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How Captions Are Key to Engaging Younger Generations and Boosting Attendance in Churches

captions
Image courtesy of Aberdeen Broadcast Services

In today’s world defined by constant digital engagement, younger generations increasingly rely on captions and subtitles to enhance their viewing experience. This trend, largely popularized by Gen Z and Millennials, isn’t just limited to streaming shows or watching social media content; it’s spilling over into live events, with a strong case for captions as a way to boost engagement and attendance in venues, such as churches, that historically may have overlooked them. 

Here’s a look at the data that supports this movement and how churches can leverage captioning to foster a more engaging environment.

Younger Generations and the Subtitle Revolution

Preply, a language learning platform, conducted a survey titled, “Why America is Obsessed with Subtitles,” to explore the growing trend of subtitle usage among Americans. The study involved over 1,200 participants, aiming to understand how and why individuals use subtitles in their media consumption. The findings revealed that 50% of Americans watch content with subtitles most of the time, with younger generations, particularly Gen Z, showing a greater preference for subtitle use.

  • According to Preply’s survey, 70% of Gen Z and 53% of Millennial viewers turn on subtitles most of the time when they watch content. This statistic highlights a major shift in media consumption patterns: It’s not just about watching but understanding and engaging with content that drives this trend.
  • 74% of Gen Z also prefer subtitles when watching content in foreign languages. With the global reach of platforms like Netflix, young people are more accustomed than ever to encountering diverse media, where subtitles bridge language and comprehension gaps.
  • Another 57% of younger viewers report watching content in public places, using captions to stay engaged while maintaining privacy or avoiding sound disruptions. This trend underscores their reliance on captions to stay connected to content in any setting.

This data reveals a generation that sees captions not as an add-on but as an essential part of the viewing experience. For churches, this could signal an opportunity: integrating captions into services may not only help with accessibility but also align with the viewing habits of younger generations.

Captioning Live Events: A Path to Higher Engagement

The impact of captions on in-person attendance is significant. A study from Stagetext revealed that 31% of people would attend more live events if captions were readily available, with younger people leading this interest: 45% of 18-25-year-olds would be more likely to attend events if they were captioned, compared to 16% of those over 56.

This enthusiasm for live captions reflects a shift in how younger generations want to consume live content. Captions at events enhance accessibility for everyone, regardless of hearing ability, and address concerns with acoustics or unclear speech, which often deter audiences. In the church context, offering captions during sermons, worship songs, or events could break down barriers that may otherwise prevent younger individuals from fully engaging.

Engaging a New Generation: How Captioning Can Help Churches Reconnect with Young Adults

Christian churches across the United States are increasingly challenged to capture the interest and attendance of younger generations, who are showing declining levels of religious affiliation and engagement.” The Pew Research Center’s 2019 article, “In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace,” highlights a significant decline in Christian affiliation among younger Americans. The data indicates that only 49% of Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) identify as Christians, compared to 84% of the Silent Generation (born between 1928 and 1945).

With reports indicating a decline in church attendance in the U.S., many churches are seeking strategies to re-engage their congregations, especially young adults. Captions could be a powerful, practical solution.

Offering live captions during services could address several issues:

  • Accessibility and Inclusivity: Young people who are accustomed to captions often view them as an essential tool for inclusion. By offering captions in church, congregations can signal a commitment to inclusivity, welcoming not only those with hearing impairments but also those who may benefit from captioning for other reasons, like understanding speakers with different accents or enhancing focus.

Jody Dean Gives Church Administration Advice to Pastors Who Hate It

Jody Dean
Source: ChurchLeaders

Dr. Jody Dean is professor of Christian education at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. His research has focused on ministry leadership in the areas of church administration, discipleship, and risk management. Jody’s new book is “Managing the Ministry: A Practical Guide to Church Administration.”

“The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast” is part of the ChurchLeaders Podcast Network.

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Transcript of Interview With Jody Dean

EPISODE 495-FINAL-Jody Dean.mp3: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

EPISODE 495-FINAL-Jody Dean.mp3: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Ed Stetzer:
The Setzer Church’s podcast is part of the Church Leaders Podcast Network, which is dedicated to resourcing church leaders in order to help them face the complexities of ministry. Today, the Church Leaders Podcast Network supports pastors and ministry leaders by challenging assumptions, by providing insights and offering practical advice and solutions and steps that will help church leaders navigate the variety of cultures and contexts that we’re serving in. Learn more at Church leaders.com/podcast network.

Voice Over:
Welcome to the Stetzer Church Leaders podcast, conversations with today’s top ministry leaders to help you lead better every day. And now here are your hosts, Ed Stetzer and Daniel Yang.

Daniel Yang:
Welcome to the Setzer Church Leaders Podcast, where we’re helping Christian leaders navigate and lead through the cultural issues of today. My name is Daniel Yang, national director of Churches of Welcome at World Relief. And today we’re talking with Doctor Jodi Dean. Jodi is a professor of Christian education at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. His research has focused on ministry leadership in the areas of church administration, discipleship, and risk management. Jody’s new book is Managing the Ministry A Practical Guide to Church Administration. If you enjoy our interviews, make sure you like and follow us on Apple Podcasts. Now let’s go to Ed Stetzer, editor in chief of Outreach Magazine and the dean of the Talbot School of Theology.

Ed Stetzer:
All right, Jody, we are so pleased to have this conversation. And I am a church administration nerd. I’ve ended up in kind of a different world, being the the dean at a seminary and a teaching pastor. But I remember years ago I took a course with Frank Schmidt, and he had he had these jackets from the 70s, these blazers that he’d wear. And he started talking about church administration and procedures and policies and how those help people and how. And I just it was like a light switch came on in my head. And I love, you know, I talk about my spiritual gifts, being teaching administration I love administration. So tell me, I mean for you, when did this become a passion for you that you would lead you to write Managing the Ministry. A Practical Guide to Church Administration.

Jody Dean:
I took my first church at 18, and I had never heard of Robert’s Rules of Order. I’d not heard about planning an event and organizing my church. Growing up did not have conflict, and so I had not seen any of these outlier urban legend kind of stories of church. And so I get to my first church and I go to a business meeting. I did not know something needed to go through church council. And there’s the senior adult gentleman who kindly rebukes me very vocally in a business meeting. And I said, I’m sorry, sir, I’d be happy to read about how this church works. And in your documentation he said, son, you just need to come by the house and have a cup of coffee. It’s all right here. And so that was my brain.

Ed Stetzer:
Pointing to his brain for those listening.

Jody Dean:
Just all in his head. And his name was Bob. And I learned the true Bob of Robert’s Rules of Order. And so this guy took me to school of learning about how churches can work and how each church is different. And so I began on this journey of, I really need to know how a church works with people and property and and programming and finances. And it was back not to share my age too much, but it was back when they handed me a checking account just for youth ministry and a checking account for children’s ministry. And I hadn’t had authority to sign a check, and I had just gotten a checking account myself. And so it was this crazy aspect of, is this how it should be? So it put me on this path of of self-discovery, of what is church administration? How should it be done? What are some best practices? I got introduced to Charles Tidwell and Robert Welch, some guys that had published in the space. So I bought Effective Ministry and I and it was before the first edition of Church Administration with Welch. But he was like the church admin guru of the day. And so I began this self-study journey. But I’ve always loved the details, the executive pastor role, maybe that second chair look and and so I just became intrigued with it, have loved it. And the Lord has continued to open doors to get to be in this space.

Ed Stetzer:
Yeah, I love it, but but here’s what you probably need to know is that that we’re kind of nerds when it comes to this topic is that that’s not most people don’t experience the beauty and joy of, of of of this kind of approach. They for them it can be a drudgery or more. But for me, like I have all those books, I, I learned about what that meant and how to function in that role. But then when I became, you know, I was a pastor for a while, when I became whatever, I became like a professor. And then, you know, someone teaching about these things, I found that for a lot of pastors, like this is the last thing that brings them joy. They want to. And it’s different, you know, depends upon their wiring. They want to tell people about Jesus or they want to counsel people. But what I kept seeing is that this lack of administrative savvy is like a lid that they kept coming up against you. Oh, yeah. Because, you know, you know, we talk about megachurch. I mean, the megachurch pastor is probably not doing a lot of that.

Ed Stetzer:
You talk about a small church. There’s maybe sometimes a church plant. You don’t really. It’s not. But you get to the mid-sized. I’ll give you a quick example. This Sunday, I do a thing when I’m in a town like, and I’m not by my home church, and I’ll say, hey, if you need a guest preacher and your church is under 100 attendance, I’ll come preach for you this weekend. And so I got a small church this weekend. Wonderful church, megachurch pastor from New York who’s semi-retired and comes to pastor of this church. And it’s completely board driven and board led and you just have to do all this stuff again. So I preach, and he had to go to the board meeting after church, and everyone was the head of the committee is on a board, and I think people don’t realize how common these structures are, and secondarily, how often unprepared pastors are to navigate some of those things. So why, I mean, what’s the biblical basis? Let’s start there for giving attention to some of these administrative aspects of ministry.

Jody Dean:
Sure. I think about the Jerusalem Council in acts, you know, when there was conflict and they called a meeting, and then there was this report that they drafted because of that meeting, and then they dispersed it to other congregations. So they would also understand. And that just was reading the book of acts is just where I find they were really grasping with how do we deal with a church that starts small and grows and then multiplies even into multiple congregations? And they didn’t have all the terminology that we have today. It was a new movement, a new growth. They were first called Christians. And so in acts we see that. And so at Jerusalem Council just looks kind of like the first church conference, church business meeting of some degree where some leaders had to get together, try to solve a problem and then figure out how to distribute that so everyone would understand. And so that is where I find a basis of just learning to deal with people and processes. Well, that’s where I would find my baseline for that aspect of church administration. But when you get into the letters Paul wrote to the Corinthians, as well as the letter to the church in Ephesus, administration is actually one of the gifts that’s listed, and that’s a gift I’ve discovered I have and as well as teaching. And so, um, the other biblical basis is that some people have the gift of administration to help the body manage these things. And so that is where I enjoy helping people manage people, property, finances and all these procedural things and programming aspects. So you can just be an effective organization that reaches people and makes disciples.

Ed Stetzer:
Yeah. So I think that is probably when we were younger. I think you’re younger than me. But when we were younger, there were all kinds of books on that. And, you know, and maybe before we were younger, you know, like before we were around, there weren’t. And then it came into vogue for a while. Then the church growth movement kind of got Ahold of it, and in some ways, in some ways became methodological mania. And everything became formulas and numbers and stuff like that. And then came the backlash to it, partly because we were kind of in some ways deconstructing the the kind of congregational model that was, you know, monthly business meetings. I know very few churches that do monthly business need meetings anymore. And so then people kind of moved away from it, but as they kind of deconstructed the American congregational model. I’m not talking about congregational as a theological concept, but as as a governance concept. It seemed that there wasn’t anyone else to take up and say, well, but here are some things you need to know about administration. That’s why I’m hoping Managing the Ministry A Practical Guide to Church Administration catches on. So. But you said something right at the end there. You said, how does somebody ask, how does administration support and empower the personal side of ministry? Because it’s not an end to itself, which kind of sometimes that American Democratic congregational model that was imposed on a lot of churches felt like it was it was there for itself. But instead, you’re trying to help people empower the personal side. What does that look like?

Jody Dean:
Well, for me, I think of some of the challenges that you deal with time management. I don’t know a leader that does not deal with figuring out how to manage everything within their week. And so you have some time management concerns that become personal administration, uh, in a place where you have multiple generations in one congregation, you have to figure out generational differences as you walk through administration. For example, an older generation may value the property, the building, the look of that building more than a younger generation. And so those aspects of understanding how different generations value certain things really comes in to helping us in administration, to where if you can help the pastor understand that, or you can help key board members or key decision makers in your congregation about those things and understand that they’ve put their stock in the building, not the people. And so our program and instead of a process of discipleship, then you get to understand there might be some challenges there that are just natural generational Challenges that you would see in a civic organization that you might see in their workplace. And and so those are aspects that I think are just kind of common to all of us in leadership as we help any congregation move forward. Another topic that’s just emerged in the, uh, first few decades of the 21st century has been risk management. We understand the safety of our people, uh, in a more meaningful way. And so linking that aspect of creating a safe environment to the shepherd overseer, uh, learning to take care of the flock and providing a safe environment, a secure environment so people feel safe within the property, they feel safe around one another, and they learn to find that even in the society, we may be existing as a church. The church can still be a place that is safe and secure. So risk management factors is one that early on in my ministry I don’t know about you had. But early on in my ministry I just I didn’t even think about risk management. I didn’t.

Ed Stetzer:
Either. Not not not in the beginning. I mean, later on, when everything became so litigious, I didn’t.

Jody Dean:
Think about, hey, kids, make sure you have a seat belt or hey, is there, gun violence is there. And so there were just aspects that did not even surface for me in administration. They were just assumed that we’re not going to deal with those or just not even on the radar. And so that’s another aspect that has risen to the forefront for us in, uh, in the society in which we’re navigating of we need to make sure we go to extra lengths and extra efforts to deal with risk management factors.

Ed Stetzer:
Yeah. No, I like that. Um, what do you say to people? And right now I want to get into some of the best practices. I want to talk about processes and systems and all that sort of stuff. But before we do, what do you say to people who say, man, I just want to love people, preach the Bible and, you know, go from there. What do you what do you say to them?

Jody Dean:
I do too. Yeah. I mean, I would love to not have to deal with some of the things we deal with. It would it would be like the car dealer that says, I only want to deal with sales. I don’t want to deal with warranty work. You know, it’d be like the banker that says, I only want to deal with deposits. I don’t want to deal with employee issues. It would be the same for any small business owner. It would be like the principle that says, I only want to deal with loving kids. I don’t want to deal with teacher complaints or parent complaints, and we just live in a place to where in leadership, you have to deal with the full umbrella of the organization. You can’t just pick and choose what you want to do. Leadership. You have to oversee all of it. And so that’s where I just remind people that a lot of people in life deal with things they don’t want to on a weekly basis. Um, and.

Ed Stetzer:
Sometimes you got to eat your spinach.

Jody Dean:
That’s right. And so if you talk to an educator, if you talk to a politician, if you talk to a business owner, they’re going to tell you every week has its challenges. And every week they don’t get to just the politician just just not get to do ribbon cuttings of new businesses and, and and new opportunities. And the educator just doesn’t deal with everybody making straight A’s. And so you have this diversification of yes, I would love to do the things I just love to do. But the Lord called me to serve his people, uh, through his church. So that means I deal with the bad side of dealing with sheep, right? And that is sometimes not the it’s called we sometimes call it the smelly side of pastoral care. And and so yes, I would love to just deal with the nice pretty wool, but sometimes I got to deal with the other factors I don’t even like.

Ed Stetzer:
Makes sense when it comes to church administration, what are some major areas that need to be stewarded? Other categories that we should think these are the prime things we need to be thinking about.

Jody Dean:
Uh, some of those are peas. For me, that’s people. Uh, there’s a there’s an aspect of figuring out how everybody has a place to serve in ministry as an administrative aspect of just sorting the layers of the church and and seeing what your giftedness is, and then matching that to a ministry. So I believe one aspect of administration is with the people finding a place for everyone to serve at a basic level. I think another best practice is with property and that is developing a maintenance plan. I drive by a lot of buildings where the columns are peeling or the sign one letter is not lit up. I usually don’t go by a Hobby Lobby that doesn’t have all the letters lit up. I usually don’t go by Walmart that doesn’t have all the letters lit up, but to drive by a church at night and all the letters are not lit up. That is one aspect of property that just goes hmm, is is that place seen? Its better days. And so for the person driving by and maintaining the property well does have a an impact to how people view the property. And so there’s that property aspect. The non-p in that category would be finances.

Jody Dean:
Uh, there’s got to be some best practices of receiving money and accounting for that and then spending it in an accurate, systematic process. Uh, no one wants to go to jail for mishandling somebody else’s money. And so you have that fiscal Process that is rises to the level. Do people ask more questions in the society? They question things a little more that in programming we may not have programs that are labeled the same way as when we were kids. Every church has their own logos and their own systems, their own processes, but everybody has some programming that they have to do. Now, we may think of that as a children’s ministry or a youth ministry, but in administration, I’m thinking everything that needs to be on a calendar, everything that says we’re putting money behind this. We’re putting people behind this, or we’re reserving our property for this. Well, that’s got to be programmed. Sometimes something you program is going to take all three of those, and sometimes it’s only maybe going to take one of those. And so that is an aspect that I think is of utmost importance for us because that sometimes can eat our lunch. You. You can be called after service and everybody’s giving you a list.

Jody Dean:
I remember I used to in the early days of ministry, I would keep a pen and a notebook and, you know, I was having to write all these things down. I’m so thankful for apps on my phone like Todoist. That helps me with that. Now to where I can just, um, on an app, say, oh, sister so-and-so needs help with women’s ministry or, or, uh, Jenny needs help with children’s ministry, or Scott needs help with youth ministry, and I can just keep up with those things. Or, uh, Ethel said her classroom was too cold during her Bible study, you know, and or those different aspects. Or someone lets you know something that they donated money for needs attention. And so, you know, I would just keep all those administrative notes so I would remember them on another day. But we all need some kind of process to where we remember those things. We live in a digital age, but just getting attached. You may not remember to actually act on it, even though you may receive the info. So having a process of how all those, uh, to do things get accomplished is also important.

Ed Stetzer:
Yeah. Do me. Do me a favor and tell me. You mentioned an app that you use. Yeah. Tell me some other tools that you use technology wise that you would think would be helpful for pastors to be administratively effective.

Jody Dean:
I love planning center. Uh, to help coordinate and put things together. There’s, uh, an app, the or a church software that also has an app called Church Community Builder that I found to be very helpful. Uh, there are different systems. I’m not a promoter of one company over the there.

Ed Stetzer:
Just because there are several like church community builder. But but they’re all have helpful tools in them. But keep keep going. You mentioned Todoist. You do that. Um. What else?

Jody Dean:
I use church. Form is a website and they have templates to where I don’t have to dream everything up from scratch, and I can download those templates and make them my own. Brotherhood mutual has a huge library of resources that help me with things to where, like an incident report for the risk management aspect, or needing to deal with a medical release form or a file. Um, I’m even encouraging people to keep files for their elderly, since families don’t always live in the same city. So I had a lady in her 90s, uh, have a pacemaker go out during service. And who do you contact? Uh, and so, uh, for her. And so just, um, keeping up with information for people. I’ve just found it very helpful, uh, to have that information for people. Another app that is great for me, uh, to keep up with everything is I use the Google suite so I can I can have my calendar and I can link that calendar with my email. And I can do meeting invites, I can calendar things, I can put tasks and even an email those to other people as they happen in real time. So I found the Google suite, where I have access to my Google Drive all the way from my phone to my iPad.

Ed Stetzer:
And you’re using it in an integrated way. I mean, I friends don’t generally let friends use Google Suite, but if you’re going to use Google Suite to do it, Integrated way is really a great team experience as well. I should add, I use Evernote to throw that in there as well. By the way, you mentioned Brotherhood Mutual. What you didn’t know is Brotherhood Mutual is actually a sponsor of this podcast. So so there you go. And we like the fact that they do provide I mean, they, they want churches not to experience crises and to experience, you know, losses and people being harmed. And more so I think so all of those things are and you unpack a lot of these things in managing the Ministry of Practical Guide to Church Administration. So a lot of these are processes I love processes I love systems. Um, so but why do some churches resist creating processes? What’s what’s the hindrance?

Jody Dean:
A lot of people are afraid it’s going to bog down or slow down. Uh, the Holy Spirit and being able to move among the people that it’s going to make the church more of a business approach to life. Um, maybe it’s going to, uh, allow decisions, uh, to not be made as quickly. It might slow that process down. And so there is aspects within that, um, that some people are just hesitant. Maybe they’ve had a bad experience. Um, some people feel that their voice has been limited in their workplace. And so if it feels more like a workplace business model, they’re afraid they’re not going to be as valued or their input is are not going to be as needed. It’s going to go into a hierarchical structure to where they may not be heard, or maybe their input is not needed or not even listened to. So there are different aspects of life experience that flow into that. But, uh, I, uh, I believe that it’s an important process for us to be able to free things up. Could you imagine a game day for a football game to where there was not an administrative process of how people would enter the stadium and how seats were assigned, and how concessions were going to happen, and and how the whole process of team management was going to happen to. So everything they needed was on the sidelines. I won’t call any specific teams. So to start making those lines, um, of where people feel about their conference or their team, but no matter what conference or what team, they all have, those processes.

Jody Dean:
I’ve, I’ve not been to a football game where I didn’t have to have a ticket. I’m not saying we need tickets for church, but there needs to be a process to understand. How do you deal with crowd management? How do you deal with the parking lot? How do you deal with egress of getting in and out of the building? All those administrative things are just aspects that we have to consider. Um, now, a lot of people that are pastors are like that just does not excite me. I really got I really felt called to preach, and I want to work on sermons and, uh, or I want to do pastoral care, uh, some of those things. Um, but I tell people, if you just take a couple of hours a week toward administration, maybe you do it in an afternoon that’s not a highly productive time for you, and you just knock it out, like working through your email, and you walk your building. And as you walk your building looking for all those things, you prayer walk it while you were going. So you’ve combined a spiritual task with an administrative task, your prayer walk in your facility for Sunday, but yet you’re looking for fresh eyes to see if it’s clean, to see how it smells, to see if anything needs attention. And so as you’re going with eyes to see, you’re also praying for God to move among his people. Yeah.

Ed Stetzer:
And processes for me, I think that you serve I mean, I think we both agree. And it’s in your book, but but we serve people better when we have processes. When I planted a church and it grew to eventually to 100 and 120, 130, 140. I have a whole new course coming out with right now media through a thing we call pastors, plus it’s pastors plus org. It’s a bunch of resources for for churches that will be rolling out in probably January 2025. Um, I’m doing one on breaking the 200 barrier. And I got to tell you, the key thing is processes and systems. And and so I need a process when somebody visits my church, how do we follow up on them? That’s a process. And when my church is 200 people, I can’t do it by myself, you know. How is our giving? Are counted and articulated. What’s our financial system? So processes are not bad and without them there’s chaos. And hence you come back to you serve people well with good processes and systems. But I think a lot of people are sort of overreacting. You know, you and I come from same denominational tradition. So I think a lot of people kind of saw the overprocessed, you know, we talk about overprocessed food, I guess, but they saw the overprocessed and then they react to, well, we don’t want any processes. So how do we find that balance and not overreact one way or the other?

Jody Dean:
You got to find a way that works for your people, because what’s going to happen if you don’t have any process or processes in place, people are going to get overlooked. So a first guest is going to come. No one follows up with them, and so they just experiment by going somewhere else the next week. And and so there’s a need for being able to connect with people. There’s a need for, um, taking care of your facility. No one likes to come into a facility that smells, uh, damp or musty or, uh, does not have a fresh, uh, aroma as you walk in. And so you want people that that’s just simple property management. So you want people to feel welcomed. You want people to feel benefited. But I grew up in a widow home. My dad died when I was a kid, and my church took great care of my mom. They just they just saw that she did not have need, that we did not have need. And they there was her deacon. They had a deacon family ministry and her deacon, when I moved off to college, mowed her yard. Uh, so it was just taken care of. And he did that until he was physically unable to do so. And someone else picked up that mantle and did it for her. Just a simple token of taking care of her. But they had a process in their church of making sure everybody was taken care of based on different needs, like widows or shut ins, elderly, to where they they had a process in place of just you could submit needs or you could submit challenges and they would build wheelchair ramps or mow yards, or do general landscaping things, or do maintenance things like changing a light bulb that some people just can’t get on a ladder anymore.

Jody Dean:
And so just a simple process of taking care of them that looked like that act six model of of no one being left out in a distribution that was just one simple process of pastoral care for them. That was their pastoral care process. Um, you’re going to need a process for every aspect of your church, and it might be overwhelming for the pastor or, uh, a board member or a key leader to sit down and map the whole organization and everything that needs a process. But if you don’t have any currently, it would not take that much time to create one for each area each month, and you just take one a month. So I encourage people to take a few hours a month and start creating processes. So if if you find that first impressions needs improvement, start there. If pastoral care needs improvement, start there. If taking care of your facility. Start there. If it’s, um, coming up with a process for your finances, like a purchasing system that needs to be implemented, then start there. If a safety, uh, process needs to be implemented with minors, then start there. And just then you get these established over a course of several months. Then all you have to do is tune them up, just like tune in your car for maintenance. You just do a little bit of work to make sure they’re working as they need to do.

Ed Stetzer:
That’s super practical. And the whole book is, by the way, again, managing the Ministry of Practical Guide to Church Administration. Super practical. I like how you kind of ended like take this, do this one month, do this one month. Processes are key. We can even say policies. We didn’t get much into policies. But if you’re tired of answering the same question about whether or not somebody can use the The Sanctuary for their band, you’d create a policy about that. So it’s basically keeps you from having to answer the same question over and over again. But and you address some of that. But just lastly, so what if somebody right now is if they’ve listened this far and they say Ed and Jody, I am nothing like either of you. I don’t like this, but I think I need to get better at it now. I’m going to recommend to them that they get your book Managing the Ministry. But what else? Are there some things that you would suggest that they could build? These skills are there. Are there other ways to practice? Are there people to listen to talk to us about that?

Jody Dean:
I would find a way to network with people of similar sized churches that and ask them what they are doing. Sometimes you can find solutions with friends. I found accountability a couple of guys. We would do lunch. They were from different churches, different denominational traditions and we would talk. How do you do church? What are you doing with minors? What is your safety process? What are you doing with first impressions? It was not a competition. It was a let’s learn from one another and let’s do ministry more effectively. So I found a group of people of similar size church. Um, and the reason I say similar sized church, if you go find somebody in a megachurch and you’re trying to break the 200 barrier, then that discrepancy, their process in the megachurch can just sometimes overwhelm you. And so I like similar church doing church well. And with all the technology that we have, you can even meet up online if you have to, if it’s too far to meet for a 30 minute drive, even for a cup of coffee. So I would just encourage finding a friend or two and just consistently talking about it. I would also consider there is, um, uh, Brotherhood Mutual. We mentioned it already, their library of resources. They also have some videos. Uh, and then there is uh, church tax and law has an incredible website that has all kinds of information for you by category that you can read articles that are sometimes, uh, a little more narrow.

Jody Dean:
This podcast is related to a big ministry of church leaders that, uh, provides incredible sourcing for people. Uh, I also, uh, it may be that you need to do some systematic study. So, for example, I took MBA classes because it’s great that I have a theological education, but, uh, church administration really deals with some business aspects, and I did not have any finance classes. It’s amazing when you’re a pastoral ministry major in college, you don’t take a lot of finance and you don’t take a lot of global engagement, global industry classes. And so I took MBA classes, a law class, a finance class, just to help me have those general accounting, general legal guidelines as backdrops, because I’m dealing with people in the local church that as lay leaders, they have that backdrop in their own profession. And so just I needed to level up. I had the theology aspect, but I needed the business to combat that. So it may be that you find a theological course of study, or an MBA course of study could help you and take some courses. There are even some certificate programs with state universities and community colleges that are not as overwhelming as a degree. That can help you take a general accounting class A property management class. Finance class that wherever you may live, you find it beneficial to take those classes if it would help you in your church administration.

Ed Stetzer:
Jodi Dean, thanks for taking the time. Thank you.

Daniel Yang:
We’ve been talking to Doctor Jodi Dean. Be sure to check out his book, Managing the Ministry A Practical Guide to Church Administration. And thanks again for listening to this. That’s our Church Leaders podcast. You can find more interviews, as well as other great content from ministry leaders at Church leaders.com/podcast. And again, if you found our conversation today helpful, I’d love for you to take a few moments, leave us a review, give us a like and a follow that will help other ministry leaders find us and benefit from our content. Thanks for listening. We’ll see you in the next episode.

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You’ve been listening to the Stetzer Church Leaders podcast for more great interviews as well as articles, videos, and free resources, visit our website at Church leaders.com. Thanks for listening.

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Key Questions for Jody Dean

-What’s the biblical basis for giving attention to the administrative aspects of ministry?

-How does administration support and empower the personal side of ministry?

-What do you say to people who say, “I just want to love people and preach the Bible?”

-When it comes to church administration, what are some major areas that need to be stewarded?

Key Quotes From Jody Dean

“[The] Jerusalem Council just looks kind of like the first church conference, church business meeting of some degree where some leaders had to get together, try to solve a problem.”

“When you get into the letters Paul wrote to the Corinthians, as well as the letter to the church in Ephesus, administration is actually one of the gifts that’s listed.”

“Some people have the gift of administration to help the body [of Christ] manage these things.”

“I don’t know a leader that does not deal with figuring out how to manage everything within their week.”

“Another topic that’s just emerged in the first few decades of the 21st century has been risk management. We understand safety of our people in a more meaningful way.”

Signing Church Services for the Deaf Is a Work of Love—And a Willingness To Learn the Bible

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(Photo by RDNE Stock project/Pexels/Creative Commons)

WASHINGTON (RNS) — At the First Baptist Church of Suitland, just across the District of Columbia border in Maryland, a typical Sunday service includes coffee and pastries, warm greetings and a sermon delivered by Pastor Quintin Few Sr., in an auditorium with a full band and speaker system.

At the side of the stage as the service proceeds are two people translating Few’s words into American Sign Language, to help Deaf and hard of hearing parishioners. They are part of a program at the church known as the Holy Hands ministry.

With their hands flowing from one sign to the next, the interpreters bring the pastor’s words to life, which can be no easy task. “One missed sign or one missed concept can prevent others from working out their service salvation on that day,” said Bronte Stewart, who founded the program with the church’s leadership and music director in 2014.

RELATED: ‘Jesus Is the Way’—Olympic Teen Skateboarder Uses Sign Language To Proclaim the Gospel to the World

Because Stewart sees every service as an opportunity to strengthen one’s faith, the ministry, she believes, offers more than access. It is inspired by a shared conviction among members that including anyone who might walk through the church’s doors is a fundamental part of living their Christian values.

“We were intentional in making sure that the Deaf community was integrated into the life of the church and to see them as part of us, irrespective of their disability,” said Few. “I think that is so important when you are ministering to any community.”

Pastor Quintin Few Sr. preaches at First Baptist Church of Suitland, Md., Oct. 6, 2024, while being interpreted by Holy Hands ministry members with American Sign Language, inset. (Video screen grab)

Churches that offer interpreted services are still relatively rare in the United States. The Deaf Bible Society, a nonprofit that works to make the Bible accessible to Deaf people, lists nearly 30 houses of worship in the state that are “Deaf Churches” (led by Deaf people) or “Interpreted Churches.” That’s likely an undercount — First Baptist doesn’t appear on its list — but with more than 5,000 churches in the state, it’s most likely that only a tiny minority provide ASL services. Meanwhile, estimates put the share of Americans who are Deaf or hard of hearing at 11 million, or about 3.6%.

At FBCS, the Holy Hands ministry was born out of a conversation that took place in January 2014, when a Deaf woman named Sharon Ligon walked into FBCS, interested in joining the church.

“There was a woman there explaining how the Sunday school works,” said Ligon, who was in a group with other prospective members but could not hear what was being said. A church member noticed Ligon had not been speaking much and approached her.

“He said, ‘Are you deaf? And I said, ‘Yes, I am.’ And so that’s when he called Bronte to come over,” Ligon recalled.

Stewart, a longtime church member, said: “I knew basic sign language. I wouldn’t even say at a ‘101’ level. It was probably like a level 99,” explained Stewart.

Bronte Stewart signs in a video. (Courtesy image)

Others in the church encouraged Stewart to learn more sign language in hopes she could become an ASL interpreter, but she was hesitant. “You know, when the Lord taps you on your shoulder, sometimes you miss it,” she said. “I thought to myself: ‘Oh no, not me, Lord. You couldn’t possibly be calling on me to do this task.’ I didn’t hear that.”

But not long afterward, one of First Baptist’s ministry directors approached her to say the church would send her to school to learn ASL if she would interpret at services. “I said, ‘Oh, OK, if the Lord’s going to equip me, yeah, I’m going,’” said Stewart, who then enrolled in ASL classes at a local community college.

Becoming a certified ASL interpreter can take years of rigorous examinations, and interpreters are required to meet standards set by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, a body that provides guidance for those interpreting in various settings, including religious ones.

The True Story of Thanksgiving

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Come Thanksgiving Day each year, many of us give the nod to Pilgrims and Indians and talk of making ready for a harsh first winter in the New World. But for the Christian, the deepest roots of the true story of Thanksgiving go back to the Old World, way back before the Pilgrims, to a story as old as creation, with a two-millennia-old climax. It’s a story that keeps going right on into the present and gives meaning to our little lives, even when we’re half a globe removed from history’s ground zero at a place called Golgotha.

The True Story of Thanksgiving

You could call it the true story of thanksgiving—or you could call it the Christian gospel viewed through the lens of that often undervalued virtue known as “gratitude.” It opens up a few biblical texts we otherwise may be prone to downplay.

Here’s the true story of thanksgiving in four stages:

1. Created for Thanksgiving

First, God created humanity for gratitude. You exist to appreciate God. He created you to honor him by giving him thanks. Appreciating both who God is and his actions for us—in creating us and sustaining our lives—is fundamental to proper human life in God’s created world.

As he describes in Romans 1 what’s gone wrong with the world, the apostle Paul gives us this glimpse of the place of appreciation in the created order:

Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Part of what the first man and woman were created to do is honor God by being thankful. And part of what we exist to do is honor God by being thankful—and thus the numerous biblical commands enjoining gratitude and story of thanksgiving.

Humanity was created to appreciate God. But as we’ve already seen from Romans 1, ingratitude wasn’t far away.

What Is Thanksgiving Day?

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Thanksgiving is an American holiday that stretches all the way back to a time long before America became a nation. The Pilgrims landed in 1620. They faced brutal conditions and were woefully unprepared. Roughly half of them died in that first year. Then they had a successful harvest of corn. In November of 1621 they celebrated the first thanksgiving.

Edward Winslow was among those who ate that first thanksgiving meal in 1621. He noted:

“Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we gathered the fruit of our labors. …And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want.”

In addition to the fowl eaten that first Thanksgiving, the Indians also brought along five deer as their contribution to the feast. Presumably they also ate corn.

Over the centuries, Americans continued to celebrate that first thanksgiving every fall. Some presidents issued proclamations. Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation for a perpetual national holiday set aside, like the first thanksgiving. In 1863, with the nation torn apart by the Civil War, he declared:

“I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

So we have a holiday of thanksgiving born in and further nurtured during times of great adversity and struggle. We might think that times of adversity and challenge would spawn ingratitude, while times of prosperity would spawn gratitude. Sadly, the reverse is true. A chilling scene from the animated television show The Simpsons demonstrates this. Bart Simpson was called upon to pray for a meal, to which he promptly prayed, “Dear God, We paid for all of this stuff ourselves, so thanks for nothing.”

Prosperity breeds ingratitude. The writers of the Heidelberg Catechism knew this. Question 28 asks what it benefits us to know that God creates and sustains all things. The answer is it gives patience in adversity and gratitude in prosperity. Moses also knew this. In Deuteronomy, he looks ahead to times of material prosperity for Israel, then sternly warns, inspired by the Holy Spirit, not to forget God. “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth’” (Deut. 8:17). We did this all ourselves. Thanks for nothing. Human nature trends toward ingratitude.

Another culprit breeding ingratitude is our entitlement culture. Simply put, why should we be grateful for what we deserve and what we have a right to? I was owed this, goes the culture, therefore why would I say thank you?

A third culprit concerns what UC Davis professor of psychology Dr. Robert Emmons calls the “to whom” question. In his scientific study of gratitude, Emmons came to the realization that gratitude raises a singular and significant question: When we say thank you, to whom are we grateful?

The interesting thing here is that if we trace this “to whom” line of questioning back, like pulling on the threads of some tapestry, we find a singular answer at the end of each and every thread. The answer is God. To whom are we grateful? We are grateful in an ultimate sense to God.

Our Benefactor does “good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17). Theologians call this common grace. God as creator cares for all His creation and provides for our needs. He gives us our very lives and our very breath.

Our Benefactor also does good by giving His most precious gift, the gift of His Beloved Son. Theologians call this saving grace. Gifts often cost the giver. What a costly gift the Father has given us in sending the Son. So Paul exclaims, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift” (2 Cor. 9:15).

When we consider God as the “to whom” we are thankful, we may well be seeing both the necessity of thanksgiving and the eclipse of thanksgiving. As culture veers more and more towards a secular state it shrinks back from gratitude. So vainly we think we did this all ourselves. So wrongly we think we deserve, or even have a fundamental right to, all of this. We also know what is at the end of the string if we pull on it long enough. We know that we will be confronted with a Creator. We know we will be accountable to a Creator. Saying thank you means we are dependent, not independent. We would rather be ungrateful. Paul says we know God from all the evidence He has left of Himself, but we don’t want to “honor him or give thanks to him” (Rom 1:21). Then the downward spiral begins. A culture of ingratitude careens ever downward into decline.

We should not be counted among those who see the fourth Thursday in November as nothing more than a day of football and over-indulgence. We should be thankful for one day set apart to consider all that we have and realize that all that we have has been given to us. Of course, such gratitude should in no wise be limited to one day out of 365.

Having been imprisoned for one year, four months, and eighteen days in a Nazi cell measuring 6 ft. x 9 ft, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote what is certainly a reminder of the meaning of the Thanksgiving holiday:

“You must never doubt that I’m traveling with gratitude and cheerfulness along the road where I’m being led. My past life is brim-full of God’s goodness, and my sins are covered by the forgiving love of Christ crucified. I’m so thankful for the people I have met, and I only hope that they never have to grieve about me, but that they, too, will always be certain of and thankful for God’s mercy and forgiveness.”

 

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

Thanksgiving: the Forgotten Holiday

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I call Thanksgiving the Forgotten Holiday. Retailers are so eager to get Christmas sales they overlook it, and worship leaders are so busy getting ready for Christmas they neglect it.

Thanksgiving: the Forgotten Holiday

In hard times when many people are unemployed, it might seen counterintuitive to give thanks—especially when you’re having trouble paying the light bill. But 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

I’ve heard preachers refer to this as “Thank You Therapy” — when we’re thankful for the good things God has given us (try making a list), it’s a bit easier to weather the tough times.

My Dad passed away a few weeks before Thanksgiving several years ago, after battling cancer for months. The last time he had made it to church was Easter, where he heard me play the piano (he loved watching years of piano lessons pay off!). I had lunch with my Mom yesterday, and even though she’s doing well, it’s hard to lose your husband of 47 years.

Advent Bags for Kids and Families: Creative Christmas Activities

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Advent bags are an exciting, meaningful way to prepare for Jesus’ arrival at Christmas. For Christians, Advent is a season of waiting and anticipation ahead of our Lord’s birthday. Read on for creative ideas to help children and families grow in faith during Advent!

At church each Sunday in December, we light a candle on the Advent wreath. There are five candles: three purple (representing hope, love and peace), one pink (representing joy), and one white (the Christ candle, lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day).

Sometimes the only place we talk about Advent is at church. So what can you do to celebrate Advent every day with your family at home?

One great way is through Family Advent Bags. I made one for each family at my church. I filled these Advent bags with fun things families could do together to focus on Jesus.

Advent Bags for Families

These Advent bags include the following items. Here is a printable list of supplies: Family Advent Bag List

Family Advent Calendar

Each day is filled with family activities to try. These include random acts of kindness, looking at Christmas lights, baking a birthday cake for Jesus, and more. Use this older calendar I created and just follow by the date, not the day of the week.

Advent Wreath Magnet

The simplest Advent wreath I found was magnetic! Families can stick it on their fridge and place new candles on it every Sunday. I bought mine at Living Grace.

Advent Devotions

I created four Advent devotions for families to use each Sunday with the magnet. Each week, read the devotion and place a candle on the wreath.

Christmas Morning Envelope

Next up: Try this unique idea. I wrote a letter for families to open first thing on Christmas morning. Before opening any presents, they should open the envelope and read the letter together. For a copy, click here: Christmas Morning Envelope

Craft Ornament

I included an Oriental Trading Nativity craft in each bag. To find one for your family, visit Oriental Trading.

Glow Stick

Inside each bag I put one glow stick. I told families to break it on Christmas Eve and sing “Silent Night” together. This is a reminder that Jesus is the Light of the world.

Navigating Theological Disagreements in Ministry: 5 Key Questions

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Navigating theological disagreements in ministry can be tricky for youth leaders. What if your beliefs differ slightly (or greatly) from the church you serve? Unfortunately, this usually comes up only after a youth pastor is already hired. That might happen because church leadership changes or because the youth pastor failed to ask important questions beforehand.

It’s not uncommon for a young youth worker to accept a position and only later discover some theological variances. Some differences are minor. But others might make you feel dishonest by remaining at a church.

So what’s the best approach for navigating theological disagreements in ministry? When some of your views are at odds with the church’s stated views, what should you do?

5 Questions for Navigating Theological Disagreements in Ministry

Here are five great questions youth leaders should ask:

1. Is it really a theological disagreement?

Some disagreements that seem to be about theology are really philosophy of ministry or strategy issues. Philosophy of ministry issues are also important. But it’s unfair to disagree with your senior pastor’s strategy and call it a theological issue.

For one small example, I once served under a senior pastor who was very against guns due to experiences doing inner-city ministry. This affected some of our youth events, because he opposed laser tag, paint ball and even water guns. While I disagreed with him, it was only a philosophy of ministry issue, and a small one at that. We simply didn’t play any games with fake guns. Don’t make a strategy issue into a theological issue.

2. Is it a primary theological issue?

Primary theological issues are foundational to our faith in Jesus. Examples include the divinity of Jesus, the reality of his resurrection, and the inerrancy of the Bible. For example, whether the six days in Genesis 1 are literal 24-hour periods might be important. But it’s not a primary issue. So don’t make the mistake of turning every theological issue into a matter of primary importance.

3. Does it affect the way you teach?

Next, ask this question. Can you teach from the Bible according to your conscience without contradicting your church’s stated beliefs or leaders’ views in a major way? If the answer is “yes,” then the disagreement is probably minor. If the answer is “no,” then you need to discuss that with church leadership.

Minor theological disagreements will occur among church staff. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill and leave your church over a minor theological disagreement. (Side note: If 100% agreement happens on everything in your church, then you might belong to a cult!)

John-Rhys Davies From ‘Lord of the Rings’ Encourages Listeners This Christmas Season With His ‘Scrooge: A Christmas Carol’

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(L) Photo courtesy of "Scrooge: A Christmas Carol." (R) Screengrab of ChurchLeaders' interview with John-Rhys Davies

John-Rhys Davies (“Lord Of The Rings,” “Indiana Jones”) brings Charles Dickens’ timeless Christmas classic “Scrooge: A Christmas Carol” to life in a four-episode podcast that arrives just in time for the holiday season. The acclaimed podcast debuted in 2023 and returned on Nov. 22.

In addition to Davies, who narrates the adaptation, “Scrooge: A Christmas Carol” also stars Sean Astin (“Lord of the Rings,” “Goonies,” “Rudy”) as Scrooge, Ben Barnes (“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” “The Punisher,” “West World”) as the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Juliet Mills (“Greys Anatomy”) as the Ghost of Christmas Future.

After the self-obsessed Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by spirits from Christmas Past, Present, and Future, the miserable old man is transformed into a new person who embodies all the best parts of Christmas. According to the podcast’s synopsis, “Through this journey of transformation, listeners will encounter themes of joy, mercy, hope and more. This fresh retelling of the holiday classic will entertain, inspire and remind you that even the hardest of hearts can find redemption.”

RELATED: ‘It’s the Best Movie Ever’—Child Stars of ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ Tell Why It’s the Can’t Miss Holiday Film of the Year

This award-winning audio drama was created with the hopes of not only entertaining listeners but also inspiring them to believe in God’s profound ability to transform people’s hard hearts through forgiveness and redemption.

To go along with the podcast, the World’s Biggest Small Group Bible Study has created a five-day devotional that explores the timeless lessons from the Christmas Carol classic. The Bible study focuses on “choosing joy, finding contentment, and extending mercy during the holiday season.”

In an interview, Davies told ChurchLeaders that “we all need that wonderful lesson of hope. Hope and forgiveness and the idea that people on the wrong path can find the right path. That there is the possibility of change and the possibility of redemption.” Davies added, “It’s so easy to be dark and depressed and we just need, sometimes, that joy that Christmas encapsulates.”

“Scrooge: A Christmas Carol” is an experience that the entire family can enjoy and one that can be handed down from generation to generation.

“The great stories are our morality stories, aren’t they?” said Davies. “They are about good and evil, right and wrong, yes, and we don’t have to hammer those things home to little children, because children recognize it in a story like this.”

RELATED: Crying So Hard’—Dallas Jenkins Shares What Inspired Him To Make ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’

‘I’ve Been Speaking in Tongues’—Russell Brand Asks Followers If ‘It’s Ok To Pray Publicly’

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Russell Brand. Screengrabs from X / @rustyrockets

Actor and podcast host Russell Brand says that he has been praying in tongues and asked his followers for their thoughts on praying in public. Brand, who was baptized as a Christian earlier this year, has been publicly processing his faith journey. 

“I’ve been speaking in tongues. I’ve been praying tongues,” Brand said in a social media post Monday, Nov. 25. He mentioned that someone had told him, “I pray in tongues,” and Brand’s reaction was, “Anybody can do that. It’s just babbling incoherent nonsense.”

 “But I’ve been doing it,” he added. And a question that Brand wanted to ask people was, “Do you think it’s ok to pray publicly?” 

Russell Brand: Is Praying in Tongues a ‘Private Thing’?

Russell Brand is an influencer, stand-up comedian, actor and former radio host who now hosts several podcasts, including one focused on spirituality and meditation. He is also a controversial figure who has been accused of spreading conspiracy theories and has received several allegations of rape and sexual assault. Brand has denied the allegations.

Brand is also an outspoken supporter of President-elect Donald Trump. Brand joined Tucker Carlson on Carlson’s live tour of the U.S. and appeared with psychologist and commentator Jordan Peterson at the Rescue the Republic rally in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, Sept. 29. 

The actor was baptized in the River Thames in April, has asked his followers where he should go to church, and has shared that he was reading the Bible and C.S. Lewis. Brand recently drew criticism for performing a baptism while wearing only a pair of tighty-whities.

RELATED: Russell Brand Continues To Baptize People Following Heavy Criticism for Doing So in His Underwear

Brand told his followers Monday that he knows some Eastern Orthodox believers who don’t support public prayer: “They say, ‘Stop it, you little show-off.’” The actor mentioned a passage in one of the gospels about not using prayer to try to get attention. In Matthew 6:5-8, Jesus says:

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Jesus then goes on to teach his disciples the Lord’s Prayer.

“But praying together, and preaching his Word, and bringing people together is so important,” Brand continued, saying that he loves to pray the St. Francis Prayer, which he then proceeded to quote.

‘I’m Not Going To Be Ashamed’—Deion Sanders Hopes His Relationship With God Will Impact Others

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Deion Sanders during a press conference on Nov. 19. Screengrab via YouTube / @9NEWS

While holding a press conference before the Colorado Buffaloes football game against the Kansas Jayhawks last week (Nov. 19), a reporter asked Buffaloes Head Coach Deion Sanders about Sanders’ relationship with Jesus Christ. Coach Prime, as many know him as, didn’t hold back in his answer.

The press conference included Peggy Coppom, a well-known Buffaloes fan many call “Miss Peggy,” who was celebrating her 100th birthday. Directing his question to Sanders, the reporter asked the coach if Miss Peggy, who is also known for her devotion to God, has had any impact on his personal relationship with God.

“My personal relationship with God is truly strong. I don’t think anyone in this room could impact that relationship,” Sanders responded. “I’m hoping that I can impact your relationship with God.”

RELATED: FFRF Accuses CU Buffs Football Coach Deion Sanders of ‘Religious Coercion,’ This Time for Locker Room Prayer

Deion Sanders: My Relation With God Is ‘Tremendous’

Deion Sanders continued, “My relationship [with God] is tremendous, and it’s not going to cease. It’s not going to stop. I’m not going to be ashamed of the gospel. That’s what my Bible tells me, and I’m going to proclaim my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, wherever I want to.” Coach Prime told the reporter, “Ain’t nobody going to tell me not to give love and show respect to my Lord and Savior that has blessed me, has pulled me up from suicide and thoughts and in a multiplicity of things that you don’t know.”

Sanders expressed his gratitude for being able to meet and spend time with Miss Peggy. “So I’m so thankful for her. I’m so thankful just to meet her,” said Coach Prime.

RELATED: Facing Possible Amputation, CU Coach Deion Sanders Says, ‘I Have Full Trust in Jesus!’

The former two-time Super Bowl champion speaks boldly about his relationship with Jesus any chance he gets and has been open about giving his life to the Lord following a suicide attempt in 1997. Sanders credits Bishop T.D. Jakes as one pastor who helped him in the early stages of developing his personal relationship with Jesus.

During his professional sports career, Sanders played in both the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB). He is currently the only athlete to have competed in both a Super Bowl and a World Series.

 

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The Digital Christian Revolution

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At ClearPurpose, I most often write at the intersection of business strategy, technology, and entrepreneurship, but I appreciate the opportunities to factor in a fourth important vector — a Christian worldview. Recently I’ve had some discussions with a well-known Bible college about their digital strategy and it caused me to reflect on how the four major waves of the Digital Christian Revolution have impacted ministries.

I’ve written at length in the past about the four sub-revolutions within the Digital Revolution, but as a quick reminder, they are:

4 Waves of the Digital Revolution

I often talk about the power and the danger of new technologies. Winning organizations will capture the power while managing the danger. To me, this seems like a much more important challenge for Christian ministries than for most for-profit corporations.

The Digital Christian Revolution

Jesus summarized God’s commands as “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” and “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37–39). While technology has tremendous potential to be used for good, too often it is used in ways that dishonor God and that harm people. As we’ve especially seen in recent weeks, sometimes the real damage isn’t even seen until years after the technology is introduced.

So to me, this is an essential issue. Are there ministries that have done a good job of capturing that power of the digital Christian revolution while managing the danger? If so, how have they managed to pull it off?

Authenticity and Small Groups: Is ‘Fauxnerability’ Becoming a Problem?

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Twenty-five years ago when I was just getting in the seminary/church/pastor game, vulnerability was not a high value. Things have changed. But with a higher value on transparency, authenticity and vulnerability in the church, there is a dark ‘flip-side’ that we need to be aware of with authenticity and small groups.

Recently, I listened to the final sermon of a pastor whose affair was found out the week after this sermon, and who committed suicide not long after. Strewn throughout the sermon were phrases like “Gospel brokenness” and “unconditional acceptance” and “idols to repent of” along with admissions about the messiness of life and the power of God to transform our wounds like God had done for this pastor. Imagine the shock and sense of betrayal when the congregation found out about his year-long sexual relationship with a female admirer of his who he met while speaking at a conference. The discovery was followed by days of throwing his wife under the bus for “emotionally abandoning” him. In the end, the shattered narcissistic false self led him to the tragic conclusion that if that self was gone, he was gone. And so, he acted on this belief, ending his life violently. The self-hatred was apparent in his final act.

Narcissism and Authenticity and Small Groups

A friend and pastor in a sister denomination reached out to me and told me that many of the larger “Gospel-centered” church pastors in his denomination who, in fact, enjoy my writings or Diane Langberg’s stuff on narcissism or Dan Allender, and have some passion about injustices and sex scandals, are, in fact, the biggest perpetrators of narcissistic abuse. And this is what increasingly frightens me with authenticity and small groups — the epidemic of fauxnerability—pastors (and many others) who are emotionally intelligent enough to share a general “messiness” about their lives (often in broad strokes admitting weakness and need), but who are radically out of touch with their true selves. They’ve dressed up the false self in a new garment—the garment of faux vulnerability, with the accompanying Gospel vocabulary of weakness, need, brokenness, dependence, idolatry and more. And they may be more dangerous than pastors who simply don’t give a damn about living vulnerably.

When a twisted form a vulnerability is used in service of a spiritual false self, congregations are thrown into painful and often contentious seasons of gossip, opposition, choosing sides, and living in trauma and confusion. I saw it again recently. An influential church elder whose wife left him fell on the sword, confessing emotional unavailability, workaholism and sexual addiction in a posture of ‘repentance.’ He has not done the hard work of long-term therapy to root out deeper issues (which, can I just say, shows a remarkably low doctrine of sin…and I see this all the time among so-called Reformed folk). He now moves from person to person, to any listening ear, sharing about his “brokenness” and “sin” in seemingly a repentant package, only to groom his listeners into empathy and trust for the sake of (…wait for it…) the grand finale—a seemingly innocent, reluctant, but calculated swipe at his wife—for her impatience with him, for her raging anger, for her unforgiveness, for not being willing to engage him. Before you know it, they’re all in tears. I see this happen time and again.

Thankful Quotes: Show Gratitude for Blessings This Thanksgiving

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Thankful quotes remind us to reflect on blessings and be grateful for God’s goodness. Taking time to thank God is vital to worship and faith growth.

We’ve collected uplifting thankful quotes for the Thanksgiving season and beyond. As you celebrate Thanksgiving, let these quotes deepen your sense of gratitude to God!

Thankful Quotes for Christian Praise

Use these Scriptures and thankful quotes to inspire gratitude among teens and church members.

Bible Verses on Thankfulness

First, explore Scripture’s many reminders to thank and praise God.

  • “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
  • “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 107:1
  • “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
  • “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17

Quotes About Thanksgiving and Blessings

Next, remember that followers of Jesus see God’s hand in every blessing.

  • “Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God. And it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it.” —A.W. Tozer
  • “Let us daily keep our hearts in a thankful frame, for ingratitude is surely a deadly thing.” —CharlesSpurgeon
  • “The measure of life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.” —Corrie ten Boom
  • “The unthankful heart discovers no mercies. But the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.” —Henry Ward Beecher

Quotes About God’s Goodness

Christian gratitude focuses on God’s faithfulness and care.

  • “Gratitude is the gateway to joy.” —R.C. Sproul
  • “Thanksgiving is good, but thanks-living is better.” —Matthew Henry
  • “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” —William Arthur Ward
  • “In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” —Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Nativity Play Scripts for Kids Church: Creative Ideas for Christmas

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Nativity play scripts for kids church focus on the meaning of Christmas. A child-friendly Christmas program lets kids joyfully express their love for Jesus.

Options abound for nativity play scripts for kids church. So whether you teach preschoolers or preteens, consider these kidmin resources.

Nativity Play Scripts for Kids Church

1. Preschoolers (ages 3-5): Simple Storytelling & Visuals

Simplicity is key! Because preschoolers thrive on visual cues, try these ideas:

  • Narrated Nativity: Younger children may not remember lines. So have an adult narrator tell the story as preschoolers act it out.
  • Costume Parade: Give each child a small costume piece (halo, robe, animal headband). Then during key moments, kids can parade on stage. This avoids the pressure of memorization.
  • Songs: Include simple Christmas tunes with motions, like “Away in a Manger.” With repetitive phrases, preschoolers can join in.
  • Animal-Focused Play: Little ones love animals! So add roles for cows, sheep, and donkeys by the stable. Include a playful scene about animals welcoming baby Jesus.

2. Younger Elementary (ages 6-8): Guided Dialogue & Group Scenes

Next up: These kids enjoy learning lines and acting in group scenes. They’re ready for more structure, but simplicity still matters.

  • Prop-Based Storytelling: Give each child a prop. Mary can hold a baby doll. Shepherds can carry stuffed sheep. Angels can hold shining stars. As the story unfolds, have children bring their props forward. That helps them understand their role.
  • Interactive Narration: Let kids say short, guided lines when prompted. After the narrator says, “The angel told Mary she would have a baby named Jesus,” Mary can respond, “God has blessed ne!” This lets children speak without feeling overwhelmed.
  • Songs as Story Elements: Use carols to support the story and worship Jesus. When Mary and Joseph arrive, sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Adding a song for each scene reinforces the sequence of events.

Gayle Beebe: Hope in Hardship—Navigating Challenges in Ministry

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How can setbacks, disasters, and hardships actually help us flourish in both life and leadership? In this week’s conversation on FrontStage BackStage, host Jason Daye is joined by Gayle Beebe. Gayle is the president of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. He’s had opportunities to serve and contribute to the global church in a number of ways. He’s written several books, including his latest, titled “The Crucibles That Shape Us.” Together, Gayle and Jason explore how God helps us navigate those defining challenges in our leadership. Gayle also shares some specific ways that these hardships provide passageways to experiencing God at a deeper level and serving his kingdom.

FrontStage BackStage Podcast With Gayle Beebe

View the entire podcast here.

Keep Learning

Looking to dig more deeply into this topic and conversation? Every week we go the extra mile and create a free toolkit so you and your ministry team can dive deeper into the topic that is discussed. Find your Weekly Toolkit here… Love well, Live well, Lead well!

Christian Olympian Discusses Last Supper Opening Ceremony Backlash With Lecrae

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L: Lecrae. R: Daniel Roberts. Screengrabs from YouTube / @LecraeOfficial

On a recent episode of “Deep End With Lecrae,” the Christian hip hop artist interviewed hurdler Daniel Roberts about his faith and his experiences at the Paris Olympics. Roberts took home a silver medal from the 2024 Summer Games.

During his Nov. 14 podcast, Lecrae asked Roberts about his sport, his faith, and his thoughts on the controversial Opening Ceremony in Paris. Roberts, 27, admitted it can be challenging to balance ego and humility as a pro athlete. But he said his constant prayer is “less of me, more of you, God.”

RELATED: ‘God Will Not Be Mocked’—John Cooper, Andy Stanley, and Candace Cameron Bure Outraged Over ‘Blasphemous’ Olympic Opening Ceremony

Olympian Daniel Roberts on Being Bold for Christ

Lecrae, who was at the Paris Games, said lots of people were “disappointed in me” because of the Opening Ceremony, asking how he could support the Olympics. Some Christians, offended by drag queens portraying the Last Supper, called for a boycott of the Games.

When Lecrae asked Roberts whether he felt backlash, the athlete said he didn’t know what had happened until he saw the uproar on social media. Then, he said, he had to ask what God wanted from him in that situation. Roberts decided he didn’t need to “fight back” but just be “bold” about who he represents and why he was there.

When people urged a boycott, Lecrae said his reaction was, “Why would you want to take people out of these spaces where they can be a light in a dark world?”

Chris Bates, a trainer for the U.S. water polo team, prayed for Roberts in Paris. That encounter made the hurdler realize God was “showing me what he could do through me, even when I’m not perfect.” Lecrae and Roberts discussed how God doesn’t need people to complete his purposes, but God decides to fill us with his Spirit and use us.

Daniel Roberts on Running the Race

Roberts, who grew up in a Christian home full of athletic siblings, said his faith became his own around ninth grade. “I always felt some type of presence, some type of pull,” he said, and in high school he “was just ready to really dedicate my life to God.”

Because track and field is an individual sport, athletes can get wrapped up in pride, Roberts said. Confidence is key for success, yet Christ calls us to “be humble and speak good about your competitors.”

RELATED: Being Offended by Offensive Things Is Good, Actually

Roberts tries to “be prepared for any moment God puts me in.” Although he aims to break records and earn more medals, he also realizes “maybe God just wants me to be a professional athlete [and] reach the people that I’m supposed to reach in that moment.”

Secrets of an Irresistible Gift Bag for Church Guests

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Our church set out to design a gift bag for visitors that would achieve three key goals:

  1. Provide a meaningful opportunity for face-to-face follow-up.
  2. Serve as an attractive way to present brochures and essential church information.
  3. Extend our church’s name and logo into guests’ everyday lives, increasing visibility and influence.

Understanding Our Audience

Our target demographic consists of busy young families with elementary-aged children. These families often lead fragmented lives, moving between separate, unrelated spheres of work, school, and activities. This disconnect can create what Randy Frazee describes as “crowded loneliness” in his book, Making Room for Life.

With this in mind, we aimed to create a gift bag that not only welcomed our guests but also helped them view church as a unifying mission—a place that intersects with every part of their lives, rather than just another compartmentalized activity.

Thoughtful Contents for Connection

To ensure the gift bag resonated with both individuals and families, we carefully selected items to appeal to various interests and spheres of influence. Here’s what we included:

  • Practical Literature: Brochures outlining our ministries, mission, and values, along with tracts and a signed welcome letter from the pastor.
  • Invitation Cards: A bundle of personalized church business cards for visitors to share with friends. These cards featured a map, service times, and contact information, emphasizing that they are valued and encouraged to spread the word.

We also incorporated unique, logo-branded items designed to be memorable, useful, and visible in their daily lives.

Principles for Branded Items

  1. Value Over Volume: Invest in high-quality, practical items rather than inexpensive trinkets.
  2. Encourage Regular Use: Items should be appealing enough for guests to use daily, even in public.
  3. Reinforce Positive Experiences: Useful gifts with our logo remind visitors of their time at church and spark conversations.
  4. Expand Influence: Items should naturally integrate into their most influential spheres, encouraging self-identification with their faith community.

Highlighted Gift Items

  • Tote Bag: A durable and stylish logo-branded bag, perfect for carrying toys, snacks, or beach gear. This practical item is designed to make our presence known in public spaces like parks, daycare centers, and more.
  • Coffee Mug: A unique 17 oz. mug with a comfortable handle and tastefully displayed church details. We envisioned it becoming a favorite at home, work, or during casual meet-ups.
  • Sunglasses Clip: A functional and innovative visor clip for cars, complete with our logo and contact info. We knew this would find daily use during commutes and family outings.

Organized and Thoughtful Presentation

We included a detailed checklist to ensure consistency in every gift bag:

Gift Items

  • 1 Tote Bag
  • 1 Coffee Mug
  • 1 Sunglasses Clip
  • 2 Pens
  • 1 Notepad

Paper Items

  • Pastor’s Signed Letter
  • Contents Explanation Sheet
  • Church Brochure
  • 5 Invitation Cards
  • The 7 Wonders Booklet
  • Feedback Form

Food Items

  • Candy Bag (in Mug)
  • Homemade Item (e.g., cookies or banana bread)

The Impact of a Personal Touch

Visitors consistently express appreciation for these thoughtful gifts, often sharing them with friends and family. One guest even joked about returning for a second mug! These moments reflect the lasting impression we aim to leave.

However, the gift bag itself is only part of the equation. The follow-up delivery process is equally important. Here’s how we approach it:

  • Choose Familiar Faces: Whenever possible, the person making the delivery should be someone the visitor remembers from their visit.
  • Be Considerate: Call ahead to schedule a convenient drop-off time. Avoid creating discomfort by showing up unannounced.
  • Empower Lay Leaders: Encourage non-staff members to make the deliveries to maintain a warm, approachable atmosphere.

A Heartfelt Explanation

Every gift bag includes a contents sheet that metaphorically explains each item’s significance:

  • Tote Bag: “This bag is a reminder that we are here to help you carry life’s burdens.”
  • Coffee Mug: “We hope this mug becomes a favorite and reminds you of the warm welcome waiting for you at our church.”
  • Sunglasses Clip: “May this item help you see clearly—both in your car and in life—with God’s vision for your journey.”
  • Invitation Cards: “Feel free to invite others. We’d love to meet your friends and family!”
  • Edible Treats: “Enjoy these goodies as a taste of the sweet fellowship available here.”

Follow-Up Strategy

The journey doesn’t end with the delivery of the gift bag. Visitors should find a dedicated section for newcomers on our website, along with additional opportunities for engagement, like small group invitations or personal follow-up messages.


By creating a thoughtful and intentional gift bag, we’ve not only made our visitors feel welcome but also encouraged them to share their experience, extending our mission into their many spheres of life.

WATCH: ‘The Chosen’ Drops Teaser Trailer for Season 5

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Clockwise from left: Jesus, Mother Mary, and Pharisees are portrayed in Season 5 of "The Chosen." Screengrabs from YouTube / @TheChosenSeries

“The Chosen” has dropped a teaser trailer for its highly anticipated Season 5, set to release in April 2025. The trailer, just over a minute in length, shows Jesus and his disciples seated at the Last Supper, Jesus’ Triumphal Entry, and coins falling into someone’s hand.

“Listen carefully,” Jesus says as the trailer opens, showing him and his disciples seated at their final meal together. “Because I’m going to tell you what is about to happen.”

Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for “The Chosen.”

RELATED: Dallas Jenkins Reveals ‘Very First Line That Was Ever Written’ for ‘The Chosen’

‘The Chosen’ Releases Powerful Season 5 Teaser Trailer 

Dallas Jenkins, writer, creator, and director of “The Chosen,” announced in October that Season 5 will be released in theaters this coming April. Earlier this year, Season 4 of the hit series was released in February and March, breaking ground as the first streaming TV show to be released in theaters in its entirety.

While Jenkins has shared the news that Season 5 will not be released all at once, he has not given specific details yet about what that process will look like, nor has he shared the initial release date. Jenkins has simply said that Season 5 will release in “early April” and be available “all the way through the Easter season of 2025.”

Season 4 concluded with an emotional scene showing Jesus mounting a donkey as he and his followers head towards Jerusalem. Elizabeth Tabish, who plays Mary Magdalene, said it was “one of my favorite scenes to film because we were all together, and we didn’t have to do very much.”

RELATED: An ‘Honor’ and a ‘Cost’–‘The Chosen’ Cast Reflects on the Final Scene From Season 4

In a 2023 livestream celebrating the conclusion of filming Season 4, Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus, said at the time that filming that season was the most difficult for him out of all of the seasons up to that point. Roumie and Jenkins agreed that Season 4 was “deeper” and had a greater emotional weight than previous seasons.

It seems likely that weight will only increase as the story follows Jesus to his death. Season 5 takes place over Holy Week, and Tabish described the taxing nature of Roumie’s task. “Just being friends with Jonathan [Roumie] and knowing what he’s going to have to go through, performing this, and seeing the weight of this role on him,” said Tabish, “is just devastating, you know?”

TD Jakes Suffers Health Scare While Preaching, Now ‘Stable’ and ‘Under the Care of Medical Professionals’

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L: Bishop T.D. Jakes. R: Congregants assist Jakes during his sermon. Screengrabs via X / @VirgilWalkerOMA

Bishop T.D. Jakes (67) of The Potter’s House Church in Dallas suffered a health scare during his sermon on Sunday (Nov. 24).

It is unclear exactly what happened to Jakes. Following his sermon, he told the congregation that he loved them and then began to pray Psalm 19:14: “Now Lord, let the words of my mouth [and the] meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight. Oh Lord, my strength, my redeemer, let us go in peace.”

T.D. Jakes Visibly Convulses on Stage

A video of the livestream shows that Jakes had been sitting on a stool while he preached. As he ended his prayer, Jakes slowly lowered the microphone to his lap and began to visibly convulse—as someone might do if he were having a stroke.

Recognizing that Jakes was experiencing some type of health scare, those who were on the stage immediately rushed to his side while EMS was alerted.

“During today’s service, Bishop T.D. Jakes experienced a slight health incident and received immediate medical attention following his powerful hour long message,” The Potter’s House of Dallas said in a statement posted on social media. “Bishop Jakes is stable and under the care of medical professionals. The entire Potter’s House family is grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers, and support from the community.”

RELATED: T.D. Jakes Addresses Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sex Party Rumors During Christmas Eve Service

The church concluded its statement by thanking people for their “understanding and continued prayers.”

A person who was attending the worship service replied on The Potter’s House Church’s Facebook page. “It was certainly a scary moment for ALLLLLLL of us there at The Potters House [sic] today as we prayed and watched Bishop’s wife, First Lady Serita Jakes, the family, Pastors and medical team rushed to his side to extend medical attention to him,” the congregant wrote.

“And we were CERTAINLY bombarding heaven with much needed prayers for our Shepherd,” she added. “We waited patiently as he came back around as we continued to pray and thank God for his speedy recovery. Thank you Jesus for your healing hand and protection over him. We love you Bishop. And Happy Thanksgiving to you and the family as well.”

ChurchLeaders reached out to The Potter’s House of Dallas for an update on Jakes’ condition and was referred to their already released statement.

T.D. Jakes’ Daughter and Son-In-Law Respond

Later Sunday night, T.D. Jakes’ daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, and her husband, Touré Roberts, posted a video update on the bishop’s social media, informing his followers that Jakes is already improving.

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