Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Search Team Continues Work

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July 28, 2022

Sexual Abuse — Photo courtesy of Baptist Press.

NASHVILLE (BP) – The group tasked with recommending the next president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is currently working through the process with an active candidate, its chairman told Baptist Press July 26. Todd Howard, pastor of Watson Chapel Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Ark., said the search team will present its report at the ERLC trustee board’s annual meeting in September.

The selection process had narrowed down to three candidates in February. Factors such as the desire for a strong consensus among search team members brought the focus to the current candidate.

The group decided to hold off on discussions this spring in anticipation of the Guidepost Solutions report released in May and the Sexual Abuse Task Force report, which was delivered last month at the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. Whenever the search team reaches a strong consensus, they will present that candidate to the ERLC’s board for a vote.

In recent years the ERLC has met with sustained criticism and calls for it to be defunded, though Southern Baptists have voted by substantial margins several times to continue supporting the entity. A task force commissioned by the Executive Committee to study the ERLC’s impact on Cooperative Program giving was released in February 2021. Discussion at that month’s EC meeting resulted in no vote taken on the report.

Baptist Press asked Howard if the criticism had affected the search team’s progress.

“It’s definitely had an impact and made it a little more difficult because some who would otherwise aspire to this position understand the tenuous nature of the commission itself,” he said. “There is probably a bit of hesitancy if they have a more secure job and see we’re voting on [the ERLC’s] viability every June.

“It’s made our job more challenging, for sure. Anyone with common sense can see that.”

If doors close regarding the current candidate, Howard said, the group will consider re-opening the portal for new names to be considered.

Howard asked that Southern Baptists continue to pray for the seven-member search team as they continue the process. “This is something God’s got to do,” he said. “He does the heavy lifting; we’re just trying to follow His will.”

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

Same-Sex Marriage Sparks Divisive Debate at Twice-Delayed Lambeth Conference

By

Catherine Pepinster

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July 28, 2022

same-sex marriage lambeth — Bishops prepare for a group photo during the 2008 Lambeth Conference at the University of Kent in Canterbury. Photo by Scott Gunn/ACNS

LONDON (RNS) — Anglican bishops from all over the world began the Lambeth Conference this week amid a furious conflict over same-sex marriage and a scramble by the archbishop of Canterbury and other church leaders to defuse it.

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.

But the documents produced in advance of the conference, which runs through Aug. 8, provoked outrage among those belonging to the liberal wing of the church. Those documents included a reference to the entire Communion being wholly opposed to same-sex marriage.

The protests forced Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby to revise the statement and to make an embarrassing, last-minute U-turn on how the talks will be conducted.

According to the original documents, called “Lambeth Calls,” marriage is defined as “between a man and a woman,” and the documents go on to say: “It is the mind of the Anglican Communion as a whole that same-gender marriage is not permissible.” The documents also stated that “legitimizing or blessing same-sex unions” cannot be advised.

Bishops and laity in favor of same-sex unions were outraged, among them Bishop John Harvey Taylor of Los Angeles, who said the statement was “the opposite” of healing and reconciliation. “It divides, hurts, scapegoats and denies,” Taylor said. Bishops from the Church in Wales said the call “undermines and subverts the dignity of an integral part of our community, rather than affirming them.”

The conflict deepened when Bishop Kevin Robertson of Toronto, who was part of the team that wrote the “Lambeth Call on Human Dignity,” said on Facebook that the wording did not represent anything that the group had produced.

On Tuesday (July 26), the Lambeth Conference revised “Lambeth Calls” after Welby met with the group. The revision now says, “Many Provinces continue to affirm that same gender marriage is not permissible.”

Official portrait of the Rev. Justin Welby, the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. Photo by Roger Harris/UK Parliament/Creative Commons

Official portrait of the Rev. Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury. Photo by Roger Harris/UK Parliament/Creative Commons

It also says: “Other Provinces have blessed and welcomed same sex union/marriage after careful theological reflection and a process of reception. As Bishops we remain committed to listening and walking together to the maximum possible degree, despite our deep disagreement on these issues.”

The document kept a reference to a 24-year-old previous Lambeth Conference resolution that states that the “legitimizing or blessing of same sex unions” cannot be advised.

Another revision allows bishops to vote against proposals put forward in the documents. Yet another one allows them to state: “This Call does not speak for me. I do not add my voice to this Call.”

Mary Glasspool, an assistant bishop in New York and the first married lesbian bishop in the Anglican Communion, said: “If the Anglican Communion is to survive it needs to recognize that there are provinces that affirm that marriage is between a man and a woman and others who accept LGBTQ.”

The Story of the First Missionary Hymn

By

Scott Hubbard

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July 28, 2022

On Pentecost Sunday 1862, as Western eyes watched civil war rip through America, an event just as momentous unfolded half a world away, hidden from every headline. Some five thousand men and women, many of them former cannibals, gathered on a South Pacific island to worship Jesus Christ.

George Tupou I, the first Christian king of Tonga, had assembled his citizens as part of a ceremony commemorating a new code of laws. And there, “under the spreading branches of the banyan trees,” writes George John Stevenson, with the king surrounded by “old chiefs and warriors who had shared with him the dangers and fortunes of many a battle,” five thousand voices sang,

Jesus shall reign where e’re the sun
Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.

For centuries, the sun had run from east to west, the moon had waxed and waned, over a Tonga without Christ. His gospel had not yet reached Tonga’s shores; his kingdom had not yet touched Tongan hearts. But now, a new nation rose to sing his reign.

First Missionary Hymn

Although the words were not in the Tongans’ mother tongue (the song having been taught to them by Methodist missionaries), few lyrics could have described the situation in Tonga more fittingly. For by 1862, the hymn told their history.

“Christ’s Kingdom Among the Gentiles” — or, more commonly today, “Jesus Shall Reign” — has been labeled by some “the first missionary hymn.” Almost a century before the modern missionary movement, before William Carey sailed to India, and Adoniram Judson to Burma, and Hudson Taylor to China, and Methodist missionaries to Tonga, the English minister Isaac Watts (1674–1748) penned a hymn of Christ’s coming reign: a reign that would reach islands far beyond Britain and gather tongues far different from English.

To look out over unreached lands and sing “Jesus shall reign” is always a cry of faith, but Watts needed far more faith than we do today. The mustard seed of the kingdom had grown large by 1719 (when Watts published the hymn), but its branches had not yet spread far beyond the Western world (Matthew 13:31–32). It was not the kind of tree we see today, sheltering multitudes of peoples far south and east of Europe and North America.

Nevertheless, Watts knew his Bible — and in particular, he knew Psalm 72, of which “Jesus Shall Reign” is a Christian paraphrase. And so, by faith he sang of the day when “the whole earth [would] be filled with his glory” (Psalm 72:19).

Song in the South Seas

Two themes dominate the hymn the Tongans sang 160 Pentecosts ago: the universal reach of Jesus’s reign, and the unrivaled blessings of that reign. The risen Christ is on the move, undeterred until his blessed foot treads every coastland and continent, every inland and island, from Israel to England to Tonga. The Tongans sang because Christ’s reign had reached even them, and because his was the kind of reign to make one sing.

Universal Reach

The first stanza of Watts’s hymn, quoted above, finds its inspiration from words like these:

May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth! . . .
May his name endure forever,
his fame continue as long as the sun! (Psalm 72:8, 17)

“A boundaryless, timeless kingdom calls for an omnipotent, eternal King.”

Psalm 72 comes from Solomon’s hand, written in the first place as a tribute to “the royal son” (Psalm 72:1). Clearly, however, the psalm speaks of a king greater than Solomon, even at the height of his strength: this royal Son’s kingdom is boundaryless (“to the ends of the earth”) and timeless (“endure forever”). And a boundaryless, timeless kingdom calls for an omnipotent, eternal King.

Far before 1862, then, God had planned to give Tonga to his Son. And so, Solomon, inspired by the Spirit, sang of the day when “the kings . . . of the coastlands [would] render him tribute” (Psalm 72:10), captured in the second verse of Watts’s hymn:

Behold the islands with their kings,
And Europe her best tribute brings;
From North to South the Princes meet
To pay their homage at his feet.

On Tonga, one more island and one more king rendered tribute to Jesus. One more southern coastland paid homage at his feet. One more prince found his place in ancient prophecy, and bowed before the God who had pursued him.

Unrivaled Blessings

Conquered peoples seldom sing the reign of their new king — at least not willingly and gladly. Yet here is where Christ’s kingship differs so markedly from “the kings of the Gentiles” (Luke 22:25), for he conquers in order to bless. As Watts puts it,

Blessings abound where e’re he reigns,
The prisoner leaps to lose his chains,
The weary find eternal rest,
And all the sons of want are blest.

Wherever King Jesus plants his scepter, flowers bloom in fields of thorns, prisoners run for release, and the weariest of all finally rest. He is, Solomon says, “like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth!” (Psalm 72:6). And therefore, “May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!” (Psalm 72:17). In 1862, the Tongans were, and did.

Some today may cringe at the claim that a nation like Tonga needs Jesus — indeed, is lost without him. The idea may sound like it belongs to the Age of Imperialism. But those who have felt sin’s bone-bruising chains, and the black cell of guilt, and the impossibility of escape — and have heard, at last, the King’s “come forth!” — cannot cringe. Rather, we sing.

Some of the Tongans, remember, had eaten humans. But now, those very mouths were praising the risen Christ. We may be more civilized sinners, but we have similar stories to tell, don’t we? The hands that once flew in rage now gently rise in praise. The feet that once fled to the far country now carry us to worship. The minds that once invented evil now weave good works. The eyes that once feasted on all that’s forbidden now gladly gaze at Christ.

Whatever the culture or background, Jesus reigns to bless — to redeem all the good, remove all the bad, and scatter gifts with open hands.

He Shall Reign

On Pentecost 1862, while the newspapers reported the progress of war, God was quietly advancing his kingdom among the coastlands. The tree from the mustard seed sprouted a new branch; the leaven of the kingdom rose a little higher. And so, on Pentecost 2022, we might reasonably wonder what marvels God is working outside the day’s headlines. Perhaps this morning, a nation on some far distant island began to sing his reign.

Regardless, we can join Watts, King George, and the five thousand Tongans to say it shall be. “Jesus Shall Reign” is not a prayer, but a declaration, and rightly so. For the day is coming soon when the psalm and the hymn will find their fulfillment, when the flag of the slain Lamb will wave on every hill, and every tongue will hail the reign of Christ the blessed Lord.

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

The Worst Consequence of Skipping Church

By

Tim Challies

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July 28, 2022

We are a culture of convenience, of personalization, of individualism. We have a million ways of customizing our lives to perfectly suit our every preference. When things are difficult, we think little of pulling away from responsibilities, of reorienting our lives away from whatever causes inconvenience. This can even extend to something as good and as central as our commitment to the local church.

All of us who are involved in local churches have seen people waver and wander in their commitment. Most of us have had to extend the call to someone, to urge them back to participation, back to the worship services. When we do this, we often turn to our go-to text, Hebrews 10:24-25, to warn of the danger of “neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some…” We insist that those who neglect to participate in the local church will encounter spiritual temptation, spiritual decline and even spiritual death. And while all of this is true, it is not the emphasis of that passage. In fact, when we use the passage in this way, we are not displaying the divine urgency behind the text, but our own deep-rooted individualism.

Here is what Hebrews 10:24-25 says: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” This passage does, indeed, warn of the serious consequences of skipping church, but its focus is not what we might expect through our Western, individualized eyes. This passage does not warn us that when we skip church we put ourselves at risk. Rather, it warns us that when we skip church we put other people at risk. The first sin of skipping church is the sin of failing to love others.

Gathering with God’s people is not first about being blessed but about being a blessing. It’s not first about getting but about giving. As we prepare to worship on Sunday morning, our first consideration should be “how to stir up one another to love and good works.” We should approach Sunday deliberately, eager to do good to others, to be a blessing to them. In those times we feel our zeal waning, when we feel the temptation to skip out on a Sunday or withdraw altogether, we should consider our God-given responsibility to encourage “one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” This text is not about us, but about them. This text is not for Christian individuals but Christian communities.

And, of course, our commitment to the local church is far more than a commitment to Sunday morning services. It is a commitment to other people through all of life. It is a commitment to worship with them once or twice a week, then to fellowship with them, to serve them and to pray for them all throughout the week. It is to bind ourselves together in a covenant in which we promise to do good to them, to make them the special object of our attention and encouragement. It is to promise that we will identify and deploy our spiritual gifts for their benefit so we can serve them, strengthen them and bless them.

Every Christian has a place within a local church. Every Christian is needed within a local church. Every Christian has responsibilities within a local church. Every Christian is to commit to the members of a local church and to love them, to encourage them and to stir them up in zeal until the day of Christ’s return.

This article originally appeared here.

Top 10 Church Financial Mistakes

By

Joseph Sangl

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July 28, 2022

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

You can become an effective steward of your church’s resources by avoiding these deadly church financial mistakes.

Top 10 Church Financial Mistakes

1. No Vision

The Bible states in Proverbs 29:18 that “Where there is no vision, the people perish …” This is absolute truth. Churches that lack clear direction and vision are poorly funded because attenders have no clarity on how their sacrificial giving dollars will be used to accomplish the vision and build the Kingdom. Dr. John C. Maxwell has shared this incredible wisdom regarding this subject – “Where there is no vision, the people perish. And where there are no financial resources, the vision perishes.

2. No Margin

Churches that operate on the basis of “the miracle of the weekly offering” cannot prosper. The leadership must constantly have conversations focused on who is and who is not being paid and determining which projects can no longer be funded. Additionally, churches that operate with zero savings are highly susceptible to “God only knows” expenses. A church that operates with no margin can be completely derailed simply because the air conditional unit fails. Churches with a minimum of six week’s offerings in the bank will simply fix or replace the unit, and ministry efforts are unaffected.

Don’t Miss:

Should Your Church Increase Its Budget?

5 Questions Every Leader Should Ask About Money

3. Too Many Designated Giving Options

This is common among church financial mistakes: when churches offer the opportunity to contribute to fifteen different designated “buckets.” it can lead to confusion for members and frustration for the leaders. A church could have thousands of dollars available in one fund while another important ministry objective barely survives – and it all happens because of stringent guidelines. Remember this one fact – In the presence of many options, the consumer will usually choose none.

3 Ways We Should Live in a Politically Divisive Time

By

Eric Geiger

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July 28, 2022

For many people, this has been a really challenging and politically divisive time. If it has not been for you, it is likely you only spend time with people who think just like you which isn’t good for you. The good news is that we are not the only Christians to live in a politically divisive time, so thankfully we can learn from those who have gone before us.

3 Ways We Should Live in a Politically Divisive Time

1. Remember our first allegiance is Jesus and His Kingdom.

Few would admit politics or a political ideology has become their god or their religion, but we are wise to ask the Lord to search our hearts. Where have you placed your hope? Who has discipled you this last year, Jesus or your favorite news anchor? What are you most passionate to speak about? When leaders told Peter and John, two of Jesus’ disciples, that they had to stop speaking about Jesus, they replied, “we can’t help but speak about the things we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). In a politically divisive time, what Peter and John could not contain themselves from speaking about was Jesus.

Trusting something other than Jesus ruins us. My heart breaks for the alcoholic who keeps running to the bottle for relief, though the bottle is destroying him. My heart breaks for people who keep running to politics, on both sides, for their hope. It breaks my heart when people run down rabbit holes of misinformation for relief even though they are only destroying people with anger. Like a drug, political rabbit holes promise solace but only deliver on anger and disappointment when “the prophecies” don’t come true. Run to Jesus. Every single prophecy about Him has come to pass. He is true.

Ultimately, our citizenship is heaven. As much as I love America, America is not our forever home. We won’t be around the throne in eternal glory celebrating America. We will be celebrating the worth of our God. We won’t be singing the “Star-Spangled Banner” (as much as I am glad to sing it now); we will be singing about the Lamb of God who has rescued us.

2. Be convinced and kind.

The apostle Paul once dealt with a serious divisive issue among God’s people. Do they eat meat that is sacrificed to idols? Some were saying “yes, we can eat meat because the Bible says everything is clean. That idol is not real anyway.” Others were saying, “No way. We can’t eat something offered to an idol.” This was a big issue. Paul did not want people saying “how can you be a Christian and eat?” or “how can you be a Christian and not eat?” Today, we hear people saying, “how can you be a Christian and think that way politically?” Paul told the Christians to stop judging one another and to promote peace among each other (Romans 14). He wanted the Christians to be convinced in their own minds and kind to their brothers and sisters.

We too can be convinced and kind at the same time. It is easy to be convinced and not be kind, and it is easy to be kind and not be convinced. But to be both convinced and kind in a politically divisive time takes maturity.

3. Engage more than politically.

Compared to God’s people throughout the centuries, we are a rarity in that we have a political voice and vote. Most Christians throughout the centuries lived under a monarchy with no political voice. In fact, when Peter and Paul wrote to pray for our leaders and honor them, they were writing about leaders who would kill them. The early believers did not have a seat at the political table, but they still cared for all that the Lord cares about and found ways to serve people and to represent Christ. Larry Hurtado, in his book Destroyer of the Gods, pointed out that Christians in Rome were passionate for all ethnicities, the poor, a counter-cultural sexual ethic, and the children who would be killed by infanticide. May our political voice not make us complacent in finding ways, outside of politics, to care for all the Lord cares about. We should engage politically because we can, but we can and must engage more than politically.

This article on living in a politically divisive time originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

CPR for Small Groups (Cultural Popular References)

By

Chet Gladkowski

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July 28, 2022

CPR can save a life. It’s been around since 1740, and even though many people know CPR, 70% feel helpless to act. It’s not hard to learn. It’s really very basic and straightforward. Advanced degrees are not required. Only a little bit of time, a willingness to learn something new, and the determination to put it into practice are all that’s needed.This brings us to the question, do you and your small groups need CPR? Not the Cardiopulmonary resuscitation we’re familiar with, but CPR with the way you communicate: cultural popular references.

CPR: Cultural Popular References

This is where you reach out and connect with your small group leaders and members, using your local and regional cultural influences. Cultural popular refernces require more than just “knowing” these influences, you must actively make them part of your verbal, written, and image communications.

I was raised in Baltimore, MD which is known for crab cakes, the Orioles, the Ravens, Fort McHenry, and the national anthem (to name a few). I now live in Central Florida, which is known for citrus, cattle, Disney World and Universal Studios. Not exactly a lot of overlap there.

I’m the one who has to shift my weight and change how I communicate. References to where I grew up are not going to catch a lot of attention or connect with the people in my area. However, references to and analogies tied to citrus, Disney, and other local topics of interest will connect right away.

Jesus used cultural popular references. He used local word pictures that everyone was familiar with. He told them to look at:

Birds of the air – Matthew 6:26
Speck of sawdust – Matthew 7:3
Denarius – Mark 12:15
Fields – John 4:35

Here are the 3 keys to put cultural popular refernces into your communications. When properly applied, CPR will get your communications “pumping” again.

Cultural

I can assure you that your local culture is influenced by the big, outside influences. But there are many smaller, local, influences that you need to fold into your vocabulary and communications. You can find them all around you.

Local farmers’ markets – What kind of vendors, foods, products, and services are available? This shows where people are investing their time. Talk with the vendors, ask why they got involved, how they are doing, what their experience has been, and where their plans are taking them?
Local/regional papers – They are in the business of catering to who and what people are interested in. Watch local news reporting for human interest stories. Be especially watchful for the topics being written about in the Opinions and Letters To The Editor section. If people are willing to go to the trouble of writing, then they must feel strongly.
Local social media sites – These are a bit dicer because anyone with a cell phone can write just about anything and have an equal voice. But there may be some good sources to help keep you connected.

References:

Movies – There are lots and lots of movie clips available on all sorts of websites that you can connect with. They can be directly Christian in content, neutral, or even describe the opposite.
Television – I personally like to use clips from old TV shows, commercials, and comedies. There is lots of great, popular content available: The Chosen is right at the top of my list today.
Sports – Interviews are being posted every day that hold lots of possibilities. Most recently, Derek Carr, quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders talked about how “all of the self-glory is fleeting. God took me to a place where all I want to do is glorify Him.” Good stuff – thanks Derek.

Reference

This is where you take the Cultural and Popular content and bring it into focus based on the truth you are trying to communicate. You use the Cultural and Popular to draw attention, enhance, and energize your content and the people you’re connecting with. Rather than go on describing Reference, here are three examples from an oldie but a goodie, Chariots of Fire.

Purpose: when I run I feel His pleasure. Our purpose and life is fulfilled when we align the gifts and talents He’s given, using them for His glory (2)
Failure: Harold Abrams life is based on winning. He has no contentment or peace. He has 10 seconds to justify his existence (3).
Perseverance: Even if we’re knocked down, we’re never knocked out, 2 Corinthians 4:7-13, JB Phillips (5).

I have literally hundreds of potential CPR links for your communication opportunities. More are available each and every day. More sports, more meetings, more events are easily available to connect and communicate with.

If you need one, contact me and I’d be honored to help you learn Cultural Popular References.

This article on cultural popular references original appeared here, and is used by permission.

Technolopy – How the Church is Shaped by Tools it Uses

By

Mike Leake

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July 28, 2022

Are we using electronics or are they using us? That is the fundamental question that Neil Postman asks in Technopoly. Postman wrote this book in 1992. Long before the smartphone and even a few years before widespread use of the Internet. This makes his assessment of the direction of our culture all the more prescient. Postman decried our move from a society that used tools into one that is now shaped by tools. He called this a technopoly—“a self-justifying, self-perpetuating system wherein technology of every kind is cheerfully granted sovereignty over social institutions and national life.”

Technolopy – How the Church is Shaped by Tools

What Postman saw was a collapse of significant cultural symbols, bowing to the idol of this technopoly. Technopoly is not simply about technology it is about the way in which we rely upon these tools, and how we are shaped by tools. It is the unblushing allegiance that we give to “scientific facts”.

Long before Google, Postman saw our dependence upon the machine to define reality for us. Something is true now because Google says it is true. (Consider here and here).

This ideology is not neutral. It aims to take no prisoners and bring about the surrender of our culture. Postman devotes an entire chapter to showing the path which leads to losing important cultural symbols. He notes that they are often trivialized instead of directly blasphemed.

How to Resist Technopoly

So what is the answer? Postman gives a list of characteristics of those who “resist the American Technopoloy”. They are people who:

pay no attention to a poll unless they know what questions were asked, and why
refuse to accept efficiency as the pre-eminent goal of human relations
have freed themselves from the belief in the magical powers of numbers, do not regard calculation as an adequate substitute for judgment, or precision as a synonym for truth
refuse to allow psychology or any ‘social science’ to preempt the language and thought of common sense
are, at least, suspicious of the idea of progress, and who do not confuse information with understanding
do not regard the aged as irrelevant
take seriously the meaning of family loyalty and honor, and who, when they ‘reach out and touch someone’, expect that person to be in the room
take take great narratives of religion seriously and who do not believe that science is the only system of thought capable of producing truth
know the difference between the sacred and the profane, and who do not wink at tradition for modernity’s sake
admire technological ingenuity but do not think it represents the highest possible form of human achievement.

Postman says that we must understand

“that technology must never be accepted as part of the natural order of things, that every technology…carries with it a program, an agenda, and a philosophy that may or may not be life-enhancing and that therefore requires scrutiny, criticism, and control.” (Postman, 185)

I am intrigued by Postman’s ideas here. I think in many places he is spot on and he clearly saw the dangers that were awaiting us, that we would be shaped by tools. Is it to late to fight the Technopoly? I would say it is already well upon us and the governing ideology of our day.

This article on how we are shaped by tools originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Student-Led Youth Ministry: How to Morph Into That Framework

By

Youth Ministrycom

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July 27, 2022

Does student-led youth ministry sound appealing? Then check out these tips and insights from a veteran youth pastor. Discover how he morphed his teen ministry into a “student-led, adult-mentored” culture. No adults lead small groups or, really, any ministry!

“These middle school kids have way too much energy for me. I think I may be in over my head.” And with that, my newest adult-volunteer recruit signaled the end of his oh-so-brief youth ministry trajectory. He’d just experienced his first teen event. Sugar-overloaded kids played toilet-paper hockey while student interns raced around on motorized toilets. And this was all before our worship service even started.

Just a few weeks before, this earnest new recruit enthusiastically pledged himself to our ministry. “I know this is where God wants me,” he said. But his first dip into the water was an icy plunge. Game over.

Of course, youth ministry requires a special breed of volunteer. Nothing is new about that. Over the years, I’ve talked to many youth pastors who’ve struggled, like me, to find adult leaders who are ready and willing to invest in teenagers’ lives. It’s simply hard to find genuinely committed, passionate people.

But about a year ago, the obvious solution to this persistent problem hit me like, well, a motorized toilet. I already had a room-full of potential leaders who were both passionate and eager to serve.

Sure, student leaders had always been involved in my ministry. But what if I found ways to raise the bar so that many, many more served in roles usually filled by adults? As I started down this path of student-led youth ministry, I quickly realized the “chair-sitters” seemed disconnected only because I’d given them few outlets to give. They wanted more than what I was offering them.

A potent mix of opportunity and encouragement blasted them out of those seats. Soon, I’d totally recast my ministry’s structure. I call it “Student-Led, Adult-Guided.” Here’s what I’ve learned.

4 Important Tips for Student-Led Youth Ministry

1. First, the pushback.

I was so excited to plunge into the possibilities that I forgot about the inevitable pushback from stakeholders in the church. Many reminded me that teenagers are often irresponsible and unreliable. They are, they told me, quick to offer suggestions but reluctant to follow through.

No argument from me. But I reminded them the same complaints applied to many of my past adult leaders. Given our spotty success at recruiting and equipping adults who would go all-in with our group, what did I have to lose?

Family Church Event Ideas for Summertime (No Volunteers Required!)

By

ChildrensMinistry.com

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July 27, 2022

To help you plan family church event ideas for summertime we gathered five awesome activities. See if one (or more) of these easy children’s ministry events will work for you this summer.

Hosting summertime family events is a blast! But let’s face it: They can also be lots of work. During the summer months, it’s not so easy to recruit children’s ministry volunteers.

But don’t let fewer volunteers force you to plan fewer fun family events this summer. You can still bring families together for fellowship and reach out to your community. It’s simple!

Instead of bringing families in to your building? Just take families out for summer fun in the community!

Registration Tips for Family Church Event Ideas

Before we get to the activities… Communication is key for kidmin outings, no matter the season. So clearly convey dates, times, costs, and meeting locations.

Set up online registration through your church’s online database. Or use a free program like VBS Pro. (It’s not just for VBS!)
Have families RSVP by email to let you know they’re coming.
Or provide a sign-up sheet for several weeks at your church building.

Communicate that these summertime events aren’t just for kids. Be clear that parents/guardians must attend with their children.

Perhaps you’ll float the bill with your family event budget. Or maybe it’s more feasible to ask families to chip in. Whatever you decide, communicate costs. Then make it as easy as possible for families to participate.

5 Summertime Family Church Event Ideas

Here are 5 awesome family-focused activities for summer:

1. Picnic in the Park

First up: Enjoy the great outdoors together at a local park. Have families pack a picnic lunch and gather with other families for a summertime play date!

Planning tips:

Some parks allow you to rent a pavilion or picnic area.
Clearly communicate where to meet. (The closer to the playground, the better!)
Provide water or juice.
Pack extra sandwiches and snacks just in case some families miss the memo to bring lunch.
Bring tablecloths and trash bags for easy prep and cleanup.

2. Church-Wide Pool Party

Next make a splash with a family outing at a local swimming pool. You could just invite families with kids. But for even more fun, invite the whole church family! Kids will love seeing Sunday school teachers, teen helpers, and even pastors have fun in the sun.

Planning tips:

Call to see how much it costs to rent the facility for an afternoon or evening.
Determine the best date, time, and any costs you’ll ask attendees to contribute.
Consider offering pizza, drinks…and sunscreen!
Share a fun worship song with families as you advertise your event!

3. Matinee Movie Meet Up

Summer days are super fun…but can also get a little long. By the time midafternoon rolls around, parents and kids may be getting a little stir crazy at home. Why not meet up at the movies? This is always a favorite among ideas for church family events.

Check to see which kid-friendly movies are playing in a theater near you.
Determine the best date and time, and any costs you’ll ask attendees to contribute.
Pre-purchase tickets together. Or announce the movie, theater, date, and time and invite families to purchase their own tickets.
Some theaters may even allow you to rent a theater for a private family event!

20 Christian Memes That Are Too Real

By

Jessica Lea

-

July 27, 2022

Sometimes life is so strange that you just have to laugh at it—and the Christian life is no exception. Here are 20 of the best Christian memes we’ve collected to give you a chuckle at some of the stranger parts of the Christian experience.

20 Christian Memes

1.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Christian Memes (@epicchristianmemes)

2.

When disgruntled people tell me that God is leading them to another church… pic.twitter.com/ktnqDqBGxV

— ThePastor’sWife🤷‍♀️ (@ThePWLife) June 8, 2022

3.

#VBS pic.twitter.com/fL4zF171av

— Lloyd Legalist (@LloydLegalist) June 22, 2022

4.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Christian Memes (@epicchristianmemes)

5.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Youth Pastor Co (@youthpastor.co)

‘You Just Pray’: Mother Reports Son Planning a High School Killing Spree, Pleads With Parents

By

Jesse T. Jackson

-

July 27, 2022

Nichole Schubert made a choice that no mother ever dreams of having to make. She called the police on her 17-year-old son after finding material in his room suggesting that he was planning a mass shooting at his high school in Washington State. His plan included killing her.

Schubert’s decision likely saved not only her own life but many others, including her son’s.

During an interview with Good Morning America’s T.J. Holmes last week, Schubert described the events that led up to reporting her son to the police in 2019.

While she was cleaning her home, she found her son’s journal with a very detailed plan for the killing spree.

“It was very descriptive. It was just heartbreaking. I didn’t really want to know the details,” Schubert told Holmes. She also found what she believed to be the components of a homemade pipe bomb.

Schubert explained that after reading that her son wanted to kill her, she was devastated, saying, “That’s my child. I gave birth to him. It hurts a lot. It still hurts.” Her son told her it was just a story, denying that he had intentions of following through with it.

“Your first instinct as a parent is to protect your child,” Schubert said. “But at that point, I felt like if he is actually gonna do these things, he would be safer in jail.” She called the police within hours of reading the horrific plan.

Schubert shared with Holmes she wasn’t just thinking about her son, but other children who could have possibly been harmed or killed if her son acted upon his graphic journal entry.

“I have a lot of friends that have children [at the school],” she said. “It wasn’t just about me and him at that point. It was about a whole school. Hundreds of people, hundreds of kids—children.”

Her 17-year-old son was arrested and pled guilty to threatening to bomb or injure property, which is a felony. He was additionally charged with misdemeanors for harassment and was ordered to complete a rehabilitation program, perform community service, and undergo a mental evaluation.

Candace Cameron Bure Responds to JoJo Siwa’s Accusation That She Is the ‘Rudest Celebrity’

By

Jessica Lea

-

July 27, 2022

Candace Cameron Bure has responded to a TikTok video that former “Dance Moms” star JoJo Siwa posted, in which Siwa called Bure the “rudest celebrity” she has met.

“I want to talk about the JoJo situation,” said Bure in an Instagram video posted Tuesday. “Honestly, I was shocked when I saw the TikTok on Sunday and I had no idea where it came from and so I immediately tried to reach out to her through a mutual friend.”

Candace Cameron Bure Spills the Tea

JoJo Siwa is a dancer, singer and YouTuber who became famous by appearing at age 9 in Lifetime’s “Dance Moms,” a reality show that followed children as they trained and competed in competitive dance.

On Sunday, Siwa posted a TikTok video where she listed out various celebrities and then quickly flashed their pictures at the camera. Candace Cameron Bure was first as Siwa’s rudest celebrity. Others included Zendaya as her “celebrity crush,” Miley Cyrus as the “nicest celebrity” and Elton John as the “coolest celebrity.”

“I didn’t know what happened,” said Bure. “I didn’t know.” So after she saw the video Sunday, she reached out to Siwa and they talked over the phone Tuesday morning.

“We had a great conversation,” Bure said. When Siwa asked how she was doing, Bure responded, “Well, I’ve been better. What happened?”

Bure told Siwa that she did not know what she had done to be rude to her. She remembered meeting Siwa on The Kelly Clarkson Show, but had thought that went well. Siwa agreed and said Bure was “super nice.”

Bure said Siwa was reluctant to tell her what had happened. Siwa had not expected the TikTok video to go viral and did not mean for it to be taken as seriously as it has. But the reality star eventually told Bure she had met her at age 11 on the red carpet for the premier of “Fuller House.”

Siwa had asked Bure to take a picture with her and Bure had said, “Not right now.” Then Bure went on to take photos with other people. Siwa said she understands the situation now and that Bure wasn’t “even mean,” but at the time it was hard for her as she was 11.

Tim Tebow: ‘There Can Be Purpose in Your Pain,’ So Give It to God

By

Stephanie Martin

-

July 27, 2022

In an Instagram post about his new Bible study course, former pro athlete and outspoken Christian Tim Tebow assures viewers that “God will never waste your pain when you give it to him.” For Christians who are experiencing “pain, adversity, setbacks, and heartache,” he advises, “know that when you keep trusting God and you give that pain to him, he can create purpose in it, and I believe he will, and I believe he wants to.”

Tebow, a bestselling author, TV analyst, and philanthropist, has a new video curriculum titled “Mission Possible.” In each of the six sessions, according to the product website, “Tim draws on scripture and offers personal reflections to help you unlock your mission and make it possible.” The Bible study is a companion to Tebow’s recent book release with the same title.

Tim Tebow: Despite Pain, We Can Have ‘Great Significance’

Tebow’s July 17 Instagram post is captioned: “Keep trusting God. Keep going and taking one step at a time. I don’t know what you’re going through, I don’t know what pain you’re experiencing… but I do know that God promises He can use it for good for those who love Him!”

In the video, Tebow credits his sister with repeating these encouraging words: “God will never waste your pain when you give it to him.” He assures listeners, “There can be purpose in your pain.”

Tebow cites the loss of friends and loved ones, job setbacks, and other disappointments as troubles that weigh on people of faith. “It’s not pain-free,” he says of a “Mission Possible” life. But “there’s still meaning, and there still can be great significance.”

Tebow speaks from experience, after his NFL comeback attempt was short-lived. Despite career setbacks, his charitable efforts have been thriving. They include the “Night to Shine” prom for young adults with special needs, a foundation to end human trafficking, and a community center in Uganda.

“When we look at all the heroes of the Bible,” says Tebow, “almost every single one of them, through their pain was great purpose. And when they continued to take the next step, eventually there was great impact.”

For Fulfillment, Says Tim Tebow, Say Yes to God’s Purpose

“You have been sent here to go impact the world with a Mission Possible life,” Tebow says in a video about his Bible study. “We’ve been given a task, a job by the Creator of this universe. No matter how far gone, no matter the baggage that you feel like you have in your life, it’s not too much for Jesus. It doesn’t disqualify us from having a Mission Possible life that counts.”

With a mission, you’re not “aimless,” Tebow adds, but can focus on loving God and loving others. That’s possible not through our own strength or qualifications, he says, but “it’s through [Jesus], it’s with him, it’s because of him.”

‘The View’ Apologizes to Turning Point USA Following Threat of Lawsuit for ‘Defamatory Statements’

By

Dale Chamberlain

-

July 27, 2022

the view turning point usa — Screengrab via Twitter

“The View” has issued an on-air apology to Turning Point USA for comments they made earlier this week regarding white supremacist protesters outside the conservative nonprofit’s Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida.

The apology came after Turning Point USA sent ABC News a cease and desist letter, threatening legal action of “The View” failed to issue a retraction and apology for insinuating a connection between Turning Point USA and the neo-Nazi demonstrators outside their conference for students.

“The false statements of fact intentionally made during The View’s July 25th segment were unquestionably harmful to TPUSA’s reputation and brought the organization and its student affiliates into disrepute with the public, potential donors, and current and future business partners, posing a significant financial loss to the organization,” the letter said.

In that July 25 episode, “The View” hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sarah Haines, and Ana Navarro discussed the group of white supremacist demonstrators, who waved Nazi flags and held up antisemitic imagery, also passing out antisemitic literature that falsely accused Jewish people of being behind abortions.

The group had no connection with the Student Action Summit or its organizers, as a Turning Point USA spokesperson had previously clarified. Nevertheless, Behar felt that the speakers at the event were complicit in the protesters’ antisemitism for not having spoken against it.

Speakers at the event included Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, Fox News personality Laura Ingraham, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, Senator Josh Hawley, Senator Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Jr., Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former president Donald Trump, and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who advocated for the Republican Party to become “a party for nationalism”—more specifically, Christian nationalism.

In the discussion about the protesters, Behar was specific in her criticism of DeSantis.

“DeSantis did not say anything about it. Nothing. So it’s sort of his rendition of a ‘good people on both sides,’” Behar said, according to Decider.

Greg Stier: Why Your Whole Church Needs To Care About Student Ministry

By

Jessica Lea

-

July 27, 2022

The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast · Greg Stier: Why Your Whole Church Needs To Care About Student Ministry

Greg Stier is an evangelist, author, speaker, and founder of Dare 2 Share Ministries, which trains teens to share their faith. He is the author of several books, including “Gospelize Your Youth Ministry: A Spicy New Philosophy Of Youth Ministry (That’s 2,000 Years Old)” and “Dare 2 Share: A Field Guide to Sharing Your Faith.” His latest is “Unlikely Fighter: The Story of How a Fatherless Street Kid Overcame Violence, Chaos, and Confusion to Become a Radical Christ Follower.”

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Greg Stier

► Listen on Apple
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► Listen on Stitcher
► Listen on YouTube

Key Questions for Greg Stier

-Tell a little bit about your story and how you got involved in ministry to teens.

-Why does the whole church need to care about student ministry?

-A lot of people are just trying to get teens to come to youth group, let alone helping them be gospel witnesses. How can we help students do both?

-How do we make evangelism a priority in our churches again?

Key Quotes From Greg Stier

“Columbine became the terrible yardstick by which every other school shooting would be measured for whatever reason. And because I knew a lot of the kids, it shook me up. And my question was, where we’re all the Christian kids to reach out to the shooters? What could have happened differently if they were reached for Christ?

“Every city’s got a city within a city…And ours was a small patch of area in Denver called North Denver, which was the highest crime area. It was mafia controlled. My uncles were nicknamed “The Crazy Brothers” by the mafia, which when the mafia thinks your family’s dysfunctional, it’s not good.”

“I start sneaking into the youth group at 11 years of age, and immediately I’m trained, equipped and mobilized. They trained us in systematic theology and evangelism, apologetics, so they take us out sharing the gospel. So the youth group is that big [800 students] because [the pastor] trains students to reach students.”

“My point of reference for youth ministry was, we’re on fire for God, we’re responsible to reach our city and the adults are there to support and encourage and align us for that.”

“I began to share Christ with my mom because I was equipped to share Christ. It took three years and finally, when I was 15 years old, I had the privilege of leading my mom to Christ.”

“I really do believe that change happens when you’re young, primarily.”

Some Rugby League Players in Australia Refuse Pride Jersey Due to Religious Beliefs

By

AP News

-

July 27, 2022

SYDNEY (AP) — Seven Manly Sea Eagles players have withdrawn from a National Rugby League match in Australia because they’re unwilling to wear their club’s inclusion jersey.

The jersey has rainbow stripes and a rainbow collar — in place of the regular white sections — to support LGBTQ inclusion in sports, and the club plans to use it for one game against Sydney Roosters.

Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler on Tuesday said seven players advised club officials that wearing the pride jersey conflicts with their cultural and religious beliefs.

“The players will not play on Thursday and we accept their decision,” Hasler said. “These young men are strong in their beliefs and convictions and we will give them the space and support they require.

“The playing group are solid and understanding of each other’s views. As a club we will wear the jersey on Thursday night.”

Josh Aloiai, Jason Saab, Christian Tuipulotu, Josh Schuster, Haumole Olakau’atu, Tolu Koula and Toafofoa Sipley are not available for selection on Thursday. NRL squads contain 13 starting players and four on the interchange bench for each game.

Hasler apologized for the fallout which stemmed from the club’s lack of advance consultation with the playing group.

“Our intent was to be caring towards all diverse groups who face inclusion issues daily,” Hasler said. “Sadly this poor management has caused significant confusion, discomfort and pain for many people, in particular those groups whose human rights we in fact attempting to support.

“We wish to apologize to the LGBTQ community who embrace the rainbow colors, who use these colors for pride and advocacy and human rights issues.”

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys said he understood the players’ choices, based on religious and cultural differences, but pushed for inclusion and acceptance in the sport.

“One thing I take pride in with rugby league is we treat everyone the same,” V’landys said. “It doesn’t matter your color, sexual orientation or race. We’re all equal.

‘The Right Bait’: Alabama Pastor Uses Rap, Retreats to Reel in Students

By

Diana Chandler

-

July 27, 2022

Alabama-pastor — Photo courtesy of Baptist Press.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (BP) – Pastor Dewayne Rembert considers himself from the “country ghetto.” Born in 1975 in rural Linden, he had no running water or indoor toilet but ran illegal drugs in urban housing projects to buy food to eat.

Economic poverty, fatherlessness and a mother who retreated to the streets weeks at a time have given him a Gospel perspective that led 67 urban teenagers to profess Christianity in one month through the Flatline Movement and Flatline Church at Chisholm, both of which Rembert founded.

“If you don’t have the right bait on the hook,” Rembert said of outreach to urban youth, “you’re not going to catch (them). We know what the problem is, and the church has the solution to the problem. We’ve got to put the right bait on the hook for them to get clean. And then urban guys, we need support.”

Rembert’s “bait” is the Gospel message in sermons and in the latest genre of rap music from “the hard guys from the streets that got saved,” not the contemporary Christian rap that Rembert says typically reaches Anglo youth.

“They’re playing songs from back in 2012,” Rembert said of contemporary Christian rap often used in church youth groups. “That sound is not even popular no more, to the young people.”

Rembert saw the salvations in June at two summer camps, the first held in Panama City, Fla., at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Flatline Movement camp. There, 40 students from four inner-city Alabama schools made decisions for Christ, their trips provided with donations from several Southern Baptist churches.

In a girls camp three weeks later in Panama City, 20 of the approximately 40 girls in attendance professed Christ as their Savior. The following Sunday at Flatline Church, seven teenagers accepted Christ and were baptized on the spot.

“Through the grace of God I was able to reach out to quite a few of our SBC churches, and they made donations for us to take down four of our local inner-city schools’ (sports) teams down to Panama City,” Rembert said. “We do things at the church as well, but it’s something about bringing children from the inner-city and taking them to the beach. When I was in high school, I never went to the beach. It was only a dream for me. It was not a reality.

“My mom was, sadly, in and out of the streets and there was no dad around and all my uncles were under the bondage of alcohol. And my grandmother had dementia. So I was just in the streets.”

Rembert had begun “holding drugs” for drug dealers in the ghetto who would later sell them, he said, in his teenage years after his grandmother began suffering dementia. The two would run out of food after the first two weeks of each month.

ERLC Urges Senate to Defeat Same-Sex Marriage Proposal

By

Tom Strode

-

July 27, 2022

same-sex marriage — U.S. Capitol (BP file photo)

WASHINGTON (BP) – The Southern Baptist Convention’s ethics entity called Tuesday (July 26) for the U.S. Senate to oppose legislation that threatens to gain enough Republican support to codify same-sex marriage into law.

In a letter to all senators, Brent Leatherwood, acting president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), urged them to vote against the Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 8404). The legislation would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and require federal and state recognition of same-sex marriages considered legal in the jurisdiction where they took place.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the measure July 19 in a 267-157 vote, with 47 Republicans joining all the Democratic members in support. If enacted, the bill would essentially place into federal law the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision that legalized gay marriage, though critics warn it could go beyond that ruling to permit recognition of other types of unions.

The Respect for Marriage Act faces the challenge of needing 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster and gain a floor vote, but several Republicans have indicated their willingness to support it. A survey of senators’ offices published by CNN showed five GOP members will vote for the bill or are likely to do so. If all Democrats support the legislation, only 10 Republicans are needed to cut off debate so a vote on the proposal can occur.

In conveying that the ERLC is “firmly opposed” to the legislation, Leatherwood told senators, “Marriage is an institution created by God, not by man. No individual or government has the authority or ability to supersede its design.”

He wrote, “Marriage requires the specific union of a man and a woman for life (Gen. 2:24). Attempts to misapply or expand the term beyond these distinct parameters go against God’s purpose and will lead people astray from what was meant for our flourishing.”

Religious freedom could be threatened and the definition of marriage could be expanded even beyond same-sex unions if the legislation is enacted, Leatherwood warned.

The bill “raises serious religious liberty concerns for individuals and organizations who maintain [the one-man, one-woman] view of marriage and are in contract with, funded by, or working jointly with the government,” he wrote.

“It also is unclear whether the [legislation] would codify federal recognition to civil marriages that go beyond the scope of two individuals in states that allow it,” Leatherwood wrote, citing the example of Massachusetts cities that legally recognize polygamous relationships. “Given that there’s no limiting principle in this bill, it could potentially include other marriage definitions that a state chooses to adopt.”

The issue “transcends electoral politics,” Leatherwood said in his letter. “For our churches, this is about human flourishing and love for our neighbors.”

Hannah Daniel, the ERLC’s policy manager, told Baptist Press, “Regardless of how quickly our culture changes, we hold fast to the reality that marriage – the union of one man and one woman for life – is an institution created by God for our good and for the flourishing of our society.”

This bill “seeks to codify into law the redefinition and expansion of what marriage is designed to be and provides little protection for those who seek to uphold God’s design,” she said in written comments.

W.Va. Abortion Ban Advances Without Rape, Incest Exceptions

By

Leah Willingham

-

July 27, 2022

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — As West Virginia’s Republican supermajority continued advancing a sweeping abortion ban bill Tuesday, Democrats failed for the second time in two days to garner enough support to add exceptions for rape and incest victims.

During an hourslong meeting Tuesday, House Judiciary Committee Republicans overwhelmingly rejected Democrats’ amendment for a rape and incest exception, sending the abortion ban to the full House of Delegates. A similar proposal failed Monday in a different House committee.

“Men perpetrating such horrific acts makes me unsettled at times,” said Republican Del. Pat McGeehan, who noted he has a daughter. He voted against the exception. “It’s very disturbing and these are contentious questions we have to deal with. However, when we confront such evil, we cannot participate in evil itself.”

McGeehan said by creating exceptions, even for rape and incest, lawmakers would be sending the message that “the value of life is not unconditional.”

“An innocent life is still an innocent life, regardless of the evil act,” he said. “We have to have moral absolutism. The real question here is: Is it ever just to punish an innocent person for a crime committed by someone else? My answer is absolutely not.”

The House, comprised of 78 Republicans and 22 Democrats, is next scheduled to meet Wednesday after a public hearing on the abortion bill.

Lawmakers were called by Gov. Jim Justice into a special session starting Monday to consider reducing the state’s income tax. As lawmakers were gaveling in, he abruptly added the abortion law to the agenda. The session began week after a Charleston judge barred West Virginia from enforcing an 1800s-era abortion ban, ruling it unenforceable and superseded by a slew of conflicting modern laws.

On Monday, Justice asked legislators to “clarify and modernize” the state abortion laws.

Similar to the 1800s-era ban, Republicans’ new proposal would bar abortion in almost all cases and makes performing one a felony. Physicians who provide abortions could face three to 10 years in prison.

The bill provides exceptions for an ectopic pregnancy, a “nonmedically viable fetus” or a medical emergency.

When Republicans greenlit the bill in the Judiciary Committee, Democratic Del. Kayla Young pointed out she’s one of only three women in the group of 25 lawmakers. There are no people of color on the committee, and she said women and people of color will be impacted the most by a statewide abortion ban.

“We’re never going to have to deal with this because we’re incredibly privileged people,” she said. “We are making decisions about other people, and we shouldn’t do that. If it’s your religious belief, if it’s your moral belief, that is great for you. But get it away from me, get it out of my body, get it out of my uterus.”

First Missionary Hymn

Song in the South Seas

Universal Reach

Unrivaled Blessings

He Shall Reign

Top 10 Church Financial Mistakes

1. No Vision

2. No Margin

Don’t Miss:

3. Too Many Designated Giving Options

3 Ways We Should Live in a Politically Divisive Time

1. Remember our first allegiance is Jesus and His Kingdom.

2. Be convinced and kind.

3. Engage more than politically.

CPR: Cultural Popular References

Cultural

Popular

References:

Technolopy – How the Church is Shaped by Tools

How to Resist Technopoly

4 Important Tips for Student-Led Youth Ministry

1. First, the pushback.

Registration Tips for Family Church Event Ideas

5 Summertime Family Church Event Ideas

1. Picnic in the Park

2. Church-Wide Pool Party

3. Matinee Movie Meet Up

20 Christian Memes

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Candace Cameron Bure Spills the Tea

Tim Tebow: Despite Pain, We Can Have ‘Great Significance’

For Fulfillment, Says Tim Tebow, Say Yes to God’s Purpose

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Greg Stier

Key Questions for Greg Stier

Key Quotes From Greg Stier

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