I Don’t Want to Go to Church! Responding to Kids’ Complaints

June 8, 2022

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

“I don’t want to go to church!” “I don’t like church.” “My parents make me go to church!” Most parents, pastors, and children’s ministry leaders hear these types of complaints from time to time.

How should we respond when kids says, “I don’t want to go to church”? It’s a valid question. And we need to be ready when kids whine, “I don’t like church.”

Several times a year I teach a Child Dedication class. One of my favorite parts is embracing the tension between letting kids making their own choice and making some choices for them. In class, we cover Deuteronomy 6:4. This tension lives in the words “Impress them on your children.” What this verse unpacks isn’t quite applicable for the parents of babies in the class. But it’s a huge principle that parents need to carry with them as kids grow.

In more than 15 years of ministry, I’ve seen patterns emerge. There are almost always more 4-year-olds than 9-year-olds at church. There are almost always more 9-year-olds than 13-year-olds. And there are almost always more 13-year-olds than 18-year-olds. Why?

Simply, kids say, “I don’t want to go to church,” and parents don’t want to make them. I think most parents mean well. They don’t want to force faith on their kids in fear that their kids will reject it. When kids complain, “I don’t like church,” their parents don’t want to be the bad guys. They don’t want their kids to say, “My parents make me go to church!”

I Don’t Want to Go to Church: How to Respond

At TruthNotes.net, Ruth Meyer wrote a great blog titled “Why I Would Never Force My Kids to Go to Church.” She uses the same examples I’ve been using in my Child Dedication classes. Kids don’t always understand what’s best for them. And they don’t have the wisdom (life experiences) to make certain decisions until they’re older.

For example:

If my child doesn’t want to brush his teeth because he doesn’t like it, it doesn’t matter. I know better than he does. He’s going to brush his teeth.
If my child doesn’t like school, it doesn’t matter. I know better than she does, and it’s the law. She’s going to go to school.
If my child doesn’t like vegetables, it doesn’t matter. I know they are healthy and that my child’s taste will change. We’ll keep trying them.

These things don’t make me a bad parent. They make me a good parent.

Church is no different. Kids will wake up and say, “I don’t want to go to church.” They may be like this for months or even years. It’s normal. Parents need to be encouraged to parent well through these phases. They know better, and they need to do what they know is best for their child.

Exception: I think there’s space for an exception. If you’re forcing a child to attend a church that makes Jesus boring… then maybe reconsider your church. Or see how you can help be the change to make ministry to kids relevant, exciting and relational. After all, when kids complain, “I don’t like church,” they may have some valid points!

One More Thought

Here’s a final thought from Meyer’s post:

Church isn’t a place you go to get pumped up about life. It isn’t entertainment like a movie or concert. It is literally a life and death matter. Eternal life. Just as a loving parent wouldn’t allow their child to wander in the road or to quit school, a loving Christian parent also does not give the option to their children about going to church, learning Bible stories at home, and praying together.

Do your kids always jump for joy when they hear you say, “Time to get up! Let’s get ready for church!” No. They won’t. Do they get excited for school every morning? Hardly. But you still make them go. Why? Because you are the parent and you know what’s best.

Even when they complain, you serve them healthful meals and limit their junk food intake. You set boundaries for their own safety when playing outside. You insist they go to school because you’re looking at the long term picture. And you are right to do those things. How much more so are you responsible for doing all you can to secure their eternal well being?

Communicate this to parents. Encourage them so they’re prepared when kids say, “I don’t like church.” Cast this vision when they have babies, when their babies become preschoolers, when preschoolers become elementary age, when those kids become preteens, and when preteens become teenagers. Stick with it because this is the only chance they get!

Is It Wrong To Raise Your Hands in Worship? One Theology Professor Thinks It Can Be

Jessica Lea

June 8, 2022

A tweet from Dr. Scott Aniol regarding raising hands in worship has Christian Twitter all aflutter. Aniol, who is executive vice president and editor-in-chief of G3 Ministries and Professor of Pastoral Theology at Grace Bible Theological Seminary, said when emotion moves us lift our hands in worship, that behavior is motivated solely by “20th century Pentecostalism.”

“The only reason you feel like raising your hands at a high point in a worship service is that your expectations have been shaped by 20th century Pentecostalism,” he said. “If you lived before 1900, it wouldn’t even occur to you to raise your hands while singing.”

When people pushed back on Aniol online, he repeatedly asked for biblical examples of raising of hands in worship that were not motivated by an individual’s emotions.

Raising Hands in Worship Tweet Sparks Debate

Several people responded to Aniol by posting Bible verses that describe people raising hands in worship. One user quoted Psalm 63:4 and 1 Timothy 2:8. The former verse says, “I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands,” while the latter says, “Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.” Aniol responded, “Prayer. Not emotional singing.”

Author Jennifer Greenberg replied, “Hymns are prayers. Worship songs should be prayers. I can’t sing Be Thou My Vision without tearing up, and I think if it didn’t move me emotionally, it would be a sign that I didn’t truly believe it or hope it. Doctrine without emotion, mind without heart; we need both.”

Pastor Joe Thorn replied to Aniol, “Raising your hands is [sic] in worship is adiaphora. If you don’t understand what that means then you shouldn’t be offering hot takes on worship practice or culture. If you do, then you know better and are trying to get a response from ppl you know will take issue. Just chill.”

One user posted what he said were images of Douglas Wilson’s Christ Church congregation in Moscow, Idaho, stating, “Every member with hands raised in worship as they sing the Doxology. Clearly this is a church heavily shaped and influenced by 20th century Pentecostalism.”

“This I absolutely support (and have joined myself),” Aniol responded. “It is a corporate act and not just an outburst of an individualistic emotional high.”

When user Eric Pazdziora asked if Aniol had read the Psalms lately, Aniol said, “I have! Where do you see an example of lifting hands at an emotional high point of a song?” Pazdziora quoted from Psalm 143:6, which says, “I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land.”

Pazdziora concluded, “There you go: A song (‘psalm’) with an emotional high point (‘my soul thirsts’) which an individual (‘I’) expresses by stretching out their hands. Delete your account.”

Another user quoted Psalm 134:2, which says, “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.”

Others saw racial implications in Aniol’s tweet about raising hands in worship. User Joseph Magara said, “Not making this a racial issue or anything like that [but] as an African, we are generally very expressive in all parts of our lives including when we worship (& when we sing & dance in other contexts). This is the same [for] middle eastern cultures from which Christianity emerged from. “

How to Combat the Uptick in Antisemitic Attacks

John Hagee

June 8, 2022

antisemitic attacks — Image credit: Adobe Stock

Violent antisemitism has become a plague upon the United States and we must continue to vigorously combat it. In recent weeks and months, America has seen terrifying attacks against Jewish communities. Over the past two years, the entire nation has grappled with the deadliest of attacks against our Jewish neighbors. From Poway to Pittsburgh to Monsey, antisemitic terrorism has reached fever pitch.

The Jewish community may have, at times, felt besieged and alone. It is not alone. Across America, there are more than 8 million committed, and unwavering Christian Zionist allies in the grassroots army that makes up Christians United for Israel (CUFI). We boldly stand with Jewish Americans and the Jewish people around the world against the evils of anti-Semitism and we will work together to turn back its rising tide.

Now that President Trump has extended federal protections to our most vulnerable population – students – against antisemitism on college campuses, two main policy prescriptions for combating antisemitism in our broader society remain: education and security.

More than a year ago, a study was released that betrayed a shocking ignorance about the Holocaust among Americans. Thirty-one percent of Americans, and 41 percent of millennials, believe that two million or fewer Jews were killed in the Holocaust. Forty-one percent of Americans, and two-thirds of millennials, do not know what Auschwitz was.

The failure to educate students about the evils of anti-Semitism enables its growth. We understand the tradition of local control of education, but just as elementary students in every school district need to learn math and reading skills, no high-school graduate’s education is complete without a firm understanding of the greatest genocide ever committed.

Local, state and federal education authorities need to immediately prioritize Holocaust education. And Congress needs to pass the Never Again Education Act to ensure educators have the training and resources they need to be successful. Most often, bigotry is a symptom of ignorance, and right now our population is ignorant of the Holocaust. That must change — not tomorrow, today.

Proper education will help combat antisemitism for future generations, but the problem exists here and now. That is why we welcome and fully endorse Sen. Chuck Schumer’s call to quadruple the funds provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency administered Nonprofit Security Grant Program. This is commonsense policy that should enjoy widespread bipartisan – if not unanimous – support in Congress.

Steps must be taken to harden and protect religiously oriented locations. The bigots see synagogues and community centers as soft targets; it is incumbent upon our government to ensure that when people of faith gather, they are safe, secure and protected.

It is not 1938. In Israel, there is a country and a military that flies the flag with the Star of David. And in America at least 8 million Christians stand with their Jewish friends and neighbors. Washington must hear our voices and heed the warnings of the past. “Never Again” is not a bumper sticker or a slogan, it is call to action, a promise and a responsibility.

We can debate other issues on other days, but at this moment, if we fail to educate the next generation about the horrors of the Holocaust and protect the Jewish community against antisemitism sweeping across this country, we fail to uphold the most basic values upon which this country was founded. Americans of conscience must set aside their political and religious differences and come together to protect our first Constitutional freedom against the world’s oldest hatred.

Antisemitism in the West Is Out in the Open, Not Hiding in Plain Sight

John Hagee

June 8, 2022

For several years, Christians United for Israel (CUFI) has been deeply concerned that antisemitism was hiding in plain sight in the US and Europe. We’ve worked to sound the alarm and advance policies in Washington that combat this abomination. But in recent months we have seen that those Westerners who hate Jews no longer feel the need to hide.

The antisemitism that once hid behind a fig leaf of anti-Israel sentiment has largely shed this pretense. Antisemites are now comfortable being open about their hatred. And they are acting on it in the most horrific and violent ways. They are no longer hiding. They are here and their mask has been discarded.

In just a few short years, antisemitism went from taboo to chic. On college campuses across the country hatred for both the Jewish state and the Jewish people is not simply accepted, it is often expected from those who seek to don the post-patriotic and post-religious cap and gown. Likewise, antisemites from the fringe Right and Left have found favor and followings across the West – from small communities to the halls of Congress.

This is the world that leaders must confront. Likewise, as allies in the fight against antisemitism, we must acknowledge the problem and seek ways to solve it.

At its core, the spread of antisemitism is enabled by ignorance. A 2018 study found that while a majority of Americans “believe something like the Holocaust could happen again,” nearly a third of Americans and more than 40% of millennials “believe that substantially less than 6 million Jews were killed (two million or fewer) during the Holocaust,” and nearly half of millennials cannot name a single concentration camp.

The adage that “those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it” is sadly being proven accurate.

It is with this in mind that several months ago CUFI set out to educate a new generation about the history and horrors of antisemitism. Today, we are announcing that we are in the end stages of producing a feature length documentary film, “Never Again?”

From Dr. Deborah Lipstat, to ambassador Michael Oren, to Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, this film gets to the heart of the issue and confronts the consequences of antisemitism. As a result, viewers, who will be guided on this journey by a Holocaust survivor and a former radical Islamist, will learn about the dark history of this scourge and come to understand why all of us, regardless of faith or political persuasion, have a holy and solemn responsibility to keep the promise of Never Again.

We must fight against the rising tide of antisemitism sweeping across the West. We must confront the antisemites, regardless of their stated rallying cry, wherever and whenever we find them. And above all, we must educate the next generation about the perils and horrific consequences of this hatred.

Opinion: How Biden Should Handle Israel, Hamas, and Iran

John Hagee

June 8, 2022

To the great consternation of Palestinian human rights activists and the innocent Palestinian people living under Hamas rule in Gaza, terrorists, Europeans and the media are spreading a false narrative about the current conflict between Israel and Hamas. Bassam Eid, a well-respected Palestinian activist living in Jerusalem, said as much last week in a guest column that ran in Israeli media. It’s about influence, Eid says, and Hamas started a war with Israel “to seize the narrative and increase its own influence and control over Palestinians in Jerusalem.”

Hamas always wants to increase its influence and views terror as the means to that end. So, what made Hamas believe it could get away with raining missiles down on Israeli civilians? Hamas would have you believe it was a court decision, a police action or anything that Israel has control over. And that would be a lie.

The violent confrontations between Palestinians and Israelis in Jerusalem that immediately preceded Hamas rocket attacks were just a convenient foil—precisely how the terrorist playbook has read for more than two decades. Just as former U.S. Senator George Mitchell (D-ME) found in his role as lead investigator for the Sharm el-Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount in 2000 did not cause the Second Intifada (as the terrorists’ narrative suggested), so too will other investigators find that litigation over property in Sheikh Jarrah did not cause this latest spasm of rocket fire.

Rather, Hamas remains as committed as ever to killing Jews. The proximate cause for its aiming to do so now was an astounding display of weakness by the United States.

The facts bear this out. Just five weeks after the Biden administration reopened negotiations with Iran—the patron of Hamas—and announced it would be restoring U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority, Hamas attacked.

What has happened as a result of the administration’s weak posture stands in stark contrast to the results of the previous administration’s foreign policy, which united Arabs and Jews behind greater pressure on Iran, recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and drastically increased the number of Arab states maintaining normalized relations with Israel.

In the Middle East, weakness begets conflict and strength begets stability. The Biden administration’s resistance to this simple reality is now playing out in Gaza. But it’s not too late to change course—and the White House is demonstrating that it understands Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorist predations.

It was wise to block U.N. Security Council attempts to effectively allow Hamas to get away with attacking Israel by imposing a ceasefire. So, too, was the decision to resupply armaments to Israel. President Biden is doing what is necessary to ensure Israel has the time and capabilities it needs to effectively respond to the terrorist threat.

‘We Are Not Confused’: Christian Publisher Responds to Controversy Surrounding Pride Month Reading List

Dale Chamberlain

June 8, 2022

William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, an historic evangelical publisher founded in 1911, has responded to criticism regarding the company’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month reading list.

“Wherever you stand or whatever you think you know, #PrideMonth is an important time to take a step back, listen to real stories, and seek to understand,” the publisher said in a tweet linking to the reading list, which was hosted on the company’s blog, EerdWord.

The company removed the tweet after a wave of criticism over the weekend. On Tuesday, Eerdmans posted a link to the list on Twitter again, this time with further explanation.

“Regardless of your doctrinal and ethical convictions, #PrideMonth is a good time for listening to LGBTQ+ voices,” the Twitter thread said. “This weekend, we took down our post because the overwhelming vitriol was alarming, and we wanted to protect our authors. We stand by our EerdWord post, so we have tweeted the link again. But we think we should also offer some explanation.”

“Some of the replies to our original tweet could be summarized as: ‘With this tweet, you have gone over to the dark side. Your company is now useless and we hope you go bankrupt and your employees become jobless,’” Eerdmans’ statement continued. “For those who thought that cursing and reviling would be an appropriately Christian response to an invitation to try to understand LGBTQ+ Christians, we offer no response. Their self-revelation speaks for itself, and it grieves us.”

Addressing those who had moral qualms about the reading list, Eerdmans said, “For our conservative Christian readers and friends who may be disturbed by the slander of the revilers, we want to explain the misunderstandings they voiced.”

“The revilers say we have changed our position and begun to teach heresy. There are several problems with that accusation,” Eerdmans argued. “We do not think it is for us as a publisher to define doctrine for the church. We are not the pope, or an ecumenical council, or even a pastor. Our role is to publish books, representing both settled and experimental positions, that serve the church in its ongoing deliberations.”

The Eerdmans statement went on to say that the publishing company has no issue with publishing works that contradict each other on important theological issues, adding that they publish books written by Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox Christians alike, adding, “We are not confused. We are a publisher that serves the ecumenical church.”

“With regard to Christian understandings of LGBTQ+ people, Eerdmans has been publishing books for quite a few years by authors who have come to an affirming conclusion on biblical and theological grounds. This is not new for us,” Eerdmans said. “At the same time, Eerdmans has continued and will continue to publish books by and for people who have not come to this conclusion.”

Daniel Yang: How People on the Margins Can Help Save the American Church

Jessica Lea

June 8, 2022

The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast · Daniel Yang: How People on the Margins Can Help Save the American Church

Daniel Yang is the director of the Church Multiplication Institute at the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, a think tank for evangelism and church planting. He has pastored and helped plant churches in Detroit, Dallas-Fort Worth, Toronto and Chicago. He earned an M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a B.S. in computer science from the University of Michigan, and is currently earning a Ph.D. at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His new book, co-authored with Eric Costanzo and Matthew Soerens is “Inalienable: How Marginalized Kingdom Voices Can Help Save the American Church.”

The New Churches podcast offers practical answers to real ministry questions. Rather than offering lofty pie-in-the-sky theories, New Churches helps people in their real ministry contexts with their real thoughts, questions, and issues.

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Daniel Yang

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Key Questions for Daniel Yang

–You write, “If anything other than the kingdom of God is the framework for Christianity in America, let’s be okay with God removing it and let’s pray with Jesus for his kingdom to come.” What are you seeing about American Christianity that led to that statement?

-Your premise is that marginalized voices are helping to save the American church. Who are those voices?

-What is the way forward that you are offering to the problems you’re diagnosing?

-How can local church leaders get more practical about paying attention to the influence of the global church?

Key Quotes From Daniel Yang

“We were talking through not just what’s wrong with Christianity in America, but we were talking through what are the places and the people and the kinds of people that don’t get the same amount of airtime that I think typically you would see in American evangelical circles specifically. And we started asking the question, how does the global church actually have influence here in the U.S.?”

“If you study what happened to the Assemblies of God in America 20 years ago, there were 1.8 million white members in the denomination. Fast forward 20 years, the denomination has grown quite significantly. And the number of white members in the Assemblies of God church is 1.8 million people. And so the growth almost has been completely non-white growth in the Assemblies of God.”

“We have such a difficult time actually living out a true holistic gospel.”

“We’re saying that the global church, marginalized voices are helping us to better understand the Kingdom of God, image of God, Word of God and mission of God. And so that’s what we’re saying: These four things are inalienable to Christianity.”

“We talk about the decline of the church in the West. For my family’s story, it’s always been incline. So decline doesn’t make sense. It’s always been on the up and up…They came as refugees, immigrants from Laos.”

Police: New York Anti-Abortion Center Damaged by Arson

AP News

June 8, 2022

AMHERST, N.Y. (AP) — Police are investigating a fire at an anti-abortion center in a Buffalo suburb early Tuesday as a likely arson — one the center’s operators suspect is the work of women’s rights extremists.

The fire was reported at about 3 a.m. and left the building temporarily unusable, CompassCare Chief Executive Jim Harden said.

“Essentially, they firebombed the operation,” Harden said. “They broke the two main windows in the reception area and the nurse’s office and lit the fires.”

The Amherst police news release announcing the investigation did not include a suspected motive. The FBI declined to comment on whether it was involved in the arson investigation.

On its website, the center said it and others like it have faced online and in-person threats in recent weeks following the leak of a draft opinion that suggests the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide.

Last month, the office of a prominent Wisconsin anti-abortion lobby group was damaged by fire after two Molotov cocktails were thrown at it. Police said an anti-abortion organization in Salem, Oregon, also recently was damaged by two Molotov cocktails during an unsuccessful break-in attempt.

Harden said CompassCare provides free health care to women and encourages them to seek alternatives to abortion. The Buffalo office serves about 20 patients each week, he said.

Services will resume Wednesday at an undisclosed location, he said. The Rochester-based organization has increased security at its Rochester and Albany locations and plans to install armored glass in the Buffalo office.

At a news conference, Harden said the vandals who set the fire wrote “Jane was here” on the building.

“This is the face of abortion,” he said. “They’re revealing it to us.”

The fire took place in the same Buffalo suburb where Dr. Barnett Slepian was murdered by an anti-abortion extremist in 1998.

That killing followed a period in which Buffalo was ground zero in the nation’s anti-abortion movement, with protesters converging on the city from around the U.S. in an attempt to close clinics down.

After Abortion Vote, Colorado Catholic Bishops Ask Lawmakers to Refrain From Communion

Kathryn Post and Jack Jenkins

June 8, 2022

abortion colorado — The Colorado Capitol, left, in downtown Denver. Photo by Acton Crawford/Unsplash/Creative Commons

(RNS) — Catholic bishops from Colorado asked Catholic lawmakers who voted in favor of abortion rights legislation earlier this year to “voluntarily refrain from Holy Communion,” according to an open letter signed Monday (June 6) and provided to Religion News Service.

“Voting for RHEA was participating in a gravely sinful action because it facilitates the killing of innocent unborn babies,” the bishops’ letter said, referring to the Reproductive Health Equity Act, “and those Catholic politicians who have done so have very likely placed themselves outside of the communion of the Church.”

The letter was signed by the Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, archbishop of Denver, and his auxiliary bishop, the Rev. Jorge H. Rodriguez; the Rev. Stephen J. Berg, bishop of Pueblo; and the Rev. James R. Golka, bishop of Colorado Springs.

The legislation, signed into law on April 4, prohibits state and local public entities from denying an individual’s right to use or refuse contraception, and their right to continue with a pregnancy or have an abortion.

“A pregnant individual has a fundamental right to continue a pregnancy and give birth or to have an abortion and to make decisions about how to exercise that right,” the act says. “A fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent or derivative rights under the laws of this state.”

According to the bishops’ letter, hundreds testified against the bill in the Colorado House and Senate. The bishops wrote that they have made efforts to speak with the Catholic lawmakers who voted for the bill to “ensure that they understand the Church’s teaching on receiving Holy Communion,” but note that few lawmakers have accepted the invitation to meet.

The Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, archbishop of the archdiocese of Denver, conducts Christmas Eve Mass in Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on Friday, Dec. 24, 2021, in downtown Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Denver, conducts Christmas Eve Mass in Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 24, 2021, in downtown Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The letter condemns these Catholic lawmakers for viewing “pre-born babies” as “worth less than those who have the gift of being born” and thanks four Catholic lawmakers who voted against the bill.

In an email to Religion News Service, Colorado Catholic Conference executive director Brittany Vessely said the conference estimates that around 10 baptized Catholic lawmakers voted for the legislation. By asking these lawmakers to “voluntarily refrain” from communion, Vessely said, the bishops place the burden of the decision “upon the consciences and souls of those politicians who have chosen to support this evil and unjust law” rather than on church leaders.

“The bishops also pray that these Catholic lawmakers will publicly repent and seek absolution through the sacrament of reconciliation,” she added.

Jamie L. Manson, president of Catholics for Choice, said in a statement that Colorado’s Catholic bishops should listen to their people, noting that one in four abortion patients is Catholic.

“Instead, in typically self-aggrandizing fashion, they’ve closed their ears, hardened their hearts, and dismissed these people of faith and the pro-choice majority who supports them as ‘unworthy,’ turning Jesus’s gift of his Body and Blood — his ultimate example of welcome and inclusion — into a weapon of division and exclusion,” wrote Manson. “The contrast between these so-called ‘shepherds’ in Colorado and the Good Shepherd they claim to serve speaks for itself.”

The RHEA cites rising attacks on abortion access and reproductive health care across the U.S. as well as Colorado’s history of supporting reproductive health care as reasons for the bill, which codifies a person’s right to make reproductive health care decisions independent of government interference. In 1967, Colorado became the first state to decriminalize abortion.

30 Cases in a Month: Abortion, Guns Top Justices’ To-Do List

Mark Sherman

June 8, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Curbing abortion rights and expanding the right to be armed in public are long-sought goals of the conservative legal movement that the Supreme Court seems poised to deliver within the next month.

The justices also could ease the use of public funds for religious schooling and constrain Biden administration efforts to fight climate change.

These disputes are among 30 cases the court still has to resolve before it takes an extended summer break, typically around the end of June. That’s a large, though not unprecedented, haul for the court at this point in its term.

June typically is a tense time at the court, where justices are racing to put the final touches on the most controversial cases. But this year, the tension seems to be even greater, with a potentially historic abortion ruling and in the aftermath of a leaked draft opinion that seems to have led to discord inside the court and heightened security concerns.

At least one of the 30 remaining cases will be decided on Wednesday, the court indicated on its website.

Slower Than Usual

The pace of the court’s work has been slower than usual, and it’s unclear how much that has to do with a leaked draft opinion suggesting a conservative majority will overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision on abortion rights and for the first time strip away an individual constitutional right.

The leak occurred in early May and Justice Clarence Thomas has suggested the breach of the court’s confidential opinion-drafting process has done serious damage to the court. “You begin to look over your shoulder,” Thomas said last month at a conference in Dallas.

Abortion and Guns

With three appointees of former President Donald Trump, the court now has a 6-3 conservative majority, and abortion opponents might consider anything less than the overruling of Roe and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision that affirmed the right to end a pregnancy a bitter defeat.

But even short of explicitly jettisoning the abortion cases, the court is on the verge of dramatically weakening abortion rights. At issue in the case is a Mississippi law that bans abortion after the 15th week of pregnancy, far earlier than the court has previously indicated states can prohibit abortions.

Even before the leak of the draft opinion, the court seemed poised based on arguments in December to uphold the Mississippi law at the very least.

Arguments in November in a case over New York’s gun permit requirements also strongly suggested the court would make it easier to carry a gun in public, a decision that could affect many of the nation’s largest cities.

It’s not clear whether a series of mass shootings in recent weeks has had any effect on the court’s deliberations, or when to release the decision in the New York case.

Religion, Environment

Among the other significant cases awaiting decisions is a challenge from Republican-led states and coal companies that could hamstring the administration’s efforts to reduce climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. President Joe Biden has set an ambitious goal of slashing planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, and power plants account for roughly 30% of carbon dioxide output.

First Transgender Bishop of Largest Lutheran Denomination Resigns

Alejandra Molina

June 8, 2022

(RNS) — The first transgender bishop of the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States has resigned amid criticism over the decision to remove the pastor of a Latino congregation on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in December.

“The constant misinformation, bullying and harassment has taken too hard a toll in the Synod I love, my family and myself,” the Rev. Megan Rohrer, who presided over the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said in a resignation letter posted Monday (June 6) on Twitter.

However, questions remain about the timing of the resignation.

Rohrer’s post came an hour after Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, head of the ELCA, announced on Twitter that she would be “initiating the discipline process immediately, including suspension of Bishop Rohrer, based on additional information that has come to light.”

Rohrer’s posted resignation letter was dated two days prior — Saturday.

“The ELCA has decided to move forward with a discipline process, even after I resigned, without providing any specifics about what I allegedly did, and that appears to be in conflict with their own procedures,” Rohrer said in a Monday tweet thread accompanying the resignation letter.

The ELCA has decided to move forward with a discipline process, even after I resigned, without providing any specifics about what I allegedly did, and that appears to be in conflict with their own procedures. 3/3
— Megan Rohrer (@mmrohrer) June 6, 2022

Eaton did not elaborate on the additional details, but late May Eaton said she did not plan to pursue disciplinary charges against Rohrer. She had, however, requested Rohrer to resign.

Rohrer, who uses they/their/them pronouns, had been criticized by the Asociación de Ministerios Latinos de la ELCA as showing a “lack of empathy and understanding toward their Latinx siblings” for removing the Rev. Nelson Rabell-González on one of the most culturally significant and sacred days for Latinos.

Rohrer apologized in a written statement in late December, saying they “did not understand the impact on the greater church.” Rohrer said the Sierra Pacific Synod — which covers central and northern California as well as northern Nevada — provided pastoral care for those affected and had “private pastoral conversations” with individuals from Misión Latina Luterana, the congregation in Stockton, California, from which Rabell-González was removed.

An undated selfie of the Rev. Megan Rohrer, who was elected bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Sierra Pacific Synod on Saturday, May 8, 2021, becoming the first transgender person to serve as bishop in any of the major Christian denominations in the United States. Photo courtesy of Meghan Rohrer

An undated selfie of the Rev. Megan Rohrer, who was elected bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Sierra Pacific Synod on May 8, 2021, becoming the first transgender person to serve as bishop in any of the major Christian denominations in the United States. Photo courtesy of Meghan Rohrer

Eaton appointed a listening team to review the Dec. 12 disruption. The team issued a report that found Rohrer chose to remove Rabell-González even after being made aware that doing so on the sacred day would be “potentially devastating.”

The decision in December to vacate Rabell-González’s call simultaneously ceased funding for the congregation, according to the report. The congregation changed its name to Iglesia Luterana Santa María Peregrina, or Holy Mary Pilgrim Lutheran Church, “as a way to describe their experience of feeling assaulted and forced to become pilgrims,” the report noted. The congregation now worships in a parking lot.

Judge Orders Church Led by CBN Spokesman Brad Jurkovich To Turn Over Financial Records

Bob Smietana

June 8, 2022

(RNS) — A Louisiana church led by the spokesman for the Conservative Baptist Network — which claims the Southern Baptist Convention has become too liberal — has been ordered to turn over nearly a decade of financial records to former members.

In a pair of court filings, members of First Baptist Church of Bossier, Louisiana, accused pastor Brad Jurkovich of diverting to the CBN funds meant to support missionaries. They also allege that Jurkovich blocked them from seeing church financial records, in violation of Louisiana nonprofit law, and that the pastor illegally changed the church’s bylaws.

In late May, Judge Charles Smith of the 26^th Judicial Court in Bossier Parish ruled that the church had to turn over financial records dating back to 2013. Those records include bank statements, W-2 statements, paid invoices, purchase orders and bank deposits and transfers. The church was also ordered to turn over details of staff housing allowances, names of staffers holding church credit cards and cellphones, and any loan documents or nondisclosure agreements related to the church.

Smith said in a May 27 ruling on a writ of mandamus that the church could withhold information on donations and denied the former members access to the church’s servers.

The ruling is the latest development in a long-running feud at the church between Jurkovich and a group of members over finances and bylaws at First Baptist. According to a complaint filed in Louisiana court in mid-May, the feud began last summer after a group of members sent a letter to Jurkovich with a list of concerns, including staff turnover and lack of financial transparency.

The letter led Jurkovich to send an angry email telling the dissident members, “you either trust and follow the leadership or not,” according to the complaint. Jurkovich later agreed to allow the church members to see some church records, provided they sign a nondisclosure agreement. After signing the agreement, the two sides could not agree on what records would be available for review.

“On or around October 3, 2021, One Hundred Sixty-One (161) members of the congregation sent a letter, via email, to Dr. Jurkovich calling for his resignation over his misrepresentations, staffing turnover, personnel decisions, lack of accountability in FBB finances, and inability to lead,” according to the complaint.

Also at issue: changes made to the church’s bylaws in 2014, giving Jurkovich the ability to remove church members from the congregation — which had previously been a decision made by the church’s board of directors.

“The sole power to expel members of FBB is vested with Dr. Jurkovich, the self-appointed President/Chairman-for-life of FBB,” according to the complaint, which alleges the changes to the bylaws were not valid.

The church members also claim Jurkovich failed to inform church members that funds meant for supporting missionaries were instead used to support the CBN, where along with being spokesman, Jurkovich serves on the group’s steering council.

TikTok: Could ‘Algorithm-Based Evangelism’ Be a Bigger Opportunity for the Gospel Than Radio and Television Combined?

R. York Moore

June 8, 2022

Social media has changed forever with the rise of TikTok, which is now officially the most opened and watched app in the social media ecosystem. It has become so successful that Meta, YouTube, and Twitter have altered the way they function in order to maintain their footing-and that’s a good thing for the gospel.

First, a bit of my experience as an evangelist on TikTok. When I jumped on in July 2021, I was skeptical—seeing the constant money grab and little return on investment on other social platforms over the years.

Immediately, however, I began to see results, real impact, and a loyal following of brand new believers hungry to devour God’s Word. As I write this, I’ve had over 50 million views, nearly 400,000 followers, nearly 4 million likes and most importantly, over 140,000 indications for a decision for Christ! Certainly, not all of these decisions are real or first time decisions, but even if that number is a sliver of the total, this has changed gospel communication for me forever!

Here are five things I’ve learned that can be applied to many, if not all, algorithm-based platforms for your ministry.

1. Metrics

The Algorithm only cares about one thing. Watch time that converts to followers. With the data I get from TikTok, I can objectively see when viewers scroll away, how many watch to the end, and with clear calls to action, I can see exactly how many are responding to the gospel in the comment section. Clear metrics are good for me but they are also really all the algorithm cares about, except, of course, obeying the terms of service (so don’t get banned for violations!).

Because I have a clear call to repentance and ask viewers to indicate their decision for Christ, I get comments like this every day, “I prayed the prayer and am shaking. I’ve never felt anything like this. I’m crying my eyes out.”

2. Consistency

The Algorithm wants consistency in messaging and content: I post 3-5 short videos a day, on a variety of things—mostly basic doctrines of sin, judgment, righteousness and addressing common struggles like pornography, anxiety, fears, family pressures and the like. The algorithm can depend on my account to provide fresh, engaging content on a specific niche (Christianity) and, in turn, it pushes my content to the ‘For You Page,’ or FYP.

Normally, over 80% of the views on my posts are not coming specifically from my followers but from views on people’s curated FYP’s. Here’s a recent comment: “You popped up on my FYP and now I’m following you everyday. You’ve changed my life and I’ve grown so much!”

3. Value

I have a very consistent following base I can push private content to and go deeper in discipleship with because I provide something unique in their lives—biblical teaching with an evangelistic edge. One follower recently wrote these words, “Before I found your account, I didn’t know anything about God. Now I am a Christian and am getting baptized!”

I wake up to comments like this literally EVERY SINGLE DAY and the main reason is I provide distinct value in the form of constant teaching. Out of the 280,000 followers, I estimate 8,000 users are engaging my content every day throughout the day.

4. Residual Returns

I’ve spent nearly 30 years traveling the world preaching Christ. Countless hours hoping when I got to the destination, there would be people to preach to, that there would be fruit. I’ll never give that up but there has not been a single day where I’ve not seen decisions for Christ on TikTok.

Balancing Intellect and Emotion for a Fully Orbed Faith

Tamara Chamberlain

June 8, 2022

Recently, I’ve become intentional about staying away from the phrase, I feel, instead trading it for I think. It’s surprising how this shift in vocabulary has granted me more credibility in many conversations. And that’s because being emotional or making any decision based on an emotion is seen as inherently negative.

Feelings are known for being unreliable and changing with the wind. Women are often described as more emotional beings, contrasting with men, who are seen as more rational. I’m not denying the biological differences between men and women and the rippling effect they have in many aspects of life, but the trouble we run into is when conveying, trusting in, or expressing anything related to your emotions is seen as inherently negative and unreliable. A negative view of emotions has seeped into the church and can have harmful effects on a person’s faith. Emotions are not a sin, yet they are often treated that way.

Emotion is part of what makes us human. When a loved one dies, we feel deep sorrow or even anger. When a baby is welcomed into the world, we experience excitement or even fear about becoming a parent. Emotions are the way we respond to the world around us. And that’s a good thing.

In fact, it’s concerning and even deeply unhealthy when someone shares that they don’t feel anything during a life altering moment. Emotions are not something we need to rid ourselves of or push down at all costs.

Have emotions been tainted by the Fall? Of course. But we lose part of what it means to be human when we wage a war between intellect and emotion.

Certainly, our emotions can’t lead every decision we make. But neither should our thoughts. There are many thoughts I have that should never leave my mind. Emotions are no more irrational than many of the thoughts we have on a regular basis.

There is a place for both emotion and intellect to work together. For one to thrive, it doesn’t mean you must be void of the other. In our spiritual life, we need both.

Our Pursuit of Jesus Is Intellectual and Emotional.

Throughout the New Testament, the Pharisees are described as experts on scripture. Yet, this is the group of people for whom Jesus had the strongest rebukes. If the Christian life were all about right doctrine and correct theology, then we would be called to look to Pharisees as models of the faith.

Yet, Jesus harshly speaks against the Pharisees in Matthew 23. Essentially, the Pharisees used doctrine as the gatekeeper for who would get into heaven and who wouldn’t. But all of their righteous thinking and knowledge was worthless, because it hadn’t actually changed who they were. They just wanted to tell people how they ought to live, having no compassion or empathy for those they taught.

This is the opposite of what the Christian life is supposed to be. We are not called to be stoics. Our faith can’t be so entrenched in having perfect doctrine that we view emotion as sinful, as weakness, or even as a lack of faith.

To be sure, there are some Christians who are more at risk of living by unhealthy emotionalism. And defining your faith by the presence of or lack of an emotion is equally as harmful as stoicism. Christians often define highly emotional experiences in their faith as “mountaintop experiences,” and they are trying to get back to that moment.

The Apostle Paul had a mountaintop moment when he was on the road to Damascus and his life changed forever. It’s safe to say the Apostle Paul had more than a change in his thought process. He didn’t go from wanting to murder anyone who called themselves a Christian to being a Christian merely based on his intellectual opinion changing. He went from hating Christians to loving them and caring about them to the point of his own death.

5 Ways Covid Has Brought Leadership Changes

Ron Edmondson

June 8, 2022

My leadership is different now than it was at the beginning of 2020. Covid has forever brought leadership changes–including for me.

5 Ways Covid Has Brought Leadership Changes

1. More short term planning.

I’ve almost dropped the five and 10 your plans from my leadership. Of course, we still have long-term visions that drive us forward continually but it’s just hard to plan very far down the road these days. I’m doing more quarterly in six months planning.

2. Adaptable to change quicker.

People seem more willing to jump into a change project faster than they might have in past. That’s a good thing for leaders.

3. More appreciative of all team members.

Communication department. Tech department. Facilities people. What could we have done without them during the pandemic? Who on our team have we taken for granted? Everyone matters.

4. Appreciation for practitioners.

The people doing the work are the ones I want to learn from most. I continue to consult with leaders but I never want to lose the experience on the ground. I always say “you can’t see what I see until you sit where I sit“.

5. Less fear of the unknown.

I’m not saying there’s no fear. That will always be a part of leadership, as well anxiety and worry. Hopefully, we learn to manage those emotions. Yet, I am less surprised these days when the unexpected happens.

How has your leadership changed since the pandemic began?

Check out my leadership podcast where we hopefully help limit bad decisions and discuss issues of leadership in a practical way.

This article on leadership changes originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Father’s Day Videos for Church: Honor Men With These Media Clips

Stephanie Martin

June 7, 2022

Father’s Day videos for church are fun, meaningful ways to honor special men in your congregation. Every June, children enjoy creating special keepsakes and tributes to their dads, granddads, and other important male figures.

So don’t overlook the importance of Father’s Day observances and celebrations. Instead, take advantage of increased church attendance that day to recognize the vital role of dads. (Pro Tip: Mail these postcards ahead of time to invite fathers to worship!)

During the service, read Scripture verses about the responsibilities and honor of raising children. Say prayers for dads and other male role models. And attract worshipers’ attention with some Father’s Day videos for church.

Please note that some of these videos require payment or a subscription. Preview each Father’s Day video ahead of time to make sure it’s a good fit for your congregation. Then turn down the lights and open a worship service or sermon message with Father’s Day videos for church. (Or create your own video ahead of time, featuring kids from Sunday school classes.) Enjoy!

Check Out These Father’s Day Videos for Church!

Showing a video is a wonderful way to quiet a group of people and grab their eyes and ears. Plus, the content can make them think, reflect, and act.

1. A Father’s Letter to His Kids

This touching Father’s Day video has a four-minute run time.

2. A Broader Perspective on Father’s Day

Use this video to honor and bless all dads and men in your congregation.

3. A Father’s Strength

Celebrate the open arms of fathers (and our heavenly Father) with this video for church.

4. A Letter to Dad

Use this Father’s Day video for church to thank dads…and to thank God for our dads.

5. This Is a Dad

This brief video clip makes a great addition to any Father’s Day worship service.

Risky Behavior in Adolescence: The Dangers Facing Generation Z

Joshua Pease

June 7, 2022

When it comes to risky behavior in adolescence, a study of today’s teenagers reveals both troubling and encouraging findings. For parents, pastors, and youth leaders concerned with reaching “Generation Z,” information about modern risky behavior in adolescence is critical.

According to research, teenagers in the early 2010s tried alcohol later and had sex far less often than their predecessors. About 54 percent of high-schoolers in 1991 reported having had sex, while only 41 percent did in the early 2010s. For student pastors who’ve been fighting the war against partying, pregnancies, and STDs, this is encouraging news. However, the results seem to come with a cost.

For GenZ, Risky Behavior in Adolescence is Different

Generation Z students (those born between the early 1990s and mid-2000s) are less likely to drive, work for pay, go on dates, or socialize without their parents. While at home, students are largely glued to their smartphones. They are highly active on social media sites that create an illusion of community that research shows actually increases isolation.

In The Atlantic, Jean M. Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University and author of Generation Me and iGen, warns about the effect smartphone obsession is having on teens. “The twin rise of the smartphone and social media has caused an earthquake of a magnitude we’ve not seen in a very long time, if ever. There is compelling evidence that the devices we’ve placed in young people’s hands are having profound effects on their lives—and making them seriously unhappy.”

Twenge speculates this may be why, for the first time in 24 years, suicide passed homicide as the leading cause of death for teenagers. It’s important to note that suicide rates were actually higher in 1991, before the advent of smartphones. However, Twenge says it’s clear that increased screen time coupled with isolation has a direct impact on teen mental health.

Generation Z: Screens and Depression

“The more time teens spend looking at screens, the more likely they are to report symptoms of depression,” Twenge said. “Eighth-graders who are heavy users of social media increase their risk of depression by 27 percent, while those who play sports, go to religious services, or even do homework more than the average teen cut their risk significantly.”

Celebration Church Sues To Evict Former Pastors Following Defamation Suit

Jessica Lea

June 7, 2022

Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida, has filed an eviction suit against its former pastors, Stovall and Kerri Weems. The eviction suit comes days after the Weemses filed a defamation lawsuit against the church they founded.

“The Weemses remain in possession of the Shellcracker Property despite Stovall Weems’ resignation of employment, the Weemses’ refusal to pay rent, and the church’s demands that the Weemses vacate the premises,” says the eviction suit filed by Celebration Church on June 1. “There is no oral or written agreement for the Weemses to remain in possession of the Shellcracker Property. The Weemses have no right, title, or interest in or to the Shellcracker Property.”

Celebration Church vs. Stovall and Kerri Weems

In January 2022 Celebration Church suspended Stovall and Kerri Weems, who helped found the church in 1998, and commissioned an investigation into their leadership. On Feb. 23, the Weemses filed a lawsuit for injunctive relief against Celebration, making requests that included the restoration of their base salary, benefits and back pay and the restoration of the status quo to what it was prior to the suspension.

Celebration Church responded with a motion to dismiss the injunction, alleging the Weemses were conducting “a campaign of deception, manipulation, distraction, and abuse of power” against the church. On April 15, Stovall Weems resigned from his roles at the church and accused Celebration of abandoning “the clear biblical principles and scriptural qualifications for spiritual covering, spiritual authority, and ecclesiastical governance and oversight.”

On April 24, Celebration released the findings of the investigation on Stovall and Kerri Weems, a 22-page report which found the Weemses guilty of fraud, narcissism and “rampant spiritual and emotional abuse.” The couple responded on May 28 by filing a defamation lawsuit claiming that the church’s intention in conducting the report was to “destroy Plaintiffs’ livelihood and reputation, discredit them, publicly humiliate them, punish them, and try to prevent them from continuing their ministry anywhere else.” The Weemses have been continuing ministry since leaving the Celebration Church, such as by posting spiritual reflections and conducting Q&A sessions on Instagram.

Former Megachurch Pastor Bruxy Cavey Arrested, Charged With Sexual Assault

Stephanie Martin

June 7, 2022

Bruxy Cavey, who was forced to resign from one of Canada’s largest churches earlier this year, has been arrested and charged with sexual assault. A court appearance is scheduled for June 27. Police say more people may have been victimized and encourage them to come forward.

Cavey, 57, had been a pastor at The Meeting House Church in Toronto for 25 years. In late 2021, after learning of sexual misconduct allegations against him, the church placed him on leave and conducted an independent investigation.

The Meeting House, which has hired a victim advocate, is holding a community gathering tonight. The event is for worship and prayer, a “brief Q&A,” and talk of “charting our next steps together.”

Bruxy Cavey Had Apologized for an ‘Extramarital Affair’

In March 2022, Meeting House leaders shared the results of a third-party investigation. It revealed an “extended” sexual relationship between Pastor Bruxy Cavey and his accuser, which “constituted an abuse of Bruxy’s power and authority as a member of the clergy and amounted to sexual harassment.”

At the board’s request, Cavey resigned, and the church’s Anabaptist denomination removed his ministry credentials. Days later, the disgraced former pastor posted a blog titled “My Confession.” He acknowledged having “an extramarital affair,” adding, “This adulterous relationship is my greatest failure, my darkest sin, and I take full responsibility for my actions.”

Before linking to that post in March, Cavey’s last tweet was from November 2021. It reads: “When tempted to judge, remember: We are not [omniscient], so we don’t have all the info. We are not objective, so self-interest infects us. We are not perfect, so our [judgment] is hypocritical. Let’s stop playing God, because we are not good at it and the position is taken.”

Nature of Relationship Had Been Questioned

During church meetings in March, Meeting House leaders debated the nature of the relationship between Bruxy Cavey and his accuser. A board member read a statement from the accuser, who indicated she had been “in crisis” when she sought counseling from the pastor. At the time, Cavey was 46 and the alleged victim was 23.

“This for me was not an extramarital relationship or affair,” the victim’s statement noted. “It was a devastating twisting of pastoral care into sexual abuse.”

Danielle Strickland, a teaching pastor who resigned from the church in March “in solidarity with the victim,” objected to The Meeting House categorizing the relationship as sexual harassment and abuse of power. She also accused the church of trying to silence the woman.

Abortion Activists Strip Off Clothes, Shout Expletives During Joel Osteen Church Service

Jesse T. Jackson

June 7, 2022

On Sunday (June 5), abortion activists from the group “Texas Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights” planted themselves in the floor section of Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, strategically interrupting the 16,800-seat worship service.

The abortion activists jumped out of their seats and ripped off their dresses, exposing their underwear, after Osteen finished leading the congregation in prayer.

Shouts of “My body, my [expletive] choice,” and “Overturn Roe! Hell no,” came from three women who were protesting the Supreme Court of the United States‘ (SCOTUS) potential upcoming overturn of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which made abortion a constitutional right.

“I am who I say I am. I do what I say I can do, because I have a choice. I have a choice! I have a choice,” one of the protestors yelled as Osteen continued to preach.

The women were immediately escorted out of the worship service by security. They continued protesting outside of Lakewood Church’s building. As they were being removed from the congregation, a video shows one of the protestors stumbling over people’s feet and falling into a church member’s lap.

As the protestors disrupted the service, Osteen told the worshipers, “We’ll wait just one moment here, but God is good and He’s on the throne and He’s in control.”

The megachurch crowd cheered at Osteen’s words with clapping and gleeful howls as the security team removed the protestors.

“We’ll just take one moment here and we’ll get started, but I know this,” Osteen said. “I’m glad to be in the house of the Lord with people of faith. So thank you, Lord, for a good service.”

“Alright, y’all, we love everybody, so we just thank the Lord that He’s in control and He has all things in His hand, and I think as long as I keep talking, you can’t hear what everybody else is saying,” Osteen can be heard saying on the video before the protestor filming the incident was removed.

While demonstrating outside the church’s building still in her underwear, Julianne D’Eredita, one of the protesters who also used to attend Lakewood Church, explained why they chose to stage a protest during Osteen’s prayer, saying, “[Today is] the day to break the silence and stand up, because Christians are not afraid to bother us and healthcare clinics and doctors’ offices trying to get a central healthcare.”

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Key Questions for Daniel Yang

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Slower Than Usual

Abortion and Guns

Religion, Environment

1. Metrics

2. Consistency

3. Value

4. Residual Returns

Our Pursuit of Jesus Is Intellectual and Emotional.

5 Ways Covid Has Brought Leadership Changes

1. More short term planning.

2. Adaptable to change quicker.

3. More appreciative of all team members.

4. Appreciation for practitioners.

5. Less fear of the unknown.

Check Out These Father’s Day Videos for Church!

1. A Father’s Letter to His Kids

2. A Broader Perspective on Father’s Day

3. A Father’s Strength

4. A Letter to Dad

5. This Is a Dad

For GenZ, Risky Behavior in Adolescence is Different

Generation Z: Screens and Depression

Celebration Church vs. Stovall and Kerri Weems

Bruxy Cavey Had Apologized for an ‘Extramarital Affair’

Nature of Relationship Had Been Questioned

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