Pastor Back on His Feet After Being Struck by Vehicle 7 Months Ago

August 19, 2022

FINCASTLE, Va. (BP) – When pastor Kevin Cummings stood to preach his sermon this past Sunday (Aug. 12), it was no ordinary feat for him.

It was his first time preaching standing up since he experienced a catastrophic leg injury after being by an SUV in January.

Cummings, senior pastor at Fincastle Baptist Church in Virginia was helping his son and daughter-in-law relocate from Virginia to Little Rock, Ark. It was a Tuesday morning in early January when Cummings and his son met at the apartment complex to begin unloading belongings into the apartment they were renting.

For the first time in seven months, Kevin Cummings stood on his own to feet to preach a sermon at Fincastle Baptist Church Aug. 12.

While he was standing behind the U-Haul trailer, an SUV struck Cummings from behind, pinning him in between the back of the trailer and the vehicle. It is still unknown why the SUV driver hit him.

Cummings said he knew one or both of his legs were broken as he collapsed to the ground and began to scream in pain. Even during this traumatic moment, his instinct was to praise through the pain.

“It was the most pain I’ve ever felt in my life,” Cummings said. “When I fell to the ground I just keep saying over and over again, ‘God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.’ I just keep repeating that over and over as I waited for the ambulance to come for what seemed like a long time, but was really only a few minutes. I just held onto that.”

Immediately upon arriving at a local hospital, Cummings, who said he had never been in the hospital as a patient, underwent the first of what would ultimately be four surgeries on his right leg. His injuries included multiple breaks and a compound fracture.

After the surgeries, Cummings’ leg now has two plates and 21 screws permanently placed. The incisions left him with 50 stitches. He described his leg immediately after the accident as looking like a jigsaw puzzle. Doctors told him the breaks he endured were the worst they could be.

All of his doctors have told him they don’t understand how his injuries were not more severe. They don’t understand how he did not break both legs, and only needed a few stitches in his left leg. They also don’t understand how he avoided hitting his head on the pavement, how he didn’t lose consciousness, or even how he survived the accident at all.

Cummings and his wife ended up staying in Arkansas about a month due the surgeries and the immediate rehab. Through the incredibly painful experience, Cummings said he has never been more thankful for support from the family of God.

Australian Anglicans Split Over Same-Sex Marriage

Kathryn Post

August 19, 2022

anglican church split — Head of the Anglican Church of Australia, Primate Geoffrey Smith, left, and Glenn Davies, right, the newly appointed bishop of the new Diocese of the Southern Cross. Smith photo via Anglican.org/au; Davies photo via Gafcon.org

(RNS) — A conservative splinter group opposed to same-sex marriage announced the formation this week of a new Anglican diocese in Australia, triggering an apparent split in the church in that country. The launch of the Diocese of the Southern Cross prompted the head of the Anglican Church of Australia, Primate Geoffrey Smith, to issue a statement Thursday (Aug. 18) characterizing it as a “new denomination.”

“This company, while established by some members of the Anglican Church of Australia and structured to mirror some of the characteristics of an Anglican diocese, has no formal or informal relationship or connection with the Anglican Church of Australia,” Smith said in the statement. Smith could not be reached for comment in time for publication.

Glenn Davies, former archbishop of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia, was appointed as bishop of the new diocese Thursday at the Gafcon Australasia Conference, a gathering of conservative Anglicans from Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific that met in Canberra, Australia, this week.

“This is a sad day, in many ways,” Davies told The Guardian. “If the leadership would repent and turn back to the teachings of the bible, we wouldn’t need the Diocese of Southern Cross. I’d shut it down and come back.”

This split is the latest in a series of fissures over LGBTQ inclusion that have bifurcated Anglican denominations in New Zealand, Canada, Brazil and the United States.

According to its website, the Diocese of the Southern Cross views itself as a “separate and parallel Anglican Diocese” bound by theology, rather than geography. The number of churches in the diocese remains unclear, but the Australian-wide group promises on its website to “hold to biblical convictions” and hopes “many new Anglican churches will be established.” Leaders of the new diocese could not be reached for comment in time for publication.

The diocese is a byproduct of GAFCON — the Global Anglican Future Conference — a conservative movement within the Anglican Communion formed in 2008 to “retain and restore the Bible to the heart of the Anglican Communion,” according to its website.

Leaders of the Australian iteration of GAFCON have been planning on launching a conservative Anglican diocese since at least 2021 in response to the Anglican Church of Australia’s murky position on same-sex marriage.

In 2020, the highest court in the Australian Anglican Church, the Appellate Tribunal, allowed clergy to bless same-sex civil marriages. In May of this year, a motion celebrating same-sex marriage failed to pass at the Anglican Church of Australia’s General Synod but won support from nearly 40% of voters. Bishops at the General Synod also voted against a statement defining marriage as only between a man and a woman and condemning same-sex marriage blessings, but approved a separate resolution recognizing that the denomination’s marriage rites currently affirm marriage as between a woman and a man.

“The issue for us is the authority of the Bible,” Richard Condie, chair of GAFCON Australia, said in a statement. “The decisions at the recent General Synod, the 2020 Appellate Tribunal opinion that opens the way to blessings for same-sex marriages, and the watering down of standards of behaviour in changes to Faithfulness in Service are examples of this. The Diocese of the Southern Cross provides an Anglican home for those who feel they need to leave their current Dioceses.”

Pastor Motivates Las Vegas Toward the Gospel, Moment by Moment

Scott Barkley

August 19, 2022

vegas_pastor — Heiden (center) and Neena (right) Ratner are interviewed by news anchor Alyssa Deitsch on KVVU in Las Vegas. Courtesy of Baptist Press.

LAS VEGAS (BP) — There are similarities to how Heiden Ratner leads WALK Church and his style on the basketball court from college and a year as a professional in Israel.

Energetic. Excited. Passionate. Competitive.

“I mean that in a healthy way,” he told Baptist Press. “We’re competing against the devil and lostness. I like to think there’s something in our church’s culture that has an energy that says, ‘We’re a part of something and we’re in this game together.’”

KVVU-TV Fox 5 wanted to be part of it, or more to the point, wanted it to be part of them. It has led to Ratner’s leading brief segments called Motivational Moments that bring viewers a Gospel-centered message during the station’s Friday morning show.

Ratner and his wife, Neena, talked about the segments recently with Fox 5’s morning show. Both grew up in Las Vegas, and getting to contribute in a positive way that also connects the audience to their faith excites them.

“I wanted to be the change that I didn’t have when I was [growing] up,” Heiden said on his return to Vegas the summer after becoming a Christian while a freshman playing for James Madison University. “That led to a calling that the Lord put on my life to start teaching the Bible and sharing about what God has done in my life.”

A marketing coordinator for the station noticed WALK Church and the work the young congregation did in the area. She also noticed how the church reflected Vegas’ diversity in its combination of young and old and various ethnicities.

“She thought that was valuable,” Ratner said. “Our church reflected our city, and she loved that we are a church that’s passionate about serving our city not just on Sunday.”

Fifteen Motivational Moments have been recorded at the Fox 5 studios, with 11 more scheduled. In a city not known for its warmth toward the Bible, Ratner made it understood that it would be central in his messages.

“We wanted to make it clear up front that my motivational messages were going to have a foundation in the Word,” he said.

“The response has been really good. More people than I realized are seeing them and are being encouraged by them, even the people at the station.”

Part of the deal also secured a 30-second TV spot every Sunday morning for the church that includes an invitation by Ratner.

“We’ve seen people respond to that as well, he said. “One guy was kind of debating whether to go or not one morning when he turned on the TV and saw the ad with me inviting viewers. He was like, ‘All right, I’m getting up.’”

Competition can bring negative connotations. But it also brings to mind identifying an objective and pushing toward it relentlessly. Each step – or moment – is one closer to that goal.

“We are a church that’s in the city, for the city,” Ratner said. “These types of moments are big for us because we want to give the Gospel message in a relevant and fresh way to as many people as we can. If there is a large audience that watches the morning shows on Fridays, well, this is an opportunity to get in front of them with the Good News.”

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

Arkansas Senator Agrees To Unblock Atheist Constituents on Twitter and Facebook

Alejandra Molina

August 19, 2022

(RNS) — Arkansas state Sen. Jason Rapert will have to unblock his atheist constituents from his social media accounts as part of a settlement the national organization American Atheists said it reached with the state.

In 2018, American Atheists, an organization that advocates for the separation of church and state, sued Rapert, a Republican, arguing he violated its members’ freedom of speech by blocking them from expressing their viewpoints on his official Facebook and Twitter accounts.

The settlement was announced Wednesday (Aug. 17).

Rapert, according to a copy of the settlement, is required to remove any restrictions on his social media accounts and will have to pay more than $16,000 to American Atheists for costs related to the lawsuit.

“This is a victory for freedom of speech and equality for atheists,” said Geoffrey T. Blackwell, litigation counsel for American Atheists, in a statement.

Rapert, in a statement, said he wasn’t admitting any wrongdoing or fault with the settlement he signed. “The opportunity to settle this lawsuit without any admission of liability or wrongdoing saves time, money, and effort for all concerned,” Rapert said.

In its suit, American Atheists claimed its members were blocked after criticizing Rapert’s “attacks on members of the LGBTQ community, his support of a bill to require the display of the divisive and exclusionary phrase ‘In God We Trust’ in all Arkansas public school classrooms and libraries, and his support for a Ten Commandments display on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol.”

“The voices of atheists and other advocates for the separation of religion and government provide valuable contributions to the public discourse,” the organization argued in the claim.

Rapert, in his statement on Wednesday, welcomed the public to his Facebook pages and to “interact if they are civil.” He said he runs his own social media and moderates posts for civility “as I see fit.”

“You misbehave and break my page rules, I will block you. I have never blocked anyone for their personal viewpoint ever,” he said.

Rapert is also the founder and president of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers, which works to “restore the Judeo-Christian foundations of our government,” he told the Deseret News last year.

Members often share model legislation on issues such as abortion and religious freedom, the newspaper reported.

This article originally appeared here.

31 UMC Churches in NC Demand Immediate Exit From Denomination, Threaten Lawsuit

Yonat Shimron and Emily McFarlan Miller

August 19, 2022

(RNS) — Thirty-one United Methodist churches in western North Carolina are demanding they be allowed to leave the United Methodist Church and have hired a Florida legal firm to push their claim forward.

The National Center for Life and Liberty sent a letter to Bishop Ken Carter, who oversees both the denomination’s Western North Carolina and Florida annual conferences, to request that they preserve documents and other communications should a lawsuit be filed.

The same firm also sued the Florida Annual Conference on behalf of 100 churches wishing to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church last month.

Legal action — or the threat of legal action — represents a new strategy on behalf of churches that want to join the new Global Methodist Church, a new denomination launched largely over differing beliefs regarding the ordination and marriage of its LGBTQ members.

A lawyer for the Western North Carolina Annual Conference, which has more than 1,000 congregations, responded to the letter, saying it would not comply since the request does not follow the disaffiliation plan approved by a special session of the United Methodist Church’s General Conference in 2019.

That plan allows churches to leave the denomination through the end of 2023. They can take their properties with them after paying two years of apportionments and pension liabilities.

Most of the 31 churches seeking an immediate exit are small, rural congregations, according to Carter.

So far, the Western North Carolina Annual Conference, which spans 44 counties in the western end of the state, has approved the disaffiliation of 18 churches following the approved plan. In Florida, 14 of the conference’s 700 churches requested disaffiliation and were allowed to leave at this summer’s annual conference meeting, according to the bishop.

Bishop Ken Carter. Photo via FLUMC.org

All represent a small number of the churches in the two conferences, he said.

“We are seeking to do this work in a way that encourages every church to remain in the United Methodist Church,” Carter said.

“If they really do desire to depart, we want to do that in a way that’s honorable. We have also made the appeal that this not become about misinformation and false witness,” he added.

In a post Wednesday (Aug. 17) on the Western North Carolina Annual Conference website, Carter said churches leaving suddenly without paying apportionments and pension liabilities can create “significant issues” for the rest of the conference.

Praying Down Divine Blessing

Nicholas Batzig

August 19, 2022

Lately, I have been impressed with the fact that prayer is arguably the most important need for the sustenance, vitality, and continuance of the church. A prayerless church is a powerless church. A prayerless congregation will trend toward becoming a loveless congregation. A prayless people will ultimately become a self-reliant people. Every true believer recognizes the need for prayer to hold a far more central and abiding place in his or her life. How then can we cultivate this means of grace for the benefit of the church in our day and the advancement of the kingdom of God among His people? The answer is found, at least in part, in the words of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:15-20.

Having praised and worshiped God for the spiritual blessings that He freely gives His people in Christ (i.e., election, sanctification, adoption, justification, reconciliation, an inheritance, and the sealing of the Spirit) in Ephesians 1:3-14, the Apostle then turns to let the believers in the church in Ephesus of how he prays for them. He writes,

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.

The flow from praise to prayer is instructive for us. Paul goes from praising God for “every spiritual blessing” with which He has blessed His people “in the heavenly places in Christ” to giving thanks to God for them. He then moves from thanking God for the grace He has already given them to praying for a greater realization of these spiritual blessings in their experience. What greater fruit of worship could there be than a heart that turns to the Lord in prayer for those blessings for which we have worshiped and praised him!

In his sermon, “The Riches of His Inheritance,” Sinclair Ferguson captures the connection between praise and prayer so well, when he explains,

“What is the chief fruit of having the benediction of God pronounced upon you and your heart, in response, antiphonally pronouncing benediction upon Gods name? Well Paul gives us the answer in Ephesians 1:15-22. The chief fruit of worship is intercession. The chief fruit of doxology is prayer. ‘For this reason,’ says the Apostle, ‘because I have all the more cause to praise God because these things I have now heard are true of you.’ And the first thing he does is to engage in intercession for them. If the chief fruit of worship is intercession, the chief evidence of my love for services of worship will be the way in which they draw me, indeed, drive me to intercession that those things for which I have been worshiping God may be shed abroad among God’s people in every place, and particularly among those Christian believers with whom I have a special bond of fellowship.”

The remarkable thing about the Apostle’s movement from praise to prayer for the people of God is the way in which he models for us how we should constantly thank God for our fellow believers and interceding on their behalf because of the truth of the gospel at work in their lives. Meditation on the blessings of God in Christ is one of the greatest motivating factors unto prayerfulness for other believers. Iain Hamilton has helpfully noted, “When you find yourself struggling to pray, thoughtful meditation and reflection on ‘the riches of God’s grace’ (Eph. 1:7) will frame your heart and mind to pray for others and for yourself.”

Prayer for other believers is one of the chief marks of divine love functioning among fellow Christians. The Puritan Thomas Watson once wrote,

As in music, though there be several strings of a violin, yet all make one sweet harmony; so, though there are several Christians, yet there should be one sweet harmony of affection among them. There is but one God, and they that serve him should be one. There is nothing that would render the true religion more lovely, or make more proselytes to it, than to see the professors of it tied together with the heart strings of love. If God be one, let all that profess him be of one mind, and one heart, and thus fulfill Christ’s prayer, “that they all may be one.”

Knowing the weakness of our flesh regarding prayer (Matt. 26:40-43), it may be a help for us to utilize a standard set of aids to our commitment to be praying for the people of God. Recently, while preaching on Ephesians 1:15-20, I encouraged our congregants to be working through the membership directory and praying for each of the individuals and families in the church. We should pray for them especially regarding those things for which the Apostle prayed for the believers in the church in Ephesus. Paul prays first for two overarching blessings of God–first, for an increase in spiritual wisdom and knowledge in the revelation of God in Christ; and, second, that the eyes of the hearts of believers to be opened to see what God has already secured for them through Christ. Under his second petition, Paul outlines three blessings for which he prayed for the believers in Ephesus:

7 Deadly Statements of Church Members

Thom Rainer

August 19, 2022

7 Deadly Statements of Church Members — DALLE

Words have meaning. And if a church member or church members start articulating words consistently, those words begin to reflect the priorities and passions of the church.

What a Church Member Should Not Say

I wrote a little book (I Will) on statements church members make that can move a church toward Great Commission and Great Commandment greatness. But there are some sentences that can prove harmful, even deadly, to a congregation. Here are seven of the most deadly statements:

1. “I like our church just the way it is.”

When you begin to hear this statement expressed among church members, you can be certain there is no Great Commission heartbeat. We should never want our church to stay just like it is; we should be constantly seeking to reach new people with the gospel.

2. “My pastor doesn’t visit me enough.”

There are so many things wrong with this statement. First, it reflects a ministry where there is expectation that the pastor is to do most of the ministry, instead of equipping others to do the work of ministry. Second, it reflects a dependence and self-centered ministry on the part of church members.

3. “I always vote ‘no’ just to keep the leadership in check.”

This person is the disrupter I described in an earlier post. He or she really wants the focus on self. Attention seeking and self-focus are characteristics of this person. They are toxic to churches.

How to Write Your Personal Biography for a Website, Resume or Conference

Phil Cooke

August 19, 2022

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

During your career, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to write a biography about yourself for websites, social media, conference programs, membership in professional organizations and more. The problem is, too many people seize that moment to pontificate about themselves as if they’d won an Academy Award or Nobel Prize. But writing an effective personal biography can do more than just tout your accomplishments—it can really serve to advance your ideas and message. Now’s a good time to rethink your personal biography, and here’s a handful of important principles to keep in mind:

How to Write Your Personal Biography for a Website, Resume or Conference

1) Mention your accomplishments, but don’t go over the top.

Far too many bios include phrases like “changing the world,” “bestselling author,” “in demand speaker” or “internationally respected _______.” Unless those types of accolades can be verified, don’t stretch the truth. It hurts your credibility. Always remember that in the Internet age, everything can be verified.

2) Focus on your “One Big Thing.”

Too many bios list a wide array of interests and work, and leave the reader wondering what your area of expertise actually is. Instead, use your bio to share what you feel called and prepared to accomplish with your life. (And if you don’t know what that is, then read my book.)

3) Write your personal biography for a specific audience.

Is the bio being used for a leadership conference? Then focus on your expertise in that area. For a job site? Focus on your qualifications. For a professional organization? Make it clear why you’re part of that group. Always think about the specific reader of the bio and what they need to know.

4) Keep it short and sweet.

Generally speaking, I’ve noticed that in conference programs, the least experienced person usually has the longest biography. That’s because the most qualified speakers don’t need to promote themselves in their bio. Keep it short and focused on the purpose at hand.

5) Don’t fake it.

When someone starts in a new career, they often feel like there isn’t much to say. If that’s the case, then make what little you’ve done look good. And think about things outside the workplace to talk about—maybe your work for a local cause or nonprofit. Don’t be afraid to sell yourself, but don’t make things up. Your integrity matters, so just keep it simple.

6) Have some fun.

When Paula Zahn joked on CNN that I was “the only working producer in Hollywood with a Ph.D. in Theology,” I included that in my personal biography. The only reason my wife went out with me on our first date is that when I called her, she thought I was someone else—so I’ve used that in a bio. Maybe you have an odd hobby, or a quirky past. Don’t be so serious all the time. It’s a personal biography – people will enjoy seeing your personality.

Remember—your biography isn’t about bragging rights, it’s about credibility. Why should I listen to your speech, check out your website or connect with you online? Lose the hype, be authentic and have some fun.

This article bout how to write your personal biography originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

You Can Avoid the Hymns vs Contemporary Worship Trap

Don Chapman

August 19, 2022

Recently my website HymnCharts.com was 10 years old. I started the website soon after I became a church music director for the first time. As most of you have found, mixing hymns with contemporary worship songs is quite a challenge and back then resources were non-existent. It was a stark choice: hymns vs contemporary worship.

The young church where I was serving had a praise band and contemporary music. Yet, I was getting requests for hymns (or perhaps “demands” would be a better word – you know how it is!) I arranged “All Hail the Power” for the band one Sunday, and it was a smash. A mid-twenties guitarist in the band wondered where I found this “great new praise song,” and an older lady came up to me and was thrilled to hear the old hymn.

Hymns vs Contemporary Worship

These days many worship leaders believe they’re too hip or cool to include hymns in their cutting edge praise sets. It’s their loss – and their congregation’s.

In her epic book Worship Evangelism, Sally Morgenthaler reinforces what I’ve believed all along. The average person in your congregation, even the unchurched, is far less “hip” than the worship leader. They may love the new worship songs but they also love the old hymns (although they don’t want to hear them with pipe organs.) I quote from her book:

In a recent study, two-thirds of the unchurched said they would prefer to come back to an “informal” church experience. What exactly an “informal experience” entails was not clear. Yet, 47 percent of those surveyed also indicated that they would like to sing some traditional hymns. (Note: This does not necessarily mean they want to sing them in a “traditional way.”)

Another study found that while only 21 percent of all Americans would choose churches that offer an exclusive diet of traditional hymns, 65 percent prefer churches that provide a mix of traditional and contemporary music (music that has been composed in the last ten to twenty years). Evidently, the American public — including its vast unchurched sector — does not support a wholesale abandonment of religious trappings.

In A Generation of Seekers, a boomer pastor speaks of the powerful emotions that are often triggered when boomers return to church and intersect with certain traditional elements in worship:

Many of my age group talk about coming to church, and they cry through the service…[especially when they listen to] the hymns, they are just unraveled. And these are people who haven’t come to church in years…It’s empowering…a real deep sense of coming home again…of something that was missing and then reaching some real deep places that people weren’t even aware of.

So just how can you combine hymns with worship music? The problem is that hymns out of a hymnal don’t have the same “feel” as the contemporary songs.

If you only have hymnal versions of hymns, don’t mix these with your praise music. Putting a hymnal hymn in the middle of your set will disrupt the flow. The styles are too different. Instead, isolate them as a call to worship, a benediction or offertory.

To effectively blend hymns with praise songs you’ll need a contemporary hymn arrangement. My goal is for such a seamless transition from a praise song to a hymn that the congregation doesn’t even realize they’ve shifted lyrical centuries.

How to avoid the hymns vs contemporary worship trap:

The best contemporary hymn arrangements:

Lower the key:

SATB hymnal hymns have a wide vocal range with high sopranos and low basses. Modern music harmony is tight and mid-ranged.

Are put in guitar friendly keys like D, E, and G.

I’m also hearing more and more praise songs in B.

Keep the melodies intact.

I cringe when arrangers jazz up a hymn melody to make it “cooler.” The whole point to a contemporary hymn arrangement is to bring the generations together. Adding syncopations to traditional melodies makes for a tongue-tied congregation. Completely new melodies are great, however, as they give a breath of fresh air to ancient texts, as are traditional hymns with added choruses like Tomlin’s “The Wonderful Cross.”

Bottom Line: Mix Hillsong United with Isaac Watts and you’ll hit a home run.

This article on avoiding the hymns vs contemporary worship trap originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Do Something Fun Today

Michelle Geoffrey

August 19, 2022

Yesterday, I stopped at a red light and there was a man at the corner with a cardboard sign that said, “Anything helps.” I handed the gentleman crackers that I keep in my car for such occasions, and he said with a big smile, “Thank you! Do something fun today!” This caught me off guard, so I said, “I’ll try!” As I drove away, I thought to myself, “What do I have planned for fun today?” This thought led to a trail of other thoughts that ended with, “Am I really enjoying my life?”

Something Fun

At the beginning of each year, I start fresh and create goals and hopes for what the new year will bring. This always includes having one “Sabbath” day of each week. I heard once that a “Sabbath” can be any 24-hour period that is set apart for rest. In theory this is an easy concept to practice; in reality I struggle to regularly live this out each week. So I have to make a plan, and I follow it as much as possible, although I am constantly having to go back to square one.

The first step is to mark off the day or time. Our calendars fill up quickly. If we don’t make a plan then we will quickly be overcome by having too much to do. Put time in your schedule each week for refreshment. When people ask you to do something during this time, guard it carefully. If you already have it marked off say, “I am not available during that time.” If you have an assistant, then ask him or her to help you guard that time as well.

The next step is to find something to do that you enjoy. Pick a hobby or go back to an old one. You may read or write; you may enjoy walking or hiking; or you may garden or knit. Find something that makes you smile when you think about it. Plan to do this once a week or for a few minutes each day.

Lastly, look at your life and see who you enjoy spending time with regularly. This looks differently for everyone! Since I have no children to call my own, I have two cute members of my family, Kayley and Kara, (8-year-old twins) that I enjoy spend time with when I am feeling overwhelmed or tired. Children have a way of making you laugh by bringing out the natural wonder of life, if you let them. However this is probably not the way that a children’s pastor would feel refreshed, so find something that suits you. Go on a date with your spouse, meet up with a friend for a planned activity, or just be alone and enjoy the quietness.

This week make plans to enjoy your life! Do something fun! Ride a roller coaster, plan a vacation, sleep without setting an alarm clock… Or dare I say it…turn off your phone. Whatever you need to do, take time for refreshing your soul and breathe deeply in this life that God has given you!

This article on doing something fun originally appeared here.

Children’s Ministry Volunteers: 7 Solutions If You’re Short on Helpers

ChildrensMinistry.com

August 18, 2022

Are you short on children’s ministry volunteers? With these seven ideas, you’ll solve a volunteer crisis quickly.

If you can hear the impending approach of small feet but don’t have enough helpers, don’t panic! We have several handy, in-a-pinch solutions for a shortage of children’s ministry volunteers. These ideas will help you and your team be effective in tough circumstances.

7 Steps When You’re Short on Children’s Ministry Volunteers

1. Combine classrooms.

This solution works well for short-term or long-term volunteer shortages. Your best bet is to combine classes that are close in age. It’s also better to combine “up.” For example, combine the class with an older, rather than younger, age group. That allows older kids to help younger ones and works well for relationship-building and mentoring. Plus, the teacher absorbing the class gains an entire room of “instant assistants.”

2. Move to a large-group/small-group setup.

Create a system where everyone meets in a large-group area and then moves to a smaller group. That means you need only one prepared teacher. Plus, you’ll need several small group leaders. But they don’t need teaching skills like your up-front person. For a great large-group/small-group curriculum, check out Group’s DIG IN or Simply Loved Curriculum.

3. Implement a rotation model.

Set up a rotation model where kids move from one learning station to another. You can also rotate teachers from class to class or group to group. This system requires children’s ministry assistants but cuts the need for trained teachers.

4. Recruit teenagers.

One of the most-overlooked church resources may be sitting in your youth ministry. Teenagers can be great with children. Plus, many teens are natural teachers. Beef up your volunteer base and get these students on a training track to become teachers!

5. Close classrooms.

This idea makes many children’s ministers shudder. But in some cases, it may be your best (or only) option. First, determine your room or class capacity. Then detail the procedure for closing a class. Your adult-to-child ratio should follow your state’s health and human services recommendations.

‘Lord I Lift Your Name on High?’ Oakland Church Sues Police Department After They Raid Cannabis and Mushroom Stash

Jesse T. Jackson

August 18, 2022

zide_raid_suit — Screengrab via Instagram @davehemp

Zide Door in Oakland, California, which identifies itself as a church, is suing police officers and the city of Oakland over a 2020 raid of their facility, in which authorities confiscated $200,000 worth of cannabis and psychedelic mushrooms. Zide Door distributes the drugs to church members.

According to Zide Door’s website, they are “a Church in Oakland supporting the safe access and use of Entheogenic Plants. We follow a nondenominational, interfaith religion, The Church of Ambrosia.”

Established in 2019 after Oakland passed a resolution decriminalizing natural psychedelics, the church claims to preach against nonreligious alcohol and drug use and boasts that it has 60,000 members who pay $5 a month to receive psychedelic sacraments.

People can apply to be a member of the church through their website, where they are asked to upload an image of their driver’s license and disclose whether they work for a law enforcement or government agency.

The church’s founder Dave Hodges has shared that he takes large doses of mushrooms to create a spiritual experience. “You get what can only be described as spiritual visions. You leave your body, you interact with entities that have knowledge they wish to teach you, and you can even have a direct experience with God,” Hodges said.

One church member, who dislikes cannabis, described their experience by saying, “Every time I smoke, it’s as if there’s a giant inner eye that turns on me and shows me everything that is wrong with my life.”

Zide Door used to hold weekly in-person services but discontinued the practice at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hodges relayed to San Francisco Chronicle news their building remains open every day for church members to pick up their cannabis and mushrooms. In-person worship services used to be held at 4:20 p.m.—a time when marijuana users associate with lighting up.

Nevertheless, the church never allows its members to take mushrooms on the its premises due to safety issues. Hodges instructs church members to take the natural psychedelics “in a place users won’t have to drive for at least 8 hours.”

Claiming that taking mushrooms allow him to experience God, Hodges shared that taking high dose of mushrooms allow him to travel through multiple dimensions, including heaven and hell.

Some of Hodges most popular sermons have been written after taking high doses of mushrooms. Explaining why members can’t take mushrooms on church property, Zide Door’s leader said, “You need a bed and a bathroom right next to each other—it’s not something you do in public.”

Man Who Made Blood Covenant With Satan Has a Dramatic Encounter With Jesus

Jessica Lea

August 18, 2022

Untitled design (14) — Screengrab via CBN

The day after he made a blood covenant with Satan in December of 2018, Samuel Bishop decided to take his own life, which had been difficult and painful up to that point. He had turned to the occult to gain a sense of self-worth and control.

“I said well, if nobody wants to accept me, maybe there’s nothing worth accepting in me,” said Bishop, referring to his childhood in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). “If my parents can’t love me…what am I really worth?”

The Occult Seems To Offer Bishop Stability

Bishop came to this conclusion about himself after growing up with a mother who was addicted to drugs and with a father who was a violent alcoholic and who was in and out of prison. Bishop says his earliest memories are of roaches crawling on him while he was sleeping. “It was just terrible,” he said. “There was always this feeling of just chaos all throughout the household.”

At age four, Bishop spent two years in the foster care system, going from family to family. By age 15, he was living with his father and was drinking, using drugs and battling depression. He felt that his life had no meaning and would never change, which he describes as a “crushing feeling.”

“I constantly felt this suicidal pressure,” said Bishop. who would drink and use more to escape his depression. He enlisted in the Army after high school, but was discharged after two months due to his substance abuse and mental health problems. He moved back in with his dad and began working as a high school janitor, but continued to spiral as he began using meth and heroin and engaged in toxic romantic relationships.

Bishop says that he did not turn to God at this time because thought God’s love was based on people’s performance and believed “God’s expectations are too high for me.”

Around this time, he met a Wiccan high priestess, who introduced him to the occult. Occult practices gave Bishop a sense of control and self-worth he had never experienced in his life. “There’d be manifestations, like stuff would move around,” he said. “I’d do a spell or ritual or something, and I’d see something happen as a result of it. And I thought, man, I’m in control. And I loved that feeling of, I have power.”

In December 2018, Bishop decided to make a blood covenant dedicating himself to Satan, but this was a decision he immediately regretted. He said, “I felt in that moment complete emptiness, a complete just hole like there’s nothing in me at all.” He concluded, “There’s no more forgiveness. You’re going to hell now.”

‘As Christ Said, Judge a Tree by Its Fruits’: Alex Jones Dumps Trump for DeSantis

Dale Chamberlain

August 18, 2022

alex jones ron desantis — Left: U.S. Secretary of Defense, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Right: Screengrab via Twitter

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has endorsed Florida governor Ron DeSantis for president in the 2024 election. Jones was previously a staunch supporter of Donald Trump, who may also be seeking the Republican nomination.

While neither Trump nor DeSantis have announced their candidacy in the 2024 presidential race, it has been widely speculated that one or both of them will run.

Jones revealed his change in allegiance in a recent episode of his “InfoWars” web show, wherein he described his previous support of Donald Trump as “pigheaded.”

Despite having disagreed with the Trump Administration’s “Operation Warp Speed” response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jones said, “I thought we had to keep him in office, because of the nightmare scenario if Hilary or Biden got in—back before they were officially running.”

“With that said, I am supporting DeSantis,” Jones continued. “DeSantis has gone from being awesome to being unbelievably good.”

“And I don’t just watch a man’s actions, as Christ said, ‘Judge a tree by its fruits,’” Jones added. “I can also look in his eyes, on HD video, and I see the real sincerity.”

Jones, who has long been known for spreading unsubstantiated conspiracy theories through his web show, recently made headlines after a Texas jury ruled that he is obligated to pay $49.3 million in damages to parents of victims in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

For years, Jones perpetuated the lie that the massacre, which took place in 2012, was a hoax staged by “crisis actors.”

Following the verdict, right-wing political consultant and lobbyist Roger Stone called upon fellow conservatives to financially support Jones, saying, “He is a God-fearing Christian, he’s done more for this movement than perhaps anyone you could possibly name, and, right now, he needs our support.”

Stone was convicted on felony charges of witness tampering and lying to Congress in 2019. He was subsequently pardoned by then-president Trump shortly after Trump commuted his sentence.

During his defamation trial, Jones used his faith as part of his defense, saying that “InfoWars” has recently begun to shift away from political discussions to more Christian “self-help” content.

The US Department of Justice Is Investigating the SBC. What Does It Mean?

Bob Smietana

August 18, 2022

Department of Justice — Kathleen McChesney. Photo courtesy of McChesney

(RNS) — More than four decades after sexual abuse claims against a Catholic priest first made national headlines, spurring accusations, lawsuits, a series of newspaper investigations and billions in settlements, the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating a religious group’s handling of sexual crimes by clergy and church staff.

This time, the Southern Baptist Convention is under investigation, according to a statement released Friday (Aug. 12) by leaders of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.

News of the investigation came months after the release of a report from the investigative firm Guidepost Solutions that found SBC leaders had mistreated abuse survivors and mishandled abuse claims for decades.

The SBC’s Nashville-based Executive Committee acknowledged that it had received a subpoena from the Department of Justice. Leaders from Southern Baptist seminaries, missionary groups, the Executive Committee and other entities promised to cooperate fully.

Texas pastor Bart Barber, the SBC’s newly elected president, also signed the statement. Barber also recently appointed a task force to implement new reforms meant to address abuse.

The question is: Why the SBC, and why now?

“If I were still in law enforcement, I’d want to take a hard look at the report myself and see if there is anything of potential value to prosecutors in terms of bringing criminal charges against an offender, or if there is anything that law enforcement needs to do to in order to prevent a crime,” said Kathleen McChesney, a former FBI agent who served as executive director of the Office of Child Protection for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

McChesney, now a consultant, said federal law enforcement officials often investigate sex trafficking, child porn and crimes against children on the internet. It’s less common for them to investigate sexual abuse, which is often handled by local or state officials. In 2011 a Texas jury sentenced Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, to life in prison for abuse after Jeffs spent years on the FBI’s most-wanted list as a fugitive.

The DOJ generally gets involved only when a federal crime may have occurred, often when victims are transported across state lines as part of an illegal act.

While it has been rare for the FBI or other department investigators to look into religious groups’ activities, the DOJ is currently investigating the Archdiocese of New Orleans to determine whether abusive Catholic priests took children across state lines, The Associated Press reported in June.

Church’s Foster Care Ministry Focused on School-Age Children

Diana Chandler

August 18, 2022

SULPHUR SPRINGS, Texas (BP) – The new school year can be especially tumultuous for children in foster care, Union Baptist Church Senior Pastor Jacob Smith learned as the church prayed about the viability of a foster care ministry.

Seeing God affirm the ministry, Smith contacted Journey Road, a new non-profit, nondenominational foster care ministry in Pickton, Texas, to learn current needs. The new school year is a prime time to reach out.

“Journey Road let us know there is kind of a massive uptick in CPS (Child Protective Services) actions that result in foster care placements at the beginning of the school year, which is unsurprising,” Smith told Baptist Press. “These kids are, for the first time in several months, going into a building full of mandatory reporters. Because of that uptick, this became a back-to-school kind of thing.

“These kids are now showing up and they don’t just need basic toiletries and things like that, but they also need basic school supplies to be provided for them. And so that got wrapped up into one ministry.”

Each backpacks contains school supplies, toiletries, a full set of towels, a set of twin sheets, a Bible and information on Union Baptist Church with online access to the Gospel.

Rachel Draper, who founded Journey Road in 2019 with her husband, learned the needs foster care parents and children after she and her husband became foster parents five years ago. A shortage of foster families, support services and resources are prevalent, said Draper, who is actively recruiting churches to help.

“Our foster care system, people say it’s a broken system. Well it’s beyond broken,” Draper said. “There’s just so many gaps in the system. Now, can we work through that? Absolutely.

“But I think it’s going to come down to churches. And I don’t really have any other answers, other than that.”

There were about 407,500 children in foster care in the U.S. in 2020, about 217,000 of whom entered the system that year, according to Kids Count data from the Annie M. Casey Foundation). About 8 in 10 children in foster care in 2020 were placed with families and relatives, as opposed to group homes, the foundation reported.

Union Baptist, a congregation of 29 members, packed 20 starter kits during its Aug. 14 evening church service to donate to Journey Road and plans to donate another 20 at the start of the spring semester.

“Oftentimes, foster kids arrive in their new homes with basically nothing but the shirt on their back. Maybe they have a few possessions. These families also don’t get a lot of advance (notice) before they receive a placement,” Smith said. “There’re times, quite often, when these families will wake up in the morning with a certain number of children or no children, not thinking they’re going to get anymore, and then by the end of the day they’ve got another kid, or three.”

Draper, a nondenominational Christian who feels called to foster ministry, spoke at Brashear Baptist Church in Brashear Aug. 14, encouraging members to support foster care.

Gospel Focus Motivates, Makes Southern Baptist Crisis Relief Unique

Brandon Porter

August 18, 2022

Gospel-focus-motivates- — Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers pray with a storm victim during a deployment to Louisiana. Photo courtesy of Baptist Press.

NASHVILLE (BP) – The capacity for help from Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) is high. In fact, one key SBDR leaders says it ranks right up there with the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army in resources available to people in crisis.

Still, that’s not what sets it apart among relief organizations. Coy Webb, the crisis response director for Send Relief, says it’s the intentional Gospel focus that makes SBDR stand out.

“We like to say that we like to do two things – we want to offer practical help when people are hurting, and we want to offer the hope of Christ,” Webb told Baptist Press.

While crisis and disaster are obvious needs, “the greatest crisis in the world is lostness and that people have not yet had an opportunity to know the God who loves them and created them for a purpose,” he said.

Webb has served in the role at Send Relief for a little more than two years. He came to the Southern Baptist compassion ministry after serving many years leading disaster relief efforts for the Kentucky Baptist Convention and pastoring local churches.

The month of August calls for a Focus on Christian Service in the SBC annual calendar with an emphasis on ministries of Send Relief.

Webb believes crisis relief work gives Christians the opportunity to “step outside the walls of their church buildings and, sometimes, step outside their own communities to make an impact for Christ.”

He said through helping people at their greatest time of need, he’s personally witnessed believers’ credibility restored with people who said they would never step foot in a local church.

Webb specifically recalled a time a time he was working with a crew in a small community. They encountered an older man who needed help, but told them he didn’t want to hear about God or Jesus while they worked.

Webb said the man’s hardened exterior was softened over the next few days as they helped to clean up and repair damage at his home.

By the end of the week, the man placed his faith in Jesus Christ and was open to being connected to a pastor in the area who could build a relationship with him. That pastor later informed the team that he baptized the man a few weeks later.

Webb believes encounters like this are what motivate SBDR workers. “Most disaster relief workers have a heart for people, but they also have a passion for Jesus. They put that together to serve Him in the worst moments.

“I think that makes them unique because most people are running from a disaster but these volunteers are running toward it to help people,” Webb told Baptist Press.

Most Baptist state conventions have disaster relief teams, Webb said. Each state convention offers specific opportunities to serve. They include:

Chaplaincy ministry
Chainsaw crews
Mud out crews
Feeding units
Laundry units
Mobile shower units

All workers must receive training and certification before they can serve on the field. Webb encourages people who are interested to check with their state convention for training opportunities.

Learn more about Southern Baptist crisis relief at SendRelief.org.

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

Should We Want Our Children To Be Happy?

Randy Alcorn

August 18, 2022

It’s common to hear advice to Christian parents encouraging them to want more for their children than “just happiness.” While I believe such advice is meant well, we need to address the concept of happiness carefully when it comes to our kids.

Yes, children frequently want to stay up late, eat cookies before bed, play video games for hours, and avoid their homework, imagining those things will bring them happiness. But wise parents know better. They, too, want their children to be happy—the difference is, parents know what will keep children happy in the long run.

Because they sometimes need to tell their children “no,” it might seem like their children’s happiness isn’t something that conscientious parents should concern themselves with. But there is a right kind of happiness and joy we should want for children and grandchildren: one that is Christ-honoring and God-centered.

Our Children Will Long for Happiness.

God built a desire for happiness into our children, just like it’s built into every person who ever has or ever will live. The important question is, where will they seek that happiness? Will they look for it in Christ and in living a life rooted in Him, or will they seek it in the world and its endless empty mirages?

Any parent who tries to make their child repent of being motivated by happiness is fighting a losing battle. Distancing happiness from the gospel sends a false and damaging message.

Yes, we want our children to experience happiness—the happiness that comes from knowing and following Christ and living a life that is pleasing to Him. Teaching them that they will experience difficulties and suffering, and can also experience a deep, God-given happiness despite (and sometimes because of) those challenges, can strengthen their faith and fill them with purpose.

We’ve all observed parents who say, “I just want my children to be happy,” which means they will give their children whatever they want or allow them to pursue anything they feel will bring them gratification, even if it’s contrary to God’s word.

This is not the kind of happiness I’m speaking of. Such parents should actually want more for their children—such as to love God, and therefore be respectful, virtuous, and generous. “The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him” (Proverbs 23:24).

What Rembrandt Teaches Us About the Gospel

Sam Luce

August 18, 2022

My favorite artist is Rembrandt because of his story, his use of biblical imagery, and the fact he places himself in the paintings he paints. This is what good art does it envelopes you; it swallows you and emerges you into its story. My favorite painting of his is the Return of the Prodigal Son. It’s been the background on my iPhone for four or five years now. I put it on my phone because I wanted to be daily reminded that I am prone to wander like the son, that I growing up in the church and never leaving home left home on my heart, and lastly, I’m called to be the father who loves both those who have wandered far from home and those who have wandered while never leaving home. The gospel points out my sin points me to Christ, and redirects me to run toward sinners.

The Return Of The Prodigal Son

I recently replaced it for the time being with Christ calms the storm. A painting that depicts arguably the best depiction of God’s trust in His Father and our trust in ourselves in all of scripture.

The biblical scene pitches nature against human frailty – both physical and spiritual. The panic-stricken disciples struggle against a sudden storm, and fight to regain control of their fishing boat as a huge wave crashes over its bow, ripping the sail and drawing the craft perilously close to the rocks in the left foreground. One of the disciples succumbs to the sea’s violence by vomiting over the side. Amidst this chaos, only Christ, at the right, remains calm, like the eye of the storm. Awakened by the disciples’ desperate pleas for help, he rebukes them: “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” and then rises to calm the fury of wind and waves. Nature’s upheaval is both cause and metaphor for the terror that grips the disciples, magnifying the emotional turbulence and thus the image’s dramatic impact.

Michael Zell

There are many ironic elements of this masterpiece. The first is the fact it was stolen in 1990 from the Isabella Gardener Museum in Boston. Most experts believe it to be the work of organized crime to be used as ransom to free jailed crime bosses. The irony is that since it was taken, there has been wave after wave of stolen peace in our lives and in our countries collective experience. I do not believe that the theft precipitated our lack of collective peace. It is only a cultural artifact that points to our loss of peace by righting our ship on our terms.

In each of the disciples, you see their reactions to the storm. Some fight with the rigging, some puke over the edge, some run to wake the sleeping Christ. The funny thing is as I study the painting, Rembrandt’s only seascape, I find myself in each of the sailors. I often try to fix things myself; other times, I feel overwhelmed with anxious thoughts, and I’m the guy hanging over the edge of the boat. This picture on my lock screen, and one day a reproduction on my wall, reminds me to run to Jesus.

Another interesting aspect of this iconic work is how, in the middle of the darkness, the face of Christ is lit not from the sun hitting it but from the interior light of God. A light that came to subdue the works of the devil, as John tells us in John 1:4-5 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Perhaps the most haunting part of Christ In The Storm On The Sea Of Galilee is Rembrandt himself. Rembrandt was famous for his self-portraits and for placing himself in his paintings in the middle of the action. It was as if he was preaching to us through the canvas. The most famous example of this is during the same year he painted the Sea of Galilee; he painted The Raising of the Cross where Christ was crucified, and his cross was being raised by several men most of them you could not see their faces because of shadows. Rembrandt’s face was bathed in light, telling all who looked upon it that He Rembrandt Van Rijn was the chief of all sinners.

In The Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt is staring out of the painting at you and me and looking at us in such a way as to invite us into the scene. He is saying when the waves come, where do you run. Could you walk through life with a trust that is otherworldly? I think Rembrandt was staring at himself, reminding himself to trust God in the middle of his storms and his storms were many.

Trying to summarize the many misfortunes of Rembrandt’s life can be overwhelming. They are not unlike those of the prodigal son. After having lost his son Rumbartus in 1635, his first daughter Cornelia in 1638, and his second daughter Cornelia in 1640, Rembrandt’s wife Saskia, whom he deeply loved and admired, dies in 1642. Rembrandt is left behind with his nine-month-old son, Titus. After Saskia’s death, Rembrandt’s life continues to be marked with countless pains and problems.

Henri Nouwen

He is looking at us. But his use of light is pointing us to Christ. Rembrandt was not a preacher, but he did preach with his paint, and he did proclaim with his brushes. His legacy is one of someone who, in the middle of the storm after losing three children, pointed us to Christ. He still does. In the middle of 2020 and the sorrows, we have faced and will face, know that Christ your Redeemer is asleep but not inattentive. He reminds us that our Father is mighty and will not perish.

How to Build Sticky Small Groups

Chet Gladkowski

August 18, 2022

sticky small groups — Adobestock #485398728

Since the pandemic, our lives have been deeply disrupted. We were forced to make sudden and significant changes. With so many interruptions to daily life, lots of people started to reevaluate so many things. Where and how they work. How to take care of family. Where and how they spend their time. This is a very unique point in time to reach out as people are thinking about what’s important. To help them make wise decisions, and to thrive, you need to build sticky small groups.

And a natural byproduct of all those changes and choices will influence where and how they participate in small groups.

Have they returned to their small group?
How do they view the people and relationships they have within their small group?
How much time, energy, and focus will they purposefully devote to their small group

How to Build Sticky Small Groups

A sticky small group is one where people don’t just come. Yes, you welcome people. Yes, you make them feel comfortable. Yes, you reinforce their value. And of course, you feed them. But it’s more than that.

There is a glue, a cement that holds sticky small groups tightly together. And that stickiness, that glue, is something that is purposefully placed between people. And that glue is Jesus.

But whoever is united (i.e. glued) with the Lord is one with him in spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:17

The first step is to be glued with the Lord. That sticky relationship drives everything else in life. And it also gives us other sticky opportunities for growth.

3 Steps Toward Sticky Small Groups

There are three things that we can do to create and enhance the “stickiness” of our Small Groups.

1. Sticky Community

What are the things that you can do to create and cultivate community? This starts with a sense of trust, that anyone can come and be safe. It grows as people are vulnerable with their faults, their failures, their frustrations, their frailties.

2. Sticky Questions

Of all the skills to be developed, asking questions must be Job-One. Ask questions that require thought and a personalized answer. Ask questions that gently probe feelings more than knowledge. Let them release their pain in a safe and comfortable place.

3. Sticky Opportunities

Be the kind of person that encourages and gives opportunities for personal growth. Gently challenge people to leave their safe harbor and venture out into deeper waters. Allow people to creatively come up with their own sticky opportunities, where they spread their wings for personal growth.

There is lots of noise out there. People are being inundated with it from all sides. But it’s also a most unique time to uptick the “stickiness” of yourself and your Small Groups. You never know what the outcome might be.

Some of the people became followers of (stuck to) Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others. Acts 17:34

Paul was a sticky kind of guy and created sticky small groups of people following him. When people followed, they stuck to him. And after sticking around for a while, they became believers. But not just anybody became believers.

Dionysius – This was a person of importance both from a leadership standpoint in the community. As a judge at the Areopagus Court in Athens, he was a well known person within the community.
Damaris – in a time and culture said that women were inferior, she is highlighted as an important new believer. This shows that becoming united with the Lord, to be stuck with him, was for everyone.

Isn’t it time for you and your small groups to increase your stickiness?

This article on sticky small groups originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

What a Church Member Should Not Say

1. “I like our church just the way it is.”

2. “My pastor doesn’t visit me enough.”

3. “I always vote ‘no’ just to keep the leadership in check.”

How to Write Your Personal Biography for a Website, Resume or Conference

1) Mention your accomplishments, but don’t go over the top.

2) Focus on your “One Big Thing.”

3) Write your personal biography for a specific audience.

4) Keep it short and sweet.

5) Don’t fake it.

6) Have some fun.

Hymns vs Contemporary Worship

How to avoid the hymns vs contemporary worship trap:

Something Fun

7 Steps When You’re Short on Children’s Ministry Volunteers

1. Combine classrooms.

2. Move to a large-group/small-group setup.

3. Implement a rotation model.

4. Recruit teenagers.

5. Close classrooms.

The Occult Seems To Offer Bishop Stability

Our Children Will Long for Happiness.

How to Build Sticky Small Groups

3 Steps Toward Sticky Small Groups

1. Sticky Community

2. Sticky Questions

3. Sticky Opportunities

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