How to Unite a Community – 5 Ways

August 5, 2022

Editor’s note: Rick Muchow, longtime worship leader at Saddleback Church, offers these suggestions to how to unite a community and make sure you’re doing everything you can to make your team into, well, a team. Read on for Rick’s list of ideas on how to unite a community:

How to Unite a Community – 5 Ways

1. Use a slogan or phrase

Saddleback’s: “More than music, we’re a family.” People remember slogans and will apply what they remember.

2. Notice the individual—build a family

Every event or interaction needs to be “family building.”
Staff and leaders need to be early to meetings, rehearsals, etc., to greet, encourage and pray with the volunteers.
Must be relational before transactional.
Use phone calls, texts, notes and visits to interact with volunteers, not automated messages from church management software.
Volunteers come first!
Demonstrate your faith in front of the team … be a good example for them to follow.
Recruit weekly—use auditions to build community.
Audition for three commitments: Time, Spiritual and Talent. … Make it an event and makie it encouraging.
Biblical community is inclusive. Not just for the most talented, our favorites or just for the Creative Arts volunteers.
Include the team members’ family into the ministry family—include their spouses, kids, jobs, etc.
Visit them in their homes, hospital, their concerts, games etc.
Be available in times of need (delegate care)
Our staff team/leaders should be the first responders in crisis

3. Involve the team

Delegate—Old Testament Model – As in Exodus 18:13-26:

THE PROBLEM: Moses was doing all the work by himself and was burning out (vs. 17-18).

THE SOLUTION: They divided the ministry to God’s people into smaller groups (vs. 21-22).

THE STRATEGY: Moses appointed
Leaders of 10 Leaders of 100
Leaders of 50 Leaders of 1000

THE RESULT: Moses was relieved and everyone had his needs satisfied (vs. 23).

Delegate planning frequent gatherings as a whole team once quarterly:

Can include training, party, food, a fun get together, on- or off-site.
Doesn’t have to cost money.
Communicate clearly to leaders.

4. Take time to pray and teach the Bible

Include prayer and bible study in every rehearsal:

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
“Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).
“He who sings prays twice.” St. Augustine
“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving” (Col 4:2).
“I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who abides in me while I abide in him produces much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

5. Enjoy the journey

How to unite a community? Have fun!

Celebrate milestones, births, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, promotions, healing, hard work and all the good stuff.
Share stories of how God is working.
Get excited about what God is doing and how He is using the team.
Include the familes of team members in the community.
Visit team members in their homes, hospital, outside of the church walls … meet with them in nature, recreation, sports events and entertainment options!

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4).

Louie Giglio: Wired for a Life of Worship

Louie Giglio

August 5, 2022

Most people find themselves in places that don’t seem all that spiritual. Or worshipful. We take classes that seems pointless apart from logging new information or filling the time. Circumstances that don’t appear to have any eternal significance at all. If you’ve ever felt like that, I’ve got great news. You can worship God wherever you are, doing whatever it is you do! You can be wired for a life of worship.

Wired for a Life of Worship

Making the Mundane a Melody

That’s the beautiful thing about continual praise. Your attitude of worship can turn any mundane task into an offering to God. Worship can even happen at the photocopy machine.

It did for me.

As a college student in Atlanta, I worked part-time at the Centers for Disease Control. Pretty impressive, huh? There I was stemming the spread of infectious diseases, developing groundbreaking technologies to improve life and alleviate human suffering!

Well, not exactly.

To be precise, I was the photocopy boy in the Centers’ medical library. My main activity was making photocopies of the hundreds of articles that various doctors wanted for their personal use.

I didn’t exactly have an office-more of a cubbyhole. The photocopier was in a four-by-eight-foot room beneath a stairway at the back of the library. The slanted ceiling dropped below head height on one side. The room overflowed with carts loaded with medical journals waiting to be copied, each having white slips of paper sticking out of them, telling me what to do next.

Hour after hour after hour, it was just me and that machine. Day after day, the requests piled up. The copying continued.

Wired for a Life of Worship

But God was doing a lot in my heart in those days, and the job for me became something more. I’m not trying to over-spiritualize what happened (we didn’t end up having a revival in the library), but by God’s grace, I was able to turn that copy room into a place I loved. For one thing, I wanted to be the best copier on earth, never leaving work until every waiting article was reproduced, something that often required improvements in my technique, speed, and productivity. I would not be denied.

But also, this job gave me lots of time to hang out with God. Photocopying, though manually intensive, doesn’t overly deplete the brain. Which left lots of time for thoughts of God. Time to talk to Him. Time to worship. Time to listen. Time to pray. Everyone working there knew I was a believer, but they weren’t exactly asking me to lead a Bible study or talk about the Savior. My witness was my work, and work was my worship. The way I did my work was possibly even more significant than anything I could do or say.

I became, to put it modestly, the master copier. And you know what? I think the way I did my work reflected something good about the character of God. When I left, it took three new employees to match my pace! And who knows-one of those articles might have contributed to the untangling of some global disease. (For that, you can thank me later!)

The point is this: Everything on earth (except sin) can be done as part of being wired for a life of worship. Everything we do is worship when we do it for Him, displaying His face as we go. That, by the way, is why we don’t want to sin. Because sin is the one thing that cannot be done in such a way that it brings honor and glory to God. In fact, sin is just the opposite. When we choose to do things our own way, we are saying to God and the world around us that our God is not good enough to lead our lives and meet our needs. But everything else besides sin can be turned into worship as we do it in such a way as to reflect His character.

Yep, the way you do your work at school can and should be worship. The way you fry the fries can be, too, as you run the drive-through window at Chick-Fil-A. Your attitude toward your parents can be an act of worship. Or the way you practice. Or going out of your way to volunteer at the homeless shelter. These are all a part of what the verse means when it says, “And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” That’s wired for a life of worship.

The question is not what you do, but who you do it for. Your mission is to turn your place in life into a place of true worship. To do whatever you do in a way that will reflect God’s heart to those around you.

Your mission is to be wired for a life of worship in everything you say and all you do.

This article about being wired for a life of worship was originally part of one of Louie’s messages at Catalyst.

Youth Ministry Malpractice: Don’t Act Like a Hired Hand

Youth Ministrycom

August 4, 2022

What is youth ministry malpractice? I’ve written about several examples in previous posts. They include Why Lectures Are a Waste of Words, Why Fun & Games Aren’t to Blame, and Treating Relevance As If It Outranks Intimacy.

That’s not a comprehensive list but glaring examples of youth ministry malpractice. My purpose is to stir us to think more deeply about what we’re doing and why. So here’s another installment, from my seasoned perspective.

Youth Ministry Malpractice: Not Being Good Shepherds

In John 10, Jesus declares: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep” (vs. 11-13).

Here, Jesus is setting the bar for those of us called as ministry leaders. We have a “belonging” relationship with the teenagers and adults we lead, not a “hired-hand” relationship. Hired hands run away when a wolf stalks the sheep. But a good shepherd fights back against every enemy.

Obviously, we translate “run away” as a fear response. We’re scared of the threat, so we protect ourselves instead of protecting our sheep. But running away is also a passive response: We stand by as the sheep are assaulted.

So we face threats to our sheep with a good grip on our rod and staff. This means we:

1. Push back against accepted “norms” in the culture and teach kids to do the same.

I wrote about a critical-thinking habit I call The Jesus Pushback. It simply references Jesus’ protect-the-sheep determination on display in Matthew 5. There he repeatedly uses this pushback rhythm: “You have heard it said… but I say….”

We learn to assess cultural norms—all of them—using Jesus’ permanent filter. It names the world’s truth for what it is and then compares it to the kingdom-of-God values he stands for. It’s called “holy skepticism.” When we’re operating in it, we accept no conventional truths that contradict the truths Jesus reveals. We learn to think like him in every circumstance because we’re discovering how countercultural his thinking is. For example, here are some cultural norms we can name and then compare to kingdom-of-God truths:

People who are “good enough” end up in heaven when they die. (But Jesus says he’s the only way to eternal life.)
The best way to please God is to keep all his rules. (But in John 6, Jesus tells us to “eat his body and drink his blood” if we want to make him happy.)
People who say they have conversations with God are more or less insane. (But Jesus says the Spirit’s job description is to fuel an ongoing, conversational relationship with us.)
Jesus came to judge the righteous from the unrighteous. (But Jesus actually says, “I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it.”)
If you’re a churchgoing person, you’re probably a “holier than thou” hypocrite. (But Jesus says, “I have come to call not those who think they’re righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”)

Creation Scavenger Hunt, Plus More Summer-Friendly Activities for Kids

ChildrensMinistry.com

August 4, 2022

Outdoor activities such as a creation scavenger hunt help children learn about God’s world. Plus, they help build bonds of friendship and are loads of fun! So bring kids together in adventurous ways during the summer.

Remember: Not all children’s ministry activities have to fit the conventional mold of Sunday mornings. Instead, occasionally go for unconventional. Get outside and help kids interact with different aspects of God’s amazing world. Try a creation scavenger hunt plus these games, crafts, object lessons, prayer experiences, and service opportunities!

10 Creation-Based Experiences for Children

1. God’s Creation Scavenger Hunt

Use this fun creation scavenger hunt to help kids explore God’s wonderful world.

You’ll need:

Bible
paper
crayons
1 egg carton per child

Before your creation scavenger hunt, cut pieces of paper to fit atop the egg cartons. Glue a piece to the top of each egg carton. Then draw lines to represent each of the sections in the carton.

Say: Today we’re going on a creation scavenger hunt to learn about God’s world.

Read Genesis 1:1-5. Say: Find something in nature that helps you think about God’s first day of creation.

For this creation scavenger hunt, encourage kids to be creative. There’s not a “right” item they should choose. Have children place the item in the top left section of the egg carton. Have them write “Day 1” and draw a picture on the corresponding section of paper atop the carton. Invite children to share what they collected on the creation scavenger hunt and why they chose those items.

Continue the same process as you go through each day of creation from Genesis 1:1 to 2:4. Have children fill each of the other sections of the egg carton with other things God created. They don’t have to be items from nature. The point is to help them understand that God created everything. Afterward, invite children to discuss the various items they collected during the creation scavenger hunt.

2. God’s Imprints

Use this craft to help kids discuss what it means that we’re made in God’s image.

You’ll need:

Bible
paper
white napkins
hammers

Take children outside to gather various plants. They’ll each need a handful of freshly picked leaves and flowers. Guide kids to appropriate plants.

Demonstrate how to make imprints. First, place a leaf on white paper, and then cover it with a napkin. With a hammer, gently tap the napkin on top of the leaf. (If you don’t want to use hammers, you can use a book to press the napkin onto the leaf.) The leaf will leave an imprint on the paper. Gently lift the napkin to check whether you applied enough pressure to transfer an imprint to the paper.

Read Genesis 1:26-27 to children as they make imprints of all the plants they picked. Have them look for interesting details on each imprint. Lead a discussion about ways the imprints are like or unlike how we’re made in God’s image.

3. Take Care

Use this simple service project idea to practice being good stewards of God’s creation.

You’ll need:

Bible
trash bags
disposable gloves
hand sanitizer

Beforehand, choose a safe area where you can take children that has either a lot of litter or needs basic cleaning up, such as a park or empty lot.

Say: In Genesis 1:26, the Bible says that God put us in charge of the earth and that we’re to take care of it. Read aloud Genesis 2:15. Taking care of God’s creation is a responsibility, but doing so also means we can live in a clean, safe place.

Ask:

What are ways you take care of the things God created?
What difference does it make if we take care of God’s creation?

Say: Working with others to love and take care of God’s creation is a privilege. Explain that you’ll all be cleaning up an area of God’s creation. Take the children to the area you chose ahead of time. Encourage a fun environment by leading children to sing their favorite tunes as you work. You can also add a game element by having children try to fill their bags.

Ask:

What did you like or not like about taking care of God’s creation?
Whether it was all fun or hard work, why do you want to take care of God’s creation in the future?

Pastor Judah Smith Jokes About Sex, His Church’s Attendance, and Not Preparing for His Talk at the Global Leadership Summit

Jessica Lea

August 4, 2022

Judah Smith, pastor of Churchome in Kirkland, Washington, took the stage at the Global Leadership Summit (GLS) Thursday afternoon to give a rambling talk on pain in leadership. Smith’s speech at times felt like a standup routine as he joked about sex, his church’s attendance, and not preparing for his presentation.

Judah Smith’s Talk at GLS

At the beginning of his talk, Judah Smith said his topic was “leading with pain,” quipping, “which brings me to the subject of marriage.” Smith co-pastors Churchome with his wife, Chelsea. “Just to be clear,” said the pastor, “in today’s economy and world, she’s the only person I’m having sex with.”

Smith jumped from point to story to anecdote, acknowledging that he was doing so multiple times. “Some of you are disgusted with my lack of preparation,” he said. “Well, I’m disgusted with your football team.” Another time, Smith joked about not having notes and said, “So what were we talking about?”

During his presentation, Smith discussed the dynamics of his marriage, remarked on the way Michael Jordan walks, and commented on Life.Church pastor Craig Groeschel’s attractiveness, comparing Groeschel to Tom Cruise and saying, “Grandpas can be sexy, hello.”

“Thousands of people have left my church,” Smith told the audience, adding that he was serious about that number. “We’re talking about leading with pain,” he said. “I didn’t come to play games…They didn’t give me the church growth session. They gave me the pain session.”

For part of his life, Smith believed that leaders had to appear a certain way and put on a good face. “I got so institutionalized around leadership and not showing weakness and not showing pain,” he said.

But later, “I started to realize there was a disparity, there was a delta, there was a canyon between who I really was and who people perceived me to be, and I started to realize I could make up the delta.” Smith said the reason that so many people have left his church is because he wants to be a more integrated leader, and they didn’t like what he was saying.

Pain in leadership is a result of the gap leaders feel between who they are and who people perceive them to be, according to the pastor. “I’m so tired of trying to walk a certain way for you,” said Smith, who acknowledged, “I have an anger problem currently.” He joked that the men he plays golf with are never going to trust in Jesus any time soon because of his struggle with anger management.

Tyler Perry Buried Bibles Beneath the Soundstages at His Major Motion Picture Studio

Jesse T. Jackson

August 4, 2022

perry_bibles_studio — Screengrab via YouTube @Praise on TBN

Hollywood actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry recently shared with AARP Magazine that he buried Bibles in the foundations of soundstages he built at his 330-acre studio in Atlanta, Georgia.

“The land itself was once a Confederate Army base, which meant there were people here fighting to keep my ancestors enslaved. From the moment I walked onto the property, I was haunted by it,” Perry said. “So, as we built each of the 12 soundstages, we buried Bibles underneath them, as a way of refocusing the spirit of the place. I wanted this to be a place where everyone was welcome.”

Perry hosted a church service during the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios in 2019, where he invited Bishop T.D. Jakes to give the sermon. The event was attended by Chris Tucker, Yolanda Adams, P Diddy, Oprah, and many other celebrities.

According to their website, Perry’s major motion picture studio is one of the largest in the country. It is the fourth expansion in Perry’s creative empire.

Perry said, “When you’ve been given a lot, you have to do a lot. And the need is great. I’ve tried to align myself with people who have the same sensibility when it comes to helping others.”

The actor has been a guest preacher at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, where he shared his testimony. During his visit, Perry told the congregation, “I was running from poverty, and failure wasn’t an option. I knew there was something higher for me, and I had to go with everything I had. I had to risk everything, I had to put everything on the line.”

“In order to get into the studio, you’ve got to drive through the gates. And to go through the gates, you’ve got to pass through the arms and the handle. Buried under that, when you’re going in and coming out, is the open word of God. I’ve buried the Bible at the gates of the studio. So you can’t come in without crossing the Word, and you can’t leave out without crossing the Word,” Perry said.

‘Help Us Protect Ourselves’: After Heist, New York Pastor Wants Gun Access

Stephanie Martin

August 4, 2022

lamor miller whitehead — Screenshot from YouTube / @Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries

The Brooklyn pastor whose recent livestreamed sermon was interrupted by jewelry thieves wants church leaders to be permitted to carry guns. Bishop Lamor Miller Whitehead, who, along with his wife, was robbed of about $1 million in valuables by three armed people on July 24, held a press conference five days later to urge action by politicians.

“They need to pass a law expeditiously that pastors of houses of worship—anyone on the ecclesiastical staff—need to be able to have permits for firearms,” Whitehead said of lawmakers. “If the teachers can have [a gun], we should be able to have it.”

Whitehead, a prosperity-gospel preacher who has served prison time for grand larceny and identity theft, added, “No matter if we have a record, it should be exempt. So we should be able to bear arms as the Constitution says.”

Lamor Miller Whitehead on Surviving Heist: ‘I’m a Miracle’

In his press conference, Bishop Lamor Miller Whitehead, 44, urged President Biden and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to act swiftly. “I’m calling on every elected official that has power to protect houses of worship,” said Whitehead, who leads the small congregation Leaders of Tomorrow International Churches. “We need protection. We need you to sympathize with us. We don’t get the luxury of having firearms. All we’re asking is help us protect ourselves. Pass a law where we can carry our firearms, because this gun violence has gone to a new level.”

In the wake of recent mass shootings, Gov. Hochul has tightened gun restrictions in the state. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a longtime friend of Whitehead’s, answered “no” when a reporter asked if “clergy should get a special dispensation when it comes to gun permits.” But Adams added, “No one in this city should be the victim of armed robbery, let alone our faith leaders and congregants.” Police continue to investigate “and will work tirelessly to bring the criminals involved to justice,” the mayor said.

Whitehead, who’s offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the suspects’ arrest, described the heist as an attempt by Satan to thwart his ministry efforts. “The devil didn’t want me back in this pulpit,” he said, before re-enacting the robbery a week after it occurred. “God said, ‘You can’t take his life. You can touch his material things, but you can’t touch his soul.’”

The pastor told worshipers, “I’m a miracle. I’m not supposed to be here today. Everybody wants to talk about what the tabloids are talking about and forget about the miracle.”

What the Tabloids Are Talking About

The flashy pastor, who wears Gucci suits and sits on a throne-like chair during worship, has seen his past troubles resurface since the robbery made headlines. A congregant has accused Whitehead of stealing $90,000 in retirement savings, and records reveal various outstanding court judgments against the pastor.

According to legal filings, Whitehead has defrauded several people out of money and once filed for bankruptcy. After being convicted of 17 counts (largely related to identity theft), he served five years at Sing Sing.

Woman Stabbed in KY Church Parking Lot; Assailant, Who Was Under House Arrest, Apprehended

Dale Chamberlain

August 4, 2022

Oscar Vasquez, 27, has been arrested and charged after stabbing a woman in the parking lot of Southeast Christian Church’s southwest campus in Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday.

After receiving a call around 1:20 p.m. on Tuesday, police reviewed surveillance footage, which showed Vasquez brandish a knife and approach the woman from behind, grabbing her and stabbing her. Vasquez could then be seen fleeing the scene, running west.

According to court documents, the victim suffered stab wounds to her back, as well as a punctured lung and cuts on her chin and neck. She told police that she did not know who Vasquez was.

Police were able to identify Vasquez after reviewing the GPS information on an electronic monitor assigned to him for a home incarceration program, which placed him at the scene of the crime. Vasquez had been placed under home incarceration after a July 16 arrest and criminal mischief charge.

In that arrest, a report revealed that Vasquez was caught on video throwing a wooden pallet through the window of a vehicle.

A police K-9 found the knife Vasquez used in the assault.

Detective Charlie Roberts told WLKY that police were able to find and arrest Vasquez quickly due to the help of Southeast Christian Church staff members and witnesses.

“We’re thankful that some witnesses in the community stood by and were able to provide us with some firsthand accounts of what they witnessed and we were able to relay some of that information to our police K-9 unit,” Roberts said.

Vasquez has been charged with attempted murder and first-degree assault. He is currently being held in Louisville Metro Corrections.

Vasquez, who is being represented by a public defender, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday (August 3), and his bond has been set at $1 million. He is due to appear in court on August 11.

Pastor’s Bible Survives Fire That Destroys SUV; ‘It’s the Word of God,’ Says Fire Lieutenant

Jessica Lea

August 4, 2022

pastor's bible — Photo courtesy of Eric Spitzer

Pastor Jeremiah Elijah, VIII, was sleeping in a Chevrolet Equinox on his way home to Virginia when a fire started that would eventually destroy the vehicle. Thankfully, Elijah and the woman who was driving him survived—along with the pastor’s Bible, an heirloom from his grandfather.

“It was a tragic moment,” Elijah told ChurchLeaders, recounting the experience of waking from sleep. “Next thing I knew, my eyes opened and it was fire. I just jumped out.”

Pastor’s Bible Survives Blaze

Jeremiah Elijah, VIII, started the church, JME Apostolic Ministries of Temple, in Durham, North Carolina, a year ago and was returning home in the early morning hours of Monday, July 25, after having preached at the church on Sunday.

“At 3:02 am this morning company 16 was dispatched to assist Company 17 with a vehicle fire on 29 northbound just north of Browns Mill Rd,” said the Rustburg Volunteer Fire Department in a Facebook post on July 25. The fire department is located in Rustburg, Virginia, and serves Campbell County.

According to WSLS 10, a woman was driving the Chevy Equinox north on Route 29 when flames started coming from the engine of the car. She pulled over after another driver flashed his lights at her to alert her that the car was on fire.

“Units arrived on the scene to find a Chevrolet Equinox fully involved,” said the department. “Attack 16 was able to suppress the fire with the [assistance] of Company 10 who provided [additional] water and lane blockage. If you look at the fire damage of the car it is totally burned out, but inside was a Bible that was still intact and mostly unburnt.”

“It pretty well gutted the car out,” Lieutenant Eric Spitzer told ChurchLeaders. Elijah and the woman who had been driving had both left the scene when someone told Spitzer that there was a Bible in the car.

The pastor’s Bible had been in a suitcase and Spitzer noted that the Bible was not closed when the fire occurred. “The Bible was open,” he said, exactly as it appears in photos Spitzer took that the fire department posted to Facebook.

Judge Extends Order That Keeps Abortion Legal in Michigan

Ed White

August 4, 2022

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan judge on Wednesday extended an order that bars county prosecutors from enforcing a 1931 ban on abortion.

Oakland County Judge Jacob Cunningham agreed after lawyers for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer argued that pulling the plug on his Monday order would cause chaos around the state.

“If you need one, you need one today or very, very soon,” Assistant Solicitor General Linus Banghart-Linn said of abortion services. “We don’t want more confusion.”

The restraining order will hold at least until the next hearing on Aug. 17.

Michigan’s decades-old abortion ban makes it a crime to perform abortions unless the life of the mother is in danger.

A Court of Claims judge in May suspended the law in a different lawsuit, saying it’s probably unconstitutional. That step had kept abortion legal in Michigan even after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.

But the status became clouded this week when the state appeals court said the decision applied only to the attorney general’s office, not prosecutors in counties where abortion services are provided.

Lawyers for Whitmer, a Democrat who supports abortion rights, rushed to Cunningham’s court for a restraining order, which was granted Monday.

Democratic prosecutors in some of the state’s largest counties, especially in the Detroit area, have pledged to not enforce the 1931 abortion ban. But Republican prosecutors in Kent and Jackson counties have expressed a different position.

Church Grows Through Unlikely Friendship

Scott Barkley

August 4, 2022

Church-grows-through-unlikely-friendship — Dustin Emfinger watches as his daughter, Dezi, lies on the back of J Bear, a donkey owned by fellow Kelly Baptist Church member Evelyn Pardue. (Submitted photo courtesy of Baptist Press.)

KELLY, La. (BP) – J Bear is old and can get stuck in his ways, stubborn even. At any moment he makes a racket for no other reason than to let others know he’s there. Small in stature, a first impression may leave you wondering what kind of good he can accomplish.

Evelyn Pardue has known these things for at least 18 years, the length of time J Bear has lived alongside her other donkey, Jack, and cows and on the same 40 acres where she was born 82 years ago. But Pardue knows something else about J Bear .

He can work with kids like no other animal she’s ever encountered.

That’s what led Pardue to invite Dustin and Brittany Emfinger, all members at Kelly Baptist Church, to her property on July 24. Perhaps it was time for the couple’s three-year-old autistic daughter, Dezi, to meet J Bear.

Dezi isn’t much for animals, only recently being on friendly terms with the family’s dog. At Pardue’s insistence, though, a blanket was put on J Bear’s back for Dezi to take a seat.

“She would look at animals, even little ones, from a distance but that would be it,” said Brittany. “But when she got on his back, she just sat there. That donkey was amazing. It’s like he just sensed something and got completely still.”

Then something happened that took everyone’s breath. Little Dezi leaned forward and hugged J Bear’s neck.

“It was … I don’t know. When she laid down it made me so happy to see her doing something you typically see other kids do,” said her mother.

The scene could ring true for how members of Kelly Baptist, which averages 60 in Sunday attendance, look out for each other.

Pardue’s story includes much heartbreak. In her lifetime, cancer has claimed two husbands and all four of her children. It tried to claim her, too, in 2018.

RELATED: 15 Church Growth Ideas

Her second husband, Bob Pardue, got her to attend Kelly Baptist Church. At 73 years old she prayed for Christ to be her Savior and has since assumed the role of the church matriarch.

“She’s just a pioneer woman who has worked hard all her life,” said Pastor Joe Aguillard. “I was blessed to baptize her a few years ago.”

At her age with cows, donkeys and two bulls she keeps in separate pastures, Pardue still finds time to help others. Time was spent this week clothes-shopping for a family who lost their home in a fire.

Kelly Baptist has become a spiritual home and extended family for the Emfingers, too. As a couple, battles with addiction had pushed their marriage to the brink and cost them almost everything. One day a friend of Brittany’s invited her to church. Dustin eventually joined her as did their four children.

The support they’ve received has been crucial. Their youngest daughter was technically nonverbal, but that didn’t mean she was quiet nor inactive. As a baby and toddler, she cried often. It wasn’t unusual for her to wake at 1 a.m. and not go back to sleep until six. Brittany, a former nurse, stayed home with her during the day while Dustin put in his long hours as a contractor.

At Lambeth, Anglican Communion Abandons Vote on Same-Sex Marriage

Catherine Pepinster

August 4, 2022

The Anglican bishops attending the Lambeth Conference prepare for their group photograph during the 2022 Lambeth Conference at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, July 29, 2022. Photo by Neil Turner for the Lambeth Conference

CANTERBURY, England (RNS) — The prejudice felt by gay people over same-sex marriage is the new racism, according to the head of the Episcopal Church of the United States.

Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, in an interview with Religion News Service on Tuesday (Aug. 2), said that in the United States, “the issue of gay people and their rights is equivalent a struggle in our time to the one over race.” He went on to say all Christians in the United States need to stand in solidarity with gay people over same-sex marriage.

Curry was speaking in the aftermath of a key debate at the Lambeth Conference around the issue of same-sex marriage. The conference, meeting for the first time in 14 years, was supposed to be an attempt to bring the Anglican Communion together — to pray, listen and discuss issues that affect the church and the world, such as discipleship, climate change and poverty. More than 650 bishops registered to attend, including more than 100 from the Episcopal Church. They represent some 85 million Anglicans worldwide.

However, documents produced in advance of the conference, which runs through Monday, had provoked outrage among those belonging to the liberal wing of the church. Those documents included a reference to the entire Anglican Communion being wholly opposed to same-sex marriage. The protests forced Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby to amend the statement to recognize that some provinces support same-sex marriage.

In response to the amendment, bishops from the Global South announced they would refuse Holy Communion from bishops with gay partners and from those who support same-sex marriage.

The point-counterpoint protests over the past week have underscored the growing divisions between the bishops in the West who support gay marriage and those in the Global South who oppose it — and the increasingly tenuous cooperation that Welby, as archbishop of Canterbury, has forged.

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, gives his first keynote address during the 2022 Lambeth Conference, held at The University of Kent in Canterbury, England, Friday, July 29, 2022. Photo by Neil Turner for The Lambeth Conference

Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury, gives a keynote address during the 2022 Lambeth Conference, held at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, July 29, 2022. Photo by Neil Turner for the Lambeth Conference

Welby wrote to those attending the conference in advance of Tuesday’s discussion, describing same-sex marriage as “this matter on which we are so divided.” And during the debate Tuesday — held behind closed doors, with the media banned — he recognized the predicaments faced by both sides and the intractability of an issue on which everyone views a change of heart as unthinkable, according to a transcript released by the press office. Welby acknowledged that, for many present, to alter their position would make them a victim of derision, contempt and attack in their countries.

Welby affirmed that the 1998 Lambeth Conference 1.10 resolution, which rejects homosexuality as incompatible with Scripture, had not been rescinded. Even so, he said he would not punish provinces that back same-sex marriage nor seek to discipline or exclude them from the Communion.

There was no vote on the Human Dignity document, but Welby’s address gained a standing ovation from the Communion and was hailed as drawing out some of the toxicity of the issue. According to Curry: “There was some movement on the willingness of the bishops to respect our differences but at the same time hold fast to our respective convictions. I think that is a healthy thing because for people to be able to stay in relationship with profound differences is a kind of diversity. And we think diversity is a good thing.”

Welby said during his address that those who challenged traditional teaching “have not arrived lightly at their ideas that traditional teaching needs to change. They are not careless about Scripture. They do not reject Christ. But they have come to a different view on sexuality after long prayer, deep study and reflection on understandings of human nature.”

It was an approach Curry welcomed while also stressing that in the United States, clergy like himself had changed their views on same-sex unions through pastoral encounters with couples who wanted God’s blessing on their relationship and their family.

The Plenary Session on Safe Church held in Venue 1, Sunday, July 31, 2022, at the University of Kent during the 2022 Lambeth Conference. Photo by Neil Turner for The Lambeth Conference

The Plenary Session on Safe Church held in Venue 1, July 31, 2022, at the University of Kent during the 2022 Lambeth Conference. Photo by Neil Turner for the Lambeth Conference

After the closed-door discussion on the Human Dignity paper, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town told journalists there had been “robust discussions and long and sustained prayer.”

Pope Promotes Vatican Nurse Credited With Saving His Life

AP News

August 4, 2022

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has promoted a Vatican nurse whom he credited with saving his life to be his “personal health care assistant.”

The Vatican announced the appointment of Massimiliano Strappetti in a one-line statement issued Thursday. Strappetti, the nursing coordinator of the Vatican’s health department, accompanied Francis on a difficult trip to Canada last month.

Francis, 85, last year credited Strappetti with having accurately ascertained an intestinal problem that led to the pope’s 10-day hospital stay in July 2021 to remove 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon that had narrowed.

“A nurse, a man with a lot of experience, saved my life,” Francis told the COPE radio of the Spanish bishops’ conference in the months after his surgery.

Francis noted that Strappetti’s intervention was the second time a nurse had saved his life. A nurse in his native Argentina decided in 1957 to double the amount of drugs the future pope, then known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was prescribed after part of his lung was removed due to a respiratory infection, he recalled.

Francis has a personal physician, Dr. Roberto Bernabei, who was appointed last year. Bernabei is an internist and geriatric specialist at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome.

The pontiff has had a series of health problems in the past year, most significantly strained ligaments in his right knee that sharply reduced his mobility. After months of magnetic and laser treatments, Francis can walk short distances with a cane or walker, though he also uses a wheelchair.

Strappetti was on hand to help with the wheelchair during Francis’ general audience Wednesday. He coordinates the nurses of the Vatican’s small health care system, which provides basic care for Vatican employees and their families.

Kansas Abortion Amendment’s Defeat Prompts Disappointment, Resolve

Tom Strode

August 4, 2022

Kansas-state-capitol — Kansas state capitol courtesy of Baptist Press.

NASHVILLE (BP)—A Southern Baptist ethics leader and other pro-life advocates expressed disappointment but resolve in response to the rejection by Kansas voters of an amendment to affirm the state constitution does not protect the right to abortion.

Kansans defeated the Value Them Both Amendment by 59-41 percent Tuesday (Aug. 2) in the nation’s first statewide vote on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the Roe v. Wade ruling. In its June 24 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the high court returned abortion policy to the states by overruling the 1973 opinion that legalized abortion nationwide.

A response to a decision by the Kansas Supreme Court, the proposed amendment said the state constitution “does not require government funding of abortion and does not create or secure a right to abortion.” The state Supreme Court had ruled in 2019 the constitution protects the right to abortion.

In an explanation provided for voters, the ballot said a vote against the amendment “could restrict the people, through their elected state legislators, from regulating abortion by leaving in place the recently recognized right to abortion.” The amendment’s supporters expressed concerns a loss in the election would make Kansas a popular destination for abortion-minded women from neighboring states with abortion bans.

The defeat of the Kansas amendment came amidst frequent actions in the post-Roe era by courts that have been both favorable and unfavorable to state bans and by the Biden administration to try to protect abortion rights.

Brent Leatherwood, acting president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, described the Kansas result as “a setback for the efforts to save lives there. At the same time, we must realize there are going to be successes and challenges now that the Dobbs decision has put the question of abortion to the states. This is why we have said all along that the fall of Roe does not mean the end of the pro-life movement, but instead it signals the beginning of a new chapter.”

Leatherwood told Baptist Press in written comments, “To win these types of initiatives, local engagement will be key. But even before that, at a more foundational level, this is why pastors and Christians must continue our good work to appeal to consciences about the sanctity of preborn lives with our neighbors and in our communities.

R.C. Sproul: Ancient Promises

R.C. Sproul

August 4, 2022

“The new is in the old concealed; the old is in the new revealed.” This famous statement by Saint Augustine expresses the remarkable way in which the two testaments of the Bible are so closely interrelated with each other. The key to understanding the New Testament in its fullest is to see in it the fulfillment of those things that were revealed in the background of the Old Testament. The Old Testament points forward in time, preparing God’s people for the work of Christ in the New Testament.

The history of redemption began with creation itself. The book of Genesis, the first book of the Pentateuch, starts with the beginning, or the “genesis,” of the universe as expressed in the revelation of God’s mighty work of creation. The creation of the universe culminated in the narrative of the creation of humanity. This was followed very shortly by humanity’s cataclysmic plunge into ruin as a result of the sin of Adam and Eve. From the third chapter of Genesis through the end of the Bible, the rest of the narrative history is the history of God’s work of redeeming a fallen humanity. Genesis shows that the same God who is the God of creation is also the God of our redemption.

The book of Genesis gives us an overview of the patriarchal period and the covenants that God made with them. They form the foundation for everything that follows in redemptive history. Beginning with Noah and moving toward Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the sons of Jacob, the story unfolds God’s consistent pattern of redemption, which looks ahead for centuries, as God’s people awaited the ultimate fulfillment of the patriarchal promises. These promises were fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus.

The book of Genesis ends with the children of Israel migrating into Egypt to be rescued by the intervention of Joseph, who ruled as the nation’s prime minister. Exodus opens with the scene having changed from one of benevolent circumstances under Joseph to one of dire circumstances, as the immigrant nation of Israel had been enslaved by Pharaoh. The stirring account in Exodus is the Old Testament, watershed work of divine redemption. It sets forth for us the narrative of the divine rescue of the slaves held captive in Egypt. The captives were redeemed by the triumph of God and His mercy over the strongest military force of this world embodied in Pharaoh and his army. It points forward to an even greater liberation by a greater Mediator from slavery to sin.

From this Old Testament group of slaves, God molded a nation and called them His people. Through the mediatorial work of their earthly leader, Moses, God gave to this people His law. The ultimate expression of the Law is found in the Decalogue, or the Ten Commandments. The Decalogue sets forth the moral law, by which God’s people are to live. Ultimately the Law was designed to drive people to an awareness of their need for a redeemer. Exodus also added to the Ten Commandments a multitude of laws called the Holiness Code, which demonstrated, by way of case law, the practical applications of the moral law found in the Decalogue.

In the latter part of Exodus, and moving into the book of Leviticus, we see the laws governing worship, ritual, and the establishment of the priesthood, all of which are engaged as anticipating types, or shadows, of the work of the Christ who was to come. Of particular import is the institution of sacred festivals such as the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of the Ingathering, and, most importantly, the Day of Atonement. The drama of these events again prefigures the fulfillment of them in their ultimate form in the perfect sacrifice that was offered on the cross by Jesus.

The books of Numbers and Deuteronomy, which round out the first five books of the Bible called the “Pentateuch,” or the “Torah,” continue to develop the historical patterns of the experiences of Israel from the days of the exodus up until the departure of Moses at Moab. In these books, we also see the roles God assigns to the various tribes of Israel, as well as the giving of the second law (dueteronomos, the book of Deuteronomy), which again set forth the terms of the covenant God made with Israel. It spelled out the obligations, responsibilities, sanctions, and the blessings that were integral to that covenant. The establishment of curses and blessings set the foundation for the perfect ministry of Jesus, who, as our Mediator in the New Testament, satisfied the demands of the curse of our sin upon us and won for us, through His perfect obedience, the blessings promised in that covenant.

From Genesis through Deuteronomy, we have the most important theological foundation to provide the framework for our comprehensive understanding of the Christian faith. In earlier centuries, for someone to be recognized as a serious theologian, it would have been expected of that person to have written at least a commentary on the book of Genesis, because so many of the themes found in Genesis and the rest of the Pentateuch are central to understanding the work of Christ. Indeed, in the Pentateuch, the entire New Testament is concealed, yet the revelation therein opens a gateway for us to understand all of the rest of the revelation that God provides from Joshua through Revelation.

In our day the covenantal structure of redemption is often obscured. What should be plain by even a cursory reading of the Pentateuch is passed off into darkness and replaced by some other structure or framework invented by human speculation.

The covenant structure of redemption does not end in the fifth book of the Pentateuch. It continues throughout the Old Testament.

At the advent of Christ, Mary sang the Magnificat, in which she rejoiced in the mercy of God that is “from generation to generation.” She sang of the remembrance of God’s ancient promises to the Patriarchs:

He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy.
As He spoke to our fathers.
To Abraham and to his seed forever
(Luke 1:54–55, NKJV).

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

Why a Youth Group Name Doesn’t Really Matter

Bill Nance

August 4, 2022

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Like everyone else, youth ministers devote time, talent and treasure to what we think is important and merits our investment. If we think something is vital for our ministry, we’ll spend tons of our time, talent and treasure to make it work. Judging by what I see youth ministers spend a lot of time and effort on, it seems we greatly value a youth group name, a youth group logo, exciting games, the perfect curriculum and, of course, an awesome youth room.

We spend so much time trying to come up with the perfect youth group name, creating an awesome logo, finding the best curriculum and starting youth group with the latest viral game in our awesome youth room. But the problem is those things…

Do. Not. Matter.

Teens don’t care about the youth group name! The lost and hurting students at your local schools aren’t all amped up to come to “ZORT” on Wednesday. They think your life-size game of Hungry Hungry Hippos looks dumb. Your logo is cool and all, but compared to the marketing they see every day, it’s frankly kind of lame. Your youth room with the pallet walls reminds them of their summer job stocking shelves at the local store.

Why are we wasting time on things that don’t matter? Stop it. The reason students aren’t coming to church has nothing to do with marketing and everything to do with not addressing their needs. They see church as a place that’s boring, worthless and unimportant. If they do show up, it’s not because of the youth group name or the awesome curriculum you wrote. More than likely, your perfectly amazing lesson bored them even more than they imagined.

These extras are nice, but in the end they don’t matter. No one in the history of the world has been saved because of a youth group name. It would be like going out and buying a $40,000 car because you love the shape of the cupholders. Cupholders are nice. Cupholders are, after a fashion, important. Personally, I love not spilling my Coke all over the car. But no one buys a car because of cupholders.

So what’s the answer? What matters to teens? Instead of a youth group name, here’s what teenagers in your community think are really important.

5 Things Kids Want (Cool Youth Group Name Optional!)

1. A place where they matter

Teens need to know they’re important, that they’re valuable. The church provides the place where they matter, because God loves them so much that he gave his Son for them. Kids matter to God. Ultimately, they can find their true worth only in Jesus.

2. A place where they belong

Teens need friends who genuinely care about them. They need people who love them. Our youth groups need to be places that are about belonging. Youth group should be the most loving place that students can find.

3. A place where they can make a difference

Teens have an intrinsic desire to change the world. We can give them that opportunity, both through service and through evangelism. If your students aren’t making a difference, they’re not being fulfilled and are only going through the motions of Christianity. If that’s the case, then they won’t think living out their faith is important.

4. A place that encourages them

The world tears teens down. The church should be the place that builds them up, not just another place where students are torn apart.

5. A place where people invest in them

Teens long for people to see something in them, to see a hidden spark that they themselves can’t see. Teens seek out this affirmation like a wanderer in the desert seeks out water. Your church can pour life into students, and they will respond.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s not bad to have a cool youth group name or logo. A solid curriculum is important. Games are fun and build community. A youth room is cool for hanging out. These things aren’t sinful; they’re just not the most important things. Spend your time on the most important things, and then do the other stuff if you have time.

What’s most important to your ministry? Do you think it makes an eternal difference? We’d love to hear thoughts about your youth group name—and more—in the comments!

Small Group Pastor: You Don’t Have to Know Everything

Small Group Network

August 4, 2022

I’ve got great news—you don’t have to know everything to be the best small group point person. Actually, it’s better for your small group leaders if you don’t. It isn’t helpful for them to be the only source for learning how to lead their small group. They need other voices speaking into how to lead a group and those voices are currently right within your ministry! Group leaders need one another as much as they need you.

QUESTION: What if you focused less on teaching skills (and the need to know everything) and more on brokering relationships?

There are many benefits of your group leaders being connected to one another. One is ministry ownership. If they are connected and helping one another navigate group life, they feel more like owners rather than renters. It also removes the burden of problem solving solely being yours to carry. They begin to rely on a network of peers to discover what has worked for them. Lastly, your leaders gain a network of support. Leading a group can be a lonely calling, as they are often giving more than receiving. When they are disappointed after the latest no-show to their group, they don’t need a know everything answer, they need a peer who can sympathize with them and encourage them!

So, are you sold on the benefits of building a community of support and learning among your small group leaders? I thought so! But while this all sounds great in theory, how do you make it happen? Here are three ways you can connect group leaders to one another for support, equipping, and encouragement.

Small Group Pastor: You Don’t Have to Know Everything

Host Group Leader Gatherings

While the days of rallying everyone together physically for all day training are waning, don’t neglect these gatherings all together. It is still important to have face-to-face interactions with your leaders. Consider hosting a gathering for small group leaders where they hear more from each other than you. Make them the hero of the ministry by giving them stage time, telling their stories, and celebrating them! This could be as formal as a large gathering with all the stops or a more intimate setting with a few leaders around a dinner table.

Place Group Leaders in Huddles

Small group point people love a good huddle! There is something refreshing about sitting with a group of peers whom you can talk shop with. Your small group leaders would benefit form this same type of environment! Even better, this is something you can pass off for them to own. Intentionally connect them and have them discuss common practices, experiences, and problems that they face in the life of their small group. Give a seasoned leader the responsibility of keeping this huddle together and scheduling one or two meetings throughout the year. Now you are developing leaders without adding anything to your plate!

Collaborate Serving Opportunities

Encouraging your small groups to serve together is a great idea. Not only do they get to make a kingdom impact by following their passions but they often bond as a group. This experience would be multiplied if you had small group leaders collaborating on opportunities to serve! Is there a project that is larger than one group can handle? Have two or three small group leaders take ownership of it. They’ll learn from each other as they navigate how to involve the members of their groups. It not only increases the capacity of serving but also becomes a learning experience for your small group leaders!

Your small group leaders need you in their corner, there is no doubt about that. But you can increase the success of your small group leaders not by being the person to know everything but by leveraging your influence to create an amazing network of support and equipping!

This article bu Ryan James about not needing to know everything originally appeared at the Small Group Network, and is used by permission

Venue Church Pastor Tavner Smith Denies Church Is Facing Foreclosure, Shutting Down After Ongoing Scandal

Jessica Lea

August 3, 2022

Tavner Smith, lead pastor of Venue Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, denies allegations that his church faces foreclosure and will be shutting down. Venue Church’s North Georgia campus was shuttered in January as the church has dealt with various controversies, including Smith’s involvement in what he has called an “inappropriate relationship.”

“Hey guys, I just wanted to come and address a lot of the things that you’ve seen in the news that have been written and put in video form and typed about the foreclosure of our building and Venue Church shutting down,” said Smith in a video posted to his and Venue Church’s Instagram accounts.

“First of all,” said Smith, “I wanted to say it’s absolutely not true. Venue Church is not shutting down. Number two, our legal team, who is amazing, has assured me that I can tell you with confidence our Chattanooga location is going nowhere. There have been so many rumors, there’s been so many things that have swirled around in the past year that I want to set some things straight this week.”

Venue Church’s Past and Future

Tavner Smith returned to the pulpit at Venue Church in February 2022 after a sabbatical he took following allegations he was having an affair. In November 2021, church volunteers showed up at Smith’s house to find the pastor in his boxers with one of the church’s female employees, who was wearing only a towel. In December of that year, a video surfaced showing Smith kissing that same woman in public. Smith and his now ex-wife had begun divorce proceedings earlier in May, and their divorce was finalized that December.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that leaked audio of a December meeting between Smith and church volunteers reveals the pastor denied having a sexual relationship with the employee, who was also married, but said they planned to pursue a relationship once their divorce proceedings have concluded.

Several staff members resigned in December. In January, Smith announced he was taking a sabbatical to “fill up, spend time with God, and get some counseling.” The church’s North Georgia campus closed on January 31, a little less than a week before the pastor returned from sabbatical on Feb. 6. During his Sunday sermon, Smith admitted to an “inappropriate relationship,” but not to having an affair. Smith has also been accused of financial misconduct, living a lavish lifestyle and preaching a prosperity gospel.

Evangelist’s Casual Conversation With Stranger Leads to Beach Baptism Moments Later

Jesse T. Jackson

August 3, 2022

Evangelist, author, and Dare 2 Share Ministries founder Greg Stier shared a gospel experience he had while on vacationing in Hawaii this past week.

Stier posted about the encounter on Instagram, sharing that he was sitting by a man on a beach in Kihei (Maui) when the two struck up a conversation after the stranger heard Stier’s wife sharing the gospel with another beachgoer.

The man, named Trev, is a triathlete who was also on vacation with his family. While talking about Trev’s job, family, and his life, Stier turned the conversation to the gospel and found out that Trev had recently put his faith in Christ. Nevertheless, Trev still had questions regarding the spiritual decision he made.

Stier was able to help Trev with some of those questions, and Trev in turn asked Stier if he’d baptize him in the ocean right then. Without hesitation, Stier said, “of course,” and encouraged Trev to call his two grown daughters, who were in their rented condo nearby, as witnesses.

After his daughters arrived on the beach, Stier baptized Trev in the presence of a small crowd of witnesses.

“Pray for Trev as he grows in Christ. Thankfully, he has got a solid church he goes to back home,” Stier said.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Greg Stier (@gregstier)

Stier encouraged other Christians to just “be ready” to share the gospel.

“People tell me all the time, ‘Crazy stuff always happens to you,’” Stier said. “But I believe that significant spiritual moments of transformation are waiting to happen all around us all the time. We just need to, by faith, step into that zone.”

Don’t be afraid to bring up Jesus in conversations, Stier encouraged, saying, “Ask God to open your eyes to the miraculous ready to happen—then dive in when that moment happens.”

The evangelist told ChurchLeaders that he was able to give Trev his recent book “Unlikely Fighter: The Story of How a Fatherless Street Kid Overcame Violence, Chaos, and Confusion to Become a Radical Christ Follower,” wherein he wrote down the date of his baptism so he wouldn’t ever forget.

Stier also took Trev through the process he explains in a YouTube video titled, “Learn to Share the GOSPEL in 5 Minutes!“

“I’ve been able to share the gospel just about every day on this trip. It’s been awesome,” Stier told ChurchLeaders, demonstrating the fact the most important conversation a Christian can have with someone is a conversation about Jesus Christ.

Boston City Hall Flies Christian Flag Following Supreme Court Ruling

Dale Chamberlain

August 3, 2022

A Christian flag was raised outside Boston City Hall on Wednesday (August 3), the result of the city losing a Supreme Court battle with the conservative organization Camp Constitution.

Camp Constitution holds events and provides resources to “enhance understanding of our Judeo-Christian moral heritage, our American heritage of courage and ingenuity, including the genius of our United States Constitution, and the application of free enterprise, which together gave our nation an unprecedented history of growth and prosperity, making us the envy of the world.”

“We will also examine and expose some of the abuses and perversions that have brought our nation and economy so far down, and offer discussion to counter the negative influences in our lives, while providing recreational activities that build our physical constitutions, as well as encouraging intelligent intergenerational conversation,” says Camp Constitution’s website.

In 2017, Camp Constitution director Harold Shurtleff requested that the Christian flag be raised on City Hall’s third poll while holding an event on the building’s plaza. It had been common practice for private groups to fly flags on the pole during events, and the city had a history of approving such requests without exception.

However, Boston’s Property Management Department Commissioner was concerned that flying the Christian flag could violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from establishing an official religion. Due to this concern, along with his finding no record of the city approving the flying of a Christian flag in the past, the Commissioner denied the request.

A legal battle ensued, which eventually elevated the case all the way to the United States Supreme Court.

In Shurtleff v. City of Boston, a ruling that came down in May of this year, the Supreme Court ruled by a 9-0 vote that the city of Boston had violated Camp Constitution’s First Amendment right, as the flag flying program constituted private speech rather than a governmental endorsement of religion.

Further, from 2005 to 2017, the Boston City Hall had flown “around 50 unique flags,” including some “linked to causes, such as the LGBTQ Pride flag,” according to Deseret News. No request had been denied during the span of those years, and the city’s denial of Camp Constitution’s request was based solely on the religious expression of the flag.

Justice Stephen Breyer, who has since retired and been succeeded by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, authored the Supreme Court’s opinion.

How to Unite a Community – 5 Ways

1. Use a slogan or phrase

2. Notice the individual—build a family

3. Involve the team

4. Take time to pray and teach the Bible

5. Enjoy the journey

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Making the Mundane a Melody

Wired for a Life of Worship

Youth Ministry Malpractice: Not Being Good Shepherds

1. Push back against accepted “norms” in the culture and teach kids to do the same.

10 Creation-Based Experiences for Children

1. God’s Creation Scavenger Hunt

2. God’s Imprints

3. Take Care

Judah Smith’s Talk at GLS

Lamor Miller Whitehead on Surviving Heist: ‘I’m a Miracle’

What the Tabloids Are Talking About

Pastor’s Bible Survives Blaze

5 Things Kids Want (Cool Youth Group Name Optional!)

1. A place where they matter

2. A place where they belong

3. A place where they can make a difference

4. A place that encourages them

5. A place where people invest in them

Small Group Pastor: You Don’t Have to Know Everything

Host Group Leader Gatherings

Place Group Leaders in Huddles

Collaborate Serving Opportunities

Venue Church’s Past and Future

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