New Dating Apps—And ‘In-Person’ Mixers—Target Religious and Political Niches

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September 28, 2022

daiting app — Photo via Unsplash.com @docusign

(RNS) — Dating today can be a bit like ordering at Chipotle. The universe of dating apps makes it easier than ever to custom-order a partner of your choosing — their height, their food preferences, their religion.

A new crop of dating apps aims to target the more picky consumer — narrowing the menu by prioritizing a “main ingredient.” Want to date someone who is Mormon? There’s an app for that. Want to date someone who is queer? Or gluten-free? Or over 50? There’s a site for that too.

“What you’re seeing now is that the market is segmenting more and more as it becomes mainstream,” said Eric Eichmann, CEO of Spark Networks, an umbrella dating company. “In our portfolio brand you have Silver Singles for people looking for love at a later stage in their life, we have Christian Mingle, we have Jdate, we have JSwipe too (both Jewish apps). It’s about people looking for other people who have that same criteria as their first criteria.”

This month, as Tinder celebrates its 10^th anniversary, two new niche dating sites are hitting the market, joining countless other apps promising that shared beliefs and values are key to long-lasting relationships. While skeptics grimace at some brands’ gimmicky — or, in extreme cases, offensive — advertising, some specialized apps have proved successful. Sites like Muzz, for Muslim singles, boast over 7 million users. Still, some app users say even the most selective dating site can still lead to burnout, “creepers” and catfishing.

Even before its official launch, the new site Dominion Dating has proved controversial. Its target audience is Christian singles who believe husbands should rule over their wives, women should be homemakers and Christians should have children to exercise “dominion over the world,” per the website. Its membership application requires users to both abstain from “dressing sensually or immodestly” and submit an endorsement from “the man you are submitted to for discipleship,” all of which has solicited eye rolls aplenty from the app’s many critics.

Another ultraconservative app, The Right Stuff, is also slated to debut this month. Co-founded by former Trump administration personnel chief John McEntee, the app is advertised as a “dating app for the Right wing” and a substitute for apps that have “gone woke.” Though The Right Stuff is more political than religious, McEntee told Religion News Service he expects most users will be Christian. He added that the idea for the invite-only app came from frustrations with existing options.

“Some of the current apps, it’s not just that the users are mean-spirited to conservatives. It’s that they make you agree to left-wing things, and it’s really in your face,” he said. “We’re just saying, ‘Why don’t we just create our own place where we know at least that one giant filter is done for us?’”

The site is backed by billionaire Peter Thiel, who is in a same-sex marriage, but it does not offer dating services for LGBTQ users.

Some of today’s most popular dating apps, including Hinge, allow users to filter based on religion or political identity, but others, like Bumble, require a premium subscription to do so.

According to John Angelis, 42, a college professor and app user who lives in Virginia, users often try to get around the cost of additional filters on mainstream apps by advertising their political preferences.

American Evangelicals Want Balanced Approach to Immigration

By

Aaron Earls

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September 28, 2022

Substantial majorities of evangelicals in the United States say they want an immigration solution that both secures the border and values those already in the country.

In a study sponsored by the Evangelical Immigration Table and World Relief, Lifeway Research surveyed both self-identified evangelicals and those who qualify as evangelicals by belief to determine their attitudes toward immigrants and refugees as well as their opinions on potential legislative actions addressing the issues surrounding immigration.

“Evangelical Christians should be looking to the Bible—not any political party’s platform, media personalities or even a survey of fellow evangelicals—to determine how they respond to the arrival of immigrants to their communities,” said Matthew Soerens, national coordinator of the Evangelical Immigration Table. “But as evangelical leaders seek both to disciple those under their care and to advocate for public policies consistent with biblical principles, this study allows leaders to verify the extent their positions are in line with the views of evangelicals ‘in the pews’ and to know how to better serve them.”

More than 4 in 5 evangelicals describe legal immigration as helpful to the U.S., and around 2 in 3 believe the country should at least maintain the current number of legal immigrants approved in a year. Specifically, 25% say legal immigration is helpful and we should increase the number allowed each year, 40% see it as helpful and say we should maintain the current number approved and 19% believe it is helpful but favor decreasing the legal immigrants approved each year. Fewer (17%) believe legal immigration is harmful to the U.S., with 10% saying we should decrease the number approved and 6% believing we should completely stop approving legal immigrants.

Evangelicals are most likely to see the number of recent immigrants to the U.S. as an opportunity, but significant numbers also view them as a threat. More than 2 in 5 say the arrival of immigrants is an opportunity to show them love (46%) and an opportunity to introduce them to Jesus (41%). A third (33%) say they are an improvement to America’s cultural diversity, and 19% say they provide a boost to entrepreneurial activity.

On the negative side, 33% of evangelicals say the recent number of immigrants is a threat to the safety of citizens, 32% say they’re a drain on economic resources, 31% see immigrants as a threat to law and order, and 26% view them as a threat to traditional American customs and culture.

“While fear of the volume of immigrants is not absent among evangelicals, the larger response is one of love for these individuals,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “More than four times as many evangelicals find legal immigration helpful to the United States than those who find it harmful.”

‘Odious Effects’ When Church, State Become Too Familiar With One Another, Andrew T. Walker Says

By

Brandon Porter

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September 28, 2022

Andrew T. Walker — Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill speaks at the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow. (YouTube screen capture)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) – A Southern Baptist theologian is pushing back against comments made by the leading Russian Orthodox priest as thousands of Russian men are fleeing the country in the face of a forced draft.

Earlier this week Patriarch Krill said, “Many are dying in the fields of internecine warfare. The Church prays that this battle will end as quickly as possible, that as few brothers as possible will kill each other in this fratricidal war.

“And at the same time the Church is aware that if someone, moved by a sense of duty, by the need to fulfill his oath, remains faithful to his calling and dies in the performance of his military duty, he is undoubtedly committing an act tantamount to sacrifice,” according to news.com.au.

“He sacrifices himself for others. And so, we believe that this sacrifice washes away all the sins one has committed.”

The comments come as Russian President Vladmir Putin scrambles to respond to Ukrainian forces driving back his army in the months-long invasion of Ukraine.

“The pronouncement of Patriarch Kirill is little different than the sort of indulgences that Martin Luther fought against in the Reformation,” said Andrew T. Walker, associate professor of Christian ethics at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. “Whereas Luther was opposing indulgences for constructing buildings for Catholicism’s empire, Kirill’s indulgence is meant to bolster Russian empire.”

Walker takes offense with Kirill’s mingling Christian doctrine with war propaganda.

“It is also blasphemous to compare the meritorious sacrifice of Christ with the military operations led by a former KGB officer. Kirill’s pronouncement is as unbiblical as it is absurd,” he told Baptist Press in written comments.

More than 194,000 Russians have left the country to try to avoid Putin’s draft, according to the Associated Press.

The BBC reports Russia has carried out a “sham election” in parts of Ukraine this week to try to force Ukrainians to agree to the Russian takeover.

The remarks made by Kirill are being widely viewed as propaganda to Putin’s agenda.

Walker, who is a fellow at The Ethics and Public Policy Center at SBTS, says this is what happens when the church is run by the state.

“It is the worst sort of example of the odious effects that come when church and state get too cozy with one another – false promises, a corrupt church, and an empowered state.

“In this example and, virtually all others like it, the church ends up becoming a puppet for the state to consolidate its power. What’s left is a church with little prowess apart from the subservience it renders to the state.”

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

CenturyMen Disbanding After 53 Years of Choral Gospel Ministry

By

Diana Chandler

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September 28, 2022

LOUDON, Tenn. (BP) – John Condra recalls the first rehearsal of The CenturyMen, a 100-member male chorus organized in 1969 in the days of the Southern Baptist Radio and Television Commission (RTC).

“When we got through singing,” said Condra, who was then music minister at First Baptist Church of Montgomery, Ala., “normally you talk or something. Nobody said a word. We just kind of looked at each other and said, ‘Where in the world did that sound come from?’

“We had never heard anything like that before, and I had not. You think about 100 men with degrees in music and boy, and all of a sudden you hear it for the first time, it just blew me away.”

They sang such great hymns of the faith as “Oh God Our Help in Ages Past,” “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee” and “His Name is Wonderful.”

The widely traveled group won a daytime Emmy Award in 1989 for a concert performed in China and featured on the NBC program “China: Walls and Bridges,” and was nominated for a Grammy in 1999 for its recording, “Beautiful Star: A Celebration of Christmas,” in the category of Best Classical Crossover Album. NBC has termed the group “The Finest Male Chorus in America.”

After 53 years of sharing the Gospel through song, the first 17 years as a ministry of the RTC, the group is disbanding. It performed its last concert Sept. 17 at First Baptist Church of Tellico Village in Loudon. It was also a reunion for the group, which had not gathered since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joe Fitzpatrick, music minister at First Baptist Church of Nashville, Tenn., and a member of the group since 1988, was one of 60 members that participated in the Sept. 17 concert.

He was accepted in the group in 1988 after the RTC was incorporated into the former Home Mission Board. Fitzpatrick was a graduate student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and knew of the group’s ministry through its many international broadcasts

“I heard them for the very first time in 1987 I believe it was,” he told Baptist Press. “I said man, that sounds like a group I would really enjoy being a part of. I auditioned in 1988, was accepted, and I’ve been a part of it for 34 years.”

The group formally voted Sept. 16 to disband, upon the recommendation of its Board of Directors, amid a changing church music ministry landscape.

“The aspiration was always that we would be 100 men strong,” Fitzpatrick said. With busy schedules, “it just got harder and harder for our group to get together. It became a challenge to be able to get new people to make the investment, for whatever reasons.

“They (the group) wanted to make sure that as the future went on, that we were representing the name of the CenturyMen in its full extent, and that became more and more challenging as the years went by.”

Buryl Red founded The CenturyMen in 1969 at the request of the RTC. He co-arranged and orchestrated the bulk of the group’s music until his death in 2013.

Red’s career generated more than 2,500 published compositions and arrangements and more than 4,000 CDs. He authored or edited more than 50 college and school music textbooks; supervised the music and/or musical arrangements for several hundred shows, documentaries and specials, many of them award-winning, according to TheCenturyMen.com.

Red befriended and recruited Joseph Joubert, the group’s associate music director and accompanist. Among Joubert’s extensive credits, he was the musical supervisor and arranger for the concert tours and PBS specials of Three Mo’ Tenors and Three Mo’ Divas. Joubert has collaborated with such diverse artists as Kathleen Battle, George Benson, Jennifer Holliday, Whitney Houston, Patti Labelle, Diana Ross and others.

Joubert, a Baptist composer based in New York, accompanied during the final concert. He termed his longtime work with the group a privilege. He opened the concert with his new arrangement of the hymn, “I Will Trust in the Lord” and “Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus,” and premiered “for the second time,” as he put it, his arrangement of “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.”

Condra, who was a charter member and first president of the group when it became independent of the RTC in 1986, never anticipated the final day.

He described the mood of the last event “as very upbeat and Christ-honoring, even though we felt deep inside some kind of regret that it was coming to an end.

Feds Want Psychological Tests for Parents of Separated Kids at US-Mexico Border

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Lindsay Whitehurst and Sam Metz

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September 28, 2022

Feds-Want-Psychological-Tests-for-Parents-of-Separated-Kids — FILE - Immigrants seeking asylum who were recently reunited arrive at a hotel in San Antonio, July 23, 2018. The Biden administration is asking that parents of children separated at the U.S.-Mexico border undergo another round of psychological evaluations in an effort to measure how just traumatized they were by the Trump-era policy, court documents show. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is asking that parents of children separated at the U.S.-Mexico border undergo another round of psychological evaluations to measure how traumatized they were by the Trump-era policy, court documents show.

The request comes in a lawsuit filed by migrants seeking compensation from the government after thousands of children were taken from parents in a policy maligned as inhumane by political and religious leaders around the world. Settlement talks with attorneys and the government broke down late last year.

Justice Department attorneys are also reserving the right to have a psychologist examine the children who were separated, if necessary. The evaluations are routine in emotional-damages claims, but these cases are unusual because the government’s role in traumatizing parents and children by the separations has been well documented.

“President Biden called the Trump family separations criminal and a moral stain on the nation, but now his administration is hiring doctors to try and claim the families didn’t suffer all that much,” said Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project and a lawyer for plaintiffs in the effort to compensate migrants.

Government attorneys argued that the migrants “allege that their mental and emotional injuries are ongoing and permanent in nature” and that their injuries are directly related to the government’s policy. They say it is necessary for the government to have its own opportunity to examine them.

The requests came in two cases filed by 11 families. There are nearly two dozen similar cases pending in other courts, and some have already submitted to government-requested psychiatric evaluations.

But the parents have already sat for hourslong depositions in which they recounted what happened in detail. Government investigators have said children separated from their parents showed more fear, feelings of abandonment and post-traumatic stress symptoms than children who were not separated.

Some children believed their parents had abandoned them or had been killed. For some, the mental trauma caused physical symptoms, like chest or heart pain, according to a 2019 report from the inspector general’s office in the Department of Health and Human Services.

Parents studied by Physicians for Human Rights, a nonprofit collective of doctors that works to document human rights violations, exhibited suicidal thoughts and suffered a raft of problems including nightmares, depression, anxiety, panic, worry and difficulty sleeping.

Biden administration officials have decried the Trump-era policies. Biden, a Democrat, said during his presidential campaign the policies were “an outrage, a moral failing and a stain on our national character.”

Churches Defend Clergy Loophole in Child Sex Abuse Reporting

By

Jason Dearen and Michael Rezendes

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September 28, 2022

Churches-Defend-Clergy-Loophole-in-Child-Sex-Abuse-Reporting — FILE - The angel Moroni statue atop the Salt Lake Temple is silhouetted against a cloud-covered sky, at Temple Square in Salt Lake City on Feb. 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

It was a frigid Sunday evening at the Catholic Newman Center in Salt Lake City when the priest warned parishioners who had gathered after Mass that their right to private confessions was in jeopardy.

A new law would break that sacred bond, the priest said, and directed the parishioners to sign a one-page form letter on their way out. “I/We Oppose HB90,” began the letter, stacked next to pre-addressed envelopes. “HB90 is an improper interference of the government into the practice of religion in Utah.”

In the following days of February 2020, Utah’s Catholic diocese, which oversees dozens of churches, says it collected some 9,000 signed letters from parishioners and sent them to state Rep. Angela Romero, a Democrat who had been working on the bill as part of her campaign against child sexual abuse. HB90 targeted Utah’s “clergy-penitent privilege,” a law similar to those in many states that exempts clergy of all denominations from the requirement to report child abuse if they learn about the crime in a confessional setting.

Utah’s Catholic leaders had mobilized against HB90 arguing that it threatened the sacred privacy of confessions. More importantly, it met with disapproval from some members in the powerful Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormon church, whose followers comprise the vast majority of the state Legislature. HB90 was dead on arrival.

In 33 states, clergy are exempt from any laws requiring professionals such as teachers, physicians and psychotherapists to report information about alleged child sexual abuse to police or child welfare officials if the church deems the information privileged.

This loophole has resulted in an unknown number of predators being allowed to continue abusing children for years despite having confessed the behavior to religious officials. In many of these cases, the privilege has been invoked to shield religious groups from civil and criminal liability after the abuse became known to civil authorities.

Over the past two decades state lawmakers like Romero have proposed more than 130 bills seeking to create or amend child sex abuse reporting laws, an Associated Press review found. All either targeted the loophole and failed to close it, or amended the mandatory reporting statute without touching the clergy privilege amid intense opposition from religious groups. The AP found that the Roman Catholic Church has used its well-funded lobbying infrastructure and deep influence among lawmakers in some states to protect the privilege, and that influential members of the Mormon church and Jehovah’s Witnesses have also worked in statehouses and courts to preserve it in areas where their membership is high.

In Maryland a successful campaign to defeat a proposal that would have closed the clergy-penitent loophole was led by a Catholic cardinal who would later be defrocked for sexually abusing children and adult seminarians.

In other states, such as California, Missouri and New Mexico, vociferous public and backroom opposition to bills aimed at closing the loophole from the Catholic and Mormon churches successfully derailed legislative reform efforts.

“They believe they’re on a divine mission that justifies keeping the name and the reputation of their institution pristine,” said David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, speaking of several religious groups. “So the leadership has a strong disincentive to involve the authorities, police or child protection people.”

New Judge Lets Missouri Christian Boarding School Stay Open for Now

By

Jim Salter

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September 28, 2022

New-Judge-Lets-Missouri-Christian-Boarding-School-Stay-Open-for-Now — This December, 2020, shows Agape Boarding School in Stockton, Mo. Cedar County Circuit Judge David Munton signed an order Wednesday night, Sept. 7, 2022, to close the boarding school after the Missouri attorney general's office and the state Department of Social Services filed petitions citing evidence that someone on the state registry for child abuse and neglect was actively working there. (Jill Toyoshiba/The Kansas City Star via AP)

A Missouri judge on Tuesday allowed a Christian boarding school to remain open for now, scheduling two days of hearings in October to determine its fate after multiple current and former students alleged widespread abuse.

Cedar County Associate Circuit Judge Thomas Pyle’s ruling came a day after he took over the case involving Agape Boarding School in Stockton. The Missouri attorney general’s office had asked Pyle to close the school after requesting the new judge for the case previously presided over by Cedar County Circuit Judge David Munton. The state didn’t say why it sought a new judge.

Pyle also approved the state’s request to again place Missouri Department of Social Services workers at Agape. On Monday, Munton lifted the order allowing state workers at the school. They had been there to monitor for abuse since Sept. 8.

Two days of hearings to determine Agape’s fate are scheduled for Oct. 13-14.

Agape’s attorney, John Schultz, said he was pleased with the judge’s decision allowing Agape to continue operating.

“The students at Agape are not facing immediate harm as the State argued,” Schultz said in a statement. “We monitor the students 24/7 and will continue to do so with the DSS workers returning. We look forward to having a trial in this matter beginning on October 13th where actual evidence, versus unfounded allegations, can be heard and considered.”

A spokesman for Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt declined comment.

Schmitt’s office filed a motion earlier this month to close the school, calling it “an immediate health and safety concern for the children residing at Agape.” The school once served over 100 boys. The current number is unclear. School officials have declined to respond to interview requests.

Last week, the Republican speaker of the Missouri House, Rob Vescovo, sent a letter to U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore in Kansas City also urging closure of Agape. His letter said the situation is “more far-reaching and contains more deeply-rooted corruption than we are able to address solely at the state level.”

Vescovo’s letter didn’t explain his allegations of corruption and he has declined interview requests.

Agape’s website calls it a boarding school “for teenage boys exhibiting bad behavior or failing academics. Our mission is to turn around your troubled teen.” Its parent handbook says it is a ministry of Agape Baptist Church, also in Stockton. The school opened in 1996.

Abuse allegations at Agape and a nearby Christian boarding school for girls, Circle of Hope, resulted in a new Missouri law last year that among other things established minimum health and safety requirements for boarding schools, required background checks for employees, and required adequate food, clothing and medical care for students.

Last year, Agape’s longtime doctor, David Smock, was charged with child sex crimes and five employees were charged with low-level abuse counts. Schmitt’s office contended that 22 workers should have been charged, and with more serious crimes. But in Missouri, only the local prosecutor can file charges, and Cedar County Prosecuting Attorney Ty Gaither has said no additional employees would be charged.

Circle of Hope, in Humansville, Missouri, closed amid an investigation in 2020 and its husband-and-wife co-founders face 99 charges, including child abuse and neglect and sex crimes.

The petition filed by Schmitt’s office cites several abuse allegations at Agape, including many from current students as told to DSS workers on-site.

One student was slammed through a magnetically-locked door and then restrained for about 40 minutes, several current students said.

In another case, a student said he saw another student punched in the stomach by a staff member while other staff held the student, who was then allegedly placed in handcuffs for about two weeks except for visits to the bathroom. The punishment was because the student refused to do jumping jacks, according to the court filing.

This article originally appeared here.

White House Conference Puts Spotlight on Hunger Relief

By

Sara Herschander

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September 28, 2022

hunger relief — FILE - Bagged lunches await stapling before being distributed to students at the county's Tri-Plex Campus involving the students from the Jefferson County Elementary School, Upper Elementary School and Junior High School on March 3, 2021 in Fayette, Miss. As the country’s food charities struggle to keep up with rising inflation and demand, the White House will host a conference on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. For several months, the Biden administration has hosted listening sessions with hunger and nutrition groups, corporations, and federal agencies to help find ways to end hunger by 2030. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

For months, Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas has had to waitlist families hoping to join a food pantry program, as the nonprofit and other charities have struggled to meet soaring demand amid rising food prices and the end of federal pandemic relief aid.

The families who frequent the food bank, which is stocked like a grocery store with a wide range of nutritious food, are often already struggling to pay for housing, health care, and other expenses. So when they’re turned away from the pantry, they often seek out cheaper food or other food banks with fewer healthy options.

“If somebody is hungry and there isn’t anything else to eat but a honey bun, a honey bun is going to hit the spot,” says Carol Fernandez, president of Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas.

As the country’s food charities struggle to keep up with rising inflation and demand, the White House will host a conference on Wednesday. For several months, the Biden administration has hosted listening sessions with hunger and nutrition groups, corporations, and federal agencies to help find ways to end hunger by 2030. It’s an ambitious goal that would transform operations for nonprofits like Catholic Charities and the foundations that help feed the one in six Americans seeking food from nonprofits every year.

While few details have been released on the conference’s specific policy priorities, and questions abound over the political likelihood of big changes, nonprofits and foundations have found reasons for optimism. They hope the conference will be a launching point for sweeping change.

Food banks, which millions of Americans rely on when federal assistance is not enough, are not a long-term fix to the nation’s hunger problem, nonprofit leaders say. Instead, new approaches are needed that take into account how food is made available to those in need and how other factors, like high rents and low wages, affect hunger.

“The truth is that we throw away more food in the United States than is necessary to end hunger,” says Vince Hall, chief government relations officer at Feeding America. “This is not a question of lacking resources — it’s a question of lacking resolve.”

The last time the White House held a conference on hunger and nutrition was more than 50 years ago. The 1969 conference, called for by President Richard Nixon, promised to “put an end to hunger in America for all time” and led to several landmark policy changes, including school lunches and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

Such federal programs typically provide low-income Americans with direct assistance for purchasing food.

But foundations and nonprofits say that because hunger is related to other social and environmental challenges, including low wages and poverty, climate change, and racial and gender inequities, they have been focusing on addressing those issues.

Yet the federal government has not embraced that approach, hunger experts say.

“Food insecurity at its heart is caused by inadequate income,” says Lisa Davis, senior vice president of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. “And we know that when families have incomes that don’t cover all their basic expenses, food is often the first thing they cut.”

The Child Among Us

By

Dale Hudson

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September 28, 2022

Jesus took a little child whom He placed among them. Taking the child in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in My name welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me does not welcome Me but the one who sent Me.”

Jesus cares about children. Throughout His ministry, He ministered to children. In the passage you just read, Jesus placed a child in the middle of the 12 disciples.

Jesus is still doing that today. He places children in our midst. Who has He placed in the midst of your ministry?

What child is He asking you to mentor?

What child is He asking you to love unconditionally?

What child is asking you to encourage?

What child is He asking you to believe in?

What child is He asking you to invest in?

Then it says Jesus took the child up into His arms and made a big statement. He says those who welcome a child are welcoming Him. It means that much to Him.

Are you welcoming the children that God allows you to cross paths with?

I often say this.

A church that minimizes children’s ministry is minimizing God’s blessings upon their ministry. A church that maximizes children’s ministry is maximizing God’s blessings upon their ministry.

If you want to make a big impact for the kingdom, it will happen through your children’s ministry. I truly believe that.

As I travel across the country and minister in churches, one thing has become very apparent. The churches that are growing are investing heavily in the next generation. They have placed the importance of children’s ministry in their midst, just as Jesus did many years ago.

On the flip side, churches that are dying have something in common. They haven’t placed children in the midst of them as Jesus did. The next generation is just an after thought. This makes the church terminal. As the older members pass away, the church dies with them and eventually they have to place a for sale sign out front.

Let me ask you this.

Where are the children in your ministry? Are they in the middle where everyone can see them? Is the children’s ministry elevated in importance?

“Jesus loves the little children. All the children in the world. Red and Yellow, Black and White, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.”

If you find that your children’s ministry is not at the center of your church, then here are a few steps you can take to bring them to the center.

Priority – make children’s ministry a top priority.

People – the best volunteers will be serving in children’s ministry.

Programs – children’s ministry programs will be very important.

Program Funding – children’s ministry will have one of the largest budgets in the ministry.

Passion – the church will be passionate about reaching the next generation.

Physical Space – the children’s ministry space will be the best in the church.

Are children at the center of your ministry? If you want to minister like Jesus, then place them there and watch as God blesses your ministry for it.

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

4 (Detailed) Worship Leader Tips to Improve Your Worship Leading

By

Mark Cole

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September 28, 2022

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Leading people in worship to the Living God is an awesome privilege and involves four major areas: music, worship, leadership and your relationship with God. The more you understand and grow in each area, the stronger your worship leading should become. I have been leading worship with congregations ranging from 70 to 7,000 people for over 25 years, and I am still learning. Here are worship leader tips to consider for growth in your own personal journey.

4 Worship Leader Tips to Improve Your Worship Leading

1. Develop your music skills for worship leading.

Take music lessons on piano and/or guitar (Keyboards: 12 Keys to Improving)
Become a lifelong student of musical skills and styles
Learn to sing at a good level (10 Keys to Improving Your Singing)
Take music theory courses (Worship Musicians Theory Book)
Learn to sing vocal harmonies
Learn to memorize music
Learn to play-by-ear, improvise with chord charts and read notes
Develop a good sense of time and rhythm
Learn to write your own songs
Learn to write your own charts (Worship Charts: 7 Keys to a Great Rehearsal)

2. Develop your worship skills for worship leading.

Worship in private
Study worship in the Bible
Understand the progression of worship
Study under a strong worship leader
Serve faithfully on a worship team
Watch great teams online (Hillsong, Bethel, Gateway, Elevation, Lakewood, Passion)
Read great books on worship (Some of my favorite books on worship)
Develop strong stage presence Learn to pick great worship songs (12 Keys to Picking Great Songs)
Be a lifelong student of worship

3. Develop your leadership skills for worship leading.

Love people
Learn the importance of serving – Matthew 20:28
Lead yourself and your home well
Be faithful with whatever opportunities (small or large) God opens up
Learn good administrative skills (The Role of a Music Director)
Learn to run great rehearsals (10 Tips on Improving Your Worship Rehearsal)
Develop your own strong team
Learn to communicate in front of an audience
Learn how to be a constructive member of a pastoral team
Develop a good relationship with your pastor
Mentor future leaders and grow your worship team (12 Keys to Being a Successful…)
Read leadership books (My favorite books on worship)
Study other leaders and be a lifelong student of leadership styles

4. Develop your relationship with God for worship leading.

Read the Bible daily
Pray daily – Luke 5:16
Listen to what God says
Listen to what God is saying to the church
Do what God is telling you to do – John 5:19
Learn to trust Him more daily
Keep your heart soft and pliable before God – Revelation 2:4
Learn from other great men and women of God
Learn to love the church like Jesus loves the church (Top 10 Guidelines)

Check out my book, Leading Worship ~ Notes from a Grand Adventure, available in Kindle or Soft Cover Editions. This is a great gift for the musician or worshipper in your life.

This list of worship leader tips originally appeared here.

I HATE Bad Policies – Don’t You?

By

Ron Edmondson

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September 28, 2022

I hate bad policies, and I love good policies. Okay, love is too strong a word also. A “wet paint” sign to me is an invitation to test it. But I don’t hate them. I’m not a huge fan of most policies and a majority of them, in my opinion, need improvement. It could be because I’m not a very good rule follower, but I honestly don’t think many policies work as well as they were intended when created. Policies are defined as a course, plan or principle of action. They are designed, by definition, to offer a sense of control. In theory, policies are to make things better and, I will admit, they are a necessary part of dealing with people in an organizational setting. Without policies we would have chaos.

It is my firm conviction that many organizations (especially churches) have bad policies that need to improve. And, most likely, some policies that simply need to disappear. My problem with polices is they often interrupt progress rather than enhance it. If we are not careful, a policy may control the success you want to see as a leader.

I personally would rather have chaos with no policies than a bunch of really bad policies.

When I arrived at an established church we had a policy – voted on by the church in a business meeting at some point – on folded chairs. True story. It told the procedures to do if someone borrowed folding chairs from the church. We probably no longer even had the chairs of which the policy spoke, but there was still a policy in place.

Granted, policies may make sense when they are created. Yet, as we look at the issue from a bigger picture, they can even appear comical over time. Obviously, we can figure out what led to a folding chair policy. Someone borrowed chairs. They didn’t bring them back or treat them as they should. Therefore, to prevent this from ever occurring again people wrote a policy.

4 Reasons to HATE Bad Policies:

1. Bad policies eliminate a sense of freedom.

Policies, by nature, are methods of control. Even for those who love rules and want everything spelled out for them, policies can add a sense of burden as you attempt (or don’t attempt) to live up to their demands. Show me an environment with a bunch of policies and you can almost always find some stressed out people.

2. Bad policies limit ability to think outside the box.

Policies can limit thoughts to a pre-determined outcome, which keeps the random and potentially explosive thoughts from developing. They can limit people’s ability to dream, explore, redesign and imagine. If everything is spelled out for people they have no reason to actually think for themselves.

3. Bad policies stall attempts at excellence.

The parameters of a policy often produce an atmosphere of mediocrity. Everything is clear. Planned. Written. Solved. No need for improvement here until someone finds another way to mess up, of course, then we need to add another policy.

4. Bad policies curtail the pursuit of progress.

The weight of meeting the demands of policies can take valuable energy from pursuing things, which have the opportunity of producing greater progress.

And, my suggestions?

4 ways to improve bad policies:

1. Handle individual problems individually.

Ask yourself if the policy is needed for everyone or just a few people. Is it needed for everyone to keep us organized, effective or legal? If so, write the best policy you can for everyone. (And be willing to tweak it with time.)

When the answer is it’s only for a few people, rather than create a new policy to control an issue, deal directly with the individuals who need more control. For example, in the case of the chair policy I mentioned above, rather than write a policy – go get the chairs! (They are likely in the garage.)

2. Treat individual people individually.

If a team has more than one person, then there will be more than one type of person on the team. Do you follow me?

Policies tend to treat everyone the same, which ignores individuality and personality differences.

For example, some people may need to be in the office to get things done, for example. They may need help disciplining their time. Others may work best when the schedule and work environment is more flexible. Put me in a coffee shop and my productivity grows. Don’t write a policy that makes everyone “work” the same. Be willing to individualize things those issues.

Yes, I realize this is where it can get messy and even be abused. You’ll have to guard against that. This is why I like to let people write some of their own and job descriptions. Everyone is subject to accountability but we all agree on the front end the structure that works best for them.

4. Lead more than you manage.

Management is more about implementing policies and seeing they are adhered to completely. We need good management. In fact, knowing my own shortcomings, I’m a huge advocate for good management.

Leadership, however, sets a vision and guides people towards it. Less policies are needed in that process. Manage when you must. Lead whenever you can. You’ll get the best out of people.

Purposely allow for mistakes in your culture.

Policies are easier to measure. They often have a pass/fail assessment attached to them. Again, they are less “messy”. When you have fewer policies you even have to allow for grace and forgiveness.

People, however, learn best from their failures when they know they can explore and create without the repercussions. The fear of breaking a policy controls more than empowers this.

My bottom line on policies:

I’m not suggesting we can do without policies or that we should even try. I am suggesting we work to improve them. Policies should not be the “go to” solution to fix a problem. Most problems in an organization don’t need a new policy. Granted, leading is more difficult without policies. Yet, with less policies you’ll almost always have greater opportunities to experience new and exciting realities.

Here’s a challenge: Look through your policies and rules find where you need to improve. See which were created to control people as a reaction to a problem. See which should have been handled individually. Finally, see where a policy no longer needed.

The real challenge is to lead towards an environment which empowers more than it controls.

Hey, check out my leadership podcast where we try to provide quick, helpful applications. I’d love to hear if you are enjoying it and any topics you would like us to cover. Be sure also to check out the other great Lifeway Leadership Podcasts.

This article on improving bad policies originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Bible Jokes and Riddles: 22 Funnies to Get Kids Laughing

By

Margaret Feinberg

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September 27, 2022

Bible jokes and riddles are perfect for engaging children in Sunday school. Friends in your adult small group may guffaw at your punny-ness. But kids are more likely to laugh hard and share some humor of their own. Enjoy these 22 Bible jokes and riddles!

22 Bible Jokes & Riddles for Kids

1. Why couldn’t Jonah trust the ocean?

Because he knew something fishy was going on.

2. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?

Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone was in liquidation.

3. Did Eve ever have a date with Adam?

No, just an apple.

4. Where was Solomon’s temple located?

On the side of his head.

5. Why didn’t Noah go fishing?

He had only two worms.

6. Where is the first tennis match mentioned in the Bible?

When Joseph served in Pharaoh’s court.

7. What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no longer lived in Eden?

Your mother ate us out of house and home.

8. What did Adam say on the day before Christmas?

It’s Christmas, Eve!

9. How does Moses make his coffee?

Hebrews it.

10. How do we know Peter was a rich fisherman?

By his net income.

11. Who were Gumby’s favorite Bible characters?

Shadrach, Meshach & ABENDego

Maverick City Music ‘Pauses’ Their Relationship With Grammy Award-Winning Singer Dante Bowe Due to His Behavior

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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September 27, 2022

Maverick City Music released a statement on Tuesday (Sept. 27) explaining they are putting a “pause” on their professional relationship with Grammy and Dove Award-winning gospel singer Dante Bowe.

Bowe posted a message on Instagram saying that he was taking a break from social media after receiving counsel from others. “In light of recent events and opinions, I’ve talked to some of the wisest leaders and brothers around me. I’ll be taking time off social media to rest mentally and physically.”

“Years ago, when I dreamt of all I would accomplish one day, I didn’t account for the pressure and opinions that would come with it,” the singer continued. “It’s important for everyone to know when to step back and refocus. Hope y’all understand and support. I’ll hit you up when I’m back.” Bowe concluded by telling his fans, “Love you guys! This is for the best.”

Bowe’s Instagram account has since been made private, so only those who have been following him can see his posts.

The statement from Maverick City Music, which included the caption “With love from @maverickcitymusic,” is as follows:

Due to behavior that is inconsistent with our core values and beliefs, we have decided to put a pause on our professional relationship with Dante Bowe. Decisions like these are not easy because of the level of nuance, both professionally and personally, but we felt it necessary to address.

Maverick City Music Is a collective of various artists from many different backgrounds and life experiences; as such no one artist’s actions or behavior can always be attributed as a reflection of our core beliefs and values.

Dante is a brother in Christ and as such he has our full commitment and unwavering support as he continues to navigate his path forward. Each of us need God’s grace, and our hope is that we all pray and give him the same opportunity to grow in Christ as we give ourselves.

Maverick City Music

Maverick City Music released their statement in the same month that Bowe posted a video of him and some friends singing along to Puerto Rican rapper/singer Bad Bunny’s “Después de la Playa” on a party bus—a song talking about getting a girl “wet” in his bed. While the music collective’s statement doesn’t provide specific details as to why they’ve decided to pause their relationship with Bowe, some fans have speculated that this may have been the reason for doing so.

Cam Newton’s Comments on Polygamy in the Bible Draw Pushback From Benjamin Watson, Derwin Gray

By

Jessica Lea

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September 27, 2022

Dr. Derwin Gray and Benjamin Watson have each taken issue with NFL quarterback Cam Newton’s recent statement implying that the Bible condones polygamous relationships in some cases. Newton made his comments in a frank conversation with Megan Brooks and B. Simone on his Funky Friday interview series.

“I believe that in our religion, it has got lost in translation,” said Newton in the interview, which premiered Sept. 16 [Editor’s note: This video contains language some may find offensive.]. “People say, ‘Oh, that’s in the Old Testament, this is the New Testament and things like that. There are some high-value men in the Bible that had a lot of favor from God by having multiple wives and multiple concubines. So you can’t sit up here and say you want a man of God and not acknowledge the fact that, oh, in this society it’s socially accepted, but in the Bible—when you talk about David, when you talk about Solomon, the wisest person in all of earth—he had the most wives anybody has ever had, and concubines.”

Cam Newton, B. Simone and Megan Brooks Discuss Relationships

Cam Newton is an NFL quarterback who is currently a free agent, but is best known for playing for the Carolina Panthers. One of his guests was B. Simone, a comedian, actress, and businesswoman who was a cast member on MTV’s Wild ‘N Out for six seasons. Joining her was Megan Brooks, who has been friends with Simone for 20 years and has been her assistant in the entertainment industry. The two women recently launched the podcast, Know for Sure.

During the conversation, Newton, Simone and Brooks revealed that they are all pastor’s kids and have experience with the church, although Newton and Brooks were more familiar with the Bible than Simone. The three spent the majority of their time discussing the struggles that people have with modern relationships.

Simone is currently single, Newton is in a relationship, and Brooks has been married for 12 years. One of the key relationship challenges they all acknowledged was dealing with or even being people who are focused on sex, money and appearances instead of pursuing a committed relationship with depth to it.

Newton shared that he has met women he could have married, but that he wasn’t mature enough for marriage at the time. Now, he actively seeks accountability for sexual temptation, as well as open communication in his relationships.

Throughout the interview, all three held up monogamy as a high value, although Newton and Simone both voiced that people should do what makes them happy. Simone and Brooks emphasized the importance of men being honest and communicating what they want out of a relationship. If men want to sleep around, they need to be forthright with women about that. Brooks argued that it is childish for men to say they want marriage and then to cheat.

During the interview, Newton asked Brooks if it is more common for men to have multiple wives than it is for women to have multiple husbands.

Pastor Who Left Porn Industry Shares How He Pursues Purity Now

By

Stephanie Martin

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September 27, 2022

Joshua Broome, a pastor who left a lucrative career in pornography, says walking with God and being fruitful for his kingdom is a daily process—one that leads to purpose, freedom, and purity of heart. Broome, who leads The Good News Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, recently spoke with Richard De La Mora on the “Let’s Talk Purity” podcast. The men discuss topics such as intimacy, lust, friendships, loneliness, and ministry challenges.

As Church Leaders has reported, Broome spent six years in the porn industry. The career brought him success and wealth as well as feelings of profound isolation and worthlessness. After walking away, he struggled to find a job and maintain relationships.

But now Broome, 40, is married and has two children. He often travels to speak about purity, recently leading chapel for the Los Angeles Chargers. In a September 7 Facebook Live post, Broome requested prayers for his first trip to Hollywood in almost 10 years, where he’d be stepping into “the tension of people remembering me for who I used to be.”

Joshua Broome on Spiritual Refinement

On the podcast, Broome emphasizes that the Christian walk is a “step by step” process. Like Joseph in Genesis, he says, we must be patient and allow God to refine us and prepare us for what he has planned next.

Part of the search for purpose, he says, involves asking God to search your heart. You have to “pray that dangerous prayer: ‘God, show me my inadequacies. Show me how I’m offending you. Bring that to my attention because I want to submit to you.’”

Broome warns, “Don’t be fooled to believe that your heart is pure just because you’re not succumbing to pornography.” He describes how replacing God with anyone or anything—even ministry—leads to loneliness and discontent. True intimacy comes only through an active relationship with God, he says, and solid, supportive friendships are key.

When asked for advice on finding trustworthy friends, Broome recommends looking for evidence of fruit. Pointing to John 15, he says we need to cut off unproductive branches. That, in turn, requires self-awareness: “Is this friendship producing fruit? Is it…benefiting me? Is it edifying me higher?”

Don’t Make Ministry an Idol, Warns Joshua Broome

While discussing purity, Broome and De La Mora talk about more than just physical temptations. After leaving adult entertainment and becoming a Christian, Broome says, he struggled with wanting to be accepted and approved. Previously, his accomplishments had been the source of his happiness.

But then he focused on Psalm 23, including David’s message “I shall not want.” The pastor says he needed a reminder that “it’s not about me; it’s about furthering [God’s] kingdom.”

Bolsonaro Campaign to Evangelicals: Brazil’s Soul at Stake

By

David Biller

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September 27, 2022

SALVADOR, Brazil (AP) — Off a byway outside Salvador, past an evangelical church and down a short path, Thiago Viana was preparing a celebration. Two new members of his temple would soon emerge from months of seclusion, marking initiation into his Afro Brazilian faith, Candomble.

Then his phone started pinging with messages: Michelle Bolsonaro, the wife of President Jair Bolsonaro, had posted a video to Instagram of Viana and his sister showering former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva with popcorn — a Candomble cleansing rite associated with Obaluaê, the deity of earth and health. The first lady’s short comment denounced such a display from da Silva while some criticize her for speaking about God.

It unleashed a flood of posts from pastors, lawmakers and ordinary people using the video to claim the Lord’s will is for da Silva to lose. Some called Viana and his kind devil worshippers, though he says there’s no such thing as the devil in Candomble.

“I was thick-skinned on the outside, but it destroyed me within. … My flesh was trembling and began to throb,” he said. “I expected this from an ordinary evangelical person, but not from a person like the first lady.”

Viana was caught in the crossfire of a religiously tinged political attack on da Silva, who leads all polls against the incumbent. Bolsonaro is waging an all-out campaign to shore up the crucial evangelical vote that involves keyboard crusaders and the first lady ahead of Oct. 2 elections.

Influential politicians and evangelical pastors are warning their followers, on Facebook and in pulpits, that da Silva would close Christian churches — which he vehemently denies. Users are liking, sharing and commenting in what appears a concerted tactic to distance evangelicals from da Silva, according to Marie Santini, the coordinator of NetLab, a research group at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro that monitors social media and has specifically focused on evangelicals.

“This discourse that the election will be a religious war is theirs,” Santini said. “They want to make this election a religious war.” ___

This is the first installment in The Associated Press’ two-part package about the intersection of politics and religion in Brazil.

___

Self-declared evangelicals make up almost a third of Brazil’s population, more than double two decades ago, according to demographer José Eustáquio Diniz Alves, a former researcher for 17 years at the national school of statistical sciences. He projects they will approach 40% by 2032, surpassing Catholics.

They helped carry Bolsonaro to power in 2018, and he proceeded to tap members of their churches for important ministries and for a Supreme Court justice nomination. But in this electoral cycle, Bolsonaro initially found more difficulty winning their favor.

In Hometown of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Touts ‘Radical Criticism’ of Capitalism

By

Claire Giangrave

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September 27, 2022

st. francis of assisi — Pope Francis speaks during the 'Economy of Francesco' meetings with young entrepreneurs for a more inclusive and human economy, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, in Assissi, Italy. Photo courtesy of Economy of Francesco

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Joining young people from more than 100 countries, Pope Francis signed a document on Saturday (Sept. 24) that lays out ideas for a new economy inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, the pope’s namesake known for his dedication to the poor, the environment and peace.

More than 1,000 young activists, economists and entrepreneurs under the age of 35 gathered in Assisi, St. Francis’ birthplace, over the weekend for a meeting on “the Economy of Francesco,” held to present an economic vision that pushes back against systems currently in effect that the activists said favor the rich.

The gathering was the culmination of two years of online and in-person gatherings and events inspired by the pope’s call to action two years ago to mitigate the worst effects of capitalism.

The 85-year-old pontiff arrived aboard a helicopter to the main square early on Saturday to hear testimonies from some of the participants and deliver a speech juxtaposing the promise of young people with the devastation wrought by climate change, war and financial inequality.

“Today, a new economy inspired by Francis of Assisi can and must become an economy of friendship with the earth and an economy of peace,” the pope said. “It is a question of transforming an economy that kills into an economy of life, in all its aspects.”

Francis then signed “The Economy of Francesco Pact,” written by the young members of a group of the same name, which pledges its signers to pursue peace, care for the environment and place the poor and most vulnerable at the center.

“Usually, in mainstream economy, poverty is considered at the margins,” said Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi, a member of the committee of the Economy of Francesco, in an interview with Religion News Service. Supply side economic views, which theorize that wealth trickles down from the wealthiest to the poorest in society, tends to place poor people at the bottom of the pyramid, the archbishop said.

“Today this view is in a crisis thanks to critics of mainstream economy,” he added, pointing to the work of English economist Kate Raworth, a proponent of the “doughnut economy,” which prioritizes sustainable development. Raworth presented her views to Economy of Francesco advocates in a 2020 session called “We are all developing countries now,” drawing praise from the pope.

“We support this radical criticism,” Sorrentino said, adding that the wide disparity “between the tiny percentage of rich people who have most of humanity’s wealth in their hands and the great multitude of poor who greatly struggle” is proof that “mainstream economy has failed.”

Shifting the focus to the poor was a main point of Francis’ speech on Saturday and of the proposals of the young economists of Francesco. Taking his cue from the life of St. Francis, who rid himself of all possessions including his clothes, and of the Franciscan friars who followed in his footsteps, the pope sketched his economic outlook.

Nigeria Should Be On ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ List, ERLC and Others Say

By

Tom Strode

-

September 27, 2022

WASHINGTON (BP) – Nigeria should be restored to the list of the world’s worst violators of religious freedom, a coalition that includes a Southern Baptist Convention entity has told Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) joined more than 30 other organizations, as well as 35 individuals, in a Sept. 19 letter that asked Blinken to re-designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.” They also asked him to name a special envoy to investigate violence that has targeted Christians in particular in Africa’s most populous country.

Blinken is expected to announce before the end of the year the State Department’s latest “countries of particular concern” (CPCs), a list reserved for the world’s most severe violators of freedom of religion and belief. He removed Nigeria from the CPC list in November of last year in a move that shocked religious freedom advocates.

Violence in general and against Christians specifically has increased since that decision, the letter signers said. More than 2,500 Christians were killed in the first six months of 2022 in attacks by Islamic terrorist groups in Nigeria, according to a report by an international civil liberties organization cited in the letter.

More than 4,300 Christians and 2,200 Muslims were killed in “jihadist-related contexts” from Oct. 1, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2021, according to the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Africa. Open Doors reported more Christians were slain in Nigeria in 2021 – 4,650 – than in all other countries put together. From January to June of this year, no less than 2,543 Christians died at the hands of Islamic terrorists, the International Society of Civil Liberties and Rule of Law reported.

“It is difficult to imagine the hardships that persecuted Christians in northern Nigeria face,” said Todd Nettleton, spokesperson for The Voice of the Martyrs and host of VOM Radio. Voice of the Martyrs has designated Nigeria as a “hostile” nation.

“Attacks on Christians in Northern Nigeria have become so common they are rarely mentioned by global news outlets,” Nettleton said. “Yet every attack means members of our spiritual family are being beaten, maimed or killed; losing all their possessions, and being forced to flee for their lives. The media may ignore their suffering, but as fellow members of the Body of Christ we cannot.”

While non-government actors have carried out the violence against religious adherents, Nigeria’s government has not demonstrated the capacity and determination to provide adequate protection for Christians and Muslims, the letter signers said.

The re-designation of Nigeria as a CPC and appointment of a special envoy “are vital to recognizing the gravity of the religious freedom violations occurring in the country and the government’s unwillingness to control the problems, as well as its contributions to the problems,” according to the letter.

Hannah Daniel, the ERLC’s policy manager, told Baptist Press, “As religious minorities face increasingly intense persecution for their faith in Nigeria, it is imperative that Secretary Blinken re-designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern. Over the past year, we’ve continued to see deteriorating conditions in Nigeria as thousands of Christians have been martyred for their faith.”

Chitwood Says Greenway To Bring ‘Invaluable’ Experience to IMB

By

Scott Barkley

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September 27, 2022

NASHVILLE (BP) — Former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Adam Greenway is joining the International Mission Board in a role that “will be focused on training missionaries to address the greatest problem in the world: spiritual lostness,” according to an entity spokesperson today.

Greenway made his resignation official Sept. 23 after several hours of online speculation overnight. He had been president of Southwestern since February 2019.

IMB President Paul Chitwood, who was executive director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention when Greenway served as state president from 2011-12, welcomed Greenway aboard.

“Having known Adam for many years, I was confident he would approach his work at the seminary with the Great Commission at the forefront. He has done just that. His years of experience in seminary classrooms, as dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism at Southern Seminary and as president of our seminary in Ft. Worth, will be invaluable to the IMB as we are in a season of growing our reach among the nations by deploying and developing Southern Baptists’ missionaries.”

Baptist Press reached out Monday (Sept. 26) to Greenway for comments on his move to the IMB, but he had not responded by time of publication.

In his new role, Greenway will report to Zane Pratt, IMB vice president for Training.

Baptist Press asked a series of additional questions to the IMB pertaining to Greenway’s position and received the following:

“IMB has 4,000 employees and is aggressively recruiting new team members from across the U.S. who can help us effectively address the world’s greatest problem – lostness. We have a long-standing practice of respecting employees’ confidentiality in our hiring process.”

This article originally appeared on BaptistPress.com.

6 Types of People Today’s Church Leaders Have to Try to Shepherd in a Single Congregation

By

James Scott Jr.

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September 27, 2022

When you think of your local church, you probably conjure up a picture of a group of people that has little variation to it.

But the truth is, when describing any group of people, including a local church, you’re actually dealing with a conglomerate of individuals, complete with their own temperaments, their own personalities, their own characters, and lots (and lots!) of individual opinions.

You might say shepherding a local church is kind of like herding cats … just harder!

To help you better understand one of the many challenges church leaders face in shepherding the flock of God put into their care, it’s important to understand that in each congregation you’ll likely find a mix of these six types of people attending that local church.

6 types of people attending church

1. Godly – Mature.

These are those Christians who have been well-discipled and have spent a long time growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. These Christians are able to serve in leading ways in the church, such as in key teaching positions, as disciplers of new converts and other Christians “young” in the faith. These Christians are the ones usually tapped to serve as elders, deacons, and ministry leaders. They are not perfect, but they have matured well in the faith and continue to grow while also being leading servants in the church. There aren’t a lot of these types of people in most churches, but there could be.

2. Godly – Developing disciples.

These are Christians who aren’t as mature as the “Godly – Mature” leaders noted above, but they are devoted to being discipled and are in earlier stages of developing well as faithful and obedient followers of Jesus. It’s exciting to watch these people continue in their spiritual formation over the years, and it is just that — a process that takes time. But they are in this for life! This type of person should be commonplace in most any church, but they aren’t because we so often fail to disciple people properly so that they’re actually “developing disciples.”

3. Undiscipled

The majority of people in any American church will tell you they have never been in a discipling relationship. The may attend church, and perhaps attend a Sunday School class or home group, but that’s all the “discipling” they’ve experienced in their local church. These people are undiscipled. They are biblically illiterate and do not have a biblical worldview. According to recent research, these types of people make up the majority of churchgoers in American churches.

4. Functional atheist

These people are not “classic” atheists because they actually profess faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, they may serve in leading positions in the church, they may even be in teaching positions, and they can quote some scripture. These people are good at “talking the talk,” but what makes them “functional atheists” is that they don’t “walk the walk”; they profess a faith in Christ, but how they live their lives each day is opposite of a life of faithful obedience to, and followership of, Jesus Christ (living as a disciple). The reason this group of people aren’t “lumped in” with the “Undiscipled” noted above is that some of these people have been discipled, yet they do not live out what they have been taught or what they profess to believe. Along with the Undiscipled, this type makes up a majority of the people in the church today.

4 Worship Leader Tips to Improve Your Worship Leading

1. Develop your music skills for worship leading.

2. Develop your worship skills for worship leading.

3. Develop your leadership skills for worship leading.

4. Develop your relationship with God for worship leading.

I personally would rather have chaos with no policies than a bunch of really bad policies.

4 Reasons to HATE Bad Policies:

1. Bad policies eliminate a sense of freedom.

2. Bad policies limit ability to think outside the box.

3. Bad policies stall attempts at excellence.

4. Bad policies curtail the pursuit of progress.

4 ways to improve bad policies:

1. Handle individual problems individually.

2. Treat individual people individually.

4. Lead more than you manage.

Purposely allow for mistakes in your culture.

My bottom line on policies:

22 Bible Jokes & Riddles for Kids

1. Why couldn’t Jonah trust the ocean?

2. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?

3. Did Eve ever have a date with Adam?

4. Where was Solomon’s temple located?

5. Why didn’t Noah go fishing?

6. Where is the first tennis match mentioned in the Bible?

7. What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no longer lived in Eden?

8. What did Adam say on the day before Christmas?

9. How does Moses make his coffee?

10. How do we know Peter was a rich fisherman?

11. Who were Gumby’s favorite Bible characters?

Cam Newton, B. Simone and Megan Brooks Discuss Relationships

Joshua Broome on Spiritual Refinement

Don’t Make Ministry an Idol, Warns Joshua Broome

6 types of people attending church

1. Godly – Mature.

2. Godly – Developing disciples.

3. Undiscipled

4. Functional atheist

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