Are you a Thinking Leader? Take this Quiz to Find Out

By

-

April 13, 2022

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

One of the greatest leaders who ever lived was the Old Testament character Nehemiah. He was what I call a thinking leader. God gave him a burden to rebuild the walls surrounding Jerusalem in around 400 B.C. Even though he faced incredible odds, criticism, discouragement within the people, the haves exploiting the have nots, hunger among the people, and threats of violence from his enemies, he prevailed. A deciding factor, apart from his faith in God, was his ability to think clearly in the midst of crisis and difficulty. I believe a deciding factor in a leader’s ability to lead is clear thinking as well. Nehemiah’s responses point to 6 statements every leader should consider about about how his or her thinking affects leadership.

From a brain standpoint, two parts of our brain often vie for attention and energy: our thinking part (the pre-frontal cortex, located right behind our forehead) and our emotional center (the limbic system, located deep in then brain). When our emotional centers control, clear thinking degrades. When our thinking centers control, we can dampen the emotional center’s power and lead more effectively. Here’s what we learn about Nehemiah’s thinking.

Lesson From Jeremiah, A Thinking Leader:

Before he left for Jerusalem, four months passed (Neh. 2.1). During that time he was thinking about the problem (Jerusalem was in shambles) and waiting for the right time to approach the king.
When he finally arrived, he waited three days before he surveyed the situation (Neh. 2.11). He was probably thinking about how to fine tune his immediate plan before he inspected the walls.
When his critics criticized him, he refused to get drawn into arguments with them. Rather, he immediately prayed and then kept moving forward with the task at hand, rebuilding the wall (Neh. 4.4)
When he discovered that some wealthy Jews were exploiting the poor Jews, he didn’t emotionally react although he was very angry. Rather, Nehemiah 5.7 said he, “pondered.”

Nehemiah had learned to submit the thinking part of his brain to God, which helped him lead most effectively.

Thinking Leader Quiz

Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to these statements in the THINKING LEADER QUIZ.

I often shoot from the hip without thinking, especially when I feel threatened by another’s actions or comments.
I easily let my emotions control my response (internal or verbal) when someone criticizes me.
Sometimes I can’t concentrate because I’m so angry about something that happened.
I tend to be a fire-aim rather than a ready-aim-fire leader.
I seldom pause long enough to think about what I am thinking about.
I seldom carve out time simply to think.

How did you do? If you answered yes to two or more statements, you’re probably not thinking as effectively as you should. As a result, you may not be leading at your best.

So, how can we become better thinkers? Consider this post on how to handle reactivity and this one on how our hormones can sometimes hijack our leadership.

This thinking leader quiz originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Youth Pastor: Escape Your Cocoon and Engage With the Culture

By

Youth Ministrycom

-

April 12, 2022

For years, I listened only to Christian music and watched only PG-13 films (as long as “Plugged In” approved of them). I played only E-rated video games (as long as no shooting at humans was involved). I prioritized preserving holiness and guarding hearts. And that was all good and fine. Holiness-preserving and heart-guarding aren’t bad things, no matter how we choose to engage in culture. But as a youth pastor, I was strangling opportunities to reach teens.

Years ago, I listened to a teenager excitedly talk about a new book. Everyone was reading it, even grownups. I approached Libby with a perfectly innocent, no-judgment-pending statement: “Are you sure that’s the best thing to fill your mind with? Isn’t it about witchcraft?”

Libby, equally innocuous and judgment-free, responded: “Have you read it? There’s actually some stuff in here that could point kids to God.”

Someone flicked a wand my way and commanded “Lumos!” And a light bulb went off. What if stuff in pop culture that lacks a Christian tagline still has Christ in it?

That weekend I read “Harry Potter” cover to cover. My next conversation with Libby was about a.) how much I loved the story, b.) how pretentiously awesome Hermoine is, and c.) the Christ themes we noticed throughout the book.

Soon after, I wrote a series for our small groups about using a Jesus-filter for pop culture. Kids told us their favorite songs, movies, TV shows, video games, and websites. Then we pulled information from each and discussed how to find (or not find) Jesus in them. (An excellent resource to help guide your program in this direction is Jesus-Centered Youth Ministry by Rick Lawrence.)

All these years later, those students still reference their Jesus-filters.

Consider Jesus’ Teaching Style

Teenagers began taking modern-day stories to a spiritual place. I saw them engage friends in conversations using real-life stories from everyday life. Honestly, it seemed as if we were watching Jesus throw down some parables. After all, he’s the master at taking modern-day (at the time) stories and making them eternally significant.

My students were engaging that filter. Taking music and messages their friends were familiar with, they flipped those into conversations about Jesus—pretty much like every story he ever told.

Almost two decades after that revelation, my instant and easy connection to culture—my own teenagers—have begun moving out of the house. But as a youth pastor, I’m as committed as ever to knowing what songs, books, and messages kids consume.

Rampant Abuse, Misconduct by Carl Lentz, Others at Hillsong NYC Alleged in New Report

By

Stephanie Martin

-

April 12, 2022

Another investigation of Hillsong Church has been leaked to the media, this time regarding its New York City branch, once led by Carl Lentz. The disgraced former pastor, fired in November 2020 for “moral failures,” wasn’t the only problem, according to the report. Commissioned by Hillsong’s global board and conducted by law firm Zukerman Gore Brandeis & Crossman, the report reveals a manipulative, abusive culture throughout the global megachurch’s East Coast branch.

On Monday, The Christian Post summarized details of the leaked 51-page report, noting that a Hillsong spokesperson confirmed its authenticity. When CP asked Australia-based Hillsong why it hadn’t made the results public, despite calls for transparency, the church said it wanted to protect people’s confidentiality. The spokesperson added, “Any unauthorized release of this type of information acts as a deterrent for individuals who wish to participate with any organization’s desire to uncover and address truth as the basis for change.”

Carl Lentz: ‘Lack of Oversight’ Was ‘Recipe for Trouble’

A key takeaway from the Hillsong NYC investigation is the claim that Carl Lentz’s poor leadership, combined with “insufficient supervision and accountability,” created “a recipe for trouble.” The Australian headquarters bears some blame, note investigators, for a “lack of oversight” of Lentz, who became the “final arbiter of what was proper behavior for everyone in New York, himself included.” Several interviewees recall Lentz saying, “Australia is dead to us.”

Another bombshell from the report: Numerous former Hillsong NYC staffers and volunteers allege that Lentz drove them to mental illness, including anxiety and panic disorders. They cite the former pastor’s manipulative, demanding leadership style—and claim that their complaints to global officials weren’t productive. The report also mentions that spiritual care was mishandled for a Hillsong NYC parishioner with an eating disorder, who died.

Finally, the report provides more details about sexual misconduct by Lentz and other Hillsong NYC leaders. Those include the circulation of explicit photos, requests for sexual favors, and numerous inappropriate relationships. A former housekeeper for the Lentz family describes incidents of indecent exposure by Carl, who denies the claims.

And the family’s former nanny, Leona Kimes, accuses Carl Lentz of “repeated sexual touching”—which Laura Lentz reportedly witnessed. In the report, Carl Lentz describes “manipulated intimacy” with Kimes, plus an “inappropriate relationship” with a woman he met in a Brooklyn deli.

Kimes tells Religion News Service she felt “trapped and silenced” by Carl Lentz’s unwanted sexual advances. According to the newly leaked report, the power imbalance between the pastor and nanny made it “unlikely that Leona was capable of achieving the distance necessary to exercise true choice.” Leona Kimes now pastors Hillsong Boston, along with her husband, Josh Kimes.

‘Enough Is Enough,’ Says Laura Lentz

The report, based on interviews with current and former Hillsong NYC staff members and volunteers, is limited, investigators admit, partly due to “the extensive assertion of failure of memory by certain witnesses.” Carl Lentz apparently told investigators he had been forthcoming about sexual misdeeds because he was receiving inpatient treatment “and was forming the habit of honestly expressing what had happened.” He also described being “a very good liar” who had previously covered up his behavior.

Pastors Sue AME Church Over Missing Retirement Funds

By

Mike Schneider

-

April 12, 2022

AME Church — Bishop Wilfred T. Messiah delivers an invocation during the opening worship service at the African Methodist Episcopal Church conference, July 6, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. Retired pastors have filed at least two federal lawsuits in recent weeks against the African Methodist Episcopal Church and several subsidiaries and financial firms the church used, claiming tens of millions of dollars from a pension fund were mismanaged and missing. (AP Photo/John Raoux, file)

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Pastors have filed at least three federal lawsuits in recent weeks against the African Methodist Episcopal Church along with several subsidiaries and financial firms the church used, alleging tens of millions of dollars from a pension fund were mismanaged and missing.

The retired and current pastors in Florida, Maryland and Virginia filed the lawsuits against the oldest historically Black denomination in the U.S. late last month. They are seeking class-action status on behalf of thousands of other AME pastors and church officials throughout the country who lost money through the pension fund.

The pastors, who were required to participate in the retirement plan, said they have been unable to get access to their money.

The lawsuit filed by the Florida pastor, the Rev. Charles Jackson in Orlando, alleges the church and its related financial institutions were negligent and breached their fiduciary responsibilities. Jackson is seeking a jury trial and punitive damages in the complaint filed in federal court in Tennessee.

“Many Class member — including Plaintiff Reverend Jackson — are retired and have suddenly learned that resources they relied on to support themselves, to depend on in times of bad health, and to simply enjoy during retirement, have been stolen from them by people they trusted,” the lawsuit said.

In their lawsuit filed in Virginia, the Revs. Derrell Wade and Reuben Boyd allege that between $80 million and $90 million was unaccounted for by either 2020 or 2021.

In his lawsuit, the Rev. Cedric Alexander of Bowie Maryland, said the then-chair of the church’s retirement fund invested money in undeveloped land in Florida and a now-defunct capital venture outfit, and gave a promissory note to an installer of solar panels. The lawsuit alleges violations of a federal law protecting employee retirement funds.

The church’s retirement fund chair “invested Plan assets in imprudent, extraordinarily risky investments that ultimately lost nearly $100 million of Plan participants’ retirement savings,” the Maryland lawsuit said.

In a statement Tuesday, the church said it was limited in what it could say because of the litigation but noted that it had resumed some distributions to fund participants starting last month.

“We appreciate our community’s concern and remain grateful for the patience of our clergy, staff and members as we continue to investigate this matter,” the statement said.

In a message posted to its website late last month, the church acknowledged that retirement fund participants “may have been the victim of a financial crime.”

After a new administrator of the church’s Department of Retirement Services took over last year, financial “irregularities” were uncovered in some retirement fund investments. The church has hired an outside legal firm and forensics experts to conduct an investigation, the statement said.

“The AME Church takes financial irregularities and disclosures seriously, and we are committed to the restoration of any impacted retirement funds,” the statement said. “We are also committed to making every fund participant whole by restoring their full investment plus interest.”

Attorney Greg Francis, who is representing Jackson, the Florida pastor, said he hoped the lawsuits will eventually be consolidated.

Jackson, 72, told The Associated Press in a phone interview that he feels betrayed.

“When you take advantage of my money, you lose my trust,” Jackson said. “You lose the trust of your employees.”

This article originally appeared here.

Baptists Gear for Decades-Long Trauma Care Response To Ukrainian Refugees

By

Diana Chandler

-

April 12, 2022

WARSAW, Poland (BP) – Years after Russia’s bombs stop exploding and loved ones are eulogized, displaced Ukrainian refugees may still need counseling and intervention to deal with the loss.

Southern Baptist churches, ministries and entities are already on the ground in Europe training churches and ministers in trauma-informed care, leaders told Baptist Press.

“Typically on average, we’ve heard it may take two to three generations to find some deeper levels of healing and restoration,” said Beth Perez, director of global education for Lifeline Children’s Services in Birmingham Ala., which has served orphans and families in Ukraine and Romania for nearly 20 years. “Doesn’t mean that there’s not hope in this generation in this moment. We want to definitely encourage and empower those walking through this now. They’re strong. They’re resilient. They have honor and dignity and respect in that, by all means.

“But we’ve just foreseen that they’re going to be challenges, especially if it goes unmet. If we’re not meeting those needs now, we’re not intervening for them, helping them process this trauma, there’s going to be some of those more long-term impacts for sure.”

In the midst of tragedy, Bowling Green, Ky., pastor Will Burnham sees the widespread displacement of millions of Ukrainians as an opportunity to grow God’s kingdom.

“It’s an Acts 8:1 moment where God’s distributing His people” Burnham told Baptist Press from Warsaw. “There’s probably 100,000 Ukrainian Believers that are being distributed now throughout Europe, and just what an opportunity it is to take the Gospel throughout Europe and make disciples and plant churches.

“We just want to be able to meet the Lord wherever He’s at work.”

Burnham, international catalyst and campus pastor of Living Hope Baptist Church, took an eight-member fact-finding team of ministers to Poland to find churches and others to partner with in trauma counseling, evangelism and discipleship for Ukrainian refugees.

“The main thing with trauma counseling is listening and letting people share what they’re comfortable sharing,” Burnham said. “And then, there’s a way to bridge that with a traumatic story from Scripture like Joseph (Jacob’s son) and show how God can use what is intended for evil for good. And bridge to being able to share the true hope through the Gospel.”

Living Hope is partnering with the International Mission Board and other churches, both in the U.S. and abroad, to train ministers in trauma care and counseling to help Ukrainian refugees wherever they settle, Burnham said.

Lifeline Children’s Services is also prepping to train Ukrainians, Romanians and other Europeans in trauma-informed care. The work will take the concerted commitment of several Gospel-centered and likeminded groups for an extended period, Perez said.

Among Lifeline’s partners are Southern Baptist Send Relief, the Regen Foundation, Heritage Ukraine and the Romania Without Orphans Alliance. Missionaries Madison and Yuriy Perekoity, currently stateside, will return to Europe beginning in late April to train churches and ministers in trauma care for refugees.

“This won’t be a ‘one-person-can-save-the-day’ mentality. This will be the church being the church and working together in unity, an ‘all hands on deck’ approach,” Perez said. “Research shows this could even be a multigenerational recovery. We’re looking at long-term. We don’t want to just come in in this moment. … Our heart is definitely going to be to walk alongside long-term.”

Rick Morton, Lifeline’s vice president of engagement, said bringing trauma informed care resources to families and churches ministering to children has long been part of Lifeline’s necessary work.

“We’re taking what we’ve learned in all the years of working in trauma and adapting some of those materials and some of that training,” Morton said, “and will begin to deploy that in Romania.”

Vulnerable to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, refugees typically have lost a sense of felt safety and can become vulnerable in looking for ways to cope, Perez said. Refugees can face lingering challenges that expose them to such ills as exploitation, substance abuse and spousal abuse.

“I would only imagine it would be a natural human response to turn towards anything you can to kind of decrease the stress, which ultimately increases the stress,” Perez said. “If we’re not pointing them to the true hope, the true healer, the true provider of their needs, it’s natural human instinct unfortunately to seek out those resources to help us try to calm down.

“Everyone’s more vulnerable and when people are more vulnerable, that’s when we see some exploitation happening,” she said. “I’ve already been reading some articles about how young girls at the borders, when they’re leaving Ukraine, some not great people are waiting for them, to take advantage.”

Burnham found opportunities to share the Gospel during his factfinding trip, receiving he said, “every response you would typically get in the States. Some are excited to hear it, some are reserved and some don’t want to listen.”

He implores Americans to learn to share the Gospel now, in order to be prepared when God allows them to meet refugees in need of Good News.

“Learn how to share the Gospel and make disciples in the States,” Burnham said, “so they’re ready to do it when God sends them somewhere else.”

This article originally appeared here.

Former Survivor Contestant, Megachurch Pastor, and Christian School Headmaster Charged With Cruelty to Juveniles

By

Jesse T. Jackson

-

April 12, 2022

Louisiana megachurch pastor, headmaster for Lakeside Christian Academy, and former Survivor contestant John Raymond was arrested on April 7,2022 and charged with three counts of cruelty to juveniles.

The Department of Children and Family Services issued a complaint about a potential child abuse situation at Lakeside Christian Academy to the Slidell Police Department regarding their headmaster and New Horizon Church’s senior pastor. Lakeside Christian Academy is a ministry of New Horizon Church.

The complaint stated that Raymond disciplined multiple students by taping their mouths shut because they wouldn’t stop talking in class.

Slidell Police Department stated that after conducting interviews with students, parents, and faculty from the school, they presented their “findings in a warrant” that was signed by a 22nd judicial judge on the morning of April 7, 2022.

The pastor willingly turned himself into the Slidell Police Department that same day, and he was charged with three counts of cruelty, which is “to cause unjustifiable pain or suffering to children under the age of 17.”

Three days after his arrest, Raymond posted a statement on Lakeside Christian Academy’s website. The headmaster shared a quote from his mother: “Truth out of context is a lie, and half-truths are worse than lies; but in the absence of the truth, people will believe anything.” He then shared his complete recollection of what happened that day.

Raymond, who lasted three days on CBS’ popular reality show Survivor: Thailand, explained that the incident in question took place on March 17, 2022. The school’s seventh grade teacher was so distraught that she wanted to quit because of students’ repeatedly disruptive behavior.

Having visited the seventh grade classroom multiple times throughout the school year, Raymond said that the disruptive behavior originated from a small group of students “who consistently showed complete disregard for the teacher’s authority.”

The teacher, who had been crying and was visibly shaken by latest incident, told Raymond the students’ excessive talking was such a disruption that she was unable to teach.

One student in that group was given a disciplinary write-up, wherein the teacher recounted the student telling her “I’m not going to let any teacher talk to me like that” after being told to quiet down. That student hasn’t returned to school since receiving the disciplinary write-up.

The incident involving the Cruelty to Juveniles charges happened after three of those students were sent to the office for repeatedly talking in class. “The principal told me that, as headmaster and disciplinarian, I had to do something about the students that were creating such a disturbance that the teacher was unable to teach,” Raymond said.

Raymond spoke to the teacher and took the students to an upstairs hallway, explaining to them that the school was “not going to tolerate this continued disruptive behavior for the rest of the school year.”

Lifeway Research: Pastors Report Struggling With Time Management, Over-Commitment

By

Aaron Earls

-

April 12, 2022

As pastors think about their greatest needs, some of those go beyond their ministries and are instead connected to their personal lives. Many pastors worry about their time management skills and how they can balance all the responsibilities they have at church and at home.

In their personal lives, half of U.S. Protestant pastors say they need to focus on time management, and more than half say avoiding over-commitment is a challenge for them, according to the latest release in the Greatest Needs of Pastors study from Lifeway Research.

“Pastors carry heavy burdens that include expectations of others as well as self-imposed demands,” said Ben Mandrell, president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, “There is a correlation between trusting in God—as explored in a previous release of the Greatest Needs of Pastors study—and ability to find work-life balance.”

Pastors’ Personal Lives

To determine the greatest needs facing U.S. Protestant pastors today, Lifeway Research interviewed 200 pastors who identified 44 issues they face in their roles. A thousand additional pastors were surveyed to determine which needs were most prevalent. All the unique needs were divided into seven categories: ministry difficulties, spiritual needs, mental challenges, personal life, self-care, people dynamics and areas of skill development.

Considering all these categories, 6% of pastors say their personal lives are currently the most challenging area for them or require the most attention. Six needs are classified as aspects of a pastor’s personal life.

The primary needs pastors face in their personal lives focus on how they handle their time and work. Half (51%) say time management is an aspect that needs attention or investment today, while 43% specifically point to developing a balance between work and home.

Fewer U.S. Protestant pastors say they need to devote additional attention directly to their children (29%), marriages (26%), caring for aging parents (23%) or financial stress (18%). Close to 1 in 6 (17%) say none of these are areas in need of specific investment.

“Pastors were not being asked if these areas of personal life matter. They were asked to indicate those areas that need additional focus today,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “Nowhere is it more likely than personal life, for a need to emerge for a pastor because they are giving attention elsewhere. There are only so many hours to split between work and home, and finding the right balance is important.”

Younger pastors, those between 18 and 44, are among those most likely to say they need to give attention to time management (58%) and their work/home balance (52%). They’re also among those most likely to say they need to invest specifically in their children (45%) and marriages (32%).

Pastors of more normative sized churches are among the most likely to say financial stress is an area of concern for them. Those leading churches of fewer than 50 (21%) and those with congregations of 50-99 (20%) are more likely than those at churches with attendance of 100-249 (14%) to say their personal financial situations require attention.

Awana Launches ‘Talk About’ Family Discipleship Resource

By

Timothy Cockes

-

April 12, 2022

NASHVILLE (BP) – Awana, the non-profit ministry focused on children’s discipleship, has announced the release of a new resource designed for biblically based family discipleship titled “Talk About.”

The resource is designed to assist parents with family devotions through a variety of means such as weekly Scripture conversation guides, shareable lesson plans and family activities charts.

For those who sign up, all resources are sent out every week on Thursday through email and on the website.

Shawna Murlin, content developer for the “Talk About” resource, told Baptist Press the resource’s name and foundation came out of Deuteronomy 6:6-7.

“Through this passage, Scripture is telling us that parents are to be talking about God’s Word non-stop, we’re supposed to be having conversations constantly with our children about God’s Word,” Murlin said. “Deuteronomy 6 gives us the why and how of children’s discipleship.”

She continued that the resource is designed to not only benefit children, but help equip parents as well.

“If parents know they’re supposed to be doing this, we thought ‘how do we equip the parent?,’” Murlin said.

“We wanted a resource that would help communicate a beautiful vision of family discipleship. Our main goal is that children know, love and serve Jesus, so the win is the family grows closer together and that family grows closer to God.”

Matt Markins, President and CEO of Awana, echoed the sentiment that the backbone of family discipleship is relational communication.

“We’re being commanded from the Scriptures to talk to our kids, and it’s clear that parents who are disciple-making parents talk to their children,” Markins said.

“If a basic foundation to an intimate relationship with their children is dialogue, then talk related to Christianity should not be a second language, but a heart language for families.”

Markins said he hopes this resource can assist local churches, including many Southern Baptist Churches that use Awana programming, with “becoming an equipping community that trains parents in discipleship.

World Council of Churches Faces Calls to Expel Russian Orthodox Church

By

Jack Jenkins

-

April 12, 2022

(RNS) — The World Council of Churches is under pressure to oust the Russian Orthodox Church from its ranks, with detractors arguing the church’s leader, Patriarch Kirill, invalidated its membership by backing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and involving the church in the global political machinations of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The debate garnered a response on Monday (April 11) from the Rev. Ioan Sauca, acting general secretary of the WCC, which claims 352 member churches representing roughly 580 million Christians around the world.

Sauca, a priest in the Romanian Orthodox Church who has visited Ukrainian refugees and publicly criticized Kirill’s response to the invasion, pushed back on the suggestion of expelling the ROC, arguing doing so would deviate from the WCC’s historic mission to enhance ecumenical dialogue.

“It is easy to exclude, excommunicate, demonize; but we are called as WCC to use a free and safe platform of encounter and dialogue, to meet and listen to one another even if and when we disagree,” Sauca said in a lengthy series of statements posted to the WCC website.

“This has always been the WCC, and I would suffer greatly if during my time this vocation will be lost and the nature of the WCC changes.”

But Sauca may be facing increasing headwinds as the WCC, a global Christian ecumenical group founded in 1948 in the aftermath of World War II, prepares for a major meeting of its central committee in June. With the war continuing to rage in Ukraine, where Russian forces have been accused of committing war crimes against civilians, a growing chorus of Christian voices is questioning whether the WCC should cut ties with what is seen as a complicit ROC.

In late March, Czech theologian, pastor and ecumenical leader Pavel Cerný published an editorial insisting the ROC has long sought to use the WCC for its own purposes. In the wake of Kirill’s support for the Ukraine invasion, Cerný said that “the ROC should not be permitted to continue as a WCC member until it turns away from this false path of religious nationalism.”

Two days later, the Rev. Rob Schenck, an evangelical Christian and president of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute in Washington, D.C., published his own editorial at Religion News Service calling on the WCC to sanction Kirill and referring to him as “a propaganda tool for Putin.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill applaud during the unveiling ceremony of a monument to Vladimir the Great on the National Unity Day outside the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Nov. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

“Supporters of the effort to oust Kirill from the WCC believe he has disqualified the ecclesial entity he embodies by effectively endorsing Putin’s military campaign to annex Ukraine and failing to oppose the attendant mass violence against a peaceful nation,” Schenck wrote. “Not only does Putin’s bloody and mostly Christian-on-Christian conflict subvert the WCC’s mission statement, but it stands in stark contradiction to and rejection of Jesus’ high priestly prayer to his heavenly Father, ‘that they may be one as we are one’ (John 17:11b).”

Schenck was echoed shortly thereafter by former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, onetime head of the Anglican Communion, who told the BBC there is a “strong case” for removing the Russian church from the WCC.

“When a church is actively supporting a war of aggression, failing to condemn nakedly obvious breaches in any kind of ethical conduct in wartime, then other churches do have the right to raise the question and challenge the church and to say, ‘Unless you can say … something recognizably Christian about this, we have to look again at your membership,’” Williams said.

The pushback is part of a broader wave of criticism directed at Kirill, who has long aided Putin’s political ambitions and laid the spiritual groundwork to justify the Russian invasion of Ukraine. His rhetoric since the invasion began — such as referring to Russia’s enemies in Ukraine as “evil forces” and suggesting the war is part of a larger “metaphysical” battle against the West and “gay parades” — stoked outrage among religious leaders the world over, including Sauca himself.

Website Priorities – Lead With What’s Important!

By

Yvon Prehn

-

April 12, 2022

Today every church has a website, which gives its church tremendous potential to reach its community and world for Jesus. However, few church websites accomplish all that their churches wish they did. Because of that, churches sometimes jump from one software system to another hoping that THIS time the church website will be all they want it to be. While websites give churches tremendous potential to reach the community and world for Jesus, few accomplish all they should.What content should be on your church website? Website priorities make a huge difference.

Website Priorities

#1 What system you use to create it

There is an abundance of systems and software you can use to create a church website, and it really doesn’t matter which one you use. Nearly any system can create an extraordinary site that represents your church well and that touches, and changes lives for Jesus.

Every few months it seems, some new system comes up with great advertising fanfare that this is the system that will revolutionize your church and have people flocking to the website.

Probably not. A church may work intensely on a new system for a few months, but after a time, no matter how flashy or new the system, if it is not continuously updated and/or the people tasked with doing it look at the website as the last task in communication importance, it doesn’t matter what system you use.

However, no matter what the system, if the person working on it cares passionately about reaching their community for Jesus and the importance of keeping the site updated, it will be a successful site.

#2 Website priorities: How it looks isn’t so important

Many people would not agree with that, and though we certainly don’t want to intentionally create an ugly-looking site, any system advertised today will create a good-looking site.

Small Group Invitation Template: 6 Simple Steps You Can Follow

By

Hoboken Grace

-

April 12, 2022

More than half of the guys in John’s dinner group didn’t join by signing up online, as some people do. They’re guys he simply met and invited. (In some cases, it took a few tries.) “They’ll joke around, like, oh yeah, this guy tried to get me for six months before I finally joined a group,” John says. But even when it’s a joke, there’s also some truth to that. After leading a dinner group for more than five years, John’s found that a personal invite is more effective than expecting people to sign up online. For someone who’s new to dinner groups, the idea of registering online is easy to put off—or to forget about completely. And more importantly, a personal invite can be much less intimidating. “A lot of times, people don’t feel comfortable signing up—they don’t know who they’re going to meet, and just having the ability to know a face before you go in can be really beneficial,” he says. For someone like John—an extrovert who jokes that persistence is one of his gifts—inviting someone to dinner group comes naturally. But even if you don’t share those traits, having a small group invitation template can be a big help.

Small Group Invitation Template: 6 Simple Steps

1). Strike Up a Conversation

“A lot of times you see people sitting by themselves at church, or who don’t seem to know as many people,” says John. “You can see it in their face, or they’re not talking to anyone.”

John says instead of asking that person if they’re new, simply introduce yourself and get to know them.

“I always think that’s the best step,” he says. “Getting to know them, asking them where they’re from, how long they’ve been going to Hoboken Grace, and then casually asking, ‘Are you in a dinner group?’”

2). Extend an Invite

When John first meets people, he often mentions that he leads a dinner group, and how beneficial that community has been in his own life. It’s a great way to meet people, he says.

Oftentimes, he’ll invite people to check out his group. But he also tells them there are groups that meet nearly every day of the week. It’s a way to let someone know they’re invited, but also gives them the opportunity to explore any group they want.

When someone expresses interest in your group, get their number, John says. That way you can follow up with a text—which people are typically more responsive to than email.

3). Don’t Be Afraid to Try Again

Don’t be discouraged if someone turns down your invite, John says.

“What I try to do is engage them every time I see them—just say hi to them. I don’t try to push dinner groups, but maybe I’ll ask them about it a couple weeks later.”

Ministry Name Ideas: 3 Strategic Considerations for Church Leaders

By

Eric Geiger

-

April 11, 2022

At some point, most church leaders must choose a ministry name. For many churches, the naming process is haphazard. And the resulting mess of ministry name ideas only confirms the incoherence.

To approach the naming process with greater purpose, consider these tips:

Ministry Name Ideas: 3 Steps to Keep in Mind

1. Determine your approach.

Organizational theorists distinguish between a “house of brands” and a “branded house.” A house of brands doesn’t lead with an overarching brand. Rather, it stewards a plethora of brands. For example, Procter and Gamble (house of brands) manages brands from Pampers to Pantene. Meanwhile, Virgin (branded house) leads with an overarching brand of unconventionality. And it offers a plethora of Virgin lifestyle and travel products.

Multiple-campus church examples include LifeChurch and Northpoint ministries. LifeChurch, a branded house, leads with the overarching brand. But Northpoint leads with names more connected to local communities (Buckhead, Gwinnett).

How This Applies to Your Church

First, determine where you fall on the spectrum. Each approach has strengths. A branded house leverages all impressions and interactions in the same direction. A house of brands lets you steward ministries with different purposes for different groups.

When I pastored a local church, I leaned toward the branded house approach. So I leveraged everything in the same direction. I struggled with the confusing nature of ministry names galore.

Now as LifeWay VP, I appreciate the house of brands approach. My division offers churches multiple “brands.” For example, we build different Bible study lines on unique approaches. The Gospel Project is very different from Explore the Bible and Bible Studies for Life. While each brand is rooted in Scripture, the brands meet different needs.

For a congregation, I recommend a house of brands approach only in certain cases. (a) You have a very simple ministry philosophy that abhors clutter. Too many names pull people in too many directions. Or (b) you’re launching a ministry that’s very different from current offerings and would benefit from distinction. Examples include a separate not-for-profit and a community counseling center.

How to Spread the Gospel: 21 Ways Teens Can Evangelize

By

Greg Stier

-

April 11, 2022

At Dare 2 Share, we call The Great Commission “The Cause.” We renamed it because Christian teenagers seem to have no idea what the biblical term means. Because teenagers are into causes, it seemed fitting to rename The Great Commission. The Cause makes telling others about Jesus more relevant for this generation. For teens, ideas for how to spread the Gospel are boundless!

Here are a bunch of evangelism ideas for teens and their families. Challenge the kids in your youth group to try one of these suggestions every week!

21 Teen-Focused Ideas for How to Spread the Gospel

1. Take someone to church with you. Go to lunch afterward and ask how they felt about the sermon. Then dive in!

2. Write someone a letter that gently segues to the Gospel. Ask them what they thought about the letter later.

3. Invite neighbors to your home Bible study. Then love them into the kingdom.

4. Give someone a Life in 6 Words book. Be sure to follow up with a conversation.

5. Give someone a Life Book. Again, remember to follow up with a conversation.

6. Initiate a conversation with people you sit next to on the bus, plane, etc.

7. When you pray before a meal in a restaurant, ask a waiter how you can pray for them. Also tip big and leave a Gospel tract.

8. Forward the Life in 6 Words video to a friend. Afterward, follow up by asking, “What did you think of the video?”

9. Get to know a barista. Ask how you can pray for them. When they have time to chat, tie in the Gospel message.

10. Go to a park. Engage other people in conversation and tie in where you attend church or youth group.

‘God Is in Control’: The Master’s Presence Calms Masters Champ Scottie Scheffler

By

Stephanie Martin

-

April 11, 2022

After donning his first green jacket—and winning his first major title—Sunday, golfer Scottie Scheffler spoke about the role faith plays in his sport and life. The 25-year-old, who won the 2022 Masters Sunday at Augusta National, admits to being “so stressed out” heading into the final day of play. He credits wife Meredith with reminding him that “God is in control, and the Lord is leading me. And if today is my time, then it’s my time.”

It definitely turned out to be Scheffler’s time. He kept the lead from Friday on, finishing three strokes ahead of runner-up Rory McIlroy. The Masters win is Scheffler’s fourth victory in the past six events, capping a whirlwind two-month stretch.

Scottie Scheffler: ‘My Identity Isn’t a Golf Score’

Scottie Scheffler, a University of Texas standout, says despite his lead going into Sunday, he “cried like a baby” that morning because “I just felt overwhelmed.” When he expressed doubts about his readiness for the biggest stage yet, Meredith told him, “Who are you to say that you’re not ready? Who am I to say that I know what’s best for my life?” The golfer concluded that even “if I shot 82 today…somehow I was going to use it for [God’s] glory.”

After receiving his green jacket, Scheffler thanked Meredith and his “great support system” for all their sacrifices. When asked how he handles pressure on tour, he said, “It all goes back to my faith. The reason why I play golf is that I’m trying to glorify God and all that he’s done in my life. So for me, my identity isn’t a golf score. Like Meredith told me this morning, if you win this golf tournament today, if you lose this golf tournament by 10 shots, if you never win another golf tournament again she goes, I’m still going to love you, you’re still going to be the same person.”

On Golf.com, Michael Bamberger writes, “It’s easy, when writing any sort of game story, to skip right over any mention of God on the part of the protagonists. … But when Scheffler talks about his faith it’s in the context of balance, and in this year of golfing madness and much noise his priority system is just refreshing. He doesn’t come off as a me-me-me person, or as a golfer looking for more and more and more.”

Scottie Scheffler Works With a Christian Caddy

Scheffler, whose $2.7 million Masters prize adds up to almost $9 million for his past six starts, also had to deal with media hype over the return of Tiger Woods. “We’re so glad to have him back out here,” Scheffler said of the golf legend.

Rick Warren Endorses Bart Barber for SBC President; Tom Buck Suggests Saddleback Should Be Disfellowshipped

By

Dale Chamberlain

-

April 11, 2022

Bart Barber Rick Warren — Left: Bart Barber (via Twitter); Right: Rick Warren (Pulso Cristiano from Buenos Aires, Argentina, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons).

Southern California author and megachurch pastor Rick Warren entered the conversation regarding who should become the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention over the weekend. What followed was an online conversation about whether Saddleback Church should be disfellowshipped from the SBC.

On Saturday, Warren retweeted a video posted by SBC presidential candidate Bart Barber, wherein Barber praised fellow candidate Tom Ascol’s character and faith and called on Southern Baptists to exhibit charity toward one another during the election process.

“Watch how a truly godly Christian leader @bartbarber refuses to retaliate when attacked,” Warren said. “Prideful, petty, applause-hungry posers use [disputable] matters to divide. #SBC needs a humble statesman like Bart, a wise & loving healer who unites us around #MISSIONS.”

Though Warren is a best-selling author and pastor and has been a beloved figure in many evangelical circles for decades, Warren’s SBC-affiliated Saddleback Church has been the center of some controversy in the SBC for ordaining three women on its staff to the role of pastor.

While the women’s pastoral responsibilities are to oversee children’s and youth ministries and they will not be preaching from Saddleback’s pulpit, Saddleback’s move to designate the women as “pastors” drew criticism from a number of SBC leaders, including Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Al Mohler, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary president Adam Greenway, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary president Jason Keith Allen, and then SBC president J.D. Greear.

In June of 2021, an SBC committee began considering whether Saddleback Church should be disaffiliated from the SBC for violating the denomination’s statement of faith, Baptist Faith & Message, which says in part, “While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”

After Warren gave his endorsement of Barber, Texas SBC pastor Tom Buck pressed Barber to advocate for Saddleback to be removed from the denomination.

“Since Rick Warren essentially endorses @bartbarber, I think this needs to be asked since Rick Warren’s church is in violation of Article VI of BFM 2000 by ordaining women,” Buck tweeted. “Bart, do you believe a church who ordains women should be disfellowshipped from the SBC?”

“It’s pretty amazing the parts of my timeline you guys know and the parts you have forgotten,” Barber replied. “Everyone who disagreed with me here knows what I believe on this question and has nonetheless endorsed me for SBC president.”

Ben Roethlisberger Is Trusting God’s Plan in the Wake of Former Teammate Dwayne Haskins Tragic Death

By

Jesse T. Jackson

-

April 11, 2022

dwayne-haskins-bigben — Dwayne Haskins screengrab via Twitter @steelers

24-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins was tragically killed on Saturday morning after being struck by a dump truck while attempting to walk across Interstate 595 near Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Haskins was the 15th overall pick by the Washington Commanders (formerly known as the Washington Redskins) in the 2019 draft. Haskins started 13 games for the Commanders and went 3-10 before parting ways with the franchise and signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021.

The young quarterback was in Florida training alongside fellow teammates. Haskins was competing for a starting position behind quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph after the retirement of the Steelers career-long quarterback and future hall of famer Ben Roethlisberger.

Haskins wasn’t shy about expressing his love for God, often sharing that God leads him. The Ohio State University football standout even exchanged scriptures before games with fellow Heisman candidate and former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

“I want to use my platform, use my place in this world right now as a way to benefit and inspire others, and give back to the community, and be someone that they look up to,” Haskins was quoted as saying in Decision m agazine. “That is something I feel like God would want for me to do.”

Roethlisberger tweeted a heartfelt message directed toward Haskins and his wife, Kalabrya.

“I only had the privilege to know D-Hask for a short time, but in that time I got to meet a young man that didn’t seem to ever have a bad day,” Roethlisberger wrote. “He came to work everyday with a smile on his face and energy and love in his heart. I really enjoyed his passion and love for the game and wanting to learn and be the best. His smile and zeal for life will be missed!”

The recently retired quarterback wished that he had more time with Haskins on this earth and shared that he will cherish the laughs and time they had together.

“I’ll say it again just like I told you face to face, I still wish I could throw the ball like you. Love you pal,” he said.

Roethlisberger expressed to Haskins wife that he and his family are praying for her, saying, “We don’t understand why God does what He does be we have to trust and believe His plan.”

U.S. Officials, Southern Baptist Leaders Denounce Russian ‘War Crimes’

By

Tom Strode

-

April 11, 2022

War Crimes — About 13 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance throughout Ukraine, according to U.N. estimates. Millions have fled their homes, and many of those who stayed have been victimized by Russian troops. IMB photo

WASHINGTON (BP) – President Biden and the U.S. House of Representatives are persuaded Russian President Vladimir Putin and his military have committed war crimes in Ukraine.

If those assessments prove correct, justice requires accountability for the perpetrators, a Southern Baptist ethics leader said.

The war crimes designations by United States officials intensified after photos recently came to light of hundreds of bodies of Ukrainian civilians who apparently had been executed by Russian soldiers prior to the troops’ withdrawal from Bucha, a town outside Kyiv. Though Russia denied the allegations, witnesses also reported torture and rapes by Russian troops, according to news reports.

Brent Leatherwood, acting president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), told Baptist Press, “Far too often, as wars are waged, innocent civilians are caught in the crossfire. This week, the world has been confronted with appalling images of the result of such a situation. More alarmingly, many of the photos suggest these civilians were purposefully targeted.

“If such an intentional violation of humanitarian laws occurred, it is the very definition of a war crime,” Leatherwood said in written comments. “The commanders, generals and leaders who called for such actions to be taken need to be held accountable. Justice demands it.”

While the gruesome images have increased calls for Putin and his troops to be prosecuted, the Russian president already had committed war crimes, Georgetown University Professor Paul Miller said.

Miller – a fellow with the ERLC’s Research Institute and a member of a Southern Baptist church in Northern Virginia – called “the reports of atrocities at Bucha sadly all too plausible. In the annals of war – especially including Russian military history – such things are horribly common.”

However, he finds “it odd that when we talk about war crimes, there is so much attention to a few individual acts of barbarism rather than to the overwhelmingly larger fact of the war itself,” Miller told BP in an email interview. “We should remember that ‘aggression’ is a war crime under international law. … In other words, of course Putin is a war criminal: He ordered the invasion of a sovereign state.”

Miller is professor of the practice of international affairs at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and formerly a member of the White House National Security Council.

Biden had already labeled Putin a war criminal before the world saw the images from Bucha, and he reiterated that declaration April 4. “[H]e is a war criminal,” Biden told reporters. “But we have to gather the information, … and we have to get all the detail” so there can be a trial.

Two days later, the White House announced another round of economic sanctions against Russia, including against Putin’s adult children.

The United States also worked with allies to produce a vote Thursday (April 7) in the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly that resulted in suspending Russia from the Human Rights Council.

Ancient Hebrew Language Fragment Uncovered Near Mt. Ebal

By

Timothy Cockes

-

April 11, 2022

MOUNT EBAL, Israel (BP) – Further evidence of ancient Hebrew language, in the form of a lead tablet with a written inscription, has been discovered near Mt. Ebal in Israel. The finding has been hailed as a major boon to the case for an older Old Testament, but a Southern Baptist seminary professor urges caution.

Mt. Ebal is mentioned in Deuteronomy 27 and Joshua 8, where it describes Joshua building an altar to the Lord.

The inscription on the tablet, which measures only a few centimeters in length and height, has reportedly been translated into English as:

Cursed, cursed, cursed – cursed by the God YHW.

You will die cursed.

Cursed you will surely die.

Cursed by YHW – cursed, cursed, cursed.

According to media reports, the tablet with the inscription was originally found in 2019 by a team from the Associates for Biblical Research (ABR) led by archaeologist Scott Stripling.

Stripling is the Director of the Archaeological Studies Institute at The Bible Seminary in Katy, Texas. He led the team from ABR to Israel in order to examine materials excavated by archaeologist Adam Zertal near Mt. Ebal during the 1980s.

Stripling reportedly found the artifact in a location that Zertal identified as the altar Joshua created in Joshua chapter 8.

In a press release March 24, Stripling and ABR announced the discovery and translation of the tablet, as well as dating estimation for the artifact.

ABR determined the tablet could be the oldest piece of known evidence of the name of God “Yahweh,” in the Hebrew language. The organization dates the article as potentially being from the late Bronze Age, around 1200 or even 1400 B.C.

If accurate, the artifact would be dated hundreds of years before the Dead Sea Scrolls, estimated to have been written around 200 B.C.

This conclusion would add evidence to an older dating of the Scriptures. Many biblical historians believe much of the Old Testament Scriptures were written shortly after the events took place, not hundreds of years later.

Reports say an academically peer-reviewed article for the discovery is in the works.

Jim Parker is professor of biblical Interpretation at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as the executive director of the Michael and Sara Moskau Institute of Archaeology at the seminary.

Parker praised the work of both Stripling and Gershon Galil of the University of Haifa (another archaeologist collaborating with Stripling on the project), but disagrees about the conclusion of some on the dating of the artifact.

Although Parker subscribes to the older dating of the Scriptures and believes the inscription is great evidence of the use of Hebrew language, he does not believe enough evidence currently exists to date the artifact in the late bronze age.

“We love any kind of find, particularly inscriptions, that can add to our knowledge base, and this find is very interesting,” Parker said. “If it turns out to be what it is thought to be, it would be a monumental find in archaeology for Israel, but I believe there is just more work to be done.

“The issue for this artifact is the context or provenance where it was found. It can be very difficult to do this sort of relative dating on an artifact like this because it was found in an area which had already been dug, so it can be hard to determine when the artifact was deposit or dropped in that location … there simply isn’t enough evidence in hand yet to accurately date an artifact like this.”

Despite the difference in opinion regarding the inscription’s dating, Parker said it remains an important extra-biblical artifact confirming narratives contained within Scripture and supporting the early Hebrew language that would become what is used in the Scriptures.

“The idea of something like this with cursing language being on Mount Ebal is exactly the type of language what you expect after you read Deuteronomy 27 and Joshua,” Parked said. “It is a direct link to these biblical passages, and the language would almost be contemporary to that time.”

Even some of the literary techniques evident in the inscription support common Hebrew language practices seen in Scripture.

A particular language technique Parker described as being clear in the inscription is a Chiasm or Chiastic language. This Hebrew literary technique is where words are repeated in a different order all working toward and coming out from the center of the lines of in the particular piece of text.

Examples of Chiastic language in Scripture can be found in Isaiah 2:3-5, Isaiah 6:7 and Isaiah 11:4.

Parker concluded by stating advances in technology and methodology used in archaeology will only serve to help find more evidence supporting the Scriptures in the future.

“It helps us find these smaller finds such as this one that was found,” he said. “Technology lets us see into things that we’ve never been able to before, and helps us simply understand things in a better way.”

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

3 Churches in Ukraine Contemplate Faith, Hope and Charity

By

Cara Anna

-

April 11, 2022

Easter Ukraine — A man lights a candle during a Sunday service in an Orthodox church in Bucha, in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

BORODYANKA, Ukraine (AP) — It’s almost Easter in Ukraine, where a trio of churches on the far edges of the capital considered faith, hope and charity on Sunday.

In Bucha, shocked into silence by atrocities that left bodies in the streets, about two dozen of the faithful gathered for the service while the exhumation of bodies continued from a mass grave in the churchyard.

In Makarov, a handful of members visited a badly damaged riverside church, at times moved to tears. Small golden crosses for rosaries lay scattered on the floor with the shattered glass.

And in Borodyanka, where Russian attacks ripped a blackened hole in a high-rise apartment building, volunteers and donations filled an almost untouched church a short walk away, while residents lined up at the door for food and other assistance. Many were elderly people who stayed behind while others fled.

On the day when Pope Francis called for an Easter truce in Ukraine to make way for a negotiated peace, church visitors invoked God in recalling their survival.

“Each person who was leaving, from any place, Makarov, Bucha, Hostomel or from Andriivka, the neighboring village which was destroyed to the ground; each one, even those who did not know the Lord’s Prayer, he was speaking to God with his own words,” said Alona Parkhomenko in Makarov, where the church exterior was speckled with bullet holes and the priest warned of falling glass.

The Russian retreat from the region surrounding Kyiv has enabled some of the millions of Ukrainians who fled over the border or to other parts of the country to return home. Some are finding their places of worship damaged or destroyed. Ukrainian authorities in late March said at least 59 spiritual sites including churches, mosques and synagogues had been hit.

In Makarov, the priest, Bogdan Lisechenko, said the church beside the river is in critical condition with spring rains looming. “Now we are taking out the icons, saving them because the water is coming,” he said. “For now, we will close the windows to prevent looting.”

For Easter, which in the Orthodox world is two weeks away, the priest said the blessing will be given in a church in another village that so far has escaped damage in the war.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This article originally appeared here.

Pope Francis Calls for an Easter Truce in Ukraine

By

AP News

-

April 11, 2022

Pope Francis Ukraine — Pope Francis celebrates Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 10, 2022. The Roman Catholic Church enters Holy Week, retracing the story of the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection three days later on Easter Sunday. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis opened Holy Week Sunday with a call for an Easter truce in Ukraine to make room for a negotiated peace, highlighting the need for leaders to “make some sacrifices for the good of the people.”

Celebrating Palm Sunday Mass before crowds in St. Peter’s Square for the first time since the pandemic, Pope Francis called for “weapons to be laid down to begin an Easter truce, not to reload weapons and resume fighting, no! A truce to reach peace through real negotiations.”

Francis did not refer directly to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the reference was clear, and he has repeatedly denounced the war and the suffering brought to innocent civilians.

During the traditional Sunday blessing following Palm Sunday Mass, the pontiff said leaders should be “willing to make some sacrifices for the good of the people.”

“In fact, what a victory would that be, who plants a flag under a pile of rubble?”

During his Palm Sunday homily, the pontiff denounced “the folly of war” that leads people to commit “senseless acts of cruelty.”

“When we resort to violence … we lose sight of why we are in the world and even end up committing senseless acts of cruelty. We see this in the folly of war, where Christ is crucified yet another time,” he said.

Francis lamented “the unjust death of husbands and sons” … “refugees fleeing bombs” … “young people deprived of a future” … and “soldiers sent to kill their brothers and sisters.”

After two years of celebrating Palm Sunday Mass inside St. Peter’s Basilica without a crowd due to pandemic distancing measures, the solemn celebration returned to the square outside. Tens of thousands pilgrims and tourists clutched olive branches and braided palms emblematic of the ceremony that recalls Jesus’ return to Jerusalem.

Traditionally, the pope leads a Palm Sunday procession through St. Peter’s Square before celebrating Mass. Francis has been suffering from a strained ligament in his right knee that has caused him to limp, and he was driven in a black car to the altar, which he then reached with the help of an aide. He left the Mass on the open-top popemobile, waving to the faithful in the piazza and along part of the via della Conciliazione.

Palm Sunday opens Holy Week leading up to Easter, which this year falls on April 17, and features the Good Friday Way of the Cross Procession.

This article originally appeared here.

Lesson From Jeremiah, A Thinking Leader:

Thinking Leader Quiz

Consider Jesus’ Teaching Style

Carl Lentz: ‘Lack of Oversight’ Was ‘Recipe for Trouble’

‘Enough Is Enough,’ Says Laura Lentz

Pastors’ Personal Lives

Website Priorities

#1 What system you use to create it

#2 Website priorities: How it looks isn’t so important

Small Group Invitation Template: 6 Simple Steps

1). Strike Up a Conversation

2). Extend an Invite

3). Don’t Be Afraid to Try Again

Ministry Name Ideas: 3 Steps to Keep in Mind

1. Determine your approach.

How This Applies to Your Church

21 Teen-Focused Ideas for How to Spread the Gospel

Scottie Scheffler: ‘My Identity Isn’t a Golf Score’

Scottie Scheffler Works With a Christian Caddy

New Articles

New Podcasts