EXCLUSIVE: Lecrae and Andy Mineo Talk Deconstruction, Being Labeled Christian, Swearing in Music, and More With ChurchLeaders

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May 27, 2022

Earlier this year, ChurchLeaders sat down with Reach Records recording artists Lecrae and Andy Mineo on their “We Are Unashamed Tour,” asking the influential hip-hop artists about Christian deconstruction, their feelings about being labeled Christian artists, Mineo’s use of swear words in his music, and what they would tell church leaders today.

Lecrae co-founded Reach Records in 2004 and serves as president of the label, whose roster includes Lecrae, Andy Mineo, 1K Phew, Hulvey, Wande, Tedashii, Trip Lee, and WHATUPRG.

Lecrae has released 11 studio albums and has won multiple awards, including 2 Grammy’s and 9 GMA Dove Awards. Lecrae has also authored 2 books: “Unashamed” and “I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion but Found My Faith.”

Mineo has released four studio albums and has won 2 GMA Dove Awards. Mineo has been featured on BET’s Cypher and on the radio show hosted by Sway Calloway, where he has spoken openly about his faith in Christ. Calloway has praised Lecrae and Mineo’s style, lyrics, and production, comparing them to some of the best rappers in the industry.

“[Their] message and substance gives me chills when I can hear somebody rap as good as them and also put God in it,” Calloway has said.

On a cold day in Indianapolis, Indiana, ChurchLeaders sat down for an hour-long discussion Lecrae and Mineo on couches in a church’s youth ministry room. They, along with the rest of Reach Records’ artists, had just returned from visiting a jail, where they shared testimonies and the gospel message to the inmates. Below is our conversation.

ChurchLeaders: Do you consider the music you create Christian music? Does it bother you when someone places the Christian label on your music?

Lecrae: There’s been different iterations in my journey, where there’s been seasons where I was trying to figure out how to participate as a Christian in a mainstream music. And “Christian” was working as a better noun and than adjective, right? Because it was like how do you describe these shoes? Are these Christian shoes? Is a Christian a person or is it an adjective to describe a thing or genre or something along those lines? So I was trying to navigate that.

For me now—I don’t care. I’m kind of like, Alright, whatever, man, whatever works for you.

As far as Reach Records is concerned, we sign people who are Christians and create music. If they want to call themselves Christian artists, then by all means. If they don’t, we understand that as well.

Andy: I think it comes down to each person’s philosophy on what they believe. Like, what do you define as Christian content?

Josh Buice Calls Guidepost Report on Sexual Abuse in the SBC ‘Harmful,’ Abuser Database a ‘Bad Idea’

By

Jessica Lea

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May 27, 2022

Not everyone is viewing the recent report from Guidepost Solutions on the sexual abuse crisis in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) as a sign that reform within the denomination is long overdue. G3 Ministries founder Dr. Josh Buice sees the report as a step in the wrong direction and encouraging “pragmatism” over the Word of God.

“While any accusation of sexual abuse within a single local church is horrific,” says Buice in a May 26 article titled, “Dear SBC, the Answer to the Sex Abuse Crisis Is Not Pragmatism,” “I find the Guidepost report to be harmful as well.” He continues:

Not only is it a tragedy that $4 million dollars of money given by SBC churches had to be used to form such a report, it’s not a step in the right direction. If the SBC commits to trial by independent investigation reports rather than pointing back to the local church and the civil authorities as the God ordained means of accountability, discipline, and justice—it will not end well.

Josh Buice: This Is Pragmatism vs. Biblical Sufficiency

On Sunday, May 22, the Sexual Abuse Task Force published the full report from Guidepost Solutions exploring whether or not the SBC’s Executive Committee (EC) covered up allegations of sexual abuse. The report found egregious failures among top leaders, who had prioritized mitigating their own liability over the needs of survivors, thereby protecting predators and perpetuating abuse for years.

Among the report’s many shocking findings are credible allegations that Johnny Hunt sexually assaulted another’s pastor’s wife. Hunt is a former SBC president and served as senior pastor of First Baptist Woodstock Church in Georgia for over 30 years. He resigned as Senior Vice President of Evangelism and Leadership of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) on May 13.

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) president Danny Akin said in a letter to students he had made the “the decision to remove Dr. Hunt’s name from any association with programs, facilities, and other items.” Akin also announced plans to do the same with the name of Paige Patterson, another former SBC president and a key figure in the Conservative Resurgence.

In a video meeting Tuesday, EC chairman Rolland Slade, said, “This is a new day in the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, and our commitment is to be different.” The EC denounced a 2006 letter from former Executive Committee general counsel D. August “Augie” Boto that criticized survivor Christa Brown and rejected her requests for reform.

Guidepost’s report found that while publicly refusing to keep a database of abusers in the SBC, Boto and others were keeping their own secret database of alleged abusers. The EC has published this list, which is 205 pages, with some of the information redacted. Furthermore, Guidepost’s report found that local church autonomy was a frequent rationalization leaders used to rebuff survivors and avoid following up on abuse allegations.

Yet local church autonomy is one of Josh Buice’s primary concerns. Buice does not believe keeping a database of abusers will be helpful, saying, “Not only is this a bad idea from a legal standpoint (a simple Google search for ‘SBC sex victim report’ will reveal ambulance chasing law firms who are publishing ads seeking to gain clients in the wake of this investigation), it’s also a bad idea from a church government standpoint.”

Manufacturer of Guns Used in Texas Shooting Previously Tweeted Images of Assault Weapons Alongside Bible, Cross, Small Child

By

Dale Chamberlain

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May 27, 2022

Daniel Defense, the Georgia-based gun manufacturer whose rifles were used in the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, has a history of connecting guns to Christianity via their Twitter account.

The tragic slaying, which took place on Tuesday (May 24), resulted in the deaths of 21 people, including 19 elementary school children and two teachers. The 18-year-old gunman was also killed.

Following his 18th birthday, the assailant legally purchased two AR platform rifles manufactured by Daniel Defense on May 17 and May 20. On May 18, he purchased 375 rounds.

Later reports of the shooting indicated that a tactical team took roughly an hour to arrive on the scene after the officers who first responded to the call were driven back by gunfire. During that hour, parents pleaded with police to do something but were rebuffed.

At a press conference on Friday, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw said that police at the scene had determined the situation had “transitioned from an active shooter to a barricaded subject,” and that no more children were currently at risk.

McCraw admitted that that determination was wrong, saying, “There were children in that classroom that were at risk, and it was, in fact, still an active shooter situation.”

Daniel Defense’s tweets went private shortly after they began garnering negative attention, but the tweeted images were captured via screenshots before Daniel Defense moved to protect them.

On at least two occasions prior to the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School, the company paired love of guns with love of the Bible, featuring Christian imagery alongside military grade weaponry.

In one image, an assault weapon is laid atop a Bible opened to the 16th chapter of Mark, with a metal cross laid on the magazine of the gun.

In another image, tweeted roughly a week before the mass shooting, a small child can be seen holding an assault rifle on his lap with the magazine clip nearby and a man, presumably depicting the boy’s father, standing over the child and pointing at him. Alongside the image, the tweet reads, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it,” a quotation from Proverbs 22:6.

SBC Executive Committee Releases List of Alleged and Convicted Sex Abusers

By

Stephanie Martin

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May 27, 2022

As a follow-up to the independent report about sexual abuse within Southern Baptist Convention churches, the denomination’s Executive Committee (EC) has released a list naming hundreds of ministry leaders who are alleged abusers. The list, which contains some redacted material, was assembled by an unnamed EC member under the guidance of former EC VP August Boto.

Current EC leaders say they’re sharing the abuser list now to start “addressing the scourge of sexual abuse and implementing reform in the Convention.”

Alleged Abuser List Should ‘Proactively’ Protect the Vulnerable

In a statement about the list’s publication, the EC writes: “Our prayer is that the survivors of these heinous acts find hope and healing, and that churches will utilize this list proactively to protect and care for the most vulnerable among us.”

Another goal, it adds, is to shine “a spotlight on truth and transparency,” because SBC members “have made it clear that transparency in the area of sex abuse should be the norm.”

The EC says the only changes it made were converting the list to a PDF and redacting the names of survivors, people unrelated to alleged offenders, people accused of non-abuse-related offenses, and accused abusers who have been acquitted.

Analysis of the list is ongoing, says the EC, which anticipates the future release of some redacted items. “We felt it was more important to release the list and redact rather than delay and investigate,” the committee explains. The statement is signed by EC interim president/CEO Willie McLaurin and EC chairman Rolland Slade.

EC: It’s Time ‘For Action, Not Words’

The SBC’s Sexual Abuse Task Force, which hired Guidepost Solutions to investigate abuse within the denomination and how it was handled, describes “a credibly accused pastor, denominational worker, or ministry employee or volunteer” as “one who has confessed in a non-privileged setting, who has been convicted in a court of law, or who has had a civil judgment rendered against them.”

By August 2018, the alleged abuser list consisted of almost 600 names. The version released on May 26 contains 205 pages, with names including Mark Aderholt, David Sills, and Terry VanHoutan.

Charges and outcomes, links to news stories, and some mugshots are included. Offenses range from failure to report suspected abuse to rape of a child and impregnating a minor. Some entries indicate that the alleged or convicted abuser was named in the Houston Chronicle’s database as part of its 2019 “Abuse of Faith” investigation.

Lifeway Research: Christians Say They’re Seeking but Not Having Evangelistic Conversations

By

Aaron Earls

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May 27, 2022

evangelistic conversations — Photo by Cody Doherty (via Unsplash)

Most Christians say they’re ready, willing and praying to have conversations about their faith with others, but many admit they haven’t gotten around to actually having those conversations recently.

An Evangelism Explosion study conducted by Lifeway Research found Christians express a willingness and desire to talk to others about their faith, yet few have shared with someone how to become a Christian in the past six months.

“Now, perhaps more than ever, people are open to conversations about faith, yet this study reveals few Christians actually take the opportunity to engage in personal evangelism,” said John Sorensen, president of Evangelism Explosion (EE). “Our mission at EE is to equip followers of Jesus to have the confidence to share the gospel naturally, lovingly and intentionally with family, friends and yes, even strangers, which is why we wanted insights on the evangelistic attitudes of Christians. We imagine a world where every believer is a witness for Christ to His glory.”

“Many Christians say they agree sharing their faith is important,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “But many also need encouragement and to be shown how to share the good news about Jesus Christ with others.”

Evangelism Actions

In the survey of 1,100 self-identified Christian adults in the U.S., more than 9 in 10 (93%) say they’re at least somewhat open to having a conversation about faith with a friend, and around 4 in 5 (81%) feel similarly about speaking about faith with a stranger. Almost 2 in 3 Christians (64%) say they have prayed at least once in the past month for the salvation of a friend or family member who is not a Christian.

In the past six months, most have spoken about their beliefs with loved ones at least once, including having a conversation about faith (53%) and sharing a story about what God has done in their lives (52%).

However, less than half of self-identified Christians have, at least once in the past six months, shared a Bible verse or Bible story with a non-Christian loved one (46%), invited a non-Christian friend or family member to attend a church service or other program at church (43%) or shared with a non-Christian loved one how to become a Christian (38%).

Far fewer Christians have taken any of those evangelistic steps with a non-Christian they did not know in the past six months: 40% have had a conversation about faith, 39% have shared a story about what God has done in their lives, 36% have shared a Bible verse or story, 34% have invited a stranger to church and 30% have shared how to become a Christian.

“Praying for someone to follow Christ comes more easily than talking with someone about it,” said McConnell. “It isn’t clear if the proverbial cat has the tongue of some Christians or if they’re not connecting with non-Christians in settings where these conversations can take place.”

Evangelism Opinions

When Christians think about evangelism, they’re thinking about showing love to the other person. Almost 2 in 3 Christians (65%) agree sharing with a nonbeliever how they can become a Christian is the most loving thing they can do for them, including 30% who strongly agree. Around a quarter (23%) disagree.

More than half of self-identified Christians say they are willing (39%) and/or eager (15%) to evangelize. Three in 10 (29%) are neutral, while 18% are reluctant and 11% are indifferent.

Nancy Pelosi Now Barred From Communion in at Least Four Dioceses

By

Jack Jenkins

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May 27, 2022

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Since San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone barred House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from receiving the Eucharist in his jurisdiction last Friday (May 20), three other bishops from the conservative wing of the U.S. Catholic Church have followed, citing her support for abortion rights as cause to invalidate her right to the sacrament.

The same day that Cordileone determined in a public letter that Pelosi was “not to be admitted to Holy Communion unless and until she publicly repudiate her support for abortion ‘rights’ and confess and receive absolution,” Bishop Robert Vasa barred the speaker from Communion in the Diocese of Santa Rosa, which borders Cordileone’s archdiocese.

“I have visited with the pastor at St Helena and informed him that if the Archbishop prohibited someone from receiving Holy Communion then that restriction followed the person and that the pastor was not free to ignore it,” Vasa’s statement read.

On Wednesday Vasa was joined by Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington, in Virginia, and Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, a known conservative firebrand.

Cordileone, Vasa, Burbidge and Strickland are part of a small but increasingly strident group in the U.S. bishops’ conference that feuded with their colleagues last summer over whether clerics should deny the sacrament to Biden for his support of abortion rights. More liberal-leaning bishops, such as Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, accused supporters of the idea of having “weaponized” the Eucharist.

A report on the issue delivered months later chiefly recommended that American Catholics be given more education on the meaning of the Eucharist.

In his statement Friday, Vasa invoked an article of canon law that, in his words, “makes it clear that providing sacraments to someone prohibited from receiving them has its own possible penalties.” According to Vasa, canon law says a person can be “punished with suspension” for intentionally administering a sacrament to “those who are prohibited from receiving it.”

Canon 915 states: “Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.”

The Rev. John Beal, a canon lawyer and professor at the Catholic University of America, was dismissive of Vasa’s argument, which contradicts the commonly held belief that Communion denials are limited to an individual bishop’s diocese.

“Bishops are rarely punctilious about procedural niceties,” Beal said in an email.

Burbidge appeared to echo Vasa when he declared on a podcast that he intends to respect Cordileone’s ban on Pelosi because “he is her bishop and as that bishop the direction and guidance he provides is not limited to just a geographical area.” Representatives of the Arlington Diocese said they could not confirm whether Burbidge was making the same argument as Vasa.

AME Church Alleges Former Retirement Services Exec Embezzled Tens of Millions

By

Adelle M Banks

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May 27, 2022

The Rev. Jerome V. Harris, right, was executive director of the AME Department of Retirement Services for more than two decades. Images via AME Church

(RNS) — The African Methodist Episcopal Church has sued a former executive who oversaw its pension plan’s investment portfolio, charging that he and others embezzled money and defrauded its clergy and church ministers who were relying on its annuity plan for their retirement.

The legal action follows the filing of class action suits that alleged the church mishandled the pension funds, with one claiming a sum of at least $90 million is missing. The denomination, in turn, alleges that the Rev. Jerome V. Harris and others are to blame for the tens of millions in financial mismanagement.

The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court in Memphis, Tennessee, where the AME Church’s retirement department is located, serving about 5,000 clergy and church employees.

In its filing Wednesday (May 25), the AME Church told the court it had discovered in September that Harris “engaged in a conspiracy with several individuals and/or entities to embezzle funds and defraud AMEC by, among other things, providing AMEC with deceptive, false, and grossly inflated financial statements for the African Methodist Episcopal Church Ministerial Retirement Annuity Plan.”

The Rev. Jerome V. Harris. Photo via AME Church

Harris was executive director of the Department of Retirement Services for 21 years, elected to four-year terms from 2000 to 2016. He was succeeded last year by James Miller, who informed annuity plan participants in September that distributions from the plan would be halted while a forensic audit was conducted.

After an independent investigation, the denomination concluded that Harris and other defendants used the church’s retirement monies for personal purposes. Harris is accused of depositing funds from the plan into his personal checking account.

Harris could not be reached immediately for comment.

The court filing responded to the class action suit filed in March against the AME Church by the Rev. Pearce Ewing, a longtime minister who retired in 2021.

The denomination “denies that it engaged in any misconduct or wrongdoing.” It also denied that it acted with negligence or breached fiduciary duties.

“This financial crime has been committed against the AME Church community, and specifically our clergy and Church employees,” said Bishop Anne Henning Byfield, president of the AME Church’s Council of Bishops, in a statement. “With the help of our legal team, the AMEC community is committed to holding those responsible accountable and recovering embezzled funds.”

Based on the investigation, the denomination said it learned that Harris and other parties created entities through which they diverted funds from the annuity plan. The diversions, the AME Church alleges, were for illegal activities, such as high-risk investments and payments to other individuals and to Harris.

The church also alleges that Harris and others used the plan’s money for loans, some of which have not been repaid. It cited a $2.5 million loan for the purchase of five lots in Key Marco, Florida, properties whose value is worth less than half the amount of the loan.

The African Methodist Episcopal Church's annuity investment department location in Memphis, Tennessee. Image courtesy of Google Maps

The African Methodist Episcopal Church’s annuity investment department location in Memphis, Tennessee. Image courtesy of Google Maps

Church of God in Christ Congregations Given $100,000 by Pandemic Support Campaign

By

Adelle M Banks

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May 27, 2022

Church of God in Christ World Missions President Bishop Vincent Mathews, left, and COGIC Missions Elder Anthony Harris, center, receive a Churches Helping Churches donation check from AND Campaign President Justin Giboney, right, at Tabernacle Church of God in Christ in Southaven, Mississippi, on May 22, 2022. Photo courtesy of AND Campaign

(RNS) — A fundraising campaign to help small churches during the COVID-19 pandemic has been extended with a $100,000 donation to congregations of the Church of God in Christ.

The Churches Helping Churches initiative started early in the pandemic in 2020 with an emphasis on larger congregations helping smaller ones at risk of closing. The relief fund benefited recipients in low-income neighborhoods disproportionately affected by the resulting economic shutdown. In the end, $3,000 grants were distributed to 450 U.S. congregations, totaling $1.4 million. But even though the active fundraising for the campaign ended, money still came in over the past year.

“Surprisingly, the generosity has not stopped and churches continued to give,” stated Justin Giboney, president of the AND Campaign, which has led the initiative.

“We are now overjoyed to be able to give $100,000 to the Church of God in Christ denomination, as so many of their smaller churches are still struggling. For many poor and marginalized communities, the effects of the pandemic are not over.”

Bishop Vincent Mathews Jr., world missions president for the historically Black Pentecostal denomination, said some COGIC congregations had received earlier donations but he did not expect additional support from the campaign.

“He had told me, ‘We wish we could have done more,’” Mathews said of Giboney, who visited the bishop’s Mississippi church on Sunday (May 22) for an official ceremony celebrating the new donation.

“It definitely was a lifeline from God.”

The bishop said he realizes that lots of churches have felt the effects of the pandemic, from smaller churches to megachurches like Willow Creek Community Church, which recently announced it will lay off 30% of its staff due to declines in giving and attendance. He said rising inflation has made it more difficult for churches, including those in COGIC, to meet the needs of their congregants and their communities.

Mathews cited the example of Open Door Church of God in Christ, in Brooklyn, New York, one of 10 churches that received $10,000 through the initiative.

“They’ve been giving groceries to thousands,” he said. “This is helping them to be able to provide groceries in that area, especially now that food prices have spiked.”

The congregation, which also lost members to COVID-19 and other causes since the start of the pandemic, has seen increasing numbers of people seeking its services.

“Many of the people who used to donate to help them to do that are now in need of assistance,” said Mathews.

It Takes More Than Preaching to Shepherd God’s Flock

By

James Scott Jr.

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May 27, 2022

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

A sincere, authentic minister of the Gospel desires above all else that the flock of God of which he is the shepherd become mature disciples of Christ who are becoming more and more like Jesus.

Even though I think preaching is vastly underrated in today’s church, to achieve this great objective of spiritual maturity in the lives of those a minister leads will take more than just preaching to them on Sunday mornings.

It definitely will take more than just shaking their hands before or after a church service.

To effectively shepherd the flock of God, the leaders of a church must step into the lives of those they lead with the Word of God and provide real-life instruction for them. All too often, that isn’t happening to the degree it should.

For example, just this past week I received a call (not uncommon) from a fellow whose life is in complete disarray, and his desperation over that fact is growing quickly. He called for counseling, and he definitely needs to spend time with a competent Christian counselor. But what he needs first is sound biblical counsel from a shepherd that cares about his well-being.

I asked this fellow if he has spoken to his pastor about what’s happening in his life, and the guy stammered about being embarrassed to talk to his minister about his problems. That doesn’t help his pastor know what’s going on in his life, but it also points to the critical need for pastors, church staff, elders, deacons, and ministry leaders — those who are leading in the church — to be proactive in their work of shepherding a congregation.

Put another way, you can’t always expect people to come running to you when they need the wise biblical counsel you can provide them with. Often, the best shepherding comes from shepherds spotting needs and proactively stepping into lives. This proactive attitude is reflected in this exhortation from Acts 20:28.

Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. (Acts 20:28, NASB)

To guard and effectively shepherd God’s flock, you have to know the sheep you lead. It’s important for church leaders to spend time with the people they lead, and to get into their homes so they can better see what is happening in the lives of the people they’re supposed to serve. If all you know about the people in your congregation is what you experience of them in passing on a Sunday morning, you will not be able to be very proactive in your shepherding responsibilities. And, if your people don’t know you, they will be hesitant to reach out to you when they need wise biblical counsel … in fact, they may not think you’re available to them for that.

In today’s church, many ministers favor spending any time outside of church services with people to be done in coffee houses, restaurants, or their offices. But the value of getting into people’s homes to better see how they really live cannot be overstated. How someone presents themselves in a Starbucks over coffee can be very different than what time spent visiting them in their homes might reveal. Getting to know people in their common surroundings will provide greater insight into how people really live.

I Work Alone – Really? Does Leadership Have To Be Lonely?

By

Ray Hollenbach

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May 27, 2022

In preparing for a meeting among pastors, a friend of mine asked me to reflect on the meaning of friendship for a church leader. Friendship matters. I work alone might be OK in a movie, but it’s a terrible idea in the ministry. I sketched out an answer, probably more than he was looking for. I pondered questions like, What is your experience at the intersection of “leadership” and “friendship?” Does leadership have to be lonely? What did friendship mean to me during my years as a pastor?

I’d like to provide three types of answers to this question of whether I work alone is healthy: what was going on inside of me during those years, how my friends helped my work as a pastor, and a brief mention of the different kinds of friends I had.

I Work Alone Is a Bad Idea For Pastors

1. What was going on inside of me during my pastoral years:

I was guarded and private, and it wasn’t healthy. The way I’m wired I tend to process things internally, without conversation, except the conversation in my head—and sometimes that’s Crazy Town. I believed that by keeping my thoughts to myself I was protecting my image, my reputation, and my employment. What I was really doing was cutting myself off from one of the ways the Spirit wanted to speak to me. Here is a trustworthy saying: God speaks through other people. Give other people room to speak.

I had a distrust of people new to the church, which I think is wise: I never gave ministry responsibilities to someone until a person had been with the church for six months or more. But I also had a fear of more established people in the church, and that’s unwise. I wanted them to “do ministry,” but rarely shared with them what was going on inside of me. We are not meant to say, I work alone.

2. How My Friends Helped my Work as a Pastor:

I never knew the greatest help I had—people who prayed for me, forgave me, and were patient with me. These are hidden things that only become known years later, but they are very real things: how else could my friends help a guy who was a closed off as me? My more charismatic friends would not only pray for me, they would listen to the Lord’s voice and humbly deliver to me what they heard. They didn’t try to enforce what they heard (you know, “God told me to tell you . . . “) but always offered what they had, much like a UPS delivery driver (“Here’s the package, I hope it helps: see ya’.”). In retrospect, I wished I would have actively asked for their opinions more. Of course, there were other more visible helps as well. Encouragement—especially encouragement that is specific—is a great help.

3. The different kinds of friends I had:

I had “old friends,” people who had known me for years, and had taken the effort to stay in contact, even though we were distributed all of the country. These guys were people with no interest in the direction of the church, or no desire to be given position: they only cared about me. That’s valuable!

Other friends are those would’ve been my friends whether I was a pastor or not. Some were in the church; some were not. You can’t “talk shop” all the time: Even with friends inside the church is was great to have people to talk with about music, movies, sports, or books. Good friends allow you to have a life outside of the church—and provide the opportunity to do so.

4. My Biggest Single Regret

Finally, my biggest single regret is not befriending my spouse more. In a misguided attempt to “protect” my spouse from church crap, I closed off that portion of my thoughts to her. She sensed it, and it was painful to her. I work alone is a bad idea in any marriage. It was a bad move because no human was more on my side, and I chose to keep a big part of my life (my thoughts and feelings) separate from her.

This article on I Work Alone originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Youth Budget Worksheet: A Free Resource for Your Ministry

By

Youth Ministrycom

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May 26, 2022

This youth budget worksheet is sure to save you time as well as money. So check it out now!

Save Big With This Youth Budget Worksheet

As you know, youth ministry has some incredibly fun and exciting parts. And other parts, well, you’d probably prefer to skip over some of those. But they all are necessary to maintain a strong, effective program for teens.

This free youth budget worksheet will make one of the not-so-fun ministry tasks a bit easier. We’ve gathered everything you need in one comprehensive document. Feel free to adapt it to meet the specific needs of your church and ministry.

PRO TIP: If you have a money-minded teen, enlist his or her assistance to plan and implement the youth ministry budget. For security purposes, make sure at least two people work to oversee the program’s finances and spending.

This youth ministry budget worksheet is available for complimentary download. It’s sure to make your administrative duties a little bit simpler. We hope it lightens your to-do list and removes any dread you associate with the word “budgeting.”

Click here to download your FREE Youth Budget Worksheet!

Follow These Instructions

You’ll need to make a copy of this youth budget worksheet for your own use. First, open the document in a new internet browser. Then click File in the top-left corner. Next, click Make a Copy. Save it to your desktop or to a folder of your choice.

Then customize the budgeting worksheet to meet your needs. Add or delete rows and columns. Change dates and program names. And include any extra income or expenses you expect for the coming months or year.

We hope this budgeting worksheet helps you track your ministry’s money as you work to be good stewards of God’s resources!

This article and free worksheet originally appeared here.

Former Donors Can Sue Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, Judge Rules

By

Jessica Lea

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May 26, 2022

A judge is allowing a class-action lawsuit filed against Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) to proceed. Margie Zacharias, the late Ravi Zacharias’ widow, was dismissed as a defendant, and her and RZIM’s motions to dismiss the suit were granted only in part, in a ruling filed May 13, 2022.

RZIM Case Will Continue

A class-action lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on August 4, 2021, claims that RZIM “bilked tens — if not hundreds — of millions of dollars from well-meaning donors who believed RZIM and Zacharias to be faith-filled Christian leaders.” RZIM, Inc., RZIM Productions, Inc., and Margie Zacharias, were named as defendants in the complaint.

Dora and Derek Carrier, two of the plaintiffs named in the suit, say that they donated $30,000 to RZIM in January 2020 after having come to believe in RZIM’s mission. Derek Carrier is a tight end for the Las Vegas Raiders.

Court documents say, “According to the Complaint, though, Zacharias ‘was not who he claimed to be’ but was instead ‘a serial sexual and spiritual predator and a prolific sex offender’ since at least October 2014.’”

In February 2021, law firm Miller & Martin released a bombshell report showing that Zacharias, a beloved apologist for Christianity, had encounters with multiple women in multiple countries, which included sexting, unwanted touching, spiritual abuse, and in one case, rape. For more information on the events leading up to the report, see the articles below:

The Story Behind the Ravi Zacharias Allegations (Part 1): Lawsuits, NDAs, and Email Threads

The Story Behind the Ravi Zacharias Allegations (Part 2): ‘Cursory’ Investigations and More Accusations

The class identified in the suit includes “[a]ll persons in the United States who made contributions of monetary value to Ravi Zacharias and/or the Ravi Zacharias International Ministry from 2004 through February 9, 2021.”

In their complaint, the plaintiffs say that “[a]t no point prior to February 2021 did anyone at RZIM inform [them] that contributed funds were also used to further serious sexual misconduct or to cover up that misconduct.” Had they known of Zacharias’ misconduct, they would not have continued their donations to Ravi Zacharias International Ministries .

In February 2022, a report from Guidepost Solutions revealed that Ravi Zacharias International Ministries spent donor money to sue an abuse survivor.

J.D. Hall, Pastor and Founder of Pulpit&Pen, Admits Fabricating Story About Trans Activist

By

Bob Smietana

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May 26, 2022

(RNS) — A controversial Montana pastor who founded a conservative Christian polemics website has admitted to publishing a false story about a trans activist.

Jordan “J.D.” Hall, best known as the voice of the Pulpit&Pen, which was later renamed Protestia, was sued last year for libel after another one of his publications, the Montana Gazette, published a story about Adrian Jawort, a Native American activist. In that story, Hall had called Jawort a “transvestite Goth” and accused Jawort of threatening a state senator.

As part of a settlement, Hall admitted the story was fabricated and apologized, according to the Great Falls Tribune. The libel suit was dismissed, with the agreement Jawort will be able to make a claim of $250,000 against Hall, who is currently in bankruptcy.

Hall also posted a note on the Montana Gazette website.

“I apologize to Adrian Jawort,” he wrote. “The information I published about Adrian was false. Adrian did not threaten or harass Senator Butch Gillespie. I regret the error and sincerely apologize to Adrian for publishing it.”

Hall, who has spent years warning that liberals were taking over the Southern Baptist Convention and other evangelical churches, was arrested in mid-May on DUI and weapons charges. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges and has claimed he suffers from a vitamin deficiency.

After his arrest, Hall offered to resign as pastor of Fellowship Baptist, according to a statement posted on the church website May 16, for “bringing the stain of rumor upon the church.”

The church rejected his resignation but announced it has put Hall on leave for three months and he cannot return to the pastorate without the approval of his wife.

“The congregation spoke openly to assure Pastor Hall he should not be ashamed, that we do not care what the world thinks, as we know the truth,” the church said in a statement.

This article originally appeared here.

Law Mattered More Than Love: Bart Barber Responds to SBC Sexual Abuse Report

By

Stephanie Martin

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May 26, 2022

bart barber — Screenshot from Twitter / @bartbarber

Another prominent candidate for the Southern Baptist Convention presidency is weighing in on the explosive report about sexual abuse and how denominational leaders handled it. Earlier this week, candidate Tom Ascol shared his reactions to the 288 pages of findings from Guidepost Solutions. Now candidate Bart Barber, an SBC pastor in Texas, has posted his thoughts about the independent report.

Released to the public May 22, the report states that during the past two decades, the SBC systematically and consistently ignored, silenced, and even ostracized sexual abuse survivors. According to investigators, legal risk management often took precedence over preventing sexual misconduct and supporting victims.

Bart Barber: EC Chose ‘Blackstone’ Over the Bible

On Wednesday, Barber posted a blog titled “Response to the Sexual Abuse Task Force Report.” In it, the 52-year-old pastor says it’s “clear” that abuse occurred within the SBC and that “every time abuse happens in a church, the abuser has committed a mutiny against Christ’s lordship over the church and has scandalized His little ones.”

Barber apologizes for not listening “more quickly and more carefully,” acknowledging that “guilt for that failure reaches far beyond the C-suite at the Baptist Building. It reaches to me.”

Then he calls out SBC leadership, saying some members of the Executive Committee “deliberately helped as little as possible—deliberately refusing to return phone calls and messages, deliberately withholding information that they were collecting about abusers, and deliberately minimizing the amount of helpful advice that they would disclose.”

It’s clear from the report, says Barber, that “a fundamental misunderstanding of the distinctive Baptist belief in the autonomy of the local church” led to “bad decisions.” That cherished doctrine, he notes, “can have legal implications” but is “a theological concept, not a legal device.”

Barber says, “The Executive Committee seems to have been operating under a different notion of local church autonomy—one arising less out of the Bible and more out of Blackstone” (a legal reference work). The EC conflated congregational autonomy with issues of legal liability, he adds, and waiving attorney-client privilege played an “indispensable” role in exposing “this doctrinal failure.”

Local Church Autonomy Must Be Biblical, Says Bart Barber

In his post, Barber writes: “The same Bible that teaches us about local church autonomy teaches us more clearly and forcefully about loving one another. The words and actions described in this report are in many cases far removed from love for survivors and for their advocates.”

Reasserting “a proper biblical understanding of local church autonomy” requires incorporating love and justice, Barber says. Though “not a lawyer,” he believes it’s possible to do that without nullifying “all the legal protections that arise out of our sincerely held beliefs about local church autonomy.”

Southeastern Seminary to Rename Facilities, Programs After SBC Sexual Abuse Report Names Patterson, Hunt

By

Dale Chamberlain

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May 26, 2022

In a letter to students, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) president Danny Akin announced plans to rename some of the school’s facilities and programs in the wake of their namesakes appearing in the recent Guidepost Solutions report of how the SBC Executive Committee handled allegations of sexual abuse from 2000 to 2021.

“On Monday I let you know that the Southeastern Cabinet and I were discussing the use of Johnny Hunt’s name in association with various parts of the life of the seminary. After these discussions, I made the decision to remove Dr. Hunt’s name from any association with programs, facilities, and other items. Therefore, our staff started and continues to work on that process,” Akin wrote.

Monday, May 23, was only one day after the Guidepost Solutions report revealed credible allegations against Hunt, who is believed to have sexually assaulted the wife of a younger pastor and mentee in 2010.

Hunt had been a longtime leader within the SBC, serving as a pastor of First Baptist Woodstock Church in Georgia for 30 years. He also served as SBC president from 2008 to 2010, and as Senior Vice President of Evangelism & Leadership for the SBC’s North American Mission Board (NAMB) from 2019 until he stepped down on May 13, 2022, roughly a week before the Guidepost Solutions report was released. Hunt holds a degree from SEBTS.

Hunt’s name had been associated with an academic chair at the school, as well as its 5-year BA/MDiv program, among other things.

Akin also informed students that he intends to remove the name of Paige Patterson from campus life.

Patterson, another former SBC icon, was one of the architects of the so-called “Conservative Resurgence” within the denomination. Patterson was the SBC president from 1998 to 2000. He served as president of SEBTS from 1992 to 2003, going on to serve as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) until 2018.

Patterson was removed from his role at SWBTS for failure to report credible allegations of sexual assault on female students at the school, writing in an email in 2015 that he intended to meet alone with one female survivor so that he could “break her down.”

Patterson was also implicated in covering up the sexual abuse of fellow “Conservative Resurgence” SBC leader, Paul Pressler, in 2018.

Christian Leaders Press Lawmakers to Extend Child Tax Credit for Poor Families

By

Jack Jenkins

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May 26, 2022

WASHINGTON (RNS) — A campaign backed by a broad coalition of Christian leaders will urge Congress to extend the child tax credit to low-income families, hoping to broaden access to the popular financial assistance program after lawmakers allowed an expanded version to expire last year.

Beginning with an advertisement in Politico Magazine that will run Thursday (May 26) and a letter sent to all 535 members of Congress and to the White House the same day, the campaign supports including a widely accessible version of the child tax credit in a bill working its way through the budget reconciliation process.

“As you work to craft an economic reconciliation bill, we would like to lift up one preeminent priority: making the Child Tax Credit fully refundable and available to low-income families on a permanent basis,” reads the letter, which was provided exclusively to Religion News Service.

The authors conclude: “To pass a reconciliation bill without including a permanent and fully refundable Child Tax Credit would be morally indefensible.”

The effort was organized by the Rev. Jim Wallis and Georgetown University’s Center on Faith and Justice. Among its signers are the Rev. Walter Kim, head of the National Association of Evangelicals; the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church; the Rev. Eugene Cho, president of Bread for the World; and the Rev. Amy Reumann, director of advocacy for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

The Rev. Barbara Williams-Skinner, co-chair of the National African American Clergy Network, also signed the letter, as did Mary Novak, head of the Catholic social justice lobby Network, and John Carr, founder of Georgetown’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.

The child tax credit, which offers financial assistance to parents, was expanded last year in the White House’s pandemic relief legislation, allowing most U.S. families monthly payments of up to $300 per child. The expanded credit, previous versions of which have long been supported by lawmakers of both parties, was regarded as a “remarkable success at reducing child poverty,” the Christian leaders’ letter said.

But lawmakers allowed the expansion to expire in December when efforts to pass the sweeping Build Back Better Act, President Joe Biden’s broad-based environmental and social spending agenda, fell apart. Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, said he would join Republican senators’ opposition to the tax credit provision unless it included a work requirement for families whose income is below the minimum to incur federal income tax.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Sept. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The work requirement drew widespread criticism from religious groups. “Work is critically important to human dignity but having a particular level of earned family income should not be a prerequisite to accessing support for their children,” Galen Carey, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals, told RNS at the time.

According to researchers at Columbia University, child poverty increased 41% a month after the credit expired. In their new letter, the Christian leaders advocate making the the current $2,000 credit refundable, which would allow families to receive the payment without having to provide proof of income or owe federal income tax. Doing so, they argue, would reduce child poverty by 20%.

For Abuse Survivors Like Jules Woodson, the Indiana Pastor Video Is All Too Familiar

By

Bob Smietana

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May 26, 2022

(RNS) — When Jules Woodson saw the viral video of an Indiana church applauding a pastor who had confessed to sexual misconduct, her heart sank.

It was a scene Woodson had experienced before.

In 2018, Woodson came forward to confront Andy Savage, her former youth pastor who pressured her into performing a sex act when she was 17. After Savage left that youth pastor position, he had gone on to lead a megachurch in Memphis, Tennessee, and write books about marriage and family.

Woodson confronted Savage on social media about his past actions, leading him to admit his sexual misconduct in a church service. The congregation responded with applause.

The Indiana video revealed how abuse and sexual misconduct are sometimes handled in churches, especially those that are nondenominational or independent — years after the #Metoo and #Churchtoo movements revealed the scope of abuse and misconduct in churches and other institutions.

A pastor confesses a “moral failing” and steps away from ministry while seeking God’s mercy and restoration. The church stands by the pastor. Survivors are asked to forgive and forget.

“They are doing the same s***,” said Woodson.

In the viral video, taken at New Life Christian Church & World Outreach, a nondenominational church in Warsaw, Indiana, pastor John B. Lowe led the congregation in an altar call on Sunday (May 22), followed by what’s known as the “sinner’s prayer.”

Then he began to confess to adultery, which he said occurred 20 years ago.

“I will not use the Bible to defend, protect, deflect my past sin. I have no defense,” he said. “I committed adultery. To say it plainly, I didn’t make a mistake. I did not have an affair. I didn’t make a misjudgment. I sinned.”

Lowe admitted in the video that he had overseen church discipline for church members who were guilty of “sexual failure” but failed to confess his own misconduct. He then said the church was involved in a “biblical process” to restore trust.

After his confession, church members began to applaud.

Texas School Shooting Begs the Question: Where Is God?

By

Jeremiah Johnston

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May 26, 2022

Texas School Shooting — Two Texas Troopers light a candle at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, May 25, 2022. Desperation turned to heart-wrenching sorrow for families of grade schoolers killed after an 18-year-old gunman barricaded himself in their Texas classroom and began shooting, killing several fourth-graders and their teachers. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?

This prayer of Habakkuk is one we must pray in the horrific aftermath of Uvalde, Texas. I’m the father of five young children, including our son Justin. He is the same age as the students in the 4th-grade classroom at Robb Elementary, where the shooter barricaded himself and committed pure evil.

Before Justin left for school this morning, I held him and audibly prayed over him and didn’t want to let him go. And now I ask, how can we pray when we cannot find the words? How can we comfort when pure evil leaves us paralyzed, numb and questioning? How can we live by faith in God’s promises when what we would prefer is an explanation? How can we find peace when we will never be the same?

Court Interested in Dispute Over Michigan 1931 Abortion Ban

By

AP News

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May 26, 2022

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Court of Appeals opened the door Wednesday to abortion opponents who are trying to overturn a recent decision that suspended the state’s long-dormant ban on the procedure.

The court set a briefing schedule that runs through July 5.

A judge at the Court of Claims last week issued a preliminary injunction that freezes a 1931 ban on abortion in most instances. If the injunction stands, it means abortion would not be illegal in Michigan if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the landmark Roe v. Wade decision by summer.

Right to Life of Michigan, the Michigan Catholic Conference and two county prosecutors are asking the appeals court to throw out the injunction granted by Judge Elizabeth Gleicher, who said the law likely violates the state constitution.

They said there was no reason for Gleicher to act since abortion remains legal in Michigan.

They also noted Gleicher’s past legal work for Planned Parenthood of Michigan, which filed the lawsuit, and her financial support for the organization. The judge disclosed some ties to the group but didn’t step aside from the case.

In a separate legal action, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is trying to get the Michigan Supreme Court to reach over lower courts and declare the 1931 law unconstitutional.

“The issues are live and squarely presented in this case, and there is no reason for the court to delay its consideration of these issues of vital state importance,” Assistant Attorney General Linus Banghart-Linn said in a filing Wednesday.

This article originally appeared here.

Pastors Gather To Respond, Recount Minutes Before, After School Shooting

By

Scott Barkley

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May 26, 2022

UVALDE, Texas (BP) – Ten minutes. Maybe 12. That’s the time from when Neftali Barboza and his wife, Hilda, left Robb Elementary School yesterday until The Call. Their son, Levi, still had his All A’s Honor Roll certificate and was in the truck with them. The caller was relieved to hear it, because a shooter had just entered the school.

Barboza, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Nueva Jericho, turned the truck around. Approaching the school, he saw police and recognized the helicopters circling overhead as being the same ones he worked on as a mechanic with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. His friend had called from the funeral home across the street and asked for Barboza’s help in calming the numerous children who had fled there in terror.

“I stayed and helped take care of the kids,” he said. “I let as many parents as I could know their child was safe. We were there an hour or two; I’m not really sure.”

As a parent and local pastor, Barboza has joined others trying to make sense of the shooting that claimed the lives of 19 children and two adults as well as left others in critical condition. Uvalde is a close-knit town full of people who stick together and pray for each other, he told Baptist Press. It’s the place where these kinds of things aren’t supposed to happen.

“My heart is broken,” he said. “I can only imagine what other families are going through.”

The shooting is the third deadliest on a school campus in the nation’s history, behind 33 killed at Virginia Tech University in 2007 and the 28 deaths at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., in 2012.

What becomes a list for observers will remain an indelible mark for those close to the scene. Barboza knew many of those families. His son had friends in the classroom – on the same hall as his – where the shooter barricaded himself before a Border Patrol agent ended the carnage.

No members of Barboza’s church were directly harmed in the shooting, though one member has a niece whose daughter was among the wounded. Tommy Larner, director of missions for the Del Rio-Uvalde Baptist Association, said a pastor contacted him yesterday for prayer. A man who had been attending his church off and on lost his granddaughter in the shooting.

“You can’t come up with adjectives to describe such a horrible act,” Larner said. “Please pray that the people here would experience the tender love of our Heavenly Father and for pastors to be able to share that the only hope is through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Larner is a retired International Mission Board missionary, having just returned from an Orlando event honoring IMB emeriti. He and his wife served for 15-and-a-half years in Ecuador, nine years in Mexico and five in Peru.

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