Black Churches More Important to SBC Than Ever Before

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July 21, 2022

Black-Churches-More-Important-to-SBC-Than-Ever-Before — New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Jamie Dew (center) attends a reception hosted by the reception hosted by the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention in Ridgecrest, N.C. Lifeway photo courtesy of Baptist Press.

RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP) – African American churches are more important to the Southern Baptist Convention than ever before, Jamie Dew told Baptist Press Monday (July 18) at the Black Church Leadership and Family Conference at Ridgecrest Conference Center.

Dew, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, said he’s primarily focused on building relationships and trust among friends at the conference and letting pastors know NOBTS is available to help.

“These are my friends. I believe in what they’re doing. African American churches are important to the SBC, more so now than ever before,” Dew said in the interview during the pastors and wives reception hosted by the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention. “There’s more work that’s got to be done. There’s more help that’s got to be given. There’s more conversations that need to be had, and you don’t get to do any of that by sitting it out.”

Dew is among several denominational leaders attending the event, including Baptist State Convention of North Carolina Executive Director Todd Unzicker and SBC Executive Committee Interim President and CEO Willie McLaurin.

Dew, who has led NOBTS since 2019, said he has been building deeper relationships with NAAF leaders during his tenure as president.

“I started I guess about a year and a half ago, having really just important and fruitful conversations with a lot of the NAAF leaders,” Dew said. “This was right after all of the George Floyd, the riots, all the national debate about CRT, and ended up in some really helpful, fruitful conversations, really from both sides, and I think in that, just a friendship was formed between several of us.

“I think that Southern Baptists are in a much healthier place than most people would think they are on racial issues” he said. “… I am confident that if we can have the conversations we need to have, I think that’s going to do a lot of good for a lot of people. … [T]here’s still more work that has to be done to be where we need to be.”

Dew, whose family is also attending the conference, is teaching one of dozens of small-group classes available to attendees. His two-part class, offered July 19 and 20, is God and the Problem of Evil. NOBTS is also hosting a luncheon for conference attendees.

Unzicker and McLaurin greeted conference attendees on the opening night of the event from the stage of Spilman Auditorium.

“Brothers and sisters, welcome to the great state of North Carolina. We are glad that you are here,” Unzicker said. He described the work of North Carolina Baptists as a movement of churches, “because God is on the move.

“Ever since Genesis 3 and all the way to Revelation, when someone from every nation, every tribe, every tongue, every people is around the throne saying, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and honor and riches and might and glory forever and ever, Amen,’” Unzicker said, “God is on the move to rescue His people.”

3 Questions Every Man Should Ask Every Day

By

Andrew Linder

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July 21, 2022

As a man, you are a leader. You don’t get the choice not to be one. Whether you are a husband, father, friend, or all of the above, God has called you to lead the people closest to you, starting with your family.

One of the key ways that I’m personally learning to become a better leader is to ask better questions. In a recent leader training with my friend, Bill Allison, I learned the following three self-awareness questions that I am striving to implement into my daily life as a leader (and maybe you should too if applicable).

How Can I Pursue my Wife Today?

One of the biggest mistakes men make within a marriage is that we quit pursuing our wives. God does not command us to have a perfect marriage, but he does expect us to have a growing one. This requires pursuit. And more than just a pursuit for sex. This requires that we see our marriage as our greatest disciple-making friendship.

Because marriage is discipleship—two people growing together spiritually as one flesh.

Everyday, find a practical way to pursue your relationship with your wife. This may be starting off the day in prayer together, helping with household chores without being asked, or praising her in front of the kids for one of her many strengths. Daily find a way to prioritize your pursuit of her.

How Can I Invest Into my Kids Today?

A daily goal I strive to achieve as a dad is to have a personal daily touch (or sometimes many) in each of my kids’ lives. This might be a big squeeze, a game of basketball in the driveway, dropping into their bedroom unexpectedly for a “what’s up” conversation, or just joining them in whatever they’re doing in the moment.

The days go by slow, but the years go by fast. Intentional dads make the time to make daily investments into their children’s hearts and lives. Dad’s who don’t make the consistent deposits can’t expect to enjoy the longterm returns.

How can I Influence a Jesus-Like Disciple-Making Friendship Today?

This is a question that has challenged me and continues to do so. Jesus regularly spent time with his closest disciples through consistently rubbing off on them (John 3:22… no time… no discipleship). His method was not to primarily disciple them through a lecture, but through a lifestyle. Jesus understood that you can’t make disciples from a stage.

As my friend Bill says, “If the only time you influence people is when you’re on a stage, you’re a performer, not a disciple-maker.”

Spiritual leaders need to ask the question, who is God calling me to pull close for disciple-making friendships? In addition to my family, who can I be doing life with as we strive to know and love Jesus better? Who can I call today, text today, do lunch with today for the sake of pulling each other closer to Jesus? This is not just a Me + You friendship (transactional), but a Me + You + Jesus friendship (transformational). This daily question is continually challenging and shaping me.

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

Satan Has Vested Interests in Making Unbelievers Think They Are Going to Heaven

By

Randy Alcorn

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July 21, 2022

I’ve read many accounts of experiences in which people who do not know Christ claim to have gone to Heaven, or its outskirts, and were reassured by a “being of light” that all is well with them. I’m convinced that though some have had real supernatural experiences, the one who reassured them was not Jesus. Obviously, Satan has great vested interests in deceiving unbelievers into thinking that what awaits them after death is a place of serenity rather than of eternal punishment. Scripture says, “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:15).

Years ago, one of my friends, a trustworthy and credible doctor, recounted an experience that really disturbed him. He observed a patient who appeared very close to dying have terrifying and inconsolable visions of where he was about to go upon his death. He actually recovered, but when the doctor attempted to share the gospel with him, the man remembered his dreadful experience as a wonderful dream of Heaven. This incident wound up as a story thread in my novel Dominion:

Clarence called Ollie from the hospital to update him on his father.

“You won’t believe this,” Ollie said. “Norcoast is in the hospital. He attempted suicide.”

“What? Which hospital?”

“Right where you’re calling from—Emanuel.”

Clarence went to the front desk to get Norcoast’s room number. He’d just been moved off critical condition and out of ICU but was still under close monitoring. Clarence went to his room on the fourth floor and stood over him. The councilman was drained of color, pale and pasty. Unconscious, he lay very still. Clarence stood over him for ten minutes before Norcoast started to move. He shuddered and trembled. He started mumbling, appearing to be seeing things and hearing voices.

“O God, they’re trying to get me.” Clarence backed away from the tortured voice. “Monsters, demons attacking me.” His arms flailed. “It’s so hot. Hurts so bad. No. Stay away. Don’t hurt me.” After a few minutes of incoherence, he calmed down a little, then spoke again, eyes closed. “Gone now. Where is everybody? I’m so alone. I’m burning up! Help me!” He screamed out, writhing, soaking himself in sweat, casting the sheets to his side and bumping against the bedrails. Two nurses ran into the room.

Clarence backed out of the room, shaken. He went directly to the hospital chapel and prayed fervently for his father, but even more fervently for Reggie Norcoast.

The next morning Clarence came early to the hospital, first visiting his father, who was unconscious. Then he went up two floors to visit Norcoast. The door was closed. A nurse told him the councilman had had terrible hallucinations all night, but he was now awake and out of trouble.

Clarence peeked in the door. Norcoast, usually vibrant and healthy, looked pale and peaked, like a man who’d been through a wringer. Clarence knocked lightly on the doorframe.

“Hello, Reg, can I come in?”

5 Ways to Bring a Good Man Down

By

J.D. Greear

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July 21, 2022

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

What brings a good man down? Let’s consider King Solomon as an example.

We tend to think of Solomon as the man who, though he was the wisest man in the world, fell because he was some kind of a sex addict. I mean, if you have 1,000 wives, that is some serious libido. How do you even keep up with the anniversaries and birthdays?

But there is a lot more going on in Solomon’s demise than just a lust for exotic women. In ancient times kings would marry daughters of other kings as a way of guaranteeing peace between the two countries. If you marry the daughter of a king, he is much less likely to attack you. In many monarchies, similar marriage arrangements are still practiced today.

What Brings a Good Man Down?

In 1 Kings 11:3, the writer clarifies that 700 of Solomon’s 1,000 wives were “princesses,” meaning those unions were probably more about security than sex.

Making political alliances isn’t inherently evil. The problem for Solomon was that God had explicitly told Israel in Deuteronomy 17 not to do this. They didn’t need treaties with other nations for security, because God was their security.

But Solomon wasn’t satisfied with just the promises of God. He needed a little extra insurance—and that desire for security apart from God would turn out to be his downfall.

Solomon gradually grew attached to these women, and they turned his heart away from God. For most of his wives, Solomon built them their own palace, where they would build an altar to whatever god they had worshipped in their home country. Over time Solomon went from merely tolerating the existence of these idols to actively participating in the worship of them.

One of my favorite country music groups, Alabama, used to have a song that said, “You can’t bring a good man down.” Solomon’s life begs to differ, highlighting five ways you can bring a good man—even the world’s wisest man—down.

(By the way: Don’t let my phrasing throw you. These points are as applicable to women as they are to men.)

1. Disbelief in God’s promises brings a good man down.

Like I said, Solomon’s first problem was not out-of-control sexual lust. His problem was that he didn’t trust God enough to fully rely on him. His core problem was unbelief.

That’s almost always the case with our sin. Peel back the layers of any sin, and you will find the seed of unbelief.

Whatever area of your life in which you are not fully obeying God is an area in which you are afraid of being let down and do not really trust him.

2. Disregard of God’s Word brings a good man down.

Solomon disobeyed God’s command not to multiply wives, but there are a number of other biblical commands that Solomon ignored, too.

Signs From God That He Is Not the One: 4 Red Flags When Dating

By

Jonathan Pearson

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July 20, 2022

Teens new to the dating world desperately need biblical advice. As a youth minister, do you share signs from God that he is not the one? Or warnings that she isn’t cut out to be a godly spouse?

Awhile back, I outlined signs that your dating partner may be the one to settle down with and marry. So I want to follow up with a post outlining the opposite. What are some signs from God that he is not the one? How can you tell if your girlfriend isn’t marriage material?

These days, more marriages end in divorce than stay intact for life. So young people must be sure that who they’re committing their life to is someone they can spend the rest of their life with.

Marriage is a big deal to God, regardless of what society has made it. So check out these signs from God that he is not the one (or she is not the one). Then share them with your youth group students!

4 Signs From God That He Is Not the One

1. You don’t see eye to eye spiritually.

This is the biggy. Remember that warning in 2 Corinthians 6 about being unequally yoked? Paul meant what he said!

The priorities, challenges, temptations, battles, and loves of a believer and a nonbeliever make it very difficult to marry someone outside the Christian faith. When the first big storm of marriage comes, it’s important that you see eye to eye on Who can help fix it.

Many marriages end because people don’t get this right. So encourage kids to be careful. (Note: If you are married to a nonbeliever, there is still hope. Don’t give up!)

2. You aren’t best friends.

One of the biggest reasons I married my wife is because she was my best friend. So I knew when I married her that we clicked socially and relationally.

It’s in those friend moments that we know we’ve made the right choice. Is sex good? Yes! Is friendship the glue for the relationship? Definitely.

Make sure you’re best friends with him or her. Then marriage will be a lot more fun.

Trans Woman Fired From Chick-fil-A Sues for Harassment, Discrimination

By

Jessica Lea

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July 20, 2022

A transgender woman named Erin Taylor has filed a lawsuit against the downtown Chick-fil-A (CFA) in Decatur, Georgia, alleging sexual harassment, discrimination on the basis of race and sexual orientation, and retaliation by the employer.

Taylor, who is Black, claims to have been fired for being transgender and says owner Joe Engert responded to Taylor’s concerns about another employee’s lewd comments by saying Taylor should take the remarks as a compliment.

Erin Taylor Sues Chick-fil-A

Erin Taylor’s lawsuit, submitted on June 29, 2022, was filed under the name Aaron White since Taylor’s name has not yet legally been changed, reports Law & Crime. According to the suit, Taylor started at Chick-fil-A on August 23, 2021, and began training to be a director of operations.

“On their first day of training, Plaintiff was immediately targeted by another employee by the name of Sammy Canady, a Team Member at this location,” says the suit, which records highly offensive sexual comments that Canady allegedly made toward Taylor, such as, “On God, I will f*** the s*** out of you.”

Taylor reported Canady’s behavior to the shift manager, who referred Taylor to the restaurant owner, Joe Engert. Engert and the kitchen director met with Taylor on August 27, 2021. “During the meeting,” says the suit, “Plaintiff informed them that she is transgender. Plaintiff went forward in the conversation explaining what had been said to her by Sammy. The Franchise Owner responded by saying that it should be an honor that with Plaintiff being a transgender woman that someone liked her enough to hit on her.” Engert also implied that Taylor might bear some responsibility for the situation.

After this meeting, Engert and a director of operations met with Canady. “After the meeting Sammy resumed taunting Plaintiff,” says the suit, “but this time with homophobic remarks in front of other team members and shift managers.” These comments included, “On God, I’m not with that gay s***” and “Hell nah, I’ll beat that gay n**** a**.”

The suit implies that Engert outed Taylor to Canady and says that after these events, the harassment continued and was perpetuated by other employees. Canady faced no repercussions, and Taylor stopped receiving training necessary to be a director of operations.

Taylor was fired on November 1, 2021, allegedly for leaving a shift early. “This is not true,” says the suit. “Plaintiff had been harassed by a Shift Lead and had been approved to leave the restaurant for that shift.” Another reason given by the defendant for Taylor’s firing was that Taylor had been late for a shift. But the suit claims that two employees who were directors of operations had been tardy in the past and had not been fired.

VP Kamala Harris: People of Faith Can Support Abortion Rights

By

Stephanie Martin

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July 20, 2022

In what’s becoming a familiar refrain for Kamala Harris, the U.S. Vice President said (twice) on Monday that Americans don’t need to “abandon their faith” to support women’s reproductive rights, including access to abortion.

Kamala Harris: Keep Abortion & Faith Separate

Speaking in New Jersey July 18, first at the NAACP national convention, the VP advocated for protecting the “freedom for a woman to make decisions about her own body.” Women’s “ability…to make that decision,” she added, “does not require anyone to abandon their faith or their beliefs. It just requires us to agree the government shouldn’t be making that decision for her.”

Later, during a roundtable discussion with New Jersey state legislators, Harris said, “I think it’s important to note that you don’t have to abandon your faith or your beliefs to agree that the government should not be interfering with her decision, that woman’s decision, over her body and her life. The government should not be interfering, and no one has to abandon their faith or their belief to agree that certain decisions are not the government’s to make, and that is one of them.” Harris also praised New Jersey lawmakers for “doing model work…in protecting a woman’s ability to make decisions about her body.”

Last month, during a speech in Virginia, Harris said, “For those of us of faith, I think that we agree, many of us, that there’s nothing about this issue that will require anyone to abandon their faith or change their faith.”

On June 6, the VP met with some U.S. faith leaders to discuss abortion rights. “To support Roe v. Wade and all it stands for, does not mean giving up your beliefs,” Harris said of the now-overturned ruling. “It is simply about agreeing that a woman should be able to make that decision with her faith leader, with her family, with her physician. And that the government should not be making that decision for her.”

Some Christians Push Back Against ‘Esteemed Theologian’ Harris

Newsweek recently spoke to several women of faith who agree with Harris. Jamie Manson, president of Catholics for Choice, indicates that practicing Catholic women “are having abortions.” Linda Goler Blount, president of the Black Women’s Health Imperative, says, “The majority of Black people, whether they’re Christians or not, believe a woman should have the right to choose.”

However, other Christians and church leaders swiftly rebutted the VP’s talking points. On Twitter, BlazeTV podcast host and author Allie Beth Stuckey shared video of Harris speaking in New Jersey, captioning it, “Esteemed theologian Kamala Harris.”

‘The Devil Wanted Me To Die in This Bed’: John Gray Shares Encouraging Health Update

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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July 20, 2022

john_gray_released — Screengrabs via Instragam @iamaventergray

After spending nearly two weeks in the hospital for a saddle pulmonary embolism, Relentless Church pastor John Gray announced on Tuesday via Instagram that he was going home.

On July 10, Gray’s wife, Aventer, shared that the Gray family needed a miracle, because the Saddle pulmonary embolism’s position could shift and end John’s life.

“The doctor said that people have come into the hospital dead with this exact scenario he walked in with,” she wrote.

As the days passed, Aventer gave encouraging updates regarding her husband’s health and recovery while crediting God for everything moving in the right direction. She said, “It was the prayers of the righteous that availed.”

In his post, Gray quoted Psalm 103:1-3, then said, “The devil wanted me to die in this bed…THIS BED! This bed was supposed to be my end. Pull the sheet over my head and wheel me to the morgue. This bed, where I entertained my deepest fears, regrets, and triumphs, was supposed to be the period-A life ended, but unfinished.”

“But GOD. Glory! Hallelujah,” Gray said. ”As I wave goodbye to this bed, I say GOD THANK YOU FOR SAVING AND SPARING MY LIFE! Yes, I have a long way to go, but I’m not dead–so that’s a great start!”

Gray thanked the doctors, nurses, specialists, and staff at Flowers Hospital in Dothan, Alabama, and the Northside Hospital Gwinnett, saying, “Y’all did your diligence, imaging, testing, checking that monitor, never let me sleep! Lol, but it’s exactly what was needed to preserve my life. Thank you. Because of prayer and an amazing medical team, I am on course for a COMPLETE recovery–my family and I are indebted to you all for your love and care.”

The pastor also thanked everyone who “bombarded heaven” with prayer, especially his Relentless Church family.

Gray shared that he needs rest and to hit a number of health benchmarks, but he’s getting stronger.

Gray said that his wife and children made him fight to stay here on this earth.

“You will have your own post when my words catch up to your supernatural strength and faith during this life or death moment,” Gray said to Aventer. ”I love you with all I have and with all I have left.”

Gray concluded his post by saying, “I love y’all, now since I can’t shout. Can y’all help me shout? I’M OUTTTTT!”

Sean Feucht Responds to Rolling Stone’s Claim He Is Using Donor Funds To Get Rich

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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July 20, 2022

sean feucht rolling stone — Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

On July 11, Rolling Stone Magazine published an article claiming Christian musician, author, and activist Sean Feucht has taken advantage of conservative Christians, profiting millions of dollars in donations from them.

In a piece titled “MAGA Preacher Sean Feucht Scored Millions From His Trump-Loving Flock,” journalists Tim Dickinson and Kara Voght labelled Feucht as a “far-right Jesus rocker,” describing Bethel Church’s former worship leader as someone who used the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting Trump, and fighting liberal-minded politicians as a means to make “a name for himself.”

The article appeared to take exception with Feucht’s desire to bring Christian values into the political world, which he has sought to do with his outspoken LGBTQ+ protests against Disney and anti-abortion worship rallies.

Dickinson and Voght mentioned in their article the ministry’s recent purchase of a small brick house located on Capitol Hill, which the ministry calls “Camp Elah” after the valley where David fought and killed Goliath. “Camp Elah’s” website describes itself as “a small space, for people of big faith. Our prayer is for ‘Camp Elah’ to be a launching point for the next generation of Davids; men and women who fearlessly slay giants in the land.”

In June, Feucht tweeted that Rolling Stone showed up “to spy” on their prayer team in Washington D.C., saying, “The mainstream media will stop at nothing to attack Christians. Yet, we’ve seen God use this stuff to even change the reporters (sic) hearts.”

Rolling Stone took issue with Feucht’s recent home purchases in 2020 and 2021, implying that Feucht lives in abundance via ministry funds. Feucht shared with ChurchLeaders that those homes, one of which is an Airbnb property located in Montana, the other being his family’s SoCal home, were purchased with personal funds, not ministry funds.

The journalists called what Feucht is doing a “fusion of own-the-libs rhetoric and Christian zealotry,” which resonates with many. They further used Feucht’s recently released IRS records to claim he profited greatly from his “Let Us Worship” COVID-19 lockdown protests in 2020.

The non-profit Sean Feucht Ministries Inc. reported $5,313,651 in revenue for 2020, a vast difference from their $283,272 report in 2019. Rolling Stone called Feucht’s financial surge “curious,” due to the fact Feucht didn’t report any contributions and grants in 2020.

The ministry described how they acquired funds on their 990 tax form as follows: “Sean Feucht ministries strives to spread the whole word of God through preaching and teaching engagements as well as through concerts and media sales.”

While Ministry Watch president Warren Cole Smith said that Feucht doesn’t appear to be doing anything illegal, he did warn about the possibility of Feucht leveraging his ministry to “live the high life.”

T.D. Jakes: ‘Raising Up Women To Be Men’ Is Causing Us To Lose Our Families

By

Dale Chamberlain

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July 20, 2022

Earlier this summer, T.D. Jakes, bishop of The Potter’s House, a non-denominational megachurch in Dallas, Texas, delivered a Father’s Day message which he titled “Real Men Pour In.” In that message, Jakes set forth his belief that many societal woes can be attributed to the fact that “we are raising up women to be men.”

“Real men are not a deficit,” Jakes said at the beginning of his message. “Real men are an asset. They pour in.”

Discussing the account of creation in the book of Genesis, Jakes argued that sin entered the world because Adam broke “the divine order” of creation by allowing Eve to lead him.

“If Adam had not allowed Eve to pour into him, sin would have never come into the world. Sin came into the world because Adam broke the order,” Jakes said. “We were not designed to receive from women.”

“Your self-esteem is compromised when you have to ask your wife for lunch money,” Jakes continued. “I’m not saying you gotta be rich. I’m not saying that you gotta be famous. I’m saying that you have got to be the one who pours in, not the one who takes out. When Adam started eating out of his wife’s hand, sin came in, because the divine order was broken.”

“Women, be careful about pouring too much into us,” Jakes warned. “We are designed to pour into you. And you are designed to take what we pour into you and increase it and make it better. You increase it, you appreciate it, and you multiply it.”

“This breaks all sociological orders of the culture that we’re living in now, because we are raising up women to be men,” Jakes said.

Continuing to address women, Jakes said, “And you are not applauded for your femininity. You are applauded in the contemporary society by how tough, rough, nasty, mean, aggressive, hateful, possessive you are. And you are climbing the corporate ladder, but we are losing our families.”

“I know you can buy your own car. I know you can buy your own house. But until you create a need that I can pour into, I have no place in your life. So stop coming home bragging to me about how much you don’t need me and wonder why I shy away,” Jakes said. “The conversation has become, ‘Let’s prove to the men how dispensable they are.’ And it is borne out of pain, because we hurt you, and betrayed you, and lied to you, and cheated to you. And you became like you became out of pain.”

“That which is borne out of pain is the way you cope with disorder,” Jakes argued. “Insist for better out of me rather than replacing me.”

Ray Ortlund: Why Pastors MUST Fight Pornography

By

Jessica Lea

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July 20, 2022

The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast · Ray Ortlund: Why Pastors MUST Fight Pornography

Ray Ortlund is the president of Renewal Ministries, the Pastor to Pastors at Immanuel Church Nashville, and a Canon Theologian with the Anglican Church in North America. He is a contributor to the ESV Study Bible and the author of several books, including the “Preaching the Word” commentaries on Isaiah and Proverbs, “Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel,” and his latest, “The Death of Porn: Men of Integrity Building a World of Nobility.”

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Ray Ortlund

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

Key Questions for Ray Ortlund

-How much of a problem is porn use among pastors? What advice would you give for those who are struggling with porn right now?

-How would you respond to people justifying their porn use by saying that because it’s private, it’s not hurting anyone?

-What are some ineffective ways to try overcome porn use and addiction? And what does work?

-How would you suggest pastors begin addressing porn use within their congregations?

Key Quotes From Ray Ortlund

“I’m faithful to my wife. I love my wife. I’m not looking at porn, but I am a sexual sinner…This book I wrote, “The Death of Porn,” is not me saying to everybody else, ‘You have a porn problem.’ This is me saying to all of us, ‘We have a porn problem.’ We are in this together and let’s admit it and see what God can do for people like us.”

“We’ve got a new slave trade in the world today. Everywhere porn goes, trafficking goes, coercion goes, degradation goes. People have fewer options in life, fewer choices. They’re forced into futures they don’t want and never chose for themselves. And that is the reality of it.”

“Where are the singer-songwriters equipping the body of Christ for us to sing our way into nobility, liberation, resistance, a proper indignation? Who is helping us to fight for the women and girls of this world who are being mistreated today at this moment?”

“The moment has come. I think we’ve reached a tipping point. And we can now raise our voices and rally the men, especially, of our churches to the cause of nobility.”

“The change question is the question. And here’s what I don’t believe about change. I don’t believe we’re scolded into real change or shamed into it and pressured. I have nothing but contempt for any sort of Christianized finger pointing.”

Elevator Project in Old Jerusalem Leads to Surprising Finds

By

Ilan Ben Zion

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July 20, 2022

JERUSALEM (AP) — Installing an elevator doesn’t normally involve a 2,000-year plunge into an ancient city’s history. But in Jerusalem, even seemingly simple construction projects can lead to archaeological endeavors.

Archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem say they have made numerous discoveries, including an ornate first-century villa with its own ritual bath, after a project began to increase access for disabled people to Jerusalem’s Western Wall.

The villa, located footsteps from where the biblical Jewish Temples stood, was uncovered during several years of salvage excavations in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s historic Old City. Archaeologists perform salvage excavations to make a scientific study of ancient artifacts and buildings before they are removed to make way for modern construction.

Jerusalem’s Western Wall is the holiest site where Jews can pray and millions of worshipers and tourists visit it each year. But to get to the site from the adjacent Jewish Quarter, visitors typically have to descend 142 steps, or take a long detour around the city walls to one of the nearby gates.

In 2017, the Jewish Quarter Reconstruction and Development Company got the green light to begin construction of two elevators to let visitors make the 26-meter (85-foot) descent with greater ease. The location was a narrow sliver of largely undeveloped slope abutting the existing staircase on the eastern edge of the Jewish Quarter.

“The Western Wall is not a privilege, it’s elemental for a Jew or for any person from around the world who wants to come to this holy place,” said Herzl Ben Ari, CEO of the development group. “We have to enable it for everybody.”

However, like modern development projects in other ancient cities, such as Istanbul, Rome, Athens and Thessaloniki, archaeological finds slowed progress to a crawl.

“This plot of land where the elevator is going to be built remained undisturbed, giving us the great opportunity of digging through all the strata, all the layers of ancient Jerusalem,” said Michal Haber, an archaeologist from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Five years into the undertaking, the archaeological work is nearing completion, but the elevators are only expected to be brought online in 2025.

During their dig, the archaeologists carefully peeled back successive layers of construction and debris that had accumulated over two millennia, over 9 meters (30 feet) in total. Historical waypoints included Ottoman pipes built into a 2,000-year-old aqueduct that supplied Jerusalem with water from springs near Bethlehem; early Islamic oil lamps; bricks stamped with the name of the 10th Legion, the Roman army that besieged, destroyed and was afterwards encamped in Jerusalem two millennia ago; and the remains of the Judean villa from the final days before the ancient Jewish Temple’s destruction in the year 70.

Archaeologist Oren Gutfeld said they were surprised to uncover traces from Jerusalem’s reconstruction as the Roman city of Aelia Capitolina in the 2nd century.

Fragments of frescoes and intricate mosaics from the villa indicated the wealth of the home’s occupants. But upon reaching bedrock, Gutfeld and Haber’s team made one last find: a private Jewish ritual bath hewn into the limestone mountainside and vaulted with enormous dressed stones.

Teens Charged After United Methodist Church Leader Is Killed

By

Adrian Sainz

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July 20, 2022

police_light — Photo via Unsplash.com @maxfleischmann

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A 15-year-old boy was charged Tuesday with murder in the fatal shooting of a pastor and leader of the United Methodist Church during a carjacking in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Rev. Autura Eason-Williams was shot Monday afternoon outside of her home, the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church said. She was found in her driveway with multiple gunshot wounds, Memphis police said.

Eason-Williams was taken to a hospital, where she died, police said on Twitter.

At a news conference Tuesday, Memphis Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said three juveniles had been taken into custody as people of interest in what she called a “heinous killing.”

After the juveniles were questioned, a 15-year-old boy was charged with first-degree murder, murder in the perpetration of a robbery, especially aggravated robbery, carjacking and a weapons offense, Memphis police said late Tuesday

Also, a 16-year-old boy was charged with theft of property between $2,500 and $10,000. A 17-year-old boy was released without charges, police said.

Video footage showed that the pastor was approached by two males while she was in her Chevrolet Malibu. The teens pointed a gun at her and ordered her from the car, police said.

The video also showed that Eason-Williams was shot and one of the teens drove away in her vehicle, police said.

The killing rocked the United Methodist Church community in Memphis. Church members attended a vigil for Eason-Williams on Monday night.

“We all are shocked and saddened by this senseless act,” the conference said in a statement.

Eason-Williams was a wife and the mother of four children, according to a biography posted on her website. She was superintendent of the conference’s Metro District.

She also was the pastor of Capleville United Methodist Church and a graduate of the Memphis Theological Seminary.

“Autura was a real light and a well of deep care,” seminary president Jody Hill said in a Facebook post.

Hill added that Eason-Williams would embrace people “with a warm smile, gentle hug, or encouraging word.”

Eason-Williams entered the ministry full-time in 1997 and has served under appointment in the United Methodist Church since 2002, according to her biography. She was commissioned Provisional Elder in 2003 and Ordained Elder in 2006, the biography said.

She led youth camps, retreats and women’s events, and she preached for local church, district, and conference events.

Eason-Williams also served on several boards and on planning committees that created My Sister’s Keeper — an outreach that addresses health disparities of African American women — and The Congregational Health Network — a network of 600 churches that address health disparities and build relationships between hospitals, the faith community, and neighborhoods, according to the biography.

This article originally appeared here.

After Scandals, New Guidelines Align Vatican Investments With Church Teaching

By

Claire Giangrave

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July 20, 2022

vatican investment — The interior of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Photo by Mike Hsieh/Unsplash/Creative Commons

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Continuing Pope Francis’ efforts to clean up the Vatican’s scandal-plagued financial dealings, the Catholic Church announced a series of ethical and moral principles on Tuesday (July 19) that will guide its investment policies.

“The new investment policy plans to ensure that the investments be aimed at contributing to a more just and sustainable world,” read a Vatican statement.

Beyond safeguarding the patrimony of the Holy See, the new guidelines are meant to make sure that investments “be aligned with the teachings of the Catholic Church” and avoid taking part in funding activities that “contradict its basic principles, such as the sanctity of life or the dignity of the human person or the common good.”

The guidelines come after it came to light that some Vatican investments have been at odds with Catholic teaching. Last year, Libero Milone, the Vatican’s former auditor general, told Italian media that APSA, the office that handles the Holy See’s real estate and investments, had made investments that “did not correspond to the social doctrine of the Church,” including in a company that produces the emergency contraceptive “morning after pill.”

Through one fund it invested in, Centurion, the Vatican also backed the 2019 biopic of pop star Elton John, which included his coming out as a gay man. Catholic teaching considers homosexual acts a sin.

The new rules for investing were generated by the Council for the Economy, created by Francis in 2014 to oversee the finances of the Vatican departments and offices that make up the Roman Curia. They were officially published by the Secretariat for the Economy, which has authority over all economic activities at the Vatican.

Proceedings in the Vatican finance trial on May 20, 2022. Photo by Vatican Media

Elected in part to put Vatican finances in order after years of mismanagement and scandals, Pope Francis has faced his own financial blowup over the Vatican’s 2019 purchase of high-end real estate in London using funds originally earmarked for charity. The deal has led to the Vatican trial of 10 Vatican employees, including Cardinal Angelo Becciu, once the third-highest-ranking prelate in the church.

The new guidelines specify that investments must not be “of a speculative nature” and that the choice be guided by “moral and cultural” principles.

To ensure that the guidelines are followed, the church will appoint an investment committee whose role will be to “define investment strategies” and the “effective implementation” of the investment principles.

Investing in the stock market can be a complex process, and calculating potential profits and losses can be difficult for inexperienced investors. One useful tool that can help with this is a pip calculator, which helps traders calculate the value of each pip in their chosen currency, allowing for more accurate predictions of potential gains or losses. While the Vatican’s new investment guidelines may not specifically require the use of a pip calculator, it is clear that they are taking a careful and measured approach to investment, guided by principles of morality and cultural values. By carefully selecting investments and ensuring that they are aligned with these principles, the Vatican can hopefully avoid the kinds of scandals and mismanagement that have plagued its finances in the past.

The committee will ensure that the risk profile of each investment is in line with the Vatican’s values, according to the statute establishing the committee, as well as monitor the costs and fees of investments. The London real estate deal ended up costing the Vatican $370 million in unexpected charges.

The Nanny Church?

By

Nicholas Batzig

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July 20, 2022

With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, I have noticed numerous professing Christians posting things like, “Now the church needs to start caring for all of life for those who get pregnant,” or “The church needs to do more than simply denounce the practice of abortion.”

I would contend that this, albeit it a well-meaning statement, misses the mark of the God-ordained ministry of the visible church. It is to view the church as a nanny church. It is not the role of the church to adopt. It is the role of individual Christians to adopt. It is not the role of the church to start Christian pregnancy centers. It is the role of individual believers to do so. It is not the role of the church to provide for every woman who conceives out of wedlock. It is the role of parents and the father of the child to provide.

This is not to say that the church doesn’t have to collectively come alongside a woman who gets pregnant out of wedlock. However, pastors and congregants alike may denounce the wicked and hellish practice of slaughtering the unborn without having their consciences being unnecessarily bound to adopt or support the unwed in society. There will most certainly be cases in which a young woman does not have the support of parents or the father of her child. However, the ordinary moral responsibility falls on those God-ordained relational structures, rather than on the visible church as the visible church. God places that responsibility on those within the sphere of moral proximity.

The late Dr. R.C. Sproul once recounted a time when he shared a taxi with the great Christian apologist, Francis Schaeffer. At one point, Sproul asked Schaeffer, “’Dr. Schaeffer, what is your biggest concern for the future of the church in America?’ ‘Without hesitation,’ R.C. said, ‘Dr. Schaeffer turned to me and spoke one word: ‘Statism.’ Dr. Sproul concluded,

Schaeffer’s biggest concern at that point in his life was that the citizens of the United States were beginning to invest their country with supreme authority, such that the free nation of America would become one that would be dominated by a philosophy of the supremacy of the state.

As much as statism should concern us, there is an equally destructive danger for believers, namely, churchism. By churchism, I do not mean that one can value Jesus’ church too highly. In fact, most professing believers value both the visible church and invisible church far too little. What I mean by “churchism” is the propensity for many to put an unjust burden on the leadership of a particular visible (i.e., local) church to live the Christian life for those within the church. Just as we ought to reject a nanny state, so we ought to reject a nanny church.

Before addressing the peculiar ways in which many today project unjust expectations on the visible church, we should consider the biblical and historical-theological teaching the nurturing aspect of the church in the lives of believers. The Westminster Confession of Faith sums up the role of the visible church for the spiritual lives of believers, when it states,

Unto this catholic (i.e., universal) and visible church, Christ has given the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God, for the gathering and perfecting of the saints, in this life, to the end of the world; and does by His own presence and Spirit, according to His promise, make them effectual thereunto.

Here we find, in summary form, what the Apostle Paul wrote about the Old Covenant Church, Israel, in Romans 9:4: “To them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.” The same principle applies to the New Covenant Church. In Acts 2:42, we read, “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” The Lord has entrusted the keys of the kingdom (i.e., the ministry of the word, the administration of the sacraments, and the practice of discipline) to the visible church and its God-ordained officers.

When we speak of the visible church, we are thinking of the collective group of baptized, professing believers and their children who gather together in order to worship the Triune God. When we refer to the invisible church, we are speaking of all those who are savingly united to Christ. It is the visible church—with its God-appointed leadership—to whom biblical revelation is addressed (Phil. 1:1; Rev. 1:4).

God gave Old Testament revelation to the members of Israel and addresses New Testament revelation to particular visible churches throughout the world. For instance, the Apostle Paul wrote letters to the churches in Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, and Thessalonica. In each of them, God addresses particular circumstances in the life of each congregation. All of the “one another” passages, exhortations to obey elders in the Lord, and warnings in the epistles are given to the visible church and are to be carried out, first and foremost, among the members of local churches.

Michigan Football Coach Jim Harbaugh Isn’t Fearful of Being Cancelled for Pro-Life Stance, Shares Why

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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July 19, 2022

On Sunday (July 17), University of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh joined his wife, Sarah, and Fr. John Riccardo on stage for a question and answer session during the Plymouth Right to Life dinner and auction. Harbaugh and Riccardo were the event’s keynote speakers.

Harbaugh, who has coached Michigan’s Big Ten football team since 2015 and is Catholic, shared with the sold out crowd that it takes courage to stand up for and follow one’s convictions in today’s culture, which often cancels famous people who go against it.

Quoting Jeremiah 1:5, which says, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations,” the coach expressed, “I believe in having the courage to let the unborn be born. I love life. I believe in having a loving care and respect for life and death. My faith and my science are what drive these beliefs in me.”

The former NFL first round drafted quarterback (1987) shared that his parents instilled a pro-life conviction in him when he was young. That pro-life stance has helped the father of seven in his relationships with his children, as well as with those with whom he works at the University of Michigan.

Harbaugh spoke about the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the abortion laws in the state of Michigan, saying, “Passions can make the process messy, but when combined with respect, it ultimately produces the best outcomes. This process has been passionate and messy, but I have faith in the American people to ultimately develop the right policies and laws for all lives involved.”

“I recognize one’s personal thinking regarding morality of a particular action may differ from their thinking on whether government should make that action illegal,” he continued. “There are many things one may hold to be immoral but the government appropriately allows, because of some greater good or personal or constitutional right.”

Harbaugh said, “Ultimately, I don’t believe that is the case with abortion. Yes, there are conflicts between the legitimate rights of the mother and the rights of the unborn child. One resolution might involve incredible hardship for the mother, family, and society. Another results in the death of an unborn person.”

Being pro-life means more than just stopping abortion, Harbaugh said. It means supporting programs that assist mothers and families and reaching out to expecting mothers to provide assistance.

“In God’s plan, each unborn human truly has a future filled with potential, talent, dreams and love,” Harbaugh explained. “I have living proof in my family, my children, and the many thousands that I’ve coached that the unborn are amazing gifts from God to make this world a better place. To me, the right choice is to have the courage to let the unborn be born.”

The coach’s wife shared that her parents were also a huge influence on her pro-life convictions, recalling that when she was young, they would pray outside Planned Parenthood.

“I feel my mom was a big influence for me, both my parents talked about protecting the unborn,” she said. “I have friends, even family, who have considered abortion or had an abortion, and I know they are not better for it. If we had more support for women, more people who knew what really happens, we would be in a different place on this issue.”

3 Features of a Great Web Address for Your Church

By

DJ Chuang

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July 19, 2022

web address — Photo credit: Igor Miske on Unsplash

Your church serves an important community of people seeking hope and belonging, and you’d want your church to be easily found and identified when people are searching online for what you have to offer. And a lot of people are searching, to the tune of 823,000 monthly searches for “churches near me.” What difference could a web address make?

Very simply, a domain name is your church’s digital front door that people have to enter through with a tap, or a click. When someone sees your church’s website, that will be their first experience with your church. Then if that’s a great experience, they will engage more deeply online or in-person, hear the Good News, and experience hope, belonging, and purpose. But, if there’s any friction or confusion in your church’s digital identity, they might not even click on your church’s web address.

3 Features of a Great Web Address

Location is everything! Your church’s domain name is even more important than its physical address—and it will reach more people than your physical location ever will. So what is the best domain name to use for your web address?

The best domain name is most searchable.

If someone is looking for a church, they’re much more likely to use the Internet than they are to look up a phone number to call. A recent survey shows that 97% of consumers search for local organizations online. People are looking for churches where they live. Your church’s website needs to be SEO optimized and geo-tagged with your location(s) to be more discoverable.

The best domain name exactly matches your name.

When someone is searching for a church online, they are more likely to click on a web address that contains “church” than one that doesn’t contain the keyword they are looking for. In fact, according to research from Microsoft, 25% are more likely to click on exact match domains. Having a domain name that exactly matches your church name and contains the keyword “church” can mean getting 25% more traffic!

The best domain name is clear.

A strong domain name should reflect your church’s brand name, avoid unnecessary clutter like hyphens or numbers, and is short (1-2 words) so it’s easy to type, remember, and trust.

While many churches and nonprofits use an acronym to describe itself, or to obtain a shorter domain name, the drawback is acronyms make the web address unclear and non-descriptive. That’s where descriptive domains like .church can be useful. With a .church domain name, people have instant recognition that you are a church, even if you abbreviate your church’s name.

Let’s take a little quiz. Can you guess what organizations these web addresses belong to?

cc.com
cc.org
cc.church

cc.com is the homepage to Comedy Central. .com extensions initially stood for commercial companies, but because the shortened form is not widely recognized, it has been generically used for any purpose.

cc.org is the homepage of Christian Coalition of America. An .org extension stands for a nonprofit organization; however, anyone can register an .org domain.

cc.church is Champion Centre, a large church in Washington state with multiple locations. A .church extension makes it clear that it’s a church, even with an abbreviated church name.

How to Get a Domain Name for Your Church

.Church domains are widely available and used by tens of thousands of churches of all types, sizes, and denominations. You can get your .church domain name today at name.church or your favorite registrar. Make sure to include “church” in your search.

What If the Domain Name You Want is Taken?

Domain names are available on a first-come first-serve basis. When a domain name you want is already registered by someone else, there is still a way to get that domain name.

The domain may be available for sale on the aftermarket. (That’s the industry term for where domains that are already registered are listed for sale.) Two of the most popular domain aftermarkets are sedo.com and afternic.com.
The domain may be purchased from the current owner. Sometimes a domain name goes to a website with a “parked page” that has info for contacting the owner. But, this only happens when the owner is a motivated seller.
The domain may be purchased with the help of a domain broker. You could hire someone to do the research and negotiate the domain sale. Some registrars, like GoDaddy, also offer domain broker services.

What Else Can You Do?

Choose an alternative domain name on .church, if the exact match domain isn’t available. It takes just a little creativity; but do avoid hyphens and unnecessary extraneous characters.

Using a city name, geographical marker, descriptors, or acronyms can open up availability for a common name like Calvary Church. Here are 3 examples of great church domain names: Calvarynm.church, Calvarystockton.church, and Springfieldcalvary.church.

Other Calvary churches are using domain names like Cbcfamily.church, Cheyenne.church, and Ctc.church.

We hope you are inspired by what you see. Open a more welcoming digital front door with your .church domain name.

Get your .church domain name today at name.church or your favorite registrar. Make sure to include “church” in your search.

5 Ways to Increase Online Engagement

By

DJ Chuang

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July 19, 2022

online engagement — Photo credit: John Schnobrich on Unsplash

If you are like most pastors, you know that your church needs multiple ways to connect and engage with new and returning visitors. An excellent website that promotes online engagement is a must to cast your church’s vision, provide relevant information, stream services, and accept donations just to name a few. And to broaden your reach, you will also have to stay active on social networks like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, etc. And, throughout the church’s calendar year, there are events that your church can be strategic and focused on promoting. But, who has the time and energy for doing all of this?

Take a breath and relax. Your church doesn’t need to be everywhere on social media. Rather, choose one or two social networks that work best for you and focus your energy on growing and connecting with people there. It’s more valuable to master one or two social networks than to spread yourself too thin and wind up being mediocre in too many places.

This is also where having a web page connected to a meaningful domain name can be so valuable.

Here are 5 ways to increase your church’s online engagement:

Short, meaningful web address: Your digital front door—otherwise known as your web address. This is your church’s digital presence on the Internet that’s accessed by people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A great web address is short, clear, searchable, and matches your church’s name exactly. These characteristics make it easy for your congregation, staff, and visitors to remember and to share with others. A couple of great examples are Canvas.church and Myhope.church.
Custom domains for promotional campaigns: A technique that uses a short, memorable domain name for a promotion and redirects to your website. For churches, a .church domain may be more notable for people who see billboards or other out-of-home church marketing materials. Blessed Hope Fellowship, for example, uses BHF.Church in their billboard campaigns, which is easy to remember for drivers who can’t look it up while driving.
Branded, short link for social media: Many social media platforms have links that are long, and might contain random letters and numbers that are hard to remember for your visitors. Instead of using these, use a short, branded, memorable domain name that goes directly to your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages. For example, Oswego.church uses this domain to drive traffic to their Facebook page, which they actively update with relevant information for their members.
Deep link: Use a custom domain name to send users directly to a specific web page that has a long URL. For example, bettertogetherevent.church is much easier to remember and to share, and it goes to the event page at https://victorylifepeople.church/better-together-christmas/. Churches can use .church domains to link directly to event landing pages, donation or giving pages, or membership drive campaigns so interested people don’t have to navigate your entire website to find what they are looking for.
Redirect: A technique for making a web page available under more than one URL address. For churches that already have a URL, they might use defensive redirects. Take Get Well Church for example, which uses Getwell.church to redirect to Getwellchurch.org to prevent people from visiting a website other than their own. For churches that are rebranding, or upgrading their domain names, they can also use 301 redirects to keep all of the SEO equity they had on the old website while enjoying the benefits of the new web address. 301 redirects essentially tell search engines that the old site is now the new site. They are easy to set up at your registrar.

Whatever use case you might have, .church can help you strengthen your digital engagement. Get your .church domain today.

This post is sponsored by Identity Digital.

5 Tips For An Engaging Website

By

DJ Chuang

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July 19, 2022

engaging website — Photo credit: Omar Lopez on Unsplash

Did you know that 17 million Americans will visit church websites like yours, even though they won’t attend in-person worship services? And before they get to your church website, they have to tap or click through the digital front door—your domain name—the web address where your church is located on the Internet.

In today’s world, your church’s digital presence allows you to reach people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The church website is your home base where people can be engaging with you without ads or other distractions that are typical of social media feeds.

Does your church’s website have what it takes to keep visitors engaged?

There are five essential ingredients to serve up the best online engagement and connect more people to your church:

A great domain name

Location is everything, but your church’s web address is even more important than its physical address—and it will reach more people than your on-site location ever will. A strong web address should match your church’s name and avoid unnecessary clutter like hyphens or numbers so it’s memorable and stands out in search results. Examples of churches with great domain names include Shorelinecity.church and Newlife.church.

Effective website builder

Your church website builder should be reliable, easy-to-use, and fast when it comes to loading. Also be sure it has features that allow for integration with online giving, video, and audio capabilities so collecting donations and live-streaming sermons is a seamless process. Some effective church website builders include the Digital Church Platform (Launchsites.church) and TheChurchCo, that also offer .church domains.

Compelling web design

Remember, your online presence is your only opportunity to make a first impression. People are visual first, verbal second—they want to be inspired and then informed. According to Google, you have less than 50 milliseconds to make an impression, so be selective about how you draw people in with a simple, dramatic, or minimalist design. Some examples of well-executed church websites on the top 100 list of best church websites are Highpoint.church, Oaks.church, and Ccv.church.

High performance

53% of mobile site visitors will leave a page if it takes longer than three seconds to load. For this reason, your church website has to be fast and high-performing to keep users engaged—and ensure you rank well on Google.

Excellent, relevant content

There’s nothing worse than visiting a website for the first time and feeling confused. In a study consisting of over 1,000 church websites, 61.7% of users reported that they did not have easily accessible new visitor information. It’s important that content is upfront and simple to navigate for new and repeat visitors.

Ready to strengthen your website and better engage with visitors? .church domains are sold by virtually every domain name retailer—and there’s even a limited-time, low-price offer from name.church.

4 Groups Your Hybrid Church Can Better Reach

By

DJ Chuang

-

July 19, 2022

hybrid — Photo credit: Vonecia Carswell on Unsplash

During the past 2 years of the global pandemic, people had an increased interest in connecting with God as evidenced by Google searches for prayer surging to the highest level ever recorded in March 2020. People were forced to make connections online due to the restrictions that kept us from gathering in person and staying isolated at home.

Reaching Many More People Digitally

With widely available digital tools, a majority of American churches provided online worship through livestreaming or sermon videos on demand, even the ones who had no prior experience. 96% of pastors reported that their churches were streaming their worship services online during the pandemic.

Many pastors and churches had an “aha!” moment when they realized that their church could reach more people online than in-person, because there’s no limited seating capacity! One survey reported that 45% of pastors said online participation was higher than in-person service attendance during the first month of the pandemic. According to the National COVID-19 Church Attendance Project, over the span of the pandemic’s first year, American churches averaged an increase of 318% in online attendance, with a substantial 558% increase among medium-sized churches (defined as in between 100 to 999 attendance).

Making the Online Worship Experience Better

To make the worship experience more engaging than merely a streaming video, Life.Church developed the free Church Online Platform at Online.church to serve churches worldwide. Before the pandemic, 25,000 churches were already using the platform.

When the pandemic started, 42,000 more churches signed up to use it and the platform saw record-breaking attendance in March 2020. Rachel Feurborn, Life.Church’s public relations manager, described the incredible impact of this platform in the Oklahoman:

“We saw more than 7 million people attend church services during the March 21-22 weekend, which is up from 4.7 million the weekend before and up from the previous weekend average of a little over 1 million.”

Regardless of your church’s size, the Church Online Platform will not put a strain on your budget, because it’s free! And with over 60,000 churches using this platform, it’s probably safe to say that volunteers run a majority of the worship experiences powered by Online.church.

Becoming a Hybrid Church

The pandemic revealed that digital tools can reach people where they are, and church leaders are realizing that many people would be better served with a hybrid model of church–providing worship and community services in-person and locally, and digital resources for online worship and spiritual encouragement throughout the week.

In the announcement introducing YouVersion for Churches (youversion.church), Life.church Innovation Pastor Bobby Gruenewald described what the post-pandemic church can be:

“We really believe that the future is going to be a hybrid church model, where it’s both physical and digital. And we can see these examples in sports, where for many years, people have been experiencing sports in both physical and digital in a hybrid context; they move back and forth between those.

We’ve already begun to see that in churches. Some return physically; they want to reclaim those physical experiences they had before the pandemic and are excited to do that. But they want to keep the best of what they experienced with those digital tools as well.”

It’s the genius of the both/and: both online and in-person. James Emery White noted how COVID has changed the church:

“While the essence of effective outreach will always be relational and incarnational in nature, the dynamic of the relational invitation has changed from “come with me” to “you should check this out online.” It’s no longer a physical invitation, but a digital one.”

A hybrid church model brings together the best of the physical in-person worship experience and the value of digital spiritual tools during the week. You already know the irreplaceable value of gathering together in person: being with other people, the energy in the room, the immersive experience, and the human touch. (Oh, and some of your churches have smells too.) But, digital spiritual tools can also add tangible benefits above and beyond these experiences, including: content on demand, sharing in real-time, Bible reading and meditation, Scripture study, prayer requests, and more.

Why Your Church Can Do Digital Ministry

Since an overwhelming majority of churches were live-streaming their worship services during the pandemic, these valuable skills are already developed. Your church can keep on practicing and improving its digital ministries to grow your church. Go forward with hope for a better future, because God is still at work!

Here are 3 reasons why your church can do it:

You’ve already done it! Continue doing livestreams and online events, and improve on it.
Identify the volunteers in your church who are digital natives, and empower them to facilitate more online ministry.
Get training from resources at Church Tech Today, SocialMedia.Church, online ministry trainings at Life.church Open Network. Plus, the latest and greatest resource is Dave Adamson’s new book, Metachurch: How to Use Digital Ministry to Reach People and Make Disciples.

Plus, digital ministry is very affordable:

It doesn’t cost as much as in-person ministry
It opens up more volunteer opportunities for tech-savvy people
It can reach more people than your church’s limited seating capacity and beyond its geography

4 Groups You Can Better Engage With Digitally

As your church reaches more people digitally, they’ll become a part of your community—virtually and physically. These four groups of people are the most receptive to digital engagement:

People looking for a church. People are looking for churches where they live—there are around 823,000 monthly searches for “churches near me.” Your church’s website needs to be SEO optimized and geo-tagged with your location(s) to be more discoverable.
The next generation that is digital first. Research found that only 41% of Gen Z say that they want to return to primarily in-person worship and only 42% of Millennials say they prefer in-person worship. In other words, digital ministry connects better with a majority of Millennials and Gen Z.
Those who want to worship alone. Then there’s another 44% of people who say they prefer to worship alone. They still want to belong to a church, but they just don’t like going to church. Your church’s online worship experience can minister to them.
Those who have not returned to church. The average U.S. Protestant church has 74% of its pre-pandemic attendance back in person. This means over 1 in 4 churchgoers have not yet returned to church buildings, often for health concerns. Your church’s digital ministries can be the very means by which to serve this 26%.

And what can happen as your church grows its digital ministries? Mickey Elliott (Online Campus Media Director at Champions Centre, at Cc.church) has seen amazing results with their online efforts:

“Streaming on our Online Campus has created approximately 20% extra traffic to our site and we’re just getting started. Since we have given our attendees the ability to give online we have seen approximately 70% of our total giving via online.”

Clearly Identify that Your Church Is Online

Because your church is reaching an online audience, make it instantly clear that you’re online and relevant for the future. Use a .church domain to establish your web presence because it makes the best first impression as your digital front door.

Having your domain name exactly match your church name can mean getting 25% more traffic! Many of the largest churches are using a .church domain to reach people, including Life.church, Menlo.church, and Freshlife.church.

Get your .church domain name today at name.church or your favorite registrar. Make sure to include “church” in your search.

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3 Features of a Great Web Address

The best domain name is most searchable.

The best domain name exactly matches your name.

The best domain name is clear.

How to Get a Domain Name for Your Church

What If the Domain Name You Want is Taken?

What Else Can You Do?

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Here are 5 ways to increase your church’s online engagement:

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Does your church’s website have what it takes to keep visitors engaged?

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Reaching Many More People Digitally

Making the Online Worship Experience Better

Becoming a Hybrid Church

Why Your Church Can Do Digital Ministry

4 Groups You Can Better Engage With Digitally

Clearly Identify that Your Church Is Online

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