Bishop Mildred Hines, First AME Zion Female Bishop, Dead at Age 67

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May 25, 2022

Bishop Mildred Hines of the AME Zion Church. Photo courtesy of AME Zion Church

(RNS) — Bishop Mildred “Bonnie” Hines, the first female bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, has died at age 67.

“We are sad because we will miss her powerful preaching, her electrifying teaching, her dynamic leadership, and her loving spirit,” stated the board of bishops in a statement. “We are glad because she is free from her infirmities and is in the presence of her Lord, whom she served so faithfully.”

Hines, the 98th bishop of the AME Zion Church, died on Monday (May 23), the bishops’ statement said. She was the sole female bishop of the historically Black denomination that dates to 1796.

The Rev. George McKain, director of public affairs for the denomination, said Hines was known as an “unbelievable teacher” as well as a powerful preacher.

“She was our first female bishop, so against all the odds of the old system, she rose with a freshness and with a power single to none,” he said. “For her to be such a quiet yet powerful individual, it was amazing that she was the one God chose to raise up as the example and the pioneer for women in ministry.”

She pastored Los Angeles First AME Zion Church before being elected as the first female bishop of the AME Zion Church in 2008. In 2013, she became the first woman to lead the board of bishops.

Hines served as the presiding prelate of a West African district and later was assigned to the U.S. district that includes churches in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas and West Tennessee.

Bishop Mildred Hines of the AME Zion Church. Photo courtesy AME Zion Church

Bishop Mildred Hines of the AME Zion Church. Photo courtesy of AME Zion Church

Most recently, she has overseen churches in South Carolina and Georgia. She was also the chairperson of the board of trustees of Clinton College in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Clinton President Lester McCorn mourned the loss of Hines, who he said served on his school’s board for six years.

“She was a strong advocate for the College, advancing the Special Education Fund in each of the Annual Conferences, in support of scholarships for students,” he said in a statement. “A lover of sacred music, Bishop Hines became an avid supporter of the new choir and music program at Clinton.”

Hines told The Sun-Chronicle, an Attleboro, Massachusetts, newspaper, that she knew from age 16 she was meant to be a minister.

Once a buyer for Belk Department Stores, she said an illness forced her to leave the fashion world behind. “I bargained with God,” she said, saying she would follow divine guidance if she survived.

She told the newspaper, located in a state where she once oversaw congregations after the death of another bishop, that she hoped her historic bishop’s role would be an inspiration for others.

“For myself, I’m honored and very humbled to be the first female to be elected,” she said of her denomination.

This article originally appeared here.

Charlie Dates: The Worst of Times Needs the Best of Christian Preaching

By

Jessica Lea

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May 25, 2022

The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast · Charlie Dates: The Worst of Times Needs the Best of Christian Preaching

Rev. Dr. Charlie Dates became the youngest senior pastor at Progressive Baptist Church of Chicago in 2011 at age 30. He teaches preaching at Wheaton College and serves as an Affiliate Professor of the Baylor University George W. Truett Theological Seminary and as Affiliate Professor of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Charlie is widely sought after for conferences, summits, retreats and board memberships, as well as a guest in pulpits.

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Charlie Dates

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

Key Questions for Charlie Dates

-How did you first discover that you had a calling to preach?

-Talk to us about preaching in the African American context. Why engage in that space?

-What are some of the qualities you admire in other preachers who have a different style or tradition from you?

-What are some misconceptions or common mistakes you’ve noticed among pastors in the sermon prep part of the journey?

Key Quotes From Charlie Dates

“I think the craft of building a preacher has to have some elements of hurry up and wait in it. You can’t just give a preacher everything right out of the gate.”

“These days I’m not just preaching through the book of Romans, which I’ve done. I’m sensing in prayer a burden and then compiling passages that meet along a theme.”

“For me, and I would encourage anyone listening to you, I start with the text and I try not to come to the text with an idea already formulated in my mind, but I want to clear the slate. Even though I’ve read the Scriptures and read through them, I want the Holy Spirit to speak to me anew and afresh.”

“Some people are making it up when they get to the pulpit. And part of my aim is to say, I don’t want to make it up.”

“Sometimes it’s easy to preach to a church that doesn’t exist. And these days online, you can preach to a church you think you have. I’m trying to preach to the people I know are there and not excluding others who are watching.”

“You talk about forming and shaping the preacher—I think the church does that.”

3 Things That Keep the Church From Experiencing Divinely Empowered Unity

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Tamara Chamberlain

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May 25, 2022

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

What separates a community of believers from all other groups, clubs, organizations, and communities is the divine. It is the divine work of the Holy Spirit that unifies the most unlikely people together. For some, the only reason they can genuinely love and befriend the person sitting next to them at church is because of Jesus. Apart from this, they would naturally find nothing to draw them together.

This is the kind of unity Paul describes throughout the New Testament. Not only among the collective Church, but each individual church.

We have the tendency to see biblical unity as,

All of the people who like polka dots go to the church down the road, all of the people who love pizza go to the church in the center of town, and all of the people who enjoy golf go to the church by the railroad tracks. But we all love Jesus. See, the Church is unified. All of us agree we love Jesus, but you wouldn’t catch me dead at that polka dot church.

But the biblical understanding of unity actually starts with diversity. I think we like to start with the interests, views, and philosophies that would naturally unite us and then find ways to throw some diversity in there. But not too much.

The division we see in the Church today is largely centered on us wanting to find our common ground first, and that is rarely Jesus.

Here are three reasons the Church fails to experience the divine unity God has invited us into.

1. Racial Segregation

By many accounts, our society has made reasonable strides in race relations since the 1960s. Unfortunately, the church has often been delayed in seeing similar changes.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “It is appalling that the most segregated hour of Christian America is 11 o’clock on Sunday morning.”

Based on a National Congregations Study (2012), eight in 10 American congregants attend a service where 80 percent of attendees are of one ethnic group or race. These numbers have improved slightly over the last few years, but it’s safe to say that King’s statement still rings true to this day.

Racial segregation is a large contributor to division within the church across congregations and denominations.

I encourage you to look around your church and see the level of racial and ethnic diversity among congregants. Based on the data, it’s very likely 80 percent of your congregation is made up of a single ethnic or racial group.

This is especially alarming if your church doesn’t accurately represent the community in which you are planted. If the ethnic makeup of people in your local neighborhoods and grocery stores doesn’t match the ethnic makeup of your church, then there is likely an even greater level of segregation happening within your church community than in the society surrounding it.

Now, the solution isn’t necessarily going out into the neighborhood to start recruiting people of other racial and ethnic groups to begin attending your church, but we should be mindful of how the structures of our churches are either welcoming or stifling diversity.

When Paul talks about the church in his letter to Galatia, he says, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile.” He’s not telling us to ignore these distinctions. Instead, he’s recognizing the diversity of the church and emphasizing it’s not these things that unite us, but Jesus.

In order to see the unity described in scripture, we have to embrace diversity. It’s out of true diversity that we can see the divine unity Jesus speaks of.

12 ‘How to’s’ Pastors Wish Someone Had Taught Them

By

Chuck Lawless

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May 25, 2022

I’ve taught seminary students now for 26 years, and I’ve worked with hundreds of graduates in doctoral programs or local church events. I always want to know what leadership issues pastors wish someone had taught them. Here are twelve I hear often, in no particular order:

How to oversee a budget – Because financial issues often create tension in a church, the battleground is not the best place to learn about budget preparation, proper budget percentages, spending policies, etc.
How to lead a meeting – One reason people don’t like meetings is that they’ve never seen one led well. A poorly conducted meeting is a waste of everyone’s time.
How to interview potential staff – More than one of us have conducted interviews that were incomplete at best, borderline illegal at worst. That happens when no one trains you in recruiting and interviewing.
How to prioritize family while also ministering to the congregation. Trying to find this balance isn’t easy—and most leaders have had to learn it on the fly. They want role models and prayer partners to help them.
How to manage staff and church conflict – For some church leaders, the only remedy they know for addressing deep conflict is to leave the church. Usually, the conflict remains.
How to develop and cast a vision – Knowing the importance of a vision is not the same as knowing how to develop and cast one. Too many visions go nowhere simply because the leader is a poor, untrained vision-caster.
How to evaluate “success” – If numbers are the only way to evaluate success, many church leaders are failures. On the other hand, to ignore numbers is to invite an unhealthy inward focus. Most leaders need help in finding the best way to evaluate “success.”
How to manage personal finances – It’s hard to count the number of pastors I know who simply didn’t know tax laws for clergy, missed the benefit of a housing allowance, or planned poorly for retirement.
How to fire a staff member – Terminating a church staff member is difficult unless he or she has committed some flagrant offense. Many church leaders tolerate mediocrity among staff because no one ever taught them about lovingly helping unproductive staff members move on.
How to counsel without getting overwhelmed – Meeting all the needs of a congregation can quickly become overwhelming, especially if no one has ever taught pastors how to counsel briefly while leaning on other counselors for longer-term help.
How to enlist and motivate workers – The church is essentially a volunteer organization. The problem is that many church leaders have never learned how to enlist and motivate beyond pulpit announcements.
How to know when it’s time to leave. I can’t tell you how many times pastors have asked me this question—usually when they’re already considering that possibility. It’s better to think about this issue before the issue is a hot one.

What would you add to this list?

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

How to Thrive Through Transition

By

Jen Oshman

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May 25, 2022

How to Thrive Through Transition

My husband once pastored a church where every single attendee left after a brief time with us. Not one family or single person stayed. They all moved on.

That’s because the church was made up of American military members stationed in Japan. The United States Air Force, Marine Corps, or Navy sent them on to their next station after a tour of duty in our community. Sometimes we only had six months together, while other times it was as long as three or four years.

This reality gave us a front row seat to the lives of people who leave church. They didn’t leave because they were dissatisfied; they left because of a life transition. We’ve kept in touch with our military friends through emails and texts, phone calls and summer visits, Christmas cards and social media.

Without meaning to, we’ve become sort of social scientists with a whole population to observe. We’ve watched what happens to people when they leave their church and their church rhythms get disrupted.

CHANGE: THE NEW NORMAL

I share these observations now because church life has been disrupted for all of us. No, I didn’t suddenly join the military, and you likely didn’t either. But we’re all in a life transition now because of COVID-19. It’s as if we all suddenly received orders causing us to expedite our change of station without warning. Thanks to a pandemic, our church rhythms and attendance are going on six months of transition, with no end in sight.

The informal data my husband and I have collected tells me some will handle this disruption measurably better than others. This massive transition will either lead to better or worse outcomes for every Christian. I’m mining the anecdotes we’ve collected, along with new research from Barna, to find the key to making it through COVID-19 as a Christian.

How can you and I come out on the other side of this pandemic with an in-tact, even robust, faith in Jesus Christ our Lord?

The bottom line, hard-to-believe truth is that the path to thriving faith on the other side of any transition—including this pandemic—is plain, but many won’t take it. My observations from over two decades, combined with real sociological data, are surprising.

THREE SURPRISING TRUTHS ABOUT FAITH DURING A TRANSITION

1. The strength of our spiritual disciplines before a transition will not carry our faith after.

Spiritual disciplines like personal Bible study and prayer, gathering with our churches for corporate worship, attending small groups, giving generously, fasting, and serving missionally are all key ingredients to a thriving faith. And while they are a down payment on a strong future faith, they are not a guarantee. These habits are truly life-giving, but we have to regularly invest in them before, during, and after a transition.

We can’t look back on our strong faith of yesterday and hope that it delivers today. Even the most mature believers fall when their inner spiritual lives are not routinely nourished. We have known faithful church members, elders, and worship pastors who, after a transition, not only left the church but also left their families and their faith. Whether it’s a global military move or a global sickness, our high hopes and good intentions for the future will not be enough to carry us through.

2. The isolation of transition is deadly.

When we leave our church families, we leave the strength of like-minded believers who also walk by faith and live counterculturally. We leave the strength of being known, the strength of rhythms and disciplines and community that carried us through good times and bad.

To use an appropriate military analogy, a transition leaves us vulnerable and exposed to enemy fire. If we don’t hustle for immediate cover, we will surely be taken out.

The apostle Peter says we are “sojourners and exiles” and we must “abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul” (2 Pet. 2:11). Both our flesh and the world wage war against us. It is not only unsafe to journey alone as a follower of Jesus; it’s a death wish. Whether it’s a major move or COVID, prolonged isolation means certain death.

3. The strength of our commitment to our current faith family will determine the strength of our current faith.

If you and I want strong faith, we must have a strong commitment to our local church. It’s just that simple. Here’s what’s so surprising: in decades of watching people leave our military church and transition elsewhere, those with strong faith years down the road weren’t necessarily our church leaders or attendees who showed up to every mid-week event.

They weren’t necessarily our members who gave super generously or those with massive Christian libraries. They weren’t necessarily our attendees who scrubbed the church toilets or those who witnessed to their neighbors.

While those attributes are often present in the lives of those who persevere in the faith, they are not the common denominator in those who persevere in the faith. It’s shocking, but we have grieved the elder who cheated on his wife, the mission trip leader whose tender faith gave way to mean-spirited legalism, the woman who led middle school girls’ small groups and is now married to another woman, and so many more.

These friends had great faith—or so it seemed. It really did. Their lives bore fruit. God used them. And I don’t presume now to know if they still have faith. My fervent prayer is that they will wake up one day in their far-off country like the prodigal son and come running back to the Father (Luke 15:11–32).

The common denominator we have observed in persevering saints is their strong commitment to their current faith family. They were strongly committed to ours first, and then when they landed on distant shores, they quickly found a new local church and became strongly committed there. They dove in with both feet and pressed on in their race toward Jesus.

It’s true that God’s ways are not our ways (Isa. 55:8–9). And it’s true that the Spirit blows where he pleases (John 3:8), so we are often unable to discern what God is doing. I don’t want to overstate the case or presume to know exactly how God moves amongst his people. But what I can say, without hesitation and with a pleading in my heart for my brothers and sisters in Jesus, is that a strong common denominator amongst Christians who persevere in the faith is their commitment to the local church.

This isn’t meant to be an equation to obey or a new kind of legalism to produce desired outcomes. This is simply observed, proverbial truth and a call to Christians everywhere to dig in now, more than ever, to your local faith family for your own good.

CURRENT RESEARCH BEARS THIS OUT

These decades-long observations are confirmed by recent research. A Barna study conducted in late April through early May 2020 (about six to eight weeks into the pandemic and lockdown) reveals that local church attendance, either online or in-person, is way down:

Only 35 percent of Christians in the United States who faithfully attended church prior to the lockdown are still and only attending their pre-COVID-19 church.
Thirty-two percent of practicing Christians have stopped attending church altogether.
Exactly 50 percent of practicing Christian Millennials say they have not attended church in the past four weeks. Thirty-five percent of Gen Xers and 26 percent of Boomers also say they have not attended church in the past four weeks.

The Barna respondents who stopped attending church, either online or in-person, during COVID-19 also reveal they have higher rates of the following conditions than those who have continued attending:

Feel more anxious about life (87 percent vs. 76 percent).
Feel more bored all of the time (17 percent vs. 6 percent).
Feel more insecure at least some of each day (11 percent vs. 7 percent).

In the midst of this global transition, many in the church—one-third of American Christians—have left their local church fellowship. And it shows. As our fellowship, either online or in-person, has waned, so has our mental and emotional health and well-being.

IT’S NOT GOOD TO BE ALONE

We suffer in isolation because we are not meant to be alone. We were created for community. When Adam was alone, God said it wasn’t good and he made Eve (Gen. 2:18). The wisdom of Solomon tells us that two are better than one for our own productivity, safety, and thriving (Eccl. 4:9–12). We see breathtaking beauty in the early church who “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. . . . And [having] all things in common (Acts 2:42–47). Quarantines or not, we need each other.

Because of COVID-19, fellowship in 2020 (and well into 2021 and for who-knows how much longer) must be creative. Depending on each believer’s location it might have to be totally online, or it might be in small groups that meet outdoors, or it might look much like it always has. Regardless of the specifics, fellowship is not optional for the Christian.

I know Zoom and Facebook Live and all the platforms are hard. There is no disputing that well-known fact. Online connection is not ideal. But texting church friends, Facetiming small group members, and attending church together online is fellowship. It is something. It is of value. And this year, it’s the stuff of life.

Brothers and sisters, we are foolish to think we don’t need one another. We are short-sighted if we think we can take a break from our local church bodies, spiritually survive this pandemic, and reconvene with God and each other when everything is better. Life experience and sociological research reflect God’s kindness in admonishing us to not neglect meeting together (Heb. 10:25).

THE BOTTOM LINE

The path to thriving faith on the other side of any transition—whether a military move or a pandemic—is a fierce commitment to your local church. That’s it. That’s the very simple, very plain Christian hack for this moment in history.

We need each other. Our lives depend on it. Let’s be creative and committed and get through this together.

If You Understand Inflation You Can Protect Your Church

By

Rich Birch

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May 25, 2022

We find ourselves leading in an environment of increasing inflation. Although in the local church world, we may not see its impact right away, it is going to affect your church and mine. Does your church leadership understand inflation? Just when you thought the word “unprecedented” couldn’t possibly be used any more, we continue to climb into levels of inflation that haven’t been seen in over four decades.

In fact, the last time we saw inflation this high, the world was a completely different place.

Bread had soared to the cost of 50 cents a loaf.
Late-night TV was ruled by Johnny Carson.
A newfangled invention called the modem was just released for personal computers (which had barely taken off).
Ted Turner had just launched a TV station that broadcasted news 24 hours a day called the Cable News Network (“that’ll never work!”).

Small business owners in your church are no doubt trying to puzzle out how to increase the fees that they charge for the services or goods they provide to combat inflation as it continues to rise. In a recent study by the US Labor Department, inflation had peaked at 7%, which is something that you and I need to take note of as leaders in this environment. [ref]

Understand Inflation and the Difference It Makes

Put most simply, inflation erodes an entire country’s spending power. As inflation continues to rise, the cost of goods continues to increase, and salaries try to match those levels. The entire country has a more and more difficult time purchasing goods with existing resources.

This was one of those financial earmarks that we were watching carefully at the end of 2021. In fact, most economists were advising waiting while we got through the Christmas season to see what would happen in the new year. But alas, inflation is continuing to rise. Our churches need to think carefully about how we react to this as we plan for our ministry for the rest of this year and beyond.

Here are a few articles to dig deeper into in order to understand inflation:

Investment Executive: Fed to signal rate hike as it launches risky inflation fight.
The Washington Post: Prices are rising all over the world, and leaders see no quick fix
The Wall Street Journal: Inflation, Supply Chain, Omicron Expected to Take a Bigger Toll on Global Growth

This article really isn’t financial advice for your church. I would suggest that you need to secure solid financial advice from trusted individuals as you think about how to position your church financially for the future. What I want to talk about here is a series of things that we can do as leaders to understand inflation and help guard our churches from the impact of inflation in the coming year. You may hear such financial advice from your advisors as:

Borrow now with interest rates at an all-time low. These are bound to go up, and now’s a good time to lock in rates.
Refinance your mortgage. If you’re carrying any long-term debt, now might be a perfect time to either pay some of it off with the cash you have on hand or refinance for the future.
Plan for a 25% wage increase. Although your wages are not likely to jump that high, it is a good to consider what would happen if the cost of your staffing were to jump by 25% overnight.
Lock in long-term pricing. Now would be a good time to renegotiate every contract that you have to secure long-term pricing at today’s lower rates.

While this isn’t financial advice, the following leadership options could help your church as you deal with inflation in the coming weeks and months.

If You Understand Inflation Here are 4 Steps to Take NOW.

When we talk about a leadership hedge, we’re referring to a protective move that you could do as a leadership team now to ensure that your church is prepared to understand inflation in the coming year. It’s about positioning your team and community to weather the storm of increasing fees and costs of doing what we do over the next 18 to 24 months.

1. Proactive Fundraising Plan

At its very core, inflation is about increasing the cost of services. The cost of “doing business” is going to be higher a year from now.

If we don’t continue to increase the amount of revenue that is coming in per individual giver, we could be caught in this gap with the costs of “doing business” increasing without the same happening to the revenue from our church.

What would it take to see a 7%–15% increase in revenue this year on a per giver basis?

This considers the total number of givers as well as the revenue per individual giver. It could include actions such as an active appreciation plan, where you reach out and ensure that people are clear on how thankful you are for your giving, or a year-end campaign—oftentimes, churches see a significant bump of anywhere between 10% to 15% in the last 45 days of the year. It might even include a plan to convert occasional givers into regular givers. For example, we all know that converting people to online giving is key to the financial health of our organizations going forward.

2. Explore New & Novel Investing Strategies

Over the last two years is that many churches have increased their cash positions. As we went into the pandemic, we became more fiscally conservative and wanted to increase the total number of “weeks” of reserve funds that we had on hand in case of an emergency.

Many churches grew their cash on hand in a matter of weeks or months of an emergency stopgap. The problem with that is that the cash that we’re holding is slowly devaluing if it’s not returning at least 7% interest, which is not the case in a simple bank account. That cash is losing value, and unless we look carefully at how we’re investing it a year from now, the money that we’ve saved up over the last two years could be eroded significantly as the cost of what we do increases.

Beware of Misplaced Missional Energy

By

James Emery White

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May 25, 2022

Here’s a parable about myopic leadership and misplaced missional energy:

When the movie Skyfall released in 2012, it was the 23rd installment in the James Bond series that began 60 years ago in 1962 with Dr. No. Skyfall was heralded as the best Bond film in years and Daniel Craig the best Bond since Sean Connery. It is, without a doubt, a Bond-lover’s feast. From the revival of Q to Miss Moneypenny, throwback villains to Aston Martins, it deserved its critical acclaim and box office success. However, there are 24 mistakes in the film. I know this because somebody poured over the film multiple times and counted them. For example, when Bond drinks Macallan in M’s apartment and puts the bottle down, the label is facing away from the audience. A few scenes later, the label is facing toward the audience.

Of course, the 24 mistakes in Skyfall are nothing compared to the 395 found in Apocalypse Now nor the 310 found in The Wizard of Oz.

When I ran across the article on the 24 mistakes, I sat back and thought: Really? Who has the time to count such minuscule mistakes? Who has the kind of “life” or spirit that would want to?

Who looks at the larger-than-life story told through skillful acting, writing and cinematography in such a film – much less Academy Award winners such as Apocalypse Now and The Wizard of Oz – and walks away with tiny mistakes? Who wants to major on the minors?

Actually, I know. Most leaders do. They are the same kind of people who analyze any number of other people, places or things for mistakes. And I know at least one of the reasons why they do it, too. (We’ll bracket off personality for the moment.)

They have misplaced missional energy.

Missional Energy

When I speak of missional energy, I confess I have no verse to take you to, no great theological architect from history to cite, only decades of working with people as a leader. But I will tell you that I believe it is very real and must be considered. When I talk to other leaders, they believe it’s real, too. They may not use my language, but they know what I mean when I describe it.

Here’s the idea: It is as if there is a certain amount of missional energy within a person and, by extension, within a community of people. This energy can be turned inward or outward.

1. Missional energy turned Outward

If turned outward, toward authentic mission, the life of the community is relatively peaceful. There isn’t the time or energy to focus on minor disagreements or petty arguments, trivial mistakes or inconsequential missteps.

Within the life of a church that is turned outward, no one cares what color the carpet is, the fine points of another’s eschatology, or splitting a Sunday School class into two to make room for others.

Instead, Kingdom victories are celebrated by all, grace is extended to all, and minor mistakes are overlooked in all. Why? There are obviously far larger issues at hand.

2. Missional energy turned Inward

However, if that energy is not turned outward, the energy still exists. And when that energy is not spent on authentic mission, it turns inward, like a dog gnawing a sore on its leg. Pseudo-missions come to the surface, feigning an importance equal to authentic mission. Suddenly minuscule matters of order, trivial variants of biblical interpretation, and trifling questions about lifestyle all come rushing to the forefront with a sense of gravitas that is wickedly out of proportion.

Of course, misplaced missional energy isn’t limited to churches. You see it in schools, homeowner’s associations, sports leagues… anywhere people are gathered.

Yes, there are times to point out mistakes and errors, moral lapses and incongruities. This isn’t about turning a blind eye to incompetence. But let’s make sure the mistakes we’re pointing out are major ones, shall we? Ones that really matter?

And in the meantime, let’s focus on using our missional energy toward something more productive than finding 24 inconsequential mistakes in a 143-minute film. Like making a film or two yourself.

This article on missional energy originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Pastor Confesses Adultery During Sunday Worship Service; Survivor Unexpectedly Takes the Stage Describing It As Sexual Abuse

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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May 24, 2022

This past Sunday, pastor John B. Lowe II of New Life Christian Church and World Outreach in Warsaw, Indiana, confessed to his congregation that he was in an adulterous relationship 20 years ago. The pastor’s victim, Bobi Gephart, took the stage to give clarity to Lowe’s confession, claiming that it wasn’t an adulterous relationship, but rather sexual abuse. She was 16 years old when it started.

A viral video captured by someone who appears to be a family member shows what New Life Christian Church and World Outreach ‘s video feed didn’t after Lowe gave an invitation and prayed the “sinner’s prayer.”

The church’s website states that Lowe has been in full-time ministry for over 37 years and has mentored pastors, conducted faith conferences, and marriage and family conferences. His wife, Debbie, co-pastors the church and is an author.

“Marriage and family ministry are of high value to Pastor and his wife Debbie,” the church’s website says. “They desire to impart the truth that God is good His word is true, and it works in our lives.”

During Lowe’s confession, he told the congregation that he wouldn’t use the Bible to “defend, protect, or deflect” his past sin of adultery, adding that he had “no defense.”

“I sinned—I need to say that you deserve to hear it,” Lowe said.

Lowe addressed why he kept his sin silent for so many years, explaining that he thought he was protecting the person he had the relationship with from embarrassment. However, he admitted that he was merely protecting himself.

Over his years of ministry, the pastor administered church discipline on people who had sexual failures, in order to bring them to repentance, confession, and restoration. However, Lowe shared, “I myself have not been disciplined for sexual misconduct.”

“20 years ago, I repented,” Lowe told those who gathered for morning worship. “I asked God to forgive me for the deep wound that I have caused. I’ll make no excuse for my sin. The betrayal of dear friendship, trust, and love is beyond my ability to express.”

After stating that he knows his family has graciously forgiven him, Lowe shared that he was stepping aside from his ministry responsibilities and is submitting to the process and recommendations of the church’s board.

As Lowe stepped away from the center of the stage, Lowe’s victim, accompanied by her husband, unexpectedly made her way to the stage with a microphone in hand.

“If you love us, you’ll let us talk,” the husband told the startled congregation.

‘There Is Much Before Us to Consider’: Tom Ascol, Conservative Baptist Network Respond to Sexual Abuse Report

By

Dale Chamberlain

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May 24, 2022

Tom Ascol CBB — Left: Screengrab from YouTube; Right: image from Twitter.

Since the SBC’s Sexual Abuse Task Force made public Guidepost Solutions’ findings about the Executive Committee’s (EC) handling of sexual abuse allegations on Sunday, Christian leaders both inside and outside the denomination have been grappling with what the report revealed.

The report, which examined the EC with regard to sexual abuse over a 20-year span and summarized findings and recommendations in a 288-page document, revealed that the SBC has often prioritized legal risk management at the expense of survivor advocacy. This has included ignoring reports of sexual abuse, seeking to silence or minimize the voices of survivors and advocates, and resisting suggested reforms for protection and prevention.

Contained within the report were also shocking allegations against longtime pastor and former SBC president Johnny Hunt, who is believed to have sexually assaulted the wife of a younger pastor and mentee in 2010.

On Tuesday, one of the leading SBC presidential candidates, Tom Ascol, weighed in with his initial reflections.

“I was finally able to finish reading the SATF report & while I am still processing much that it contains—and will be for quite a while—in response to many requests I offer these initial thoughts & encourage other believers to join me in praying for God to be merciful,” Ascol said in a statement posted to Twitter Tuesday morning.

“I was grieved deeply as I read the report of the SBC Sex Abuse Task Force. Sex abuse is horrific and failure both to work for its prevention and to respond Christianly in the wake of it should cause Christians and churches to look to the Lord with godly sorrow and repentance,” Ascol continued. “Southern Baptists must recommit ourselves to uphold God’s standards of holiness and purity in all things, especially in caring for those who are most vulnerable among us.”

With regard to Guidepost Solutions’ recommendations for reform, Ascol said, “I also call on all Southern Baptists to join me in carefully studying the Task Force’s recommendations and their implications. There is much before us to consider, and we will need wisdom from above as we chart new paths of mercy and righteousness.”

“I am confident that our Lord will enable us to do so as we depend on Him for strength and recommit ourselves to seek honor of our crucified and risen Savior,” Ascol concluded.

Prior to the report’s release, Ascol had encouraged Southern Baptists not to fear what it contained, because “we have a Savior who already knows whatever is right and true in that report.”

In that video statement, Ascol also said that “if crimes are reported, then call the police and report those perpetrators of the crimes to the lawful authority that God has established in the state…If sins are reported, then call the churches where the guilty parties are members and call upon those churches to do what Christ has said regarding dealing with sin among the membership.”

The Conservative Baptist Network (CBN), which has expressed support for Ascol’s SBC presidential bid, also published a statement regarding the Guidepost Solutions report to Twitter on Monday evening.

Hiding Behind Issues of Polity, SBC Leaders Ignored, Silenced, Ostracized Sexual Abuse Victims for Years, Report Says

By

Dale Chamberlain

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May 24, 2022

guidepost solutions ec — Left: photo taken at 2021 annual meeting of the SBC (courtesy of Baptist Press); Right: front page of Guidepost Solution report (courtesy of SBC Sexual Abuse Taskforce)

The much anticipated Guidepost Solutions report investigating how the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Executive Committee (EC) has handled sexual abuse allegations was released on Sunday, revealing that over the course of two decades, the SBC systematically and consistently ignored, silenced, and at times even ostracized survivors of sexual abuse.

According to the 288-page report, a desire to mitigate legal risk, not protect victims and support survivors of sexual abuse, was the guiding principle behind the decision-making process when it came to addressing allegations of abuse, as well as the systemic inadequacies that allowed abuse to occur. The report further demonstrates that if prospective reforms and safeguards did not make sense from a risk management perspective, even if they were clearly the moral thing to do, they were met with staunch opposition from EC legal counsel.

The scope of the report was to investigate the EC staff with regard to “allegations of abuse, mishandling of abuse, mistreatment of victims, patterns of intimidation of victims or advocates, and resistance to sexual abuse reform initiatives” from January 1, 2000, to June 14, 2021.

During that time, the main justification for inaction toward and, at times, suppression of sexual abuse claims revolved around the SBC’s polity, which recognizes the autonomy of local churches that come together in friendly cooperation to form the Convention. As such, the EC maintained an ethic of disengagement, most often under the stern advice of legal counsel.

“From 1966 to 2021, the SBC has been advised in its legal affairs by external counsel [Jim] Guenther, and later GJP. The key attorneys handling SBC EC matters were Mr. Guenther and Mr. [Jaime] Jordan,” the report says. “They provided counsel on everything from estate grants to the SBC to general litigation support and responding to sexual abuse survivors.”

“Even as SBC Presidents changed and EC staff retired, Mr. Guenther and Mr. Jordan remained an institutional source of knowledge in terms of Baptist polity, risk management and counsel,” the report continues.

Later, the report remarks, “Although Mr. Guenther and Mr. Jordan acknowledged that they were not experts in sexual abuse or clergy abuse, that did not stop them from advising the SBC on how to answer inquiries or whether to respond at all.”

Also influential in the decision making process was D. August “Augie” Boto, who served the EC from 1995 to 2019 as vice president for convention policy, executive vice president, and general inside counsel.

“In his position as General Counsel, Mr. Boto guided the EC’s response to sexual abuse allegations, advising the various EC Presidents under whom he served – Dr. Morris Chapman, Dr. Frank Page, and Dr. Ronnie Floyd,” the report says.

During the investigation, Guidepost Solutions collected and reviewed documents and other evidentiary items, totaling five terabytes of data. That evidence included but was not limited to “court filings, sex offender records, social media postings, and news reports related to how certain sexual abuse allegations were addressed and handled by the EC.”

Guidepost also submitted a detailed document request to the EC and the EC’s outside legal counsel, Guenther, Jordan, and Price (GJP).

Furthermore, Guidepost conducted approximately 330 interviews with “EC staff, EC Trustees, other members of the SBC community, witnesses, and survivors.”

40 Years in the Making: A Timeline of the Southern Baptists’ Sexual Abuse Crisis

By

Adelle M Banks

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May 24, 2022

sexual abuse crisis — Participants of the "For Such a Time as This Rally" hold signs outside of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on June 12, 2018, on the first day of the two-day Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Dallas. The rally called for Southern Baptist clergy to receive training on how to treat women with respect, how to handle allegations of abuse, and how to minister to victims of abuse. Photo by Marc Ira Hooks/Baptist Press

(RNS) — The report on the Southern Baptist Convention‘s handling of sexual abuse, conducted by the independent review firm Guidepost Solutions, is unsparing in its criticism of the actions, and the inaction, displayed by the denomination’s leaders, members and critics over a two-decade period, from January 1, 2000, through June 14, 2021. But allegations and recommendations about how to respond to those allegations existed long before that period and in the years since.

Here’s a timeline of Southern Baptists and sexual abuse:

1980s

Darrell Gilyard, a protégé of former Southern Baptist Convention Presidents Paige Patterson and Jerry Vines, is fired from several churches after being accused of sexual abuse. He is eventually convicted of sex crimes against minors but returned to the pulpit. He is listed by Florida authorities as a registered sex offender.

2000

In a letter responding to a pastor seeking advice about preventing sexual abuse, SBC President Paige Patterson describes the benefits of holding a “lunch and one-hour awareness seminar” should the church later be pulled into litigation related to sexual abuse.

At the annual meeting, delegates known as “messengers” pass a resolution, “On Condemning the Trafficking of Women and Children for Sexual Purposes.” It reads in part, “We acknowledge our own fallenness and the need to prevent such appalling sins from happening within our own ranks. … (W)e encourage those religious bodies dealing with the tragedy of clergy abuse in their efforts to rid their ranks of predatory ministers.”

2002

After the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal erupted in Boston, Southern Baptists pass a resolution at their annual convention on “sexual integrity” of the clergy. It calls on ministers “to be above reproach morally” and urges churches “to discipline those guilty of any sexual abuse in obedience to Matthew 18:6-17 as well as to cooperate with civil authorities in the prosecution of those cases.”

2004

D. August “Augie” Boto becomes Executive Committee general counsel, advising SBC Presidents Morris Chapman, Frank Page and Ronnie Floyd in the committee’s responses to allegations of sexual abuse.

At the annual meeting, SBC President Jack Graham rules a motion recommending the creation of a child abuse study committee “out of order.”

A lawyer for Christa Brown, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse, sends a 25-page report about her experience of being abused at age 16 by a youth minister, who was later transferred to another SBC church. James Guenther, an SBC lawyer, responded by saying, “The Convention has no spiritual right to defrock a minister” and noted that the name of the person in question was not found in a list of SBC ministers. “We regret the pain Ms. Brown expresses,” he wrote. “We pray that Ms. Brown can find peace.”

2006

In September Brown and leaders of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests hold a media event outside Executive Committee offices in Nashville, Tennessee. Boto responds three days later opposing her “adversarial posture.”

In December, an Executive Committee staffer presents Boto with a memo “on the SNAP proposals and how they fit with SBC polity,” according to Guidepost’s report. Boto appeared to take no action. The same month Steve Gaines, who served as SBC president from 2016-2018, acknowledges he delayed acting on knowledge that a staffer of his prominent Memphis, Tennessee, church had previously sexually abused a child. “I realize now that I should have discussed it further with this minister and brought it to the attention of our church leadership immediately,” he said in a statement quoted in Baptist Press.

Christians Say They’re Seeking but Not Having Evangelistic Conversations

By

Aaron Earls

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May 24, 2022

Evangelistic Conversations — Photo via Unsplash.com @Juri Gianfrancesco

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.”

New Italian Catholic Church Head Faces Demands for Abuse Inquiry

By

Nicole Winfield

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May 24, 2022

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Tuesday named a bishop in his own image, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, as the new head of the Italian bishops conference, as the Italian Catholic Church comes under mounting pressure to confront its legacy of clerical sexual abuse with an independent inquiry.

Francis’ widely expected choice was announced during the second day of the spring meeting of the conference. Zuppi, 66, is currently the archbishop of Bologna and has long been affiliated with the Sant’Egidio Community, a Catholic charity particularly close to Francis.

The Italian Catholic Church is one of the few in western Europe that has not opened its archives to independent researchers to establish the scope of abuse and cover-up in recent decades. Whether by government mandate, parliamentary investigation or church initiation, such reports in Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France, for example, have shown systematic problems that allowed thousands of children to be abused by Catholic priests. The churches in Spain and Portugal have recently agreed to launch similar investigations.

But the Italian church has so far resisted demands from survivors and advocacy groups to follow suit, though conference officials have said they were awaiting the appointment of a new president this month before announcing anything.

Zuppi’s outgoing predecessor, Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, referred to the issue in general in his final speech Tuesday but made no commitments. “We intend to promote a better understanding of the phenomenon of abuse to evaluate and make measures of protection and prevention more efficient,” Bassetti said.

Zuppi generally receives positive marks from the progressive wing of the church, in particular from the LGBTQ community. He wrote the preface to the Italian edition of the book “Building Bridges,” by the American Jesuit, the Rev. James Martin, about the need for the church to reach out more to gay Catholics.

“We hope his nomination represents a true turning point for the church,” said a leader of the Italian LGBTQ community, Franco Grillini, on Instagram.

But Italian advocates for clergy abuse victims were less convinced he would commission a comprehensive, independent inquiry based on church archives. Current proposals in the conference have focused on a more limited, in-house inquiry.

“We reject in advance any hypothesis of work carried out with tools and resources internal to the church itself, which would not have the necessary characteristics of third party and would be non-credible, deficient and ultimately useless, if not harmful,” members of the #ItalyChurchToo movement wrote in an open letter to the conference leadership ahead of Zuppi’s appointment.

In recent days two new books have come out documenting the problem in the pope’s backyard, while a new national newspaper, Domani, has begun a regular series on “Violence in the Italian Church,” backed by a crowd-funding initiative.

The aim of the series “is to lift the veil of hypocrisy thanks to which the Italian Bishops Conference, aided by the wink-wink of the national media, manages to make people believe that the problem exists only in other countries,” Domani said in its crowd-funding appeal.

Key Leaders Named in Guidepost Report Respond

By

Scott Barkley

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May 24, 2022

NASHVILLE (BP) – The names of numerous Southern Baptist leaders appeared throughout the lengthy report made available May 22 by Guidepost Solutions on the subject of sexual abuse allegations and the SBC Executive Committee. Although at differing levels of involvement today, each factored into the investigation’s scope of Jan. 1, 2000, through June 14, 2021.

Below are the names of some key leaders mentioned as well as the context in which the report places them and their responses to the report. Full statements are below the story.

D. August “Augie” Boto. Served the EC from 1995-2019 as vice president for convention policy, executive vice president and general counsel. He also served for just over a year as interim EC president following the departure of Frank Page in 2018. Boto was prominent among senior EC staff members whose “main concern was avoiding any potential liability for the SBC,” the report said. Boto did not respond to BP’s request for a statement.

Roger “Sing” Oldham. EC vice president for convention communications and relations, 2007-2019. In a May 2019 email, Oldham told then-new EC President Ronnie Floyd that he had been sending regular updates for the “the past decade” to Boto of news reports of Baptist ministers arrested for sexual abuse. By August 2018, the list contained the names of 585 possible abusers.

“From time to time we considered whether hosting a web page with published news stories about ministers or church volunteers arrested for a variety of matters, including sexual misconduct, would be a helpful resource to assist churches in their hiring processes,” Oldham told BP.

A determination was eventually made that the National Sex Offender Registry through the Department of Justice was a better option, as it was “much more extensive than anything we could create, and was already posted on our website,” he said.

Jim Guenther. Legal counsel for the Executive Committee with Guenther, Jordan & Price. The firm announced the end of its 56-year professional relationship with the EC on Oct. 11, 2021, shortly after the EC voted to waive attorney-client privilege in the Guidepost investigation.

Guenther advised Boto and other EC leaders on matters the report deemed to be “in a manner that involved the mistreatment of survivors” and for them to avoid eliciting further details about reports of abuse in order to protect the EC’s liability. In 2007, he proposed a plan where the SBC website would link to a database listing those believed to have been engaged in sexual misconduct, but ultimately no action was taken.

While expressing appreciation for Guidepost’s efforts to cover 20 years in a single report, a statement from Guenther and Jaime Jorden of Guenther, Jordan and Price, PC said the document “contains misstatements of fact and quotations from us which are misleading because they are reported out of context.”

Specifically, the statement expressed sharp disagreement “with many of the characterizations in the report and its assignment of ill will and bad motives to men and women of the Executive Committee who struggled year after year with complex issues” as well as “the lack of understanding the report shows for the role and responsibility of legal counsel.”

Ronnie Floyd. Elected EC president and CEO in April 2019, stepped down effective Oct. 31, 2021. Floyd, longtime pastor of Cross Church in Springfield, Ark., was also elected SBC president in 2014 and 2015. Floyd maintained in a series of EC meetings last fall that waiving attorney-client privilege went against the group’s fiduciary duty and offered his resignation shortly after trustees voted for the waiver.

“People reading the report may not realize that I supported the independent investigation,” Floyd told Baptist Press in a statement. “I also hired Guidepost to do it even before the 2021 Convention.

“Our fiduciary duties also required due diligence to understand the implications of ‘waiving attorney-client privilege.’ This was never an effort to resist or obstruct the investigation, but responsible governance.

“… From the beginning of my term as executive committee president, I helped guide the Convention to establishing the credentials committee and leading the effort to pass the amendment to the SBC Constitution focused on sexual abuse. May God lead the 2022 Convention to take the appropriate actions including the implementation of reforms.”

Frank Page. After serving two terms as SBC president in 2006 and 2007, Page was appointed EC president in 2010. He resigned in March 2018 after a “morally inappropriate relationship” with a woman in a church where he was serving as interim pastor. BP attempted to contact Page for a comment without success.

Johnny Hunt. Elected as SBC president in 2008 and 2009, Hunt was the longtime pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga., before accepting a position with the North American Mission Board.

Pelosi Pushes Back on Archbishop Who Denies Her Communion

By

AP News

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May 24, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed back Tuesday on the decision by San Francisco’s conservative Catholic archbishop to deny her Communion over her support of abortion rights, saying she respects that people have opposing views but not when they impose them on others.

The California Democrat says she comes from a large family with many members who oppose abortion. “I respect people’s views about that. But I don’t respect us foisting it onto others.” Pelosi added, “Our archbishop has been vehemently against LGBTQ rights. In fact he led the way in an initiative on the ballot in California.”

Pelosi made her comments on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” In a letter last month to Pelosi, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone said he would refuse her Communion after she vowed to codify into law the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision establishing a constitutional right to abortion. That legislation passed the House but died last week in the Senate.

Pelosi said women and families need to know this is about more than abortion. “These same people are against contraception, family planning, in vitro fertilization. It’s a blanket thing and they use abortion as the front man for it.”

Cordileone has said he told Pelosi that she must either repudiate her support of abortion rights or stop speaking publicly about her Catholic faith. In a separate letter to church members, he said he had asked several times to meet with Pelosi but that her office didn’t respond or told him she was busy.

“After numerous attempts to speak with her to help her understand the grave evil she is perpetrating, the scandal she is causing, and the danger to her own soul she is risking, I have determined that the point has come in which I must make a public declaration that she is not to be admitted to Holy Communion,” Cordileone wrote.

Over the past year, Cordileone has been among the most outspoken U.S. bishops advocating that Communion be denied to President Joe Biden and other politicians who support abortion rights.

However, each bishop has authority in his own diocese on this matter, and the archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, has affirmed that Biden is welcome to receive the sacrament there.

This article originally appeared on APNews.com.

Hong Kong Catholic Cardinal Denies Charges Over Relief Fund

By

Zen Soo

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May 24, 2022

HONG KONG (AP) — Arrested former Hong Kong Catholic leader Cardinal Joseph Zen and five others denied charges on Tuesday that they failed to register a relief fund aimed at assisting protesters who faced legal costs during 2019 anti-government protests.

The six, who also include singer Denise Ho and former opposition lawmakers Margaret Ng and Cyd Ho, were arrested two weeks ago under a sweeping National Security Law on suspicion of collusion with foreign forces but were not charged at that time.

They appeared at Hong Kong’s West Kowloon court on Tuesday and were charged with failing to register the fund as an organization with police — an offense that could incur a fine of up to 10,000 Hong Kong dollars ($1,275).

Zen and the five others were trustees of the now-defunct 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which was set up in 2019 to assist protesters who required financial assistance with legal or medical costs.

It is unclear if authorities plan to charge them with additional national security offenses at a later date. Their trial is to begin Sept. 19 and take place over five days.

Cardinal Zen’s arrest was condemned internationally, with the Vatican saying that it was closely monitoring developments.

Police launched an investigation into the fund on national security grounds in September 2021. A month later, the fund said it would stop operating, citing the city’s deteriorating political environment.

In recent years, scores of pro-democracy activists have been arrested under the National Security Law imposed on the city by Beijing in 2020 following the protests, including veteran lawmaker Martin Lee and publisher Jimmy Lai. The law outlaws subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign collusion, and has been used to arrest over 150 people in the city.

Most of the city’s outspoken pro-democracy activists are either currently behind bars or have fled the city.

Pro-democracy news outlets such as Apple Daily and Stand News have been forced to close following national security investigations. Electoral laws have also been amended to ensure that only “patriots” are allowed to govern the city, effectively preventing pro-democracy supporters from taking office.

Separately on Tuesday, the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong said it will not hold Masses this year to mark the anniversary of a bloody military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, over concerns that such events could violate the National Security Law.

In past years, events Masses and candlelight vigils have been held in Hong Kong to mark the anniversary. Authorities have banned the annual candlelight vigil for the past two years, citing public health risks.

This article originally appeared here.

5 Leadership Quotes and Lessons From Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

By

Brian Dodd

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May 24, 2022

I attended the opening of Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. In short, there is just a lot going on in this movie. The following is a short synopsis:

Synopsis

A young girl name America Gomez, played by Xochitl Gomez, has the ability to travel from universe to universe. Scarlet Witch, played by the uber-talented Elizabeth Olsen, wishes to capture her and steal her powers. This would enable her to search the multiverse for her two sons first seen in the Disney+ series WandaVision.

Because this would create a convergence of universes and kill billions of people, Dr. Strange sets out to stop her. What ensues is basically Civil War Part 2.

At its core, this film is about the search for love and lasting happiness. More on this in the 5th point listed below.

The film has one useless GD, no hint of sexuality, but as Disney is doing more and more, one offensive scene. Bottom line—it’s worth two hours but I would put this in the Age Of Ultron category. It is an average movie but introduced a lot of characters who will be in future films.

The following are 5 Leadership Quotes and Lessons from Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness: ***BEWARE Spoilers Ahead***

Everyone Grieves Differently

Much like WandaVision, this movie is about Wanda Maximoff going through the grieving process. She lost the love of her life Vision in Infinity War followed by her two sons in WandaVision. Given an opportunity to have the boys back in her life, she would stop at nothing to do so. If this included taking the life of Gomez, so be it.

There Is A Difference Between Positional Leadership and Influence

Doctor Strange’s name is in the movie’s title but Scarlett Witch is the star of this movie. Wanda Maximoff is simply the most compelling character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not shown in the movie’s previews, Scarlet Witch is the film’s villain and she is outstanding.

The following are some of her best quotes:

“Every night, the same dream (being with her sons). Every day, the same nightmare (waking up alone).”
“You break the rules and become a hero. I do it and I become the enemy. That doesn’t seem fair.”
“I’m not a monster. I’m a mother.”
“I was meant to rule everything but I want children.”

They Don’t Build Monuments Of Committees

The best scene in the movie was Scarlet Witch’s battle with The Illuminati. While the audience loved the unveiling of these characters, Maximoff defeated the variants of Reed Richards, Captain America, Captain Marvel, and Black Bolt in a decisive and violent manner.

Redemption Is Available For Everyone

Doctor Strange is a flawed hero. Dr. Christine Palmer, Strange’s former love played by Rachel McAdams, told him, “You have to always be the one holding the knife. I could respect you for it but I could not love you for it.” Mordo said to Strange later on, “The greatest threat to our universe is you.” However, Strange proved himself trustworthy by the film’s end. He concluded, “Just because someone stumbles and loses their way doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.”

Should Churches Still Use Music From Hillsong?

By

James Emery White

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May 24, 2022

If you’re not familiar with the many scandals that have plagued Hillsong as of yet, I can only say, “Google it.” Just compiling a sequential set to tell the unfolding story would be a blog unto itself. Suffice it to say, one of the world’s largest and most influential network of churches has found itself drowning in sexual and financial misconduct, not to mention a culture within the church that both facilitated it and, when confronted, attempted to cover it up.

This leaves churches that both love and use Hillsong music in a dilemma: Should they keep using the music? At Meck, we’ve made our decision. But for many, it won’t be easy.

The music of Hillsong has filled our churches for decades, from “Shout to the Lord” in 1994 to the more recent “Oceans.” Currently, four of the 10 most popular worship songs come out of Hillsong: “The Goodness of God,” “What a Beautiful Name,” “Who You Say I Am,” and “King of Kings.”

There will be many who say that the sin of the leadership should have nothing to do with the power and efficacy of a song. There is truth to that, and historical precedent in the history of the Church.

Under the Roman emperor Diocletian, there was enormous persecution of the early Christian Church. It began in 303 and didn’t end until the conversion of Constantine. During that time, Christian books were burned and churches demolished. Those Christian leaders who turned their books over to be burned were labeled traditores, which is the basis for our word “traitor,” which literally means “those who handed over.”

Then came the dilemma: Once Christianity stopped being persecuted, did the traditores still have the right to function as ministers? Of particular interest were the sacraments. Did whatever grace and meaning involved in overseeing a sacrament depend on the person who did it or on the sacrament itself?

Two groups, with very different ideas, emerged. The first were the Donatists, named after their leader, Donatus. They felt that lapsed bishops were deprived of all ability to administer the sacraments or act as a minister of the Christian Church. They had left the church and could no longer administer the sacraments properly. To their thinking, anyone who was a traditor under persecution needed to be replaced by someone who had stayed faithful, regardless of whether repentance was evidenced.

The other view was taken by a group that came to be known as the Catholics (not to be confused with the formalized Catholic Church but rather “catholic” meaning “the church universal”). They felt like the person could, by their repentance, be restored to grace and continue in their role.

The two sides were at a stalemate until the towering figure of Augustine stepped in. He maintained that every Christian is a sinner, and that whatever holiness there is in the Church is not found in its members, but rather in Christ. He argued that the Donatists placed far too much emphasis on the human agent, instead of on Christ as the One who works through such things as the sacraments.

In the annals of Church history, Donatism was labeled a heresy, and it was maintained that the validity of the sacraments is independent of the merits of those who administer them. This did not mean that just anyone could administer the sacraments – they must stay within the confines and authority of the Church and in the hands of those ministers the Church authorizes – but the efficacy of the sacrament itself does not lie in those authorized hands.

But with the music of Hillsong, there is a very important difference: Every time a church uses one of their songs, financial remuneration goes to Hillsong. Not just the individual(s) who wrote the song, but also to the church itself. And when a person singing a Hillsong song at church goes out and downloads it, this again helps Hillsong financially.

When all matters of Hillsong debauchery began to break across many Hillsong churches, I had a “wait and see” mentality. Meaning, let’s see how the church leadership responds to it all, particularly the latest incident with the central leader, Brian Houston. Unfortunately, that response was to ask all Hillsong leaders to simply sign NDAs (non-disclosure agreements).

Water Into Wine Coloring Sheet: A Free Coloring Page Download

By

Daniel So

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May 23, 2022

A water into wine coloring sheet is a great addition to lessons about Jesus’ miracles. Sunday school kids will enjoy coloring the sheet at the end of class. Or you can send it as a take-home paper, and kids can share the story with their family.

Jesus performed his very first miracle at a wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11). Tell children Jesus did that miracle in response to a request from his mother. Describe how large the jugs were, and how the custom was to serve the best wine first.

During a lesson on Jesus’ miracle at Cana, talk about the impact of his actions. When Jesus turned water into wine, people knew that he was God’s Son. So then they praised and worshiped him! After that, Jesus performed many other miracles. He healed people (including children) and even raised them from the dead!

Water Into Wine Coloring Sheet

Download and print this cute coloring page. It tells the amazing story of Jesus’ first miracle. He amazed everyone by turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana. And it was the best wine at the entire celebration!

From Ministry to Children: “This free printable can serve as both a coloring page and sequence Bible story illustrations.”

The download page includes directions for downloading and tips for teaching.

Coloring sheets are incredibly versatile. You can include them in children’s worship bulletins. Or mail them to kids to invite them to come to Sunday school.

Get the Download Now

Resource provided by Ministry-to-children.com

Download Instructions: To download these resources, right-click on the appropriate link (e.g., “story page | PDF | jpeg” or “second page| PDF | jpeg”) and choose “Save As.”

We hope you and your children enjoy this water into wine coloring sheet. Print as many copies as you’d like. Pro Tip: Include your church’s contact information too!

Christians Need to Get Political, Say Eric Metaxas, Lauren Boebert, Sean Feucht at Hold the Line in Colorado Springs

By

Jessica Lea

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May 23, 2022

Worship leader and activist Sean Feucht brought his Hold the Line movement to Colorado Springs, Colorado, Friday, May 20. Eric Metaxas and Rep. Lauren Boebert spoke at the event, where one of the key messages was that Christians have a duty to God and their neighbors to take a bold, political stand for the truth.

“Everything hangs in the balance,” said Eric Metaxas during his speech. “Everyone in the world is looking to this country as what Lincoln called, ‘The last best hope on earth’…I am convinced that God has not taken his hand off this country.”

According to its website, Hold the Line “is a new movement focused on engaging with the church and young people across the country. Our mission is to Inform, Educate, and Inspire the next generation of leaders to take a stand for what is right. Our deeply held beliefs are falling out of line with the progressive agenda being forced upon America. It’s time to fight back!”

Sean Feucht is the founder of Hold the Line, as well as the Let Us Worship movement, which was initially a response to California governor Gavin Newsom banning singing in church in July 2020. Feucht has since held numerous Let Us Worship and Hold the Line events across the country.

Hold the Line Comes to a Snowy Colorado Springs

The Road @ Chapel Hills church hosted Friday’s event, which ran from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the midst of an incoming snowstorm. Over 500 people attended, according to the church’s communications director. A description for the event reads:

Throughout the day you will hear from our nation’s political and thought leaders about how, as a believer, you can constructively engage the media, government leaders and your fellow citizens in the great debates and conversations facing America. You’ll leave knowing what to do now to preserve liberty and set up future generations for success.

The Road’s Pastor Steve Holt welcomed attendees, and then Feucht led those present in singing some worship songs, noting that it is easy to get angry about what is happening in our country, so it is important to start with worship. After worship, Feucht gave a speech describing his activism over the past couple of years and laying out the vision and purpose for Hold the Line.

Among the work he highlighted, Feucht mentioned his campaign for California’s third congressional district, a run for office he announced in September 2019. While he failed to secure that seat, Feucht sees that experience as preparation for the political movements with which he is presently involved.

Feucht commended politicians he believes are “holding the line,” but exhorted the audience not to be complacent about taking action. He praised political candidate Doug Mastriano, who recently won the Republican nomination for governor in Pennsylvania’s primary. Feucht said he attended a watch party for Mastriano and was surprised to find the candidate’s primary focus was on worship.

Mastriano is controversial figure for reasons including that he challenged the results of the 2020 presidential election, appeared at a conference that promoted conspiracy theories, and was present at the January 6 Capitol riots—although he denies storming the Capitol building. He has been subpeonaed by a committee investigating those events.

Feucht also praised Florida governor Ron DeSantis, but called believers not to leave the work of the church to politicians. “It never works out well when we’re waiting for politicians to do what the church is called to do.”

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