneman

October 5, 2022

Church youth groups increasingly rely on small groups to conduct ministry to teens. I recently chatted with a youth pastor who called small-group ministry the key to a flourishing youth program.

The fruit of our conversation was a typology of small groups in youth ministry. Here’s what we came up with for most church youth groups. How well do these categories fit your own use of small groups for teens? What else might work in your community?

6 Types of Small Groups for Church Youth Groups

1. Accountability Groups

In an accountability group, members seek to live out an agreed-upon set of rules or commitments. A formal group leader may or may not exist. Participants are bonded in their common desire to live by the group’s rules. The hope is that doing so will produce change or transformation in their life.

These groups might be called Covenant Discipleship groups, Fight Clubs and Life Groups in youth ministry. Typically they don’t have an explicit purpose of raising up a leader or generating new groups.

2. Recovery or Therapeutic Groups

In these groups, people gather around a common goal of recovering from a traumatic life event and/or addictions. The group typically has a formal leader with a unique set of skills. He or she helps people gain the resources and skills to heal from trauma or addiction.

These groups don’t have an explicit purpose of generating new groups. Some do have an explicit purpose of nurturing and raising up leaders with the skills to help group members. An example of a youth ministry group in this category is Celebrate Recovery groups (for example, Hurts, Habits and Hang-Ups).

3. Bible Teaching Groups

By far, these are the most popular small groups in church youth groups. The group gathers, typically by age and gender, for the explicit purpose of “learning” about the Bible from a group leader who teaches lessons. The leader typically has a conversational teaching style but can incorporate many different methods. These include stories, object lessons, group activities, self-directed exercises outside group, etc.

Some of these groups have an explicit purpose of raising up student leaders to teach the small group. Most don’t explicitly work to multiply. However, multiplication tends to come from a large group gathering that attracts more teenagers. Thus, it increases the number of participants in each small group, making it necessary for those groups to split and multiply.

Youth ministry folks call these Bible study groups, small groups, (insert youth group name) groups, WORD groups, Grow groups, etc.

Judge Dismisses Defamation Lawsuit Filed Against Celebration Church by Former Pastors

Jessica Lea

October 5, 2022

A Florida judge has dismissed the defamation lawsuit filed by former Celebration Church pastors Stovall and Kerri Weems on the grounds that the suit concerns an ecclesiastical matter and is therefore outside the court’s jurisdiction.

“As pled, these claims would require this Court to impermissibly examine the inner workings of Celebration Church, including the church’s internal financial policies and bylaws, as well as as the duties and actions of Pastor Weems,” said Judge Marianne Lloyd in her ruling. “Because the Plaintiffs’ claims on their face as currently written require this Court’s involvement in ecclesiastical, doctrinal matters, neutral principles of law cannot be used to consider the issues at hand. As such, this Court DISMISSES WITHOUT PREJUDICE the Plaintiffs’ complaint.”

Cases dismissed without prejudice may be brought again at a later date.

Stovall and Kerri Weems vs. Celebration Church

In January 2022 Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida, suspended Stovall and Kerri Weems, who helped found the church in 1998, and commissioned an investigation into their leadership. On Feb. 23, the Weemses filed a lawsuit for injunctive relief against Celebration, making requests that included the restoration of their base salary, benefits and back pay and the restoration of the status quo to what it was prior to the suspension.

Celebration Church responded with a motion to dismiss the injunction, alleging the Weemses were conducting “a campaign of deception, manipulation, distraction, and abuse of power” against the church. On April 15, Stovall Weems resigned from his roles at the church and accused Celebration of abandoning “the clear biblical principles and scriptural qualifications for spiritual covering, spiritual authority, and ecclesiastical governance and oversight.”

On April 24, Celebration released the findings of the investigation on Stovall and Kerri Weems, a 22-page report which found the Weemses guilty of fraud, narcissism and “rampant spiritual and emotional abuse.” The couple responded on May 28 by filing a defamation lawsuit claiming that the church’s intention in conducting the report was to “destroy Plaintiffs’ livelihood and reputation, discredit them, publicly humiliate them, punish them, and try to prevent them from continuing their ministry anywhere else.” The Weemses have in fact been continuing ministry since leaving the Celebration Church. They have launched Stovall Weems Ministries and also post spiritual reflections on Instagram.

After the Weems’ filed their defamation suit, Celebration Church sued to evict the couple from a property the church owns.

News 4 Jax reports that this eviction case is still in the works, as is a suit filed by First Citizens Bank against the Weems to recoup over $716,000 in debt.

Aaron Judge Thanks God After Breaking AL Single Season Home Run Record

Jesse T. Jackson

October 5, 2022

New York Yankees All-Star outfielder Aaron Judge blasted his 62nd home run on Tuesday night (Oct. 4), breaking Major League Baseball’s (MLB) American League (AL) record for home runs hit in a single season—a recored which was held by Roger Maris since 1961.

“What a night. Such a blessing from God to share that moment with so many special people!,” Judge posted on Instagram after the game. “Thank you @rogermarisjr, the Yankees, my teammates, my family and all the Yankee fans for such an incredible day! Time to finish the regular season out and get ready for an exciting postseason!”

Judge and the Yankees were playing the Texas Rangers when the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year hit the record breaking home run. The Yankees lost what was the second game of a doubleheader, 2-3.

The slugger hit his 62nd home run in the second-to-last game of the season. The Yankees gave Judge the day off on Wednesday (their last game of the season). The Yankees begin their playoff run on Tuesday (Oct. 11), where they will play the winner of one of the AL wild card games.

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi asked Judge, “How does this seed of this dream get planted for a kid from Linden, California, all those years ago? How does that journey wind up on a night like this—62 home runs?”

“I’ve got to thank God for putting me in this position and getting me to where I’m at,” Judge responded. “The constant support from my family and friends who’ve been with me through it all, coaches from Little League, high school, college that have been here instructing me and helping me out through this whole thing. Any time individual records [or] individual awards are given, it’s never individual, it’s never single-handedly done. It’s through a group effort—people behind the scenes, family support, friends, teammates.”

“So I can’t stand up here and say this is a great accomplishment for me. This is something for my family, for my teammates, for the Yankees. This is a group effort that I’m happy to share with them,” Judge continued.

Judge, who along with his biological brother was adopted at birth by Wayne and Patty Judge, was raised in a Christian household.

The Yankees’ slugger will be a free agent after the season comes to a close. Earlier this year, when Judge was asked how that fact would affect his play going into the 2022 season, he shared that his future is in “God’s hands.”

‘We Never Got Trained on It in Seminary’—Texas Pastor Responds to Church’s Failure To Report Sexually Abusive Youth Minister

Dale Chamberlain

October 5, 2022

In May of this year, leadership of Denton Bible Church in Denton, Texas, reported to their congregation that a man who formerly served as their junior high minister had sexually abused multiple female students.

Robert Shiflet, the former junior high minister, reportedly abused 14 girls, 11 of which were students of the Denton Bible Church junior high program. The abuses date as far back as 1997.

In his address to the church, pastor Tommy Nelson indicated that he was completely unaware of the abuses perpetrated by Shiflet until 2005, after Shiflet was no longer working at Denton Bible Church. Nelson further explained that the church had hired a third party firm to conduct a thorough investigation.

Denying that any coverup occurred, Nelson said, “What there was, well, times changed on us and we didn’t change. Because this was something—a pedophile was a term I never heard from 1974 to 2005. I never heard it. It never happened. We never got trained on it in seminary.”

“We’re so sorry it took so long to deal with this with the seriousness it deserves,” Nelson later read from a prepared statement.

Nelson referred to Shiflet as having been one of his “young guns” and “the best junior high teacher we had ever had,” noting that the church had provided financial resources for Shiflet to attend Dallas Theological Seminary. With regard to sexual abuse allegations coming to light, Nelson said, “It’s always a decade or two later.”

While church leadership “saw smoke” with regard to Shiflet’s “inappropriate behavior,” Nelson said that the church “did not look for the fire, and we should have.”

Denton Bible Church also provided their congregation with a five page letter summarizing the investigation, which was obtained by FOX 4 Investigates.

The letter chronicles that Shiflet was employed by Denton Bible Church “to work with middle school students from 1996 to 2001. During this time, and despite his own policies to the contrary, Shiflet was observed regularly spending time alone with girls in his ministry, including before and after school, in his office, in his vehicle, in his home, and in a hotel room.”

According to FOX 4, Shiflet sexually assaulted a 15-year-old student while on a youth retreat in 1997.

Pastor Robert Jeffress: ‘Rotting Decay of Culture’ Will Lead to ‘Historic’ Conservative Turnout at Midterms

Jessica Lea

October 5, 2022

Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Dallas church in Dallas, Texas, believes that conservative Christians will turn out to vote in record numbers at the upcoming midterms this November. Jeffress appeared this week on “Fox & Friends First,” where he said the high turnout he anticipates will be in reaction to what conservatives see as “the rotting decay of the culture.”

“There is a level of concern I’ve never seen before about what [conservative Christians] perceive to be the rotting decay of the culture,” said Jeffress, “specifically the leftist agenda that liberals are trying to cram down the throats of Americans and especially American children.”

Robert Jeffress Predicts Record Numbers

Pastor Robert Jeffress is a contributor to Fox News and has been a vocal supporter of former president Donald Trump. On Sunday, Dec. 20, 2021, Trump spoke at First Baptist Dallas after Jeffress concluded his sermon. Congregants gave the former president a standing ovation at the end of his speech, with some chanting “U.S.A! U.S.A.!” Afterward, the church’s executive pastor gave a disclaimer stating that First Baptist does not endorse any particular political candidate.

When asked on “Fox & Friends First” about the Biden administration’s Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access and what roles abortion and religion will play in the upcoming midterm elections, Jeffress said that voters tend to be most concerned about issues that impact their daily lives. Such concerns include gas prices, interest rates, crime and the border.

The pastor does believe, however, that “conservative Christians are interested in some other things too,” namely the moral decline they see in the United States. “And I believe they’re going to turn out in record numbers during the usual sleepy midterms,” said Jeffress, “not because they love the Republican Party, but because they hate the godless agenda of the Left.”

In July of this year, Jeffress said that the moral decay evident in our country is a result of the separation of church and state. Some politicians, such as Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, have recently been vocal about criticizing the concept of separation of church and state.

During the interview, Jeffress discussed his new book, “18 Minutes with Jesus: Straight Talk from the Savior about the Things That Matter Most,” and also shared his thoughts on the suffering people are experiencing in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. In such times, people wonder why a loving God would allow so much destruction, but the pastor explained that “hurricanes, devastation, death” were never something God wanted for this world and won’t be part of “the next world that awaits Christians.”

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

Jessica Lea

October 5, 2022

The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast · J.D. Greear: How Your Sermons Will Benefit From a ‘Multitude of Counselors’

J.D. Greear is pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. Under J.D.’s leadership, The Summit has grown from a plateaued church of 300 to one of over 12,000. J.D. is the founder of J.D. Greear Ministries and hosts Summit Life, a daily, 30-minute radio broadcast and weekly NRBTV program. J.D. is the author of several books, including, “Just Ask: The Joy of Confident, Bold, Patient, Relentless, Shameless, Dependent, Grateful, Powerful, Expectant Prayer.”

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With J.D. Greear

► 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

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

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

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 J.D. Greear

-Why do you focus on expository preaching? What are you concerns about other types of preaching?

-There are hundreds of millions of Christians who are in oral cultures or who are not literate. How can they practice biblical preaching if they do not have the tools to do exegesis?

-How do you make expository preaching compelling?

-What does your sermon preparation process look like?

Key Quotes From J.D. Greear

“The Word is where the power is. And if I’m going to have, not entertainment power, but if I’m going to have life transformation power, it’s going to be because I’m preaching the words of God.”

“The preacher has a level of creativity and pastoral sensitivity to his people.”

“If you’re not tethered to the Word, you end up having, it could be two or three or it could be seven or eight sort of themes that you always tend to go to.”

“The center of the Great Commission is not exegeting the Bible. The center of the Great Commission is making disciples.”

“Even when I listen to preachers, yes, I love a good exegete, but I’m most attracted to guys I can tell are leaders and disciple-makers and their preaching serves that end.”

“One of the fastest growing church movements right now is over in South Asia. The approach they have…because it’s an oral culture is they have an audio Bible…I think the point is you’re letting the Bible dictate what subject is being brought up.”

“When you’re not an expository preacher…you end up answering questions your culture is asking, but you ignore some of the questions they ought to be asking.”

Each preacher is different.

The Length of Your Sermon Outline Has to be Right for Your Personality

How Does a Preacher Decide Which Type of Sermon Outline to Use?

This May Take Time to Figure Out

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6 Types of Small Groups for Church Youth Groups

1. Accountability Groups

2. Recovery or Therapeutic Groups

3. Bible Teaching Groups

Stovall and Kerri Weems vs. Celebration Church

Robert Jeffress Predicts Record Numbers

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With J.D. Greear

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Key Questions for J.D. Greear

Key Quotes From J.D. Greear

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