United Methodist General Conference to Consider Split Is Still on…for Now

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November 23, 2021

united methodist meeting — Jessica LaGrone, a member of the Commission on a Way Forward, presents the Traditional Plan during the special session of the United Methodist Church General Conference in St. Louis on Feb. 24, 2019. RNS photo by Kit Doyle

(RNS) — Organizers of the United Methodist Church’s General Conference announced last week they are moving forward with plans for the meeting next fall … for now.

But, the Commission on the General Conference said Friday (Nov. 19), it hasn’t ruled out postponing the usually quadrennial meeting of the denomination’s global decision-making body yet again.

That would mark the third time the meeting has been postponed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic since it was originally scheduled for 2020, delaying yet again an expected vote on a proposal to split the denomination over disagreements on the full inclusion of its LGBTQ members.

At its online meeting last week, the commission adopted guidelines to help it decide during the first quarter of 2022 whether to hold the General Conference as currently scheduled or consider postponing it again.

That includes considering the health and safety of delegates, staff, volunteers and guests, as well as the inclusion of the broad diversity of the church amid travel restrictions and differing access to vaccines around the world.

“We wanted to have stated values that we will lift up as we make these important decisions,” Commission on the General Conference Chair Kim Simpson said in a written statement.

“For example, we feel it is important to go beyond the minimum requirement of quorum when thinking about the involvement of as many delegates as possible.”

The General Conference originally had been set for May 5 to May 15, 2020, in Minneapolis. That meeting was rescheduled for Aug. 29 to Sept. 7, 2021, when the Minneapolis Convention Center announced it was restricting events during the pandemic. It was rescheduled then again for Aug. 29 to Sept. 6, 2022, at the same venue.

Delegates to the General Conference are expected to take up a proposal to split the denomination, called “A Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation.” The proposal, negotiated by 16 United Methodist bishops and advocacy group leaders from across theological divides, would allow churches and conferences to leave to form new Methodist denominations, including a conservative “traditionalist” Methodist denomination that would receive $25 million over the next four years.

Calls to split one of the largest denominations in the United States have grown since the 2019 special session of the United Methodist General Conference approved the so-called Traditional Plan strengthening the church’s bans on the ordination and marriage of LGBTQ United Methodists.

This article originally appeared here.

Sing Anew This Christmas

By

WordGo

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November 23, 2021

Tis’ the season to be singing, hymns of joy, hymns of light, hymns of royal beauty bright, hymns of one most Holy Night! Thanks to the hymn writers, Christmas is never without a soundtrack—melodies rich with heritage sung across generations, in sanctuaries, on street corners, and in the quiet of firelit homes.

Christmas hymns have the power to proclaim the season’s arrival… but does their familiarity lull us into missing their notes of truths? This Christmas, can our hearts wake up to the words we sing?

To sing these songs anew together, let’s examine a few verses of this Christmas hymn, then ask three questions to respond…

Let’s Examine…

Let’s Ask…

1. What is this hymn about?

Think:

Who are the key players and what are they doing?
What details of conversation, declaration, or action seem important?

Notice facts from the hymn, then try recapping the verses:

– Angels, messengers from God’s presence, declare Jesus’ arrival.

– Shepherds faithfully at work receive Light’s news, God’s here!

– Believers today worship and wait for the Lord to come again.

– Sinners repent and receive freedom from guilt and death.

– Infant Jesus is King of all.

Witnesses of the Incarnation worship Christ as King and call us to worship!

Foundations of the Cell Church Movement

By

Joel Comiskey

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November 23, 2021

What is the core concept in the cell church? Community? Evangelism? Church growth? Steve Irvin and I debated this idea over dinner one night in my home. We batted around a few commonly held assumptions about the main theme of the cell church. Then I sprang on Steve a growing conviction of my own heart. “I believe that the essence of the cell church is preparing leaders who are sent out to reap the harvest. The cell church is a leadership strategy,” I told him.

As I’ve studied, practiced, and reflected on the cell church over the last few years, I’ve concluded that the cell church is all about developing and releasing leaders to reap the harvest. The perfect environment for leaders to begin and thrive is the cell group.

The Leader-Driven Church

Rick Warren’s best selling book The Purpose Driven Church provides important principles for the church at large. I’d like someone to write a book for the cell church called The Leadership Driven Church. Raising up a continual flow of healthy multiplying cell leaders is the heart of the cell church. Cells are leader breeders. Cells breed new leaders. If you catch the awesome power of raising up an army of leaders through the cell strategy, you’ll succeed.

One cell church will do better than another in producing and sustaining the leadership flow in their churches. Some transitioning cell churches start out well, but as soon as the already prepared saints are taken, their cell church begins to sink. Such churches fail to understand how to develop and supervise new leaders. It’s a leadership strategy.

Biblical principles of leadership in the cell church

Christ’s Choice of the Twelve

It’s surprising that Jesus did not choose key, prominent men to form part of His twelve. None of Christ’s disciples occupied important positions in the synagogue, nor did any of them belong to the Levitical priesthood. Rather, they were common laboring men, having no professional training, no academic degrees, and no source of inherited wealth. Most were raised in the poor part of the country. They were impulsive, temperamental, and easily offended. Jesus broke through the barriers that separated the clean and unclean, the obedient and sinful. He summoned the fisherman as well as the tax collector and zealot. Jesus saw hidden potential in them. He detected a teachable spirit, honesty, and a willingness to learn. They possessed a hunger for God, a sincerity to look beyond the religious hypocrisy of their day, and they were looking for someone to lead them to salvation. In calling the despised to Himself, in sitting down to a meal with publicans, in initiating the restoration of a Samaritan woman, Jesus demonstrated that even these people were welcomed into the kingdom of God.

Look at the Heart

Most of the leadership problems can be solved if you are willing to develop the lay people within your own congregation. True, this will require that you open your heart to a broader spectrum of lay people in your church.

A study of three hundred highly successful people such as Franklin Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Winston Churchill, Albert Schweitzer, Mahatma Gandhi, and Albert Einstein, revealed that one-fourth had handicaps, such as blindness, deafness, or crippled limbs. Three-fourths had either been born in poverty, come from broken homes, or from exceedingly tense or disturbed situations.

Sometimes we fail to see emerging leadership because we are looking for the wrong things. We often look for those who mesh with our personality but pass over those who follow a different drummer.

Samuel misjudged the Lord’s choice for the second king of Israel because he focused on height and stature: “Samuel saw Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.’ But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart’” (1 Samuel 16:6-7).

Two Ways to Know You Are Saved

By

J.D. Greear

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November 22, 2021

This post remains one of our most popular ever, and for good reason. The question of assurance is a troubling one for many people in the church. I myself struggled for years to feel completely sure that I was saved. There’s much more to say about the issue than this, but for those wondering, “Am I really saved?” this is a helpful start.

I get the question from Christians a lot: “How can I know for sure that I’m saved?” So often, in fact, that I wrote a book addressing it: Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart. I struggled with the question a lot myself until someone pointed me to passage from 1 John that helped open my eyes. In 1 John 5:13-18, John identifies two ways that we can be sure of our salvation.

Two Ways to Know You Are Saved

1. We have placed our hopes for heaven entirely on Jesus. (1 John 5:13)

“I write these things to you,” John says, “who believe in the name of the Son of God.” It’s so simple that we’re liable to miss it, but assurance comes from believing in Jesus. This is the gospel: When we trust in his name, we cease striving to earn heaven by drawing upon our own moral bank account; instead, we withdraw on his righteous account in our place.

The gospel, by its very nature, produces assurance. Because the gospel proclaims “Jesus in my place,” my assurance does not depend on how well or how much I have done. It depends on whether or not I rest in his finished work. So the question is not, “Can I remember praying a prayer?” or “Was my conversion experience really emotional?” The important question is, “Are you currently resting on Jesus as the payment for your sin?”

A lot of Christians get caught up looking for assurance to a prayer they prayed two years, five years or 30 years ago. But John does not say, “I write these things to you who prayed the sinner’s prayer.” He writes to those who believe. The point is not the prayer you prayed, but the present posture you are in.

2. You have a new nature. (vv. 16–18)

If you have been born of God you have been given a new nature. And that comes with new desires. So you do not “keep on sinning,” as John writes, because you have new desires. As an earthy way to think about this, you might imagine some vomit on the ground. None of us would require a list of rules keeping us from eating it. Why? Because we find it disgusting. Now, a dog has a totally different nature, with different desires. A dog would find that vomit as appetizing as we find it disgusting.

Michael Flynn Is Wrong. Christians Shouldn’t Mandate One Religion for Everyone in America.

By

Ed Stetzer

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November 22, 2021

Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn caused a firestorm with his recent comments on Nov. 13 at the “ReAwaken America Tour” in San Antonio.

“If we are going to have one nation under God – which we must – we have to have one religion,” said Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and was pardoned by then-President Donald Trump last November.

The tour, organized by Clay Clark, whom The Guardian calls a “media figure and Christian entrepreneur” from Tulsa, Oklahoma, has included stops in Florida, Michigan, California and Texas. Flynn followed the pattern of Christian nationalism by taking a biblical passage aimed at Christ’s disciples and applying it to the United States.

“You have to believe this, that God Almighty is, like, involved in this country, because this is it. …This is the shining city on the hill,” Flynn said.

Hint: It’s not.

‘The Great Sort’ Demonstrated

That the response to Flynn has been both swift and polarized is indicative of what I see as the “Great Sort” in American Christianity. For the past decade, we have begun to see a transition in the rationale for how many self-identifying Christians make decisions about their local church membership, relationships and serving.

While politics and culture have always played a significant role, in recent years we are beginning to see religious identity being primarily driven by broader political debates. Now, instead of Scripture, doctrine or worship providing a central role in church association and participation, political identity is squarely in the driver’s seat.

As I explained in Outreach Magazine, Christians are increasingly sorting themselves into churches that reflect their ideology.

Politics has always played a major role in religious identification, but now Christians are more actively disassociating and associating with churches based upon their political affiliations. This is primarily why once-fringe voices like Flynn, Stella Immanuel, Mike Lindell, Charlie Kirk and Lin Wood have been able to find significant followings in churches around the country.

As opposing or moderate voices leave and new members are attracted by a political alignment, churches are becoming less politically diverse and more vocally partisan.

Critically, this is not a sort between patriotism versus Christianity. Often maligned, patriotism can be good and noble. Rather, this sort pits Christianity against Christian nationalism, a perversion of the faith that subverts its mission.

The rhetoric of the ReAwaken tour reeks of such Christian nationalism. It utilizes Christian ideas, language and spaces but submits these to nationalistic ends. By identifying America as God’s chosen nation and calling for a religious establishment, Flynn and others offer a gospel mission that is a distorted caricature of the one to which Christians are called.

The Genius of Religious Liberty

As we look for ways to respond to the Great Sort, Christians and non-Christians alike should reflect on the genius of our political tradition of religious liberty. Beginning with the Founders and proven consistently throughout our history, providing people with freedom to believe and practice their faith strengthens our democracy, our communities and our institutions.

This is, in part, why the Baptist John Leland is a personal hero. Standing for religious liberty in America’s early years when few others would, Leland argued, “All should be equally free, Jews, Turks, Pagans and Christians.”

Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway Honors Slain Rapper Young Dolph

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Adrian Sainz

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November 22, 2021

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Friends and associates of slain rapper Young Dolph handed out Thanksgiving turkeys at a neighborhood church Friday in Memphis, Tennessee, two days after he was gunned down in broad daylight inside his favorite bakery.

Known for acts of charity in his hometown, the hip-hop artist and label owner had helped organize the event at St. James Missionary Baptist Church and was going to participate before he was fatally shot Wednesday.

Undaunted, members of his music label, Paper Route Empire, along with church volunteers and community activists, distributed dozens of turkeys, stuffing mix and cranberry sauce — and said “happy Thanksgiving” — to people driving past the church.

It was the type of event Young Dolph, who grew up in the Castalia neighborhood where the church is located, has been organizing for years, often without the reporters and cameras present Friday. Before the event, volunteers spoke quietly among themselves or sat in solemn reflection as his music played outside the church on the sunny afternoon.

Label employee Bee Bee Jones, 38, helped hand out the food, honoring his friend of 30 years.

“When I hear his music, I just break down,” said Jones, who spoke with a reporter while sitting on the rear bumper of a U-Haul truck full of 300 turkeys. “The truth in all of it, and where he came from, that’s what really gets to me sometimes. This is what he would want us to do right here, still keep on giving. He came from nothing, but he wanted to make sure everybody got some.”

Police on Friday kept searching for suspects in the killing, which shook Memphis and shocked the entertainment world. Police have released photos taken from surveillance video that shows two men exiting a white Mercedes and shooting Young Dolph before fleeing.

The killing of Young Dolph, 36, whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr., intensified cries against violence in the Memphis area, which has seen high-profile shootings at a K-8 school, a post office and a grocery store in the past two months.

This year, 255 killings have been committed in the city of Memphis, already surpassing the 244 slayings last year, the Memphis Police Department reported. That’s in addition to thousands of gun-related incidents reported through this past September.

In a statement about Young Dolph’s killing, Shelby County Health Department Director Dr. Michelle Taylor called gun violence in Memphis an epidemic.

“The key to addressing the endless cycle of shootings and retaliatory shootings in our community is to heal the generational trauma that makes violence appear to be the only solution to conflict,” Taylor said.

Some community leaders have expressed frustration that so many attempts to address gun-related crime — community meetings, efforts to add police officers, increased crime prevention funding, days of remembrance for murder victims, working with former gang members to intervene in disputes — have not worked.

Former SBC EC Member Rod D. Martin Wants to Plant a Church on Mars

By

Dale Chamberlain

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November 22, 2021

Rod D. Martin Mars — Source of Screenshot: Twitter: @BobSmietana

Elon Musk isn’t the only former PayPal employee who has big plans for Mars. Former SBC executive committee member Rod D. Martin expressed over the weekend that he wants to be the first to plant a Baptist church on Mars.

Apart from his involvement with the SBC, Martin is known for being part of the pre-IPO startup team for PayPal and describes himself as “a technology entrepreneur, futurist, hedge fund manager, thought leader and activist.”

Martin’s comments came in the context of a Conservative Baptist Network (CBN) panel discussion hosted by Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary (MABTS) on Friday, November 19. The conversation also included SBC First Vice President Lee Brand, president of Founders Ministries Tom Ascol, Executive Director-Treasurer of Northwest Baptist Convention Randy Adams, former Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) professor Russell Fuller, and SBC pastor Allen Nelson.

“I want to build the first church on Mars. I want to build it. I want it to be a Baptist church. I’m thinking of calling it ‘The Cathedral of Saint Paul Pressler.’ I might get Paige Patterson to be the first bishop,” Martin said with a smile. “We’ll see, you know.”

Paige Patterson is the former president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary who was later fired amid accusations that he mishandled sexual abuse allegations at the school. Paul Pressler is a retired justice of the Texas 14th Circuit Court of Appeals who was accused of sexual misconduct in 2018. Patterson was also accused of helping cover up the abuse in Pressler’s case. Both men were key figures in the SBC’s “conservative resurgence,” which began in the late 1960s.

Despite the allegations against them, both Pressler and Patterson remain highly admired among many within the SBC, including some within the CBN, which was founded in 2020 and sees itself as theologically and ideologically aligned with conservative resurgence values.

MABTS and the CBN became the subject of controversy last week when the CBN promoted the screening of the film “Enemies Within the Church,” which was hosted on the campus of MABTS on Saturday, November 20. Claiming that many influential Christian institutions have been infiltrated by Marxists seeking to bring down Western civilization, the film specifically singled out SBTS (where Fuller formerly worked) and SWBTS (where Patterson formerly served as president).

Martin has been supportive of the film’s screening at MABTS, and the CBN defended its position to promote the film. On Saturday, Martin tweeted a brief review of “Enemies Within the Church,” saying, “I do not endorse the film, but I do think it is a useful analytical tool for understanding what’s happening in the American church.”

Former Church Employee Who Embezzled $450K Gets 5 1/2 Years in Federal Prison

By

Jessica Lea

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November 22, 2021

Lisa Dawn Stabeno — Image courtesy of Lubbock County Detention Center and Everything Lubbock

A woman who used to be a bookkeeper for a church in Lubbock, Texas, has been sentenced to five-and-a-half years in federal prison for embezzling $450,000. Lisa Dawn Stabeno, 52, was sentenced on Thursday, Nov. 18, and has been ordered to pay back that amount in restitution to Church on the Rock (COTR).

“Talk is very cheap at this point,” said U.S. District Court Judge James Wesley Hendrix at Stabeno’s sentencing after she apologized for her crimes, reports Everything Lubbock. Hendrix referred to Stabeno’s fraud as “brazen thefts” and said, “You were trusted with accounts and misappropriated funds. You did it again and again and again.”

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal says that while evidence demonstrates Stabeno stole $450,000, it is possible she concealed the theft of even more funds.

Lisa Dawn Stabeno Steals From Church for Five Years

According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Lisa Dawn Stabeno began working at COTR, which has over 3,400 members, in the summer of 2013. She started using church funds for her own personal expenses in November of that year.

The DOJ says that from 2013 until 2018—when the church discovered Stabeno’s fraud and fired her—Stabeno used church funds for expenses that included a car loan, meals at restaurants, clothing, medical costs, and salon purchases. She also used the church’s money to pay expenses associated with a bakery that she co-owned with her daughters.

Stabeno was arrested in December 2020 after a federal grand jury indicted her on six counts of bank fraud. The indictment listed fraudulent expenses not mentioned by the Justice Department, including rent, trips to places such as Disney World and Las Vegas, and family members’ credit card debt.

During the five years when Stabeno committed fraud, she used credit cards belonging to a pastor and another church employee and later opened two credit cards under her name and one of her daughters. In 2014, she started using Square, a point of sale software, to charge credit cards belonging to COTR.

NFL Coach Frank Reich Preaches During News Conference, Quotes Worship Song

By

Dale Chamberlain

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November 22, 2021

This past Sunday, Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich took the opportunity during a post-game press conference to share words of encouragement from one of his favorite Christian worship songs, as well as the words of Scripture. The conference was held after the Colts’ 41-15 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

“Some people know that our team has been using the metaphor of climbing Mount Everest to parallel our quest to make it to the top,” Reich can be heard saying in a video posted by author and former sports broadcaster Jason Romano. “And it doesn’t take long to figure out that this metaphor doesn’t merely apply to football. Rather, it can be a picture of the many challenges that we all face.”

“And so, I just wanted to offer a word of encouragement, really, to anyone out there who’s in the midst of a struggle,” Reich continued. “In particular, I’m thinking of a few friends who I know are going through some stuff.”

Reich then recalled something that happened while he was a player for the Buffalo Bills in 1993 at the very stadium where he now stood as the head coach of the away team, the Indianapolis Colts.

“I want to give a personal account to where I’ve found my strength for the journey. The reason I’m doing that here and now is because almost 30 years ago, after a really big game, right down the hall in a press conference, I shared the lyrics to a song that meant a lot to me — really spoke to where I get my strength from,” Reich said. “The song is ‘In Christ Alone,’ and it’s written by Shawn Craig.”

“‘In Christ alone I place my trust, and I find my glory in the power of the Cross. In every victory, let it be said of me, that my source of strength and my source of hope is Christ alone,’” Reich recited, going on to quote his favorite line of the song: “‘I seek no greater honor than just to know him more.’”

“Even though it was more than 30 years ago, when I read those words here in this stadium, this week I was reminded — Hebrews 13:8 says, ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.’ It’s crazy, but we’re here some 30 years later, not living in the past, but rather attempting to press on to what is ahead,” Reich went on to say, echoing the words of Philippians 3:13-14.

“So my encouragement is to keep climbing, and to find the strength and power that you need in Jesus Christ,” Reich concluded.

Reich served on the Colts’ coaching team in various roles from 2008 to 2011, later coming back to the team to serve as head coach in 2018. Reich also holds a Master of Divinity degree from the Charlotte, NC campus of Reformed Theological Seminary.

Watch the video of Frank Reich during the press conference below.

“This week I was reminded Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”

Wow! Awesome post-game message from #Colts head coach Frank Reich pic.twitter.com/1FRH2T0yL5

— Jason Romano (@JasonRomano) November 22, 2021

Violent SUV Incident During Waukesha Christmas Parade Kills 6 and Injures 40; Faith Leaders Respond

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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November 22, 2021

On Sunday, November 21, 2021, a driver of an SUV plowed through a suburban Milwaukee town’s Christmas parade, killing six people and injuring over 40 others. One of those being an 8-year-old boy.

The Waukesha Christmas parade featured school marching bands, floats, and dance teams that included children. Amateur cell phone videos of the parade captured footage of the driver entering the event, swerving around parade vehicles and running over people in a marching band. Other videos show an SUV speeding passed another marching band, nearly striking a toddler dancing in the street, then proceeding to violently plow over members from a dance team who were cheerfully waving pom-poms in the air.

The dance team had not only children performing in the parade, but also members from the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies. The group posted on Facebook that they are “devastated” by the tragedy that occurred in Waukesha. “Our group was doing what they loved, performing in front of crowds in a parade putting smiles on faces of all ages, filling them with joy and happiness,” their post reads.

“While performing the grannies enjoyed hearing the crowds cheers and applause which certainly brought smiles to their faces and warmed their hearts,” they said. They then shared that some of those in their group were among the casualties. “Those who died were extremely passionate Grannies. Their eyes gleamed…joy of being a Grannie. They were the glue…held us together. Our hearts are heavy at this most difficult time, as more information and updates become available it will be posted. Please keep them, their families, friends, the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies and everyone whose lives have forever changed in your thoughts and prayers.”

Children from the Waukesha Catholic school were injured in the SUV incident, including parishioners and a priest. In a statement released by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Communication Director Sandra Peterson said, “Our prayers are with the people who have been injured and killed during the tragic incident in Waukesha. Among the injured are one of our Catholic priests, as well as multiple parishioners and Waukesha Catholic school children. Please join us in prayer for all those involved, their families, and those who are traumatized from witnessing the horrible scene.”

Waukesha School Board member Corey Montiho told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that his daughter’s dance team was struck by the SUV, saying, “There were pom-poms and shoes and spilled hot chocolate everywhere. I had to go from one crumpled body to the other to find my daughter. My wife and two daughters were almost hit.”

“Please pray for everybody. Please pray. My family is safe but many are not. I held one little girls head in my hand, she was seizing and she was bleeding out of her ears. I held her mother as she collapsed. Please pray,” Montiho said.

Chris Germain, who was in the parade with his 3-year-old daughter, recalled what he saw at the scene, saying, “There were small children laying all over the road. There were police officers and EMTs doing CPR on multiple members of the parade.”

Another parent, Jaymz Touchstone, who was watching his daughter’s band play in the parade, said “[The vehicle] swerved around the big truck right behind the band, and then accelerated through the band and down the street.”

Touchstone indicated that he attempted to pursue the car, saying, “I couldn’t. I turned around and came back and started to render first aid to the people there. The kid that I was rendering first aid to—his feet were crushed. They ran over both of his legs. He hit his legs, got trapped under the tire.”

Pope Francis to Young People: We Need You to Protect Environment

By

AP News

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November 22, 2021

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Sunday praised young people for their efforts to protect the Earth’s environment and told them to “be the critical conscience of society.”

Francis celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, filled with hundreds of young faithful, to mark a church day focused on youth in dioceses worldwide.

“You have been entrusted with an exciting but also challenging task,” the pontiff said, ”to stand tall while everything around us seems to be collapsing.”

Francis expressed thanks “for all those times when you cultivate the dream of fraternity, work to heal the wounds of God’s creation, fight to ensure respect for the dignity of the vulnerable and spread the spirit of solidarity and sharing.”

He noted that many young people have criticized environmental contamination.

“We need this,” Francis said.

The pontiff said that in a world that “thinks only of present gain, that tends to stifle grand ideals, you have not lost the ability to dream.”

“Be free and authentic, be the critical conscience of society,” Francis exhorted young people.

Social justice and care of the environment have been key messages of his papacy.

The pope is expected to meet with young people from all over the world at the Catholic church’s jamboree in Lisbon, Portugal, in August 2023.

This article originally appeared here.

10 Basic Marriage Truths Every Christian Spouse Should Know

By

Paul Chappell

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November 22, 2021

A marriage that endures through the decades is the result of God’s grace through two people who are committed to one another. Sometimes as I counsel couples, I’m reminded of how important it is when it comes to marriage to keep the basic marriage truths in mind. If we forget the basic marriage truths about marriage, we easily make assumptions that, over time, undermine the marriage relationship.

My wife, Terrie, and I were blessed to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary last December. Every day—and more—I thank the Lord for Terrie and the gift of being her husband. Proverbs 18:22 is absolutely fulfilled in my life through her: “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.”

Here are 10 basic marriage truths — in no particular order—that every married Christian should remember.

1. We are passionate about the things we work on and think about the most.

Good marriages take effort. It requires real work to understand your spouse and honor and love him or her. A spouse who is passionate about a strong marriage thinks about his or her spouse often and constantly invests in the relationship.

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. —1 Peter 3:7

2. Focusing on your needs only will ruin a marriage.

Every husband has unique needs, as does every wife. Ephesians 5 speaks to the individual nature of each spouse’s needs as it commands wives to honor their husbands and husbands to love their wives. But don’t miss the obvious—the command to each spouse is to meet the other’s needs, not to focus on his or her own needs.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord… Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. —Ephesians 5:22, 25

Charity…seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil. —1 Corinthians 13:4–5

3. Most marriages will hit a “wall.”

Sometimes a couple is surprised by a season of difficulty in their marriage. Because they never expected it to happen, they assume their marriage is already as good as gone.

If, when you encounter such a season, you recognize that every difficulty can be worked through with the grace of God, biblical truth (perhaps including wise counsel) and a couple determined to strengthen their relationship, you’ll get through it and often be stronger for it.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. —Ephesians 3:20

4. Refusing godly counsel is to reject God’s plan for safety.

Early in our marriage, Terrie and I made a commitment that if either of us ever felt we needed marriage counsel, we would both get it. During times of extreme pressure in ministry, we have occasionally gone to someone in ministry longer than us with a strong marriage to ask for counsel on keeping our marriage strong even as we invest in the work of the ministry together.

Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety. —Proverbs 11:14

5. Satan is a liar.

And he will do everything he can to convince you that his lies are the truth. Distrust all “certainties” that don’t emphasize the power of God and permanence of marriage.

…He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. —John 8:44

Continue

7 Steps to Avoid Sexual Sin and Stay in Ministry

By

Dustin Neeley

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November 20, 2021

Avoid Sexual Sin — Adobe Stock #674144754

Some time ago, a good friend of mine disqualified himself from ministry due to an inappropriate relationship with a woman in his church.

I want to try to redeem this tragedy by offering the following seven thoughts in an effort to spare us, our families and our churches from a similar fate.

7 Steps to Avoid Sexual Sin and Stay in Ministry

1. Don’t say it can’t happen to you.

While most of us readily nod our heads in agreement, in our hearts we can still live in functional unbelief of this fact. We need to constantly remind ourselves of Paul’s warning to the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 10:12:

Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

That means it can and could happen to us, and we must be vigilant in this area and all others. The world is broken, our enemy is against us and our flesh is weak.

2. Repent of your pride and self-righteousness in this area.

The Bible clearly teaches:

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall (Prov. 16:18).

Every pastor I’ve ever known who has fallen into sexual sin was one who at one point believed he never would.

So often, it is our pride that allows us to “push the envelope” and think we are the exception to the rule. It is also pride that can keep us from getting the help we need so we could have avoided this particular fall in the first place.

Most affairs don’t begin on a whim. The seeds are sown in the soil of an unhappy or tumultuous marriage.

Brothers, if there are currently problems in your marriage, please reach out to someone and deal with them now so you don’t become a statistic later.

3. Put all the needed safeguards in place—and keep them there.

The highway of the upright avoids evil; those who guard their ways preserve their lives (Prov. 16:17).

All of us know this is true, but are we living as if it is true?

We know we shouldn’t be alone with a member of the opposite sex, but do we keep our rule faithfully?

We know we should have working porn filters on our computers, but do we?

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Screen Time for Kids

By

Josh Weidmann

-

November 20, 2021

My son, do not lose sight of these—keep sound wisdom and discretion,
and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck.”
(Proverbs 3:21-22, ESV)

I am a morning person. I love to wake up when the house is still quiet and tip-toe downstairs to brew my pour-over coffee. I then proceed to my leather chair with my Bible and stack of books. My favorite mornings are in the summer when the sun is rising, the birds are chirping, and the family is sleeping in.

Or at least they are supposed to be…

Last summer, I found it extremely difficult to get up before everyone else. I would sneak past the bedrooms and down the creaky stairs, into the kitchen, to start the water for my coffee. Yet, while I stood in the kitchen assuming I had risen before everyone else, I would hear the faint sound of voices. The kind of voices that seemed to be coming through small device speakers, slightly muffled, yet conveying some kind of pitchy energy over a crazy stunt or selfie-video showing off.

My kids (at least one of them, but sometimes two or three) would get up earlier than any kid should in the summer just to grab a cell phone, tablet or laptop. Like some kind of cyberspies, they hacked through our passwords or remembered them from the one time they looked over our shoulder, and voila they were in! I would find them by following the sound only to discover them curled up on the side of the couch, in the basement, or in their closet with the doors closed.

Talk about feeling like I was living with a bunch of addicts! They would sacrifice sweet sleep to take a hit before dawn and then slither into small places to feed their craving in hopes of not getting caught. This is when I decided to get to the bottom of the screen time addiction. Was this just innocent entertainment or had they truly become dependent on devices?

What is the right amount of screen time a kid should have?

The New York Presbyterian Hospital research team reports that nearly half of all children 8 and under have their own tablet device. The Percentage only gets higher at 12 years old, and nearly every 16-year-old and above own their own device. That is millions of personally owned devices in the hands of our kids! The issue isn’t just about kids having these devices in the first place, it is about what they do with them.

With reports that kids nowadays spend an average of about 2.25 hours a day on digital screens, we need to consider what impact this time and devices are having on our kids. Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to screen time.

The Good

Screen time can have many positive benefits for children. In a world saturated by screens, kids need to know how to use and operate the technology that will inevitably become a part of their adult life. The bright spots that screen time offers kids are:

Connectivity: They can connect with parents, teachers, relatives, and friends over a device that used to cost a lot of money or take time. Now, with the press of a button, they can connect with anyone, anywhere.
Technology: Their technology navigation skills and overall tech know-how increased as they work on screens. This is a vital skill to make it in our ever-advancing world .
Exposure: It allows them to see things without traveling or leaving the comfort of home.
Learning: There is a wealth of educational content delivered on screens, but it takes careful curation by us, as parents, to ensure our kids are accessing good content, not negative content. They can learn good or bad things.
Tracking: Healthy behaviors, such as reading, learning, and practicing can be tracked with the use of apps. For instance, kids can track their reading minutes, employ step counters, or encounter daily inspirational messages that support their faith and spirituality.
Reasoning: Parents have to remember that kids aren’t equipped with the skills needed to critically assess different types of screen content. Parents and proper guidelines or safeguards can help children to learn how to make wise decisions.

3 Common Misconceptions of Calvinism

By

David Qaoud

-

November 20, 2021

Calvinism. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear that term?

If you’re not Reformed, you probably think of predestination or John Calvin. Or maybe you think of close-minded Christians or a cruel God or whatever. As a Reformed Christian myself, I’m always up for hearing what those outside the tribe think of Calvinism.

Some things said are true. A lot of them are not.

What are the misconceptions?

There’s plenty, but three quick ones come to mind:

Misconception #1: John Calvin invented Calvinism.

When did the confusion start?

Wikipedia doesn’t help: “He [John Calvin] was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism.”

I get the confusion. The word Calvinism has Calvin in it, and everyone knows John Calvin, so John Calvin came up with Calvinism, right?

Good thoughts. But let’s dig deeper.

“Calvinism” is, among other things, a misnomer. The label “Calvinist” was coined in 1552 by Lutheran polemicist Joachim Westphal, not by John Calvin. In fact, Calvin didn’t like the term, and did not see it as a term of endearment. As Michael Horton says, “The reformer himself would have been embarrassed to be singled out for a distinctive view of the Christian life.”

While Calvinists respect John Calvin, Calvinism can be seen throughout church history in the lives of Aquinas, Anselm, Augustine and many others. Reformed folks for years have rightly argued that Calvinism sprung from the Bible, not from one man.

Misconception #2: Calvinism undermines personal evangelism.

The argument goes something like this: “Because only predestined people go to heaven, Calvinism teaches Christians to be passive in evangelism.”

Problem with that is, well, it’s not true:

“Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect” (2 Timothy 2:10).

Paul suffered, worked and evangelized so that some might be saved. He did everything he could to win people for Jesus, knowing most would reject his message. There’s nothing passive about his approach.

Also consider Calvinism’s history:

Jonathan Edwards’ tracts enhanced the spiritual revival in Connecticut, the revival we know as “The Great Awakening.”
George Whitfield’s legendary evangelistic sermons sparked the revival.
William Carey—the Calvinistic Christian—led the great missionary movement of the 19th century.
Charles Spurgeon’s favorite doctrine was substitutionary atonement—that Jesus died on the cross, in your place, and for your sins. Evangelistic sermons were his favorite to preach.

You could argue that the driving force behind their work was their Calvinistic convictions.

The idea that Calvinists don’t care about evangelism was never true in the past, isn’t true in the present, and hopefully won’t be true in the future.

Misconception #3: Calvinism puts “God in a box.”

I once asked a pastor if he was Reformed. “No,” he said. “I don’t want to put God in a box.”

I hear this a lot.

It’s no secret Calvinists love to read. The “popular” seminaries are almost always Reformed. In 2009, Time Magazine labeled the New Calvinism as one of the top 10 ideas changing the world. And with the resurgence of Reformed theology in the church over the past five to 10 years, an abundance of gospel-centered, Reformed resources have emerged. Reformed people aim to know their God with their mind well.

Admittedly, Calvinists (especially new ones) can be off-putting and harsh with those with opposing views. There’s a “Cage-stage Calvinist” time that many go through. But the idea that Calvinism puts God in a “box,” or have God all figured out, is ridiculous.

If you pay very close attention to Reformed authors, one verse frequently used is Deuteronomy 29:29: “The secret things belong to our Lord our God.” You can know God truly, but not fully. Some things he won’t reveal. Calvinists know you can’t put God in a box.

There are many more misconceptions: that God treats his creatures like puppets, that the idea of election is cold, that prayer is useless, that Calvinists boast in their election. It’s painful to be misunderstood. But Reformed folks (including me) haven’t always done a great job of representing the tribe. Hopefully we can do better in the future. But there should be no compromise of what we believe. As Charles Spurgeon says, “Reformed theology is just a nickname for biblical Christianity.”

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This article originally appeared here.

7 Secrets Your Pastors Wish They Could Tell You (But Probably Won’t)

By

Shane Bishop

-

November 20, 2021

how to encourage your pastor — Adobestock #1060137050

Most pastors I know have clear calls to ministry, work long hours, carry battle scars, sometimes get discouraged, and struggle to balance vocation and family. You might be surprised by some of the advice I’m going to give about how to encourage your pastor.

They really do have servants’ hearts, but they are human and there are a few considerate things the people in the pews can do to support their pastors. If you could be a fly on the wall when pastors talk amongst themselves, you may be quite surprised by what you hear and how often you would hear the same things over and over.

How to Encourage Your Pastor

Here are seven things your pastor would love to tell you (but probably won’t) that will let you know how to encourage your pastor better:

1. Don’t give me another book to read.

Reading a book takes hours, and reading a book about something in which your pastor is not interested will simply never happen. When you ask the next Sunday if they read the book, you put your pastor in a really bad position. “That is simply never going to happen” seems harsh, and “I will get to it this week” is probably not true. If you want your pastor to read a book, recommend it, tell why you think it will be a blessing, and summarize it in a book review of 250 words. They can pick it up themselves if they want to read more.

2. Don’t complain about something just before worship.

This establishes that your need to vent is more important than the people in the sanctuary receiving the best your pastor has to give. Pastors know there is often discontinuity in the church, but right when church is getting ready to start is NEVER the right time to bring something up. Nothing will ruin a sermon before it starts quicker than a complainer.

3. Don’t drop by the office and expect me to drop what I am doing.

Pastors work under deadlines. We have to write articles, fill out reports, and write and rehearse messages. When a funeral or emergency pops up, those deadlines stay in place, often creating highly pressurized afternoons of preparation. Someone stopping by to “chew the fat” simply exacerbates the tension. Your pastor is a professional, please call and make an appointment so they can give you their full attention.

Youth Ministry Budget: Tips for Creating a Workable Plan

By

Stephanie Martin

-

November 19, 2021

For the typical student pastor, creating a youth ministry budget likely isn’t a yearly highlight. Yet providing meaningful outreach and fun activities requires setting and adhering to financial parameters.

Whether you work at a megachurch or several smaller churches, budgeting know-how is essential. The process might begin with a yearly congregational meeting. By knowing your typical and projected expenses, you can make a case for a budget increase.

Youth ministers need to keep an eye on the budget throughout the year. This ensures that spending and fundraising goals stay on track. Free online templates, worksheets, and sample budgets can help.

One caution: Don’t get hung up on the “average” youth ministry budget. Situations vary widely based on church location, size, and demographics. If money is tight, know that you’re not alone. Youth pastors in that boat share loads of helpful tips online. You don’t need a huge budget to have a strong, active program for teens or preteens.

To explore youth ministry budget building, we’ve assembled helpful resources. Check them out to make the process work for you—and for your church and kids.

7 Resources for Creating a Youth Ministry Budget

1. Consider Your Mission

This blog post makes important points about the entire budget process. Knowing and clarifying your program’s mission, it says, is key to using resources wisely. Next, with her ministry priorities as an example, the author describes setting six line items.

2. Plan, Track, Communicate

Here’s another helpful post about big-picture budget planning. To become a pro, the author says, you must focus on three essentials. Planning, tracking spending, and communicating with church leaders are key.

3. Categories to Consider

After looking at “Budgeting 101,” this article dives into specifics. These include categories common to many teen-related church programs. Then the author offers thoughts about assigning dollar amounts to categories. You’ll also learn about budget follow-up with an eye on savings.

MLB Pitcher Adam Wainwright Serves Community Members Outside Ahmaud Arbery Murder Trial

By

Dale Chamberlain

-

November 19, 2021

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright was present outside the Glynn County courthouse where the Ahmaud Arbery murder trial is being held to help pass out food to the crowd who had gathered to support Arbery’s family. The courthouse is located in Wainwright’s hometown of Brunswick, Georgia.

Apart from being an MLB all-star and World Series Champion pitcher, Wainwright is well known for his faith and philanthropic community engagement. In 2020, Wainwright was given the Roberto Clemente Award by the MLB, an annual honor that goes to the MLB player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.”

According to Sports Spectrum, Wainwright, who is 40, grew up in Brunswick and attended a high school that is located just a few blocks from the courthouse. Wainwright now lives with his wife and four daughters in nearby St. Simons.

In a video posted by reporter Alex Presha, Wainwright can be seen serving community members and making conversation, discussing shared community connections with one woman.

Ahmaud Arbery was murdered in February 2020, and the footage of the shooting sparked civil unrest and calls for racial justice around the nation. Later, Arbery’s murder was classified as a hate crime, and the three men involved in Arbery’s killing were arrested and charged.

Racial tension has also marked the trial, with one defendant’s lawyer requesting that no more “black pastors” be allowed into the courtroom gallery, motivating over 100 clergy to gather outside the courthouse to pray over the trial.

Amid these tensions, Wainwright appeared ready to serve on Thursday, blending in with the other volunteers passing out food in a buffet line.

“Adam Wainwright’s kindness is something we should all strive to emulate,” tweeted sports reporter Corey Miller.

Cardinals Network host Tom Ackerman commended Wainwright, expressing that there was nothing surprising about his presence outside the courthouse. “That’s Waino. Always finding a way to give back,” he tweeted.

Former NFL player and outspoken Christian advocate for racial reconciliation Benjamin Watson also chimed in to thank Wainwright, calling Wainwright one “of the most genuine and humble people I know. Truly cares about empathizing with others while sharing the love of Christ in tangible ways. Well done brother.”

Wainwright is an outspoken Christian himself, even inviting fans to join him in his Bible reading plan.

How Philip Yancey Encountered Grace After Experiencing ‘Some of the Worst the Church Has to Offer’

By

Jessica Lea

-

November 19, 2021

phillip yancey — Photo courtesy of Philip Yancey

“When I’m with evangelicals and they start complaining about the church,” says author Philip Yancey, “they know my reputation, so they think I’m going to defend it. Instead, I kind of smile and say, ‘Oh, it’s a lot worse than that.’”

Yancey recently joined the Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast to discuss his new memoir, “Where the Light Fell.” He is the author of over 30 books, many of which wrestle with difficult questions related to faith in God. Yancey’s memoir, released Oct. 5, draws back the curtain on his upbringing, showing how his childhood experiences contributed to a warped view of God and people—including himself.

“I’ve experienced some of the worst that the church has to offer,” says Yancey. “People who read this memoir, I think, are going to be shocked at the church I grew up in.”

You can listen to our interview with Philip Yancey by clicking on the link below:

Philip Yancey on Meeting Jesus After Growing Up in Fundamentalism

Philip Yancey: I Didn’t ‘Get’ Grace

Philip Yancey notes that later in his life, he has experienced the best the church has to offer. “I don’t have anger at the church,” he explains. “I have a lot of respect for the people I’ve been around, you know, the Wheaton/Fuller Seminary/Christianity Today crowd. These are people of integrity, very bright people, sincere, dedicated, caring for justice issues, you know, all the things we’re supposed to do.”

But Yancey says the Christian culture he was raised in was “fundamentalism, pure and simple.” His church was legalistic and overtly racist, promoting the Curse of Ham theory, opposing integration, and using racial slurs to describe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This racism, says Yancey, set him up to later question everything he had been taught about God.

“I was a racist,” he says. “When you’re a kid, you believe everything the adults tell you. And then I found out, no, they lied. They were absolutely wrong. And then you start thinking, ‘Hmm, maybe they were wrong about Jesus. Maybe they were wrong about the Bible. And I went through a real crisis of faith.’”

What’s more, the legalism Yancey experienced at his childhood church gave him a view of God totally devoid of grace. “I saw God as this cosmic bully who just loves crushing people and catching them and punishing them,” he says.

Yancey, however, does not put all the blame on his former church and his upbringing for his attitude toward God, but acknowledges his own pride as well. He was pretty hardened toward Christianity by the time he went to Bible college and describes himself as “the most arrogant person on campus.”

“What reached me,” he says, “was realizing that God was a lot different than I was taught growing up and things like nature, beauties of nature, and classical music and romantic love. Those are the things that softened me.”

While in Bible college, Yancey had a dramatic conversion experience, which revealed his pride to him and led him to realize he “was missing the whole point. I didn’t get grace. I had never experienced grace before.”

Yancey gives God all of the credit for saving him and does not try to give easy answers for why other people, even those who desperately crave it, do not have an experience like that. Yancey mentioned as an example his own brother, whom he describes as “haunted by God” and who has had quite a different life journey.

“For whatever reason,” says Yancey, “God did include me in that lavish grace at a time when I wasn’t really seeking it. And all I can say is this happened. I can’t really explain it. And I certainly couldn’t at the time. But it happened. And it’s true, and I’ve tried to live faithful to that ever since.”

Grace, along with suffering, is one of the major themes of his life, says Yancey, noting the former is something all of us are constantly having to relearn: “Grace is something that we just have to keep rediscovering, don’t we? Because the church becomes so easily…a moralism place, a place of looking down on other people.”

Watch the interview with Philip Yancey below:

Dare 2 Share Hosts Online Event to Train Teens to Take Over the World for Jesus

By

Jesse T. Jackson

-

November 19, 2021

Last weekend (Nov. 13), Dare 2 Share, the ministry whose mission is to mobilize youth to evangelize their world, hosted a world-wide event with over 1,300 youth groups participating in the live-stream gospel training.

The event called, Dare 2 Share Live, is designed to equip teens to start a gospel revolution in their community. During the event, students are trained to “pray, serve others, and share their faith.”

“Our theme was ‘Whatever it Takes,’ based on the story of the men who tore a hole through the roof to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus,” Dare 2 Share founder Greg Stier said. “They risked their lives, money, and status in the community to get him to Jesus. We asked the teens, ‘Are you willing to do whatever it takes to get your friend to Jesus?’”

During the event, students and volunteers are trained in the morning hours, then are sent out into their communities to serve and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone they come into contact with.

“When students share the Gospel, especially with their peers, they ask questions, pray deeply and learn to depend on the Holy Spirit,” Dare 2 Share says on their website. According to the organization, this encourages teens to participate in the Great Commission (Mathew 28).

Saturday’s training included speakers, teachers, and musicians. Stier and Zane Black, who have recently been featured as speakers on Winter Jam (one of America’s largest Christian concert tours), joined Hosanna Wong and Jerrod Gunter in helping train the thousands attending the live event. Red Rocks Worship and DJ Bobbito The Chef provided the worship and music.

Dare 2 Share Live was hosted in Denver, Colorado and witnessed decisions for Christ happening all over the world. Over 100 decisions were made during the day’s training.

The Dare 2 Share smartphone app called “Life in 6 Words” is used to help teens (and adults) interact and engage with their communities. The app guides users “through the clear message of the gospel,” their website says — you just need to initiate the conversation.

The app shows real-time statistics of people who are sharing their faith all over the world, so teens are are able to join in with youth groups in other states who are sharing their faith. The app also provides the opportunity to pray for those engaging in Gospel conversations at any given very moment.

1. What is this hymn about?

The Leader-Driven Church

Biblical principles of leadership in the cell church

Christ’s Choice of the Twelve

Look at the Heart

Two Ways to Know You Are Saved

1. We have placed our hopes for heaven entirely on Jesus. (1 John 5:13)

2. You have a new nature. (vv. 16–18)

‘The Great Sort’ Demonstrated

The Genius of Religious Liberty

Lisa Dawn Stabeno Steals From Church for Five Years

Here are 10 basic marriage truths — in no particular order—that every married Christian should remember.

1. We are passionate about the things we work on and think about the most.

2. Focusing on your needs only will ruin a marriage.

3. Most marriages will hit a “wall.”

4. Refusing godly counsel is to reject God’s plan for safety.

5. Satan is a liar.

7 Steps to Avoid Sexual Sin and Stay in Ministry

1. Don’t say it can’t happen to you.

2. Repent of your pride and self-righteousness in this area.

3. Put all the needed safeguards in place—and keep them there.

My son, do not lose sight of these—keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck.” (Proverbs 3:21-22, ESV)

What is the right amount of screen time a kid should have?

The Good

Misconception #1: John Calvin invented Calvinism.

Misconception #2: Calvinism undermines personal evangelism.

Misconception #3: Calvinism puts “God in a box.”

How to Encourage Your Pastor

1. Don’t give me another book to read.

2. Don’t complain about something just before worship.

3. Don’t drop by the office and expect me to drop what I am doing.

7 Resources for Creating a Youth Ministry Budget

1. Consider Your Mission

2. Plan, Track, Communicate

3. Categories to Consider

Philip Yancey: I Didn’t ‘Get’ Grace

New Articles

New Podcasts

My son, do not lose sight of these—keep sound wisdom and discretion,
and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck.”
(Proverbs 3:21-22, ESV)