18 Youth Group Games, Lessons and Activities for Teens

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June 24, 2021

A thriving youth group is crucial for churches that want to grow. But planning youth group games and activities week after week can be tough. You want students to feel like you value them enough to prepare something special, but you also want to respect your volunteer team’s time by not spending hours during every meeting coming up with ideas.

We’ve pulled together 18 youth group games and activities you can use to keep things fresh. Some are big group games everyone can play together. Others are team activities to encourage collaboration and community. Others are more like contests. There’s a mix of youth group games and activities you can do outdoors or indoors, and some age-appropriate serving opportunities are included as well.

To help you choose youth group games that work best for you, each includes a cost rating (Free, $, $$ or $$$), estimated prep time, supply list, and a note about whether it’s messy.

Remember: Often the success or failure of youth group games depends on how much leaders model enthusiasm for it. If adults look like they aren’t invested in the activities they’re trying to get students to do, then kids won’t get into it. That means the game will flop even if it’s good. But kids can get excited about some pretty weird, goofy stuff if you really sell it. As much as possible, leaders should do these youth group games and activities with students, not just “facilitate” them off to the side.

Pro tip: Leave students wanting more! Even great youth group games become bad ones if you make kids play them too long. Cut games off before kids get bored, and read the room for signs that it’s time to move on.

Give these 18 youth group games, lessons and activities a try with your kids:

Icebreaker Youth Group Games

Icebreakers are a great way to start your event or make a transition. These activities get everyone up and moving, and they help encourage kids to mingle and come out of their shells a bit (which is why some people refer to them as “mixers”).

1. ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS CHAMPION, AKA “BIGGEST FAN”

Cost: Free

Prep time: 0 minutes

Messy?: No

Supplies: None

If you tell a bunch of kids you’re going to play Rock, Paper, Scissors, they’ll probably roll their eyes—even if you’ve come up with a cool variation like Pirate, Ninja, Knight (or whatever). What makes Rock, Paper, Scissors Champion fun is that it quickly descends into madness.

Everyone picks an opponent and plays Rock, Paper, Scissors, or whatever wacky variation you invent. Whoever loses becomes the “biggest fan” of the person who just beat them. Then together they go find a new opponent for the winner to play, and the fan cheers on their “champion.” Each round, the loser and their fans become fans of the winner. Eventually you’ll wind up with about half the group cheering and screaming for one person, and the other half cheering for another.

Encourage kids to cheer for the person who beats them by name. That way, if they don’t know the person’s name beforehand, now they have to learn it.

Can a Tender-Hearted President Solve the Southern Baptists’ Trust Problem?

By

Bob Smietana

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June 24, 2021

southern baptists — The Rev. Ed Litton participates in a panel during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, Tuesday, June 15, 2021, in Nashville. RNS photo by Kit Doyle

(RNS) — The Southern Baptist Convention has trouble with a capital T — and that stands for trust.

The lack of trust was palpable during the SBC’s recent annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, where local church messengers often overruled Baptist leaders from the meeting floor.

“As far as trust in leadership — that is one thing that came through loud and clear,” James Pittman, pastor of New Hope Community Church in Palatine, Illinois, told Religion News Service in a phone interview after the annual meeting. “There’s no trust.”

The SBC’s leadership has gotten pushback in recent months over a statement against critical race theory made by the presidents of six SBC seminaries, costing the support of prominent Black pastors, as well as over its slowness to get a handle on sexual abuse cataloged in a 2019 Houston Chronicle report.

These controversies have been exacerbated by two high-profile departures — that of influential Bible study teacher Beth Moore, who disagreed with the SBC leaders’ attachment to former President Donald Trump, and the denomination’s chief ethicist, Russell Moore. The latter, who is not related to Beth Moore, was a champion of sexual abuse survivors, and in a letter leaked just weeks before the annual meeting he criticized the leadership for silencing him.

All of these internal pressures are playing out against the larger backdrop of decline: The SBC has lost more than 2 million members since 2006.

The person charged with helping lead the convention forward is a soft-spoken Mobile, Alabama, pastor, Ed Litton, best known for his work on racial reconciliation. Litton was elected SBC president in a hotly contested election, winning over Georgia pastor Mike Stone in a runoff.

Stone is a founder of the Conservative Baptist Network, which contends the convention has become “liberal” and “woke.” His share of the presidential vote shows that many in the rank and file share the CBN’s concern.

Litton rejects those claims but has said he wants to work with all Southern Baptists to “iron out our differences.”

“I want to be clear that my goal is to build bridges and not walls,” he said during his first news conference.

Doing that will take a lot of work.

Litton was candid about the challenges facing the SBC during an interview two days after his selection. Dressed in jeans and a sport coat, he described himself as a local church pastor who deals mostly with the real-life issues of people, rather than as a denominational influencer.

Famous Pussycat Dolls Singer Shares Baptism: ‘I’m Finally Now Serving the Lord’

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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June 24, 2021

A professional singer and former member of the popular 2000’s all-girl pop group the Pussycat Dolls, Kaya Jones shared with her social media followers last month she was baptized, and she praised Paula White’s ministry for sowing a seed that brought her to Jesus.

Jones grew up in a Christian household, but gives testimony that she slowly stopped attending church after her parents got a divorce. At age 16 she was signed to music industry giant Capital Records and later joined the Pussycat Dolls in 2003 at age 19. Jones was recruited along with Nichole Scherzinger, who is a singer and now a panelist on The Masked Singer. Jones shared that when she joined the American pop group that she was serving herself and not God.

Kaya Jones: God Writes Incredible Outcomes

Kaya Jones told her followers knew she wasn’t following the plan God had for her, saying “much damage and pain has come.” She shared in an interview she had an abortion while she was in the Pussycat Dolls.

Jones is now a pro-life advocate speaking out for the unborn and to mothers who have had abortions. She said, “The Lord told me when I needed to speak on that and I started to speak on it, and I’m speaking from a place that I’ve done it, I’ve lived it, it’s very painful.” Speaking with other women with whom she can relate, Jones explains, “We regret not having our child, our children, so I do think that it’s a really important issue to be speaking on now more so than ever because people are glorifying it and they’re really giving you horrible advice.”

“God writes the most incredible outcomes,” Jones said in an Instagram post and invited those reading to give their life to Christ. “I’ve sang with Jagger, Britney, Fergie, Katy Perry & many others. Nothing & no one compares to singing with Jesus! Nothing! Thank you for saving me! You take what the enemy meant for evil & you turn it for good!”

“Now I sing full-time for the Lord!”

“Kaya this is going to be a new season for you,” Pastor Paula White told Jones before her baptism. White continued,

Everything the enemy stole God is about to restore…I believe that you’re going to be baptized with the Holy Ghost today and you’re going to come up with the evidence of speaking in tongues. I believe that God is bringing new people into your life. I believe that today is a day of transformative day and today is a day that old things die and nothing from your past is going to be able to go into your future. Every generational curse broken. Everything that was stolen from you in the world God is going to return to you even now and today is the day of suddenly.

Referring to White, the former Pussycat Dolls singer said, “It was a dream come true to be baptized by this woman who brought me to Christ through the TV.”

Jones wrote in her baptism post, “Purification by the Holy Spirit! Best day ever done by the woman who brought me to Christ at 16 years old! God is amazing! Thank you.” White responded, “I am very grateful and honored to be a part of Gods plan for your life 🙏🏻❤️. I love you and rejoice at all that God has for you Beautiful 🙏🏻❤️”

Jones said the resurgence of her faith in Jesus has had a positive effect on those around her, including her mother, her mother’s boyfriend, and Jones’ boyfriend. Jones shared that her mother has been coming to church and that Jones’ boyfriend has been immersing himself in the Word of God. “I can only attribute that to the Holy Spirit,” she said. “It’s not me. It’s Him.”

In 2019 Jones collaborated with Christian musician Jason Crabb on his song “Let It Be Love.” The song was featured on the album “Unexpected,” which won a Grammy for Best Roots Gospel Album.

One Nevada Church Settles, Another Pressing COVID-19 Lawsuit

By

Scott Sonner

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June 24, 2021

calvary chapel lone mountain — Calvary Chapel Lone Mountain holds a worship service the evening of May 12, 2021. Source: Facebook.

RENO, Nev. (AP) — The state has agreed to pay $175,000 in legal fees to settle a lawsuit with a rural Nevada church over COVID-19 capacity caps on religious gatherings that a U.S. appeals court found illegal in December.

But while no COVID-19 restrictions have been in place since June 1, a second church in Las Vegas is continuing to press for a federal court order declaring Gov. Steve Sisolak’s earlier limits unconstitutional.

Lawyers for Calvary Chapel Lone Mountain in Las Vegas filed a motion in U.S. District Court on June 11 seeking permission to amend its complaint against Sisolak, Attorney General Aaron Ford and Justin Luna, chief of the Nevada Division of Emergency Management.

They said a formal ruling is necessary to prevent the state from enacting similar illegal orders in the future and to force compensation for the harm suffered by the church’s parishioners and other businesses deemed non-essential under the governor’s emergency directives.

“Unless and until injunctive relief is granted, plaintiffs will continue to suffer irreparable harm for which they are left without an adequate remedy at law” and “be fearful of exercising their right to peacefully pray, assemble, engage in business and to be treated for COVID-19,” the motion states.

Sisolak lifted all state COVID-19 restrictions on churches, casinos and all other businesses on June 1 and gave the authority to local counties to enforce any limits they saw fit. None currently place any restrictions on religious gatherings.

Last year, indoor religious gatherings in Nevada were subject to a hard cap of 50 churchgoers while attendance limits at many businesses including casinos were based on a percentage of the buildings’ fire-code capacities.

The different treatment of secular and religious entities drew a sharp rebuke from the conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2020 when the high court was sharply divided in a 5-4 ruling that refused the Nevada churches’ request for an emergency injunction blocking enforcement of the attendance limit.

“There is no world in which the Constitution permits Nevada to favor Caesars Palace over Calvary Chapel,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote then in one of three strongly worded dissents.

The other church that sued the state, Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley east of Reno, entered into settlement talks soon after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Nevada’s church attendance cap in December.

The San Francisco-based court directed the judge in Nevada to reconsider the case. In the meantime, the state said it would not enforce any limits on churches more stringent than those on private businesses.

In April, the state and lawyers for Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley filed a joint motion to stay the proceedings until July 8 so the state could obtain necessary approvals to make the payment for legal fees. Two weeks ago, the Nevada Board of Examiners approved a payment of $175,000 to the Georgia-based Alliance Defending Freedom.

Calling Reparations Biblical, Tulsa-Area Church Gives $200K Each to Massacre Survivors

By

Stephanie Martin

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June 24, 2021

During its worship service last Sunday, Transformation Church in Bixby, Okla., blessed several community members with financial gifts. The megachurch near Tulsa, which has made large donations in the past, gave away $1 million on the Juneteenth weekend, including $200,000 to each of the three remaining survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Pastor Michael Todd spoke about reparations, encouraging churches and pastors to take the lead in creating societal change.

Transformation Church: ‘God Brings Beauty From Ashes’

While addressing his congregation, Todd didn’t shy away from the controversial topic of financially compensating people who’ve been wronged. He said reparations “is not a political word” but a biblical concept of “repairing something that was destroyed.” God will bring about reparations, the pastor said, just as he promises to “restore to you the years that the locust have eaten” (Joel 2:25) and to bring beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:3).

In 1921, the Tulsa Race Massacre resulted in hundreds of deaths and the destruction of the mostly Black Greenwood neighborhood, known as Black Wall Street. Although it’s one of America’s worst cases of race-related violence, the massacre had—until recently—been absent from many history books. Pastor Todd noted that because “reparations is not coming from them,” meaning the U.S. government, he had instructed church staff to locate remaining survivors and to pinpoint Tulsa’s average home price.

On Sunday, the three living survivors, whose ages range from 100 to 107, attended worship at Transformation, where they heard words of thanks and each received a check for $200,000. “Thank you for living a life that survived the devastation,” Pastor Todd told them. “I’m a young Black man who took over a church from a white man who built it in North Tulsa. That couldn’t have happened if you all didn’t survive. Today, we can’t restore everything that has been stolen from you. But today we can put a seed in the ground.”

Transformation Church also presented money to several local organizations, including a grocer who provides fresh produce in an area that had become a food desert.

Transformation: Change Starts in the Church

At Transformation Church, the theme for Sunday’s celebration was “Devastation 2 Restoration.” Pastor Todd said, “If God is the God of reparation and restoration, and I am…one of God’s people, then I am responsible for being a part of restoring what has been torn down.” That applies to all churches and church leaders, he said, urging others to step up. “It’s reparations season, and change starts in the church,” he said.

Sunday’s worship marked Transformation Church’s first in-person service in 462 days. In a Facebook post, the church describes the event as “history in the making,” with “people of all races and ethnicities [coming] together as the Capital C Church.”

The post continues, “We turned a place of pain into a place of WORSHIP! And we were able to give $1,000,000 to survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre and non-profit organizations! When God told our founding pastor, Bishop Gary McIntosh, to reverse the curse in Tulsa, we had NO idea it would be like this! But we are so GRATEFUL and HUMBLED to be used in this way!”

Atheist, Humanist Groups Sue Mississippi Over ‘In God We Trust’ License Plate

By

Alejandra Molina

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June 24, 2021

(RNS) — Atheist and humanist groups are suing Mississippi over the state’s “In God We Trust” license plate, calling it unconstitutional and seeking alternatives that don’t require additional fees for Mississippi drivers.

In a federal complaint filed Tuesday (June 22) in Mississippi U.S. district court, American Atheists, the Mississippi Humanist Association and three nonreligious Mississippi residents claim the state’s license plate violates nonreligious people’s freedom of speech by forcing them to display the religious message on their vehicles.

“The phrase ‘IN GOD WE TRUST’ is rooted in hostility toward non-Christians and atheists, intended to convey the message that non-belief in the Christian god is un-American,” according to the lawsuit.

Mississippi’s standard license plate has been sold since January 2019, according to The Associated Press. The center of the plate shows the state seal, which includes “In God We Trust.” Mississippi offers several specialty license plate designs for about $30 extra per year.

The suit says Mississippi car owners have to choose between displaying the state’s standard license tag on their vehicles or paying an additional fee to display a special tag of their choice.

And there are others who don’t have another option besides the standard plate, the suit said, such as those who operate recreational vehicles, motorcycles or trailers, which must display a license tag derived from the standard tag design and with the “In God We Trust” message.

Even car owners who seek to display their own custom alphanumeric combination are forced to do so on the standard tag design with the “In God We Trust” message because paid specialty tags cannot be personalized, according to the lawsuit. Only the standard license plate can be personalized, the suit claims.

The suit notes that Mississippi law provides special tags at no additional fee to active and retired members of the U.S. armed forces, government officials, Purple Heart recipients, sheriff’s deputies, those who are hearing-impaired and others.

The complaint seeks injunctive relief against Chris Graham, commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Revenue, forbidding him from charging additional fees to Mississippi car owners “who do not wish to endorse the state’s ideological message, ‘IN GOD WE TRUST,’ by displaying it on their vehicles.”

The suit calls for an injunction prohibiting Graham from requiring any Mississippi resident — who owns a trailer, RV or motorcycle and who objects to displaying “In God We Trust” on it — to obtain a license tag derived from the standard tag with the religious message.

The lawsuit also wants those who seek to customize their plates to be able to do so without having to use the “In God We Trust” standard tag.

American Atheists, in a statement, lambasted Gov. Tate Reeves for championing the Senate’s efforts to put “In God We Trust” on the state seal back when he was a lieutenant governor in 2014.

In a subsequent campaign for governor, Reeves appeared adjusting such a license plate during a 2019 commercial in which he equated “In God We Trust” with Mississippi values.

Jim Bakker, His Church Settle Lawsuit Over COVID-19 Claims

By

AP News

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June 24, 2021

O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Jim Bakker and his southwestern Missouri church will pay restitution of $156,000 to settle a lawsuit that accuses the TV pastor of falsely claiming a health supplement could cure COVID-19.

Missouri court records show that a settlement agreement was filed Tuesday. It calls for refunds to people who paid money or gave contributions to obtain a product known as Silver Solution in the early days of the pandemic.

The settlement also prohibits Bakker and Morningside Church Productions Inc. from advertising or selling Silver Solution “to diagnose, prevent, mitigate, treat or cure any disease or illness.” Bakker, in the agreement, does not admit wrongdoing.

Republican Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt sued Bakker and Morningside in March 2020. Schmitt sought an injunction ordering Bakker to stop selling Silver Solution as a treatment for COVID-19 on his streaming TV program, The Jim Bakker Show. The lawsuit said Bakker and a guest made the cure claim during 11 episodes in February and March of 2020.

Schmitt said in a news release on Wednesday that Bakker has already made restitution to many consumers, and must pay back another $90,000 to others.

The hour-long Jim Bakker Show is filmed in southwestern Missouri. The consent agreement notes that during the program, Silver Solution was offered to those who agreed to contribute $80 to $125.

Baker’s attorneys — Derek Ankrom and former Democratic Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon — said in a joint statement that Bakker and Morningside Church Productions are pleased to put the matter behind them so they can “continue the important work of Morningside Church.” They noted that the agreement includes “no findings whatsoever that our clients violated any laws or misled” consumers.

Nixon had previously claimed that Bakker was being unfairly targeted “by those who want to crush his ministry and force his Christian television program off the air,” and that Bakker did not claim that Silver Solution was a cure for COVID-19.

The lawsuit cited a discussion on the program on Feb. 12, 2020, in which Bakker spoke with Sherrill Sellman, referring to her as a “naturopathic doctor” and a “natural health expert.”

“This influenza that is now circling the globe, you’re saying that Silver Solution would be effective?” Bakker asks. Sellman, according to the lawsuit, replies: “Well, let’s say it hasn’t been tested on this strain of the coronavirus, but it has been tested on other strains of the coronavirus and has been able to eliminate it within 12 hours.”

“Yeah,” Bakker says.

“Totally eliminate it, kills it. Deactivates it,” Sellman replies, according to the lawsuit.

Also in March 2020, U.S. regulators warned Bakker’s company and six others to stop selling items using what the government called false claims that they could treat the coronavirus or keep people from catching it. Letters sent jointly by the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission warned the companies that their products for treating COVID-19 were fraudulent, “pose significant risks to patient health and violate federal law.”

Silver Solution, a form of colloidal silver, consists of silver particles suspended in a liquid. The solution is often described by manufacturers as having the power to boost the immune system and cure diseases. But it has no known benefit in the body when ingested, according to officials with the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, a federal scientific research agency.

Experts say ingesting colloidal silver can have serious side effects. The NCCIH says it can turn skin blue when silver builds up in the body’s tissue.

Nixon, who served two terms as governor from 2009 to 2017 and is now a partner at the Dowd Bennett law firm in St. Louis, said Bakker immediately complied with orders to stop offering Silver Solution on his show and ministry website after receiving the warning letters from the FDA and FTC.

Meanwhile, Arkansas’ attorney general filed a lawsuit similar to Missouri’s in June 2020. That case is still pending.

By JIM SALTER Associated Press

This article originally appeared here.

Summer Family Activity Packet: Journey With Paul

By

Christina Embree

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June 24, 2021

Over the interesting year that was 2020, I began giving the families at my church quarterly discipleship packets they could do at home with their kids. This summer I put together what I simply called a Summer Family Activity Pack that lets them explore the journeys of Paul in a new a different way. Rather than simply re-telling many of the same stories that many Sunday School and church curriculums focus on, these five activities invite the family to engage with the people, places and teachings of Paul.

Summer Family Activity Pack: Journeying with Paul

Included in Packet:

Family Photo Scavenger Hunt

Family Olympics

Water Balloon Battle

Family Garden

Picnic in the Park

Perhaps you’ve been looking for a way to help households from your church intentionally engage with one another around faith formation and Scripture this summer; if so, feel free to use the materials below!

NOTE: You will need to purchase the supplies for each activity; I found most of my items on Amazon and at the Dollar Tree. See the supply list at the end of the packet materials.

Activity #1: The Gospel According to Paul, Family Photo Scavenger Hunt

In I Corinthians 15:1-5, Paul explains the gospel that he preaches to those he visits in his journey. He writes, “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.”

Use the Photo Scavenger Hunt found at this link for this fun family activity.

Once you have taken all of your photos, send them to [email address] and we will compile them for you and give you a framed collage of your family’s photo scavenger hunt experience looking for Jesus!

Activity #2: Family Night: Olympic Edition

Paul’s Missionary Journeys

Jumping into Paul’s Journeys

Using the sidewalk chalk in the packet, draw a traditional Hopscotch shape on the sidewalk. Instead of numbers in each block, put the names of the cities that Paul visited on his first missionary journey. Find a stone to throw and jump through the countries in traditional hopscotch fashion to visit all the cities that Paul visited. Once someone lands on a city, mark it off. The person who lands on the final city “wins.”

- Antioch in Syria Acts 13:1-3
- Selucia Acts 13:4
- Cyprus Acts 13:4
- Salamis Acts 13:5
- Paphos Acts 13:6
- Perga Acts 13:13
- Antioch in Pisidia Acts 13:14
- Iconium Acts 13:51
- Lyrstra Acts 14:6
- Derbe Acts 14:6 and Acts 14:20

It’s a Toss Up: Meeting Paul’s Friends

Using the enclosed bean bags and plates, create a Bean Bag toss game by laying out the plates and trying to land on them with bean bags. Each plate has the name of one of Paul’s friends and the Scripture reference where you can find them in the Bible. Whoever “meets” the most of Paul’s friends, “wins.”

- Lydia, Acts 16:11-15
- Priscilla, Acts 18
- Barnabas, Acts 9:26-27
- Silas, Acts 16: 25-36
- Timothy, 2 Tim. 2:2-6
- Phoebe, Rom. 16:1-2
- Junia, Rom. 16:7
- Titus, Titus 1:4-5

Frisbee Relay: Journeying together

Using the foldable flying discs in your packet, partner up with a family member. Paul and Silas can be one team; Paul and Barnabas can be another (if you have five family members, Timothy can join this group). Pick a section of your yard or a park you want to cover and have the first person throw the disc, then the second, then the first, until you reach the other side. Talk to your kids about how Paul had companions who helped him finish his journeys.

Ring Toss: Third Time’s the Charm

Paul went on three missionary journeys, his final landing him in Rome. Set out four cones, including the one labeled “Rome.” Use the rings in the packet to toss around the cones. The first person toss the ring around all three cones and then around Rome “wins.” Even though Paul knew that he would likely end up in jail and dying in Rome, he went there because God told him to and because of that we have much of the New Testament.

Ready to Quit? ‘Thus, the Cross’

By

Dr. James Scott, Jr.

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June 24, 2021

There’s a story I’ve heard several times about Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the famous Polish composer-pianist, who was once scheduled to perform at a great American concert hall for a high-society extravaganza. In the audience was a mother with her fidgety nine-year-old son. Weary of waiting, the boy slipped away from her side, strangely drawn to the Steinway on the stage. Without much notice from the audience, he sat down at the stool and began playing “Chopsticks.” The roar of the crowd turned to shouts as hundreds yelled, “Get that boy away from there!”

When Paderewski heard the uproar backstage, he grabbed his coat and rushed over behind the boy. Reaching around him from behind, the master began to improvise a countermelody to “Chopsticks.” As the two of them played together, Paderewski kept whispering in the boy’s ear, “Keep going. Don’t quit, son, don’t stop, don’t stop.”

Unless we have someone whispering encouragements to us — and sometimes, even in spite of someone doing so — most of us have a quit point. Most of us have a place when it comes to others, ourselves, or even God, that we quit, we’ll go no further.

QUITTING ON OTHERS

We can be quick to give up on others, especially if having someone in our lives comes with a cost or the relationship is difficult. When someone else begins to feel like a burden, we’re tempted to quit them. Even when we sometimes endure relational challenges for years or even decades, it’s not uncommon for us to still have a point at which we quit on others.

When it came to others, evangelist George Mueller didn’t have a “quit” in him. It’s told that one day Mueller began praying for five of his friends. After many months, one of them came to the Lord. Ten years later, two others were converted. It took 25 years before the fourth man was saved. Mueller persevered in prayer until his death for the fifth friend, and throughout those 52 years he never gave up hoping that he would accept Christ. His faith was rewarded, for soon after Mueller’s funeral the last one was saved.

QUITTING ON SELF

Many of the people I’ve counseled over the past few decades were about to quit on themselves, or had already done so. It is possible to quit on ourselves, even though our selfishness tends to keep us in the fight for self longer than for others. We often entertain the possibility of quitting on ourselves when discomfort or pain is introduced to the equation of life. But we’re fastest to hit a quit point when our view to the future is limited or a fear of the unknown is stoked in our minds.

Several sources have shared the story of Florence Chadwick. In 1952, Florence was the first woman to attempt to swim the 26 miles between Catalina Island and the California coastline. As she began this historical journey, she was flanked by small boats that watched for sharks and were prepared to help her if she got hurt or grew tired. Hour after hour Florence swam, but after about 15 hours a thick, heavy fog set in. Florence began to doubt her ability, and she told her mother, who was in one of the boats, that she didn’t think she could make it. She swam for one more hour before asking to be pulled out. As she sat in the boat, Florence found out she had stopped swimming just one mile from the California shoreline, her destination. Florence explained that she quit because she could no longer see the coastline, there was too much fog. She couldn’t see her goal.

Two months later, Florence got back in the water to take on the same challenge once more. This time was different. She swam from Catalina Island to the shore of California in a straight path for 26 miles. Once again, a thick fog set in, but Florence made it because she said that while she swam, she kept a mental image of the shoreline in her mind. She didn’t lose sight of the shore because she focused on that image of the coast in her mind, and in this way, she achieved her goal.

An Appreciation: Tech Volunteers Are a Gift From God!

By

Ron Edmondson

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June 23, 2021

One morning at Grace Community Church something I already knew was reinforced. We had some of the most awesome tech volunteers in the world at Grace Community Church. It took 150 or more volunteers each week to make a Sunday work. All our volunteers gave selflessly to the vision of Grace Community Church from the parking lot, to working with children, to greeting and the stage crew. Especially the crew of tech volunteers. Their dedication each week amazes me.

I was especially impressed one morning at the expertise of our tech team. We had a rough start to the day. It seemed every piece of equipment had a bug in it. Microphones wouldn’t work, chords were missing adapters, projectors didn’t connect with the computers and nothing seemed to work the first try. With 10 minutes before the first service they were still checking my microphone for a problem. All the while no one lost their patience and I even heard a few jokes passed between the crew. When the service began, everything went smoothly and we had another great day. Those folks were (and are) incredible!

A church cannot run efficiently without volunteers (especially tech volunteers). I thank God that we have had so many dedicated people who gave their time and resources to make Grace Community Church the church that it became. The Kingdom grows through their efforts.

This tribute to the tech volunteers of Grace Community Church originally appeared here, and is used by permission. As a consultant and coach, for almost 20 years Ron Edmundson has helped thousands of leaders and organizations get better. He served as CEO of Leadership Network and as a pastor of Grace Community Church in Lexington, KY. We revitalized two churches and planting two churches. I also have a long history in business, government and nonprofit work.

Youth Group Summer Camps: 3 Reasons They’re Vital

By

Scott Talley

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June 23, 2021

Now that summer’s here, youth group summer camps are right around the corner. With everything else that tends to get packed into these precious months, you might be tempted to skip camp this summer. But I encourage you not to make that mistake!

I could go on and on about how much fun I had as a teenager at Crossroads Summer Camp. But that wouldn’t answer the question, “Why should I bother with youth group summer camps?” So instead, let me share three reasons I believe these outings are important—maybe now more than ever.

Youth group summer camps still matter for at least three key reasons:

1. Truth

Youth group summer camps provide a chance for teenagers to hear the gospel truth in a different way from their past experiences. Speakers share personal stories, counselors interact with students, leaders encourage questions, and, most importantly, they present the gospel message.

After hearing the truth presented many times during church services in a similar fashion, the words can sometimes go in one ear and out the other. But at youth group summer camps, people present the gospel in ways that are often more relative and relatable to teenagers.

2. Community

There’s nothing like getting together with some of your closest friends and spending a week in a college dorm or campsite cabin. Plus, camp counselors can be pretty fun! Summer staffers build relationships with students and really get to know them. Dorm time at night is perfect for that. Wind-down time offers a chance for asking questions and engaging in deep, meaningful conversations. It also encourages community and fellowship within your youth group.

I created many memories at youth group summer camps. One year we performed a skit for the dorm Talent Show. At other times, several of us woke up early each morning to read devotions together. And I’ll never forget all the card games we played on the floor. I’ll always cherish memories like that from my own youth group summer camps.

3. Opportunity

Youth group summer camps are a great opportunity for students to bring along their friends who don’t know Jesus. A friend dragged me to camp, in fact, and that’s where I heard a clear presentation of the gospel for what felt like the first time. A couple of summers later at Crossroads, I indeed fell in love with Jesus, and the people around me encouraged me in my Christian walk.

Although these are only three points, they’re very solid reasons for why you and your teens should go to youth group summer camps. These outings aren’t just a week away for kids to have fun; the experience is much more than that.

Yes, youth group summer camps are fun, with lots of things to do. But young people also create lasting memories, build friendships and hear the saving gospel message of Jesus Christ.

This article originally appeared here.

Children’s Sermon on Fear: A Free Interactive Lesson

By

Dema Kohen

-

June 23, 2021

All children are familiar with fear, which means a children’s sermon on fear is timeless. Fear blocks children’s view of God’s greatness and draws all their attention toward the challenges they’re facing. Fear robs kids of joy and peace, making them feel utterly powerless.

The interactive experience below is designed as a practical, meaningful children’s sermon on fear. It will help the kids in your group do two things: own their fears by sharing them with the group and disown their fears by surrendering them to Jesus.

Children’s Sermon on Fear: Discussion Starter

Make a “Stress-o-Meter” (see below) and fasten it to a whiteboard so everyone can see it. Explain that the poster depicts some of the biggest stress factors—things that make many kids feel anxious and fearful. Review each stress factor to make sure everyone understands.

Give each child a sheet with 12 dot stickers. Ask kids to look over the sources of anxiety on the poster and distribute their sticker dots in proportion to the level of stress they experience from each factor.

For example, if they really worry about losing a loved one (think about it often and lose peace over it), they may want to put five or even six stickers next to it. If they occasionally worry about getting a bad grade, they might put two stickers next to it. If they never or hardly ever worry about being picked on by bullies, they can add one sticker or none at all.

List these factors on the Stress-O-Meter poster:

PUBLIC SPEAKING
PARENTS ARGUING
NOT HAVING ENOUGH MONEY
TAKING A TEST
GETTING SICK
PICKED ON BY BULLIES
BELIEVING IN GOD
LOSING A BALLGAME
MAKING FRIENDS
GETTING BAD GRADES
PERFORMING ON STAGE
MOVING AWAY
DEATH OF A LOVED ONE
PARENT LOSING JOB
TOO MUCH HOMEWORK

Once everyone has placed their dot stickers on the chart, count the dots together and determine the top three fears. Give kids a chance to talk about some of their fears. Ask what other fears they’re experiencing that aren’t listed on the chart. When we did this activity at our church, kids were extremely open and brought up the following fears: doing something new, riding a roller coaster, going to bed (having bad dreams), things they can’t control, pets (losing a pet, being bit by one), future, viruses on devices, siblings (annoying, being mean, breaking or losing their things).

Additional Insights

Always start where the kids are and give them a chance to voice their fears. For some children, this type of vulnerability might seem scary and threatening. But don’t rush to make things easier for them. Real change happens only when we become real. You don’t want to force kids to talk, yet you do want to make them feel comfortable and safe. Make it easier for them to be real about their inner thoughts and feelings.

If children are eager to openly talk about their fears, take it as an indication that this topic is relevant and impacts them in a profound, personal way. Take note of their responses and work on improving the emotional climate in your group. Emotional safety is foundational for heart-to-heart conversations.

Real-Life Example: Personal Testimony

Now that children are thinking and talking about fears, it’s time to build a bridge between where they’re at now (FEARFUL) and where you want them to be (FEARLESS). During a children’s sermon on fear, you can share a real-life story of how you overcame a childhood fear. Real-life stories are powerful, and kids connect well with them. An example gives kids a picture of a life that’s not held back by fear and inspires them to overcome their own fears.

Note: When choosing a personal story to share, make sure it’s age-appropriate and deals specifically with the topic you’re exploring.

Life-Application: Safe in God’s Arms

During the opening activity in this children’s sermon on fear, kids identified some areas where fear controls them. And through personal testimony, you gave children hope that they too can overcome their fears. Now it’s time to help them take the final step: releasing their fears to God.

Study Asks Protestant Pastors If Abuse Should Be a Disqualifying Sin

By

Jessica Lea

-

June 23, 2021

Significant majorities of Protestant pastors agree that abusive pastors should be disqualified from ministry, according to a new study from Lifeway Research. Pastors are much more divided, however, on whether adultery—which is abuse when there is an imbalance of power—is also disqualifying.

“Most current pastors believe the office of pastor is incompatible with having sexually abused or assaulted another,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “This does not convey that they believe these behaviors are beyond God’s forgiveness, but a large majority believe sexual abuse is a permanent disqualification from ministry leadership.”

READ: Wade Mullen: How to Recognize Spiritual Abuse in Evangelicalism

Abusive Pastors Should Be Disqualified, Say Pastors

At 83%, a significant majority of Protestant pastors say that child sexual abuse should disqualify pastors from ministry on a permanent basis. Demographics that were less likely to support permanent disqualification were pastors with no college degree, Pentecostal pastors, African-American pastors, and pastors age 65 and older.

Small minorities of respondents said they thought a pastor who committed child sexual abuse should be disqualified only for a period of time, such as two, five, or ten years. One percent said that the time should be at least one year, and fewer than one percent put the time frame at three or six months. Seven percent said they did not know how long the period of time should be.

A smaller, but still significant, majority of pastors (74%) agreed that sexual assault and abuse of an adult should also lead to permanent disqualification from pastoral ministry. Again, pastors who were less supportive of permanent disqualification fell into the same categories as they did in the prior question. One difference was that Pentecostal pastors who supported permanent disqualification for sexual abuse of an adult were the only demographic in the minority (44%).

While Protestant pastors are in agreement regarding abusive pastors, a Lifeway study published in August 2020 found pastors to be much more divided on the question of whether adultery is a disqualifying sin. Only 27% thought that adultery should result in a pastor being permanently banned from ministry.

McConnell observed that a key point is whether or not the person with whom the pastor is having an affair is under his spiritual authority. If so, then the pastor is not merely having an affair, but is committing abuse. Said McConnell, “For a pastor who holds a position of trust and spiritual authority over those in their congregation, an adulterous relationship with one of them, where an imbalance of power exists, would still constitute sexual assault.”

The views of most Protestant pastors reflect those of messengers at the recent 2021 SBC Annual Meeting. During the meeting, the SBC adopted a resolution stating that sexual abuse permanently disqualifies pastors from ministry. Nathan Finn, the vice chair of the resolutions committee, said at a news conference, “We felt like this is a way that we can come alongside all the positive momentum that says our first instinct needs to be to care for those who have been abused more than protecting our own reputation.”

Creationist Ken Ham Believes in UFOs — Not Aliens From Outer Space

By

Jesse T. Jackson

-

June 23, 2021

CEO and founder of Answers in Genesis, the Creation Museum, the to-scale Ark Encounter, and Christian apologist Ken Ham told his viewers on an episode of Answers News that he doesn’t believe there’s alien life in outer space.

The topic was sparked from the highly anticipated Pentagon report that will be releasing classified information on “Unidentified Flying Objects” (UFOs), also referred to as “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” (UAP) in the near future.

Ken Ham Believes in UFOs, Not Aliens

During his Answers News episode Monday, Ham said he has been asked by many people if he believes in UFOs. He said his answers is always, “Absolutely, I believe in UFOs. Anything flying out there that I don’t know what is, is a UFO.”

Ham said he was quoted in an article by a secularist who said, “Even Ken Ham believes there could be life in outer space,” but he said the quote was taken out of context. Ham said, “If you look at the Bible from a perspective of animal life or plant life, the Bible does not say whether there is or is not animal or plant life in outer space. So I can’t quote a Bible verse to say there’s not.”

In his opinion, Ham said he personally “suspects” there isn’t life in outer space because “of what the Bible says about the Earth, and the Earth was made for life to be inhabited (Isaiah 45:18) and so on.”

“From the perspective of the gospel, it doesn’t make sense…I don’t believe in aliens in outer space.”

Regarding the existence of intelligent life in outer space or alien life, Ham said, “Absolutely not!” Ham said his conviction comes from a “perspective of understanding the gospel…God’s Son stepped into history to be Jesus Christ, the God-man. He became a member of the human race to die for the descendants of Adam,” Ham said. “He didn’t become the God of Klingon [a reference to Star Trek] or something like that. So it’s only Adam’s race that can be saved.”

“The Bible tells us the whole creation groans because of Adam’s sin,” Ham said. “So it wouldn’t make sense if there were another race of intelligent beings out there somewhere suffering from Adam’s sin, but they can’t be saved because God’s Son steps into history to save the sons of Adam.”

Ham: Secularists Want to Find Alien Life to Back Evolution

Ham said some evolutionists might have motivation for discovering life in outer space because such a discover could back evolution theories. “If life evolved here on Earth, it had to evolve in outer space,” he said. He indicated that finding life in outer space would be the evidence secularists need to prove the Bible wrong. “They’ll do anything but believe God’s Word.”

Ham and his Answers News cohosts also talked about how some evolutionists believe life on Earth started from aliens in outer space.

In a blog post titled “Will the Pentagon Report Prove UFOs are Real?” Ham said, “The Pentagon report may include some mysteries, but it won’t contain evidence for aliens. Secularists who reject God and believe in naturalistic evolution very much want intelligent life to be found elsewhere in the universe as they believe that will vindicate their religion of evolution! But they won’t find it. It’s not there to find.”

Cruz, DeSantis Portray the Left As Demonic, the Right As God’s True Followers

By

Jessica Lea

-

June 23, 2021

In speeches at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Conference last week, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Florida governor Ron DeSantis spoke of people on the political Left as spiritual enemies and portrayed those on the Right as true followers of God.

“You’ve got to be strong,” said DeSantis at the end of his speech. “You’ve got to put on the full armor of God. You’ve got to take a stand, take a stand against the Left’s schemes. You’ve got to stand your ground. You’ve got to be firm. You will face flaming arrows, but take up the shield of faith and fight on.”

READ: Timothy Keller: How to Know if You Are a Christian Nationalist

Faith and Freedom Coalition Speakers: The Left Is Evil

The Faith & Freedom Coalition (FFC) is a conservative political advocacy group that operates on the belief that “the greatness of America lies not in the federal government but in the character of our people — the simple virtues of faith, hard work, marriage, family, personal responsibility, and helping the least among us. If we lose sight of these values, America will cease to be great.”

The goal of FFC’s Road to Majority Conference, which has taken place for the past 12 years, is to empower “conservative activists to fight for their values at the polls and in the public arena.” The Road to Majority Conference 2021 took place June 17-19, and its purpose was to “continue the momentum to win the majority in the 2022 midterm elections.”

DeSantis’s closing words in his speech referenced Ephesians 6:10-16, which says:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

The governor failed to point out that in this passage, the Apostle Paul specifically says the battle believers engage in is not against people, but against “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” By encouraging conference attendees to “take a stand against the Left’s schemes,” DeSantis put the “Left” in place of the “devil,” thereby portraying anyone who espouses a certain political ideology as being demonic and therefore an enemy of God himself.

Cruz was also quite direct in describing his political opponents as enemies. “The Left is like the Terminator,” he said. “They’re soulless, have no heart, no brain, and red eyes.” The senator also relied on Scripture in order to frame his perspective that those on the political Right are in a righteous battle against those on the political Left. He referenced Psalm 30:5, which says, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

“I’m here to tell you morning is coming,” said Cruz. “We’re going to win in 2022 and retire Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. And then we’re going to win in 2024 and send Joe Biden and Kamala Harris a one-way ticket down finally to our southern border.”

While DeSantis spent most of his speech reviewing his accomplishments as governor, Cruz focused on the idea that “America is great,” as well as the importance of supporting such values as traditional marriage, police officers, unborn children, and Israel. He also followed former president Donald Trump in labelling COVID-19 in racial terms. Said Cruz, “The Wuhan virus came from Wuhan.” Such terminology has been linked to a rise in anti-Asian racism in the U.S. over the past year.

READ: Asian American Leaders to the Church: Please Reject COVID-19 Racism

White Gen X and Millennial Evangelicals Are Losing Faith in the Conservative Culture Wars

By

Terry Shoemaker

-

June 23, 2021

millennial evangelicals — Younger evangelicals are openly questioning the religious and political traditions of their parents and grandparents. Julie Bennett/AP

Since the 1970s, white American evangelicals – a large subsection of Protestants who hold to a literal reading of the Bible – have often managed to get specific privileges through their political engagement primarily through supporting the Republican Party.

In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan symbolically consolidated the alliance by bringing religious freedom and morality into public conversations that questioned the separation of church and state. In 2003, President George W. Bush signed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act into law. In October 2020, President Donald Trump appointed a conservative Christian, Amy Coney Barrett, to the Supreme Court, and went on to win 80% of the white evangelical vote in the following month’s election.

Trump went so far as to appoint a faith consultant board composed of influential evangelical leaders. They included Paula White, a well-known pastor and televangelist; and James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, a leading organization in evangelical efforts to embed “family values” into politics. These panel members heralded gestures by Trump, such as signing the “Presidential Executive Order Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty,” which targeted enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, a 1954 tax law requiring houses of worship to stay out of politics in order to remain tax-exempt.

Although it’s debated what specifically constitutes an evangelical, many agree that they are conservatives who are highly motivated by culture war issues like abortion, same-sex marriage and sexuality.

But even though evangelicals are often presented as monolithic in the media, current research signals a more complex picture.

Over the past six years, I have been working with an interdisciplinary team of scholars at the American Academy of Religion to analyze generational shifts in evangelicalism and religion more broadly in the United States. We are finding that some of the younger evangelicals are openly questioning their religious and political traditions. In short, the majority of white evangelicals are aging and a portion of younger evangelicals are engaging in both religion and politics differently.

Leaving the faith versus reforming from within

My research consists of hours of participant observation within younger evangelical faith communities, along with 50 in-depth, qualitative interviews with individuals who were raised in the politically charged evangelicalism in the southeastern United States, a region dominated by evangelicals.

Taken together, this research indicates increasing disaffection among white millennial and Gen X evangelicals with the cultural and political preoccupations that have strongly motivated their parents and grandparents. There is a growing number of “Exvangelicals” who disavow their previous stances on same-sex marriage, race and sexuality.

UPDATE: GraceLife Church Regains Possession of Their Building July 1st

By

Jesse T. Jackson

-

June 23, 2021

UPDATED June 23, 2021: GraceLife Church in Alberta, Canada, will regain possession of its property on July 1, 2021. The property had been seized by law enforcement on April 7, 2021, because of the church’s refusal to abide by the Canadian government’s COVID-19 health orders.

Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) orders are set to be rescinded on July 1, 2021. A Twitter post by CityNews reporter Carly Robinson quoted the official statement from the Alberta Health Services (AHS): “As of July 1, all AHS Executive Orders issued in connection with CMOH restrictions will be rescinded, as they are based on CMOH Orders which will themselves be rescinded.”

The fencing law enforcement placed around GraceLife Church’s property to prevent people from using the facility will be taken down, AHS said. “In terms of GraceLife Church, possession of the premises will be returned to the Church and the fence will be removed.”

According to a recent report by Robinson, all tickets and fines the courts are currently processing are still valid although despite restrictions being lifted.

It appears that on Sunday, July 4, 2021, GraceLife Church will freely be able to worship in their building without any restrictions or fear of arrests and fines.

Pastor James Coates’ wife Erin posted on her Instagram: “Guys, look what Twitter just told me! Carly Robinson of CityNews reported this. We wait eagerly on the Lord to be back in our facility. Thank you all for your continued prayers, I will keep you all posted ❤️…Now we are just praying the same for Tim Stephens!”

UPDATED June 11, 2021: GraceLife Church has filed with the court asking to immediately return to their building. This comes just days after the Provincial Court of Alberta ruled that GraceLife Church’s pastor James Coates’ rights were not violated when he was ticketed for disregarding the Public Health Act when he held worship services in December of last year.

GraceLife Church’s property and building were seized by police on April 7, 2021, and barricaded by temporary fences after worshipers repeatedly broke Alberta’s COVID-19 restrictions. Police monitored the property and even got into scuffles when protestors, who were not GraceLife Church members, showed their disapproval for the restriction enforcement.

The church has continued to meet in secret locations to avoid law enforcement closures and fines. It is reported that three GraceLife Church congregants and pastor James Coates are the filers, asking the court “to strike down the public health restrictions.” The court filing additionally requests immediate return to the building and disallowing police to interfere with worship services.

UPDATED June 8, 2021: The Provincial Court of Alberta has ruled that the constitutional rights of Canadian pastor James Coates were not violated when he received a Public Health Act (PHA) ticket for holding worship services in December 2020.

“The question today is whether the purpose, manner, or effect of enforcement of that law on December 2020 violated James Coates’s religious freedoms,” said Judge Robert Shaigec in his ruling Monday, June 7. “The answer is no.” Said the judge, “Religious freedoms are subject to the rule of law.”

Shaigec also said that Coates, who was jailed for 35 days in February and March, remained in jail of his own volition because the pastor refused to sign a bail order saying he would no longer hold church services: “He chose to remain in jail. It was Mr. Coates’ choice to make.”

Pastor James Coates to Appeal Decision

Janine Hanrahan with Alberta Health Services (AHS) issued Pastor James Coates of GraceLife Church in Spruce Grove, Alberta, a ticket on Dec. 20, 2020, for not following public health guidelines. The infractions included exceeding capacity limits, not practicing social distancing, and not enforcing mask requirements. In the first part of his trial, which ran from May 3-May 4 in Alberta’s capital of Edmonton, Coates argued that the ticket violated his freedom of expression and religious freedom.

Shaigec rejected the religious freedom argument on the grounds that GraceLife Church was not treated differently than any other religious group, as well as that Hanrahan did not actually interrupt the service when she issued the ticket. Shaigec also rejected Coates’ argument that his freedom of expression had been violated based on the fact that Hanrahan had issued the ticket the same day Coates had been critical of civil leaders.

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), which represents Coates, issued a statement, saying the Centre is “disappointed” with Shaigec’s ruling. JCCF president John Carpay said,

It’s obvious that government restrictions on people’s freedom to worship, assemble and associate are violated by health orders that prevent normal, regular church services from taking place. The judge thought the restrictions were reasonable, which is not the proper legal test at this stage. Whether restrictions are reasonable should only be considered later, after the government has finally produced medical and scientific evidence to try to justify its restrictions on Charter freedoms. An appeal of this decision is being considered, based on serious errors in law.

The constitutionality of the public health orders has yet to be determined. The court will reconvene on June 30 to determine dates for further hearings, and JCCF says the Court might not evaluate the orders’ constitutionality until the Fall of 2021.

UPDATED May 5, 2021: The trial of Pastor James Coates began today in Edmonton, the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. The first day of the trial included testimony from an inspector with Alberta Health Services (AHS) and is expected to include an “expert witness” from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), which is representing Coates.

Worship Leader Sorry for Posting Sexual Photo—But Sadder About Criticism

By

Stephanie Martin

-

June 23, 2021

Chandler Moore, lead singer for the Christian worship band Maverick City Music, took time during his honeymoon to address a controversial photo he recently posted on social media. After his June 8 wedding to Hannah Poole, Moore uploaded some pictures to Instagram, including one of the couple in what appears to be a sexual position while dancing. It’s the second photo at this link [Editor’s note: This post contains content some may find offensive].

Moore, 26, captioned the image “@hgracemoore knows how to twerrrrrrrk. #hallelujah JEEESUS.” In response, some people called it “soft porn” and urged the worship leader to remember his “big responsibility” as “a man who represents Jesus for a living.”

Others said the public post might give viewers the wrong impression about Christianity. “(Y)ou should have asked yourself before posting this, ‘how does this glorify God?’” one person commented. “All things are permissible but not all are beneficial.”

Chandler Moore: We Were Just Dancing

In his June 17 statement, Moore says the photo in question simply shows his wife “dancing on me.” Providing much context is “not necessary,” he notes, because “great music” was being played while the newlyweds danced at their reception.

“If it offended you that I posted it, I apologize,” writes Moore, before addressing the “super heartbreaking” comments some people made merely because the couple was dancing “in ways some believed were inappropriate.” Some critics, Moore writes, “literally said we would struggle in the future, we would have a rough marriage” as a result of the photo. “No part of that is Christlike,” he adds.

The worship leader notes that “several leaders” hold him accountable, correcting him on a “daily basis.” And he explains that “healthy correction” requires “proximity” to the person you’re correcting. Yet “100% of those who posted publicly or commented [on the photo] literally do not know me,” says Moore. “They know what they think about me. That’s it.”

Israel Houghton Defends Chandler Moore’s Post

After worship leader Israel Houghton came to Chandler Moore’s defense online, he faced criticism too. Houghton, who recently collaborated with Maverick City Music and previously dealt with an infidelity scandal, says negative comments from the “saints” blew him away. “We wonder why people don’t want to come to our churches,” he says. “Let these lovebirds live. Unfollow if you’re offended.” Houghton urges Christians to “stop fighting other Christians” and to “take some of your offensive pics down while you’re at it.”

Other people also offered support online for Moore, saying the photo didn’t require an apology. “You don’t owe any over-entitled strangers any explanations for what you and your wife do,” one comment states. “Quite frankly, it’s none of our business.”

The Moores, who were married in Texas exactly one year after meeting, shared wedding photos with People magazine. “These last 12 months have been full of joy, and that’s exactly what our wedding was,” the couple tells the magazine.

Since the group’s debut in 2019, Maverick City Music has been churning out worship albums. “Old Church Basement,” a collaboration with Elevation Worship, set a streaming record, and the video for the song “Jireh” has been viewed more than 800,000 times on YouTube since its Easter release. Moore also sings with Justin Bieber on the pop star’s new faith-centered EP “Freedom.”

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Give these 18 youth group games, lessons and activities a try with your kids:

Icebreaker Youth Group Games

1. ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS CHAMPION, AKA “BIGGEST FAN”

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Summer Family Activity Pack: Journeying with Paul

Activity #1: The Gospel According to Paul, Family Photo Scavenger Hunt

Activity #2: Family Night: Olympic Edition

QUITTING ON OTHERS

QUITTING ON SELF

Youth group summer camps still matter for at least three key reasons:

1. Truth

2. Community

3. Opportunity

Children’s Sermon on Fear: Discussion Starter

List these factors on the Stress-O-Meter poster:

Additional Insights

Real-Life Example: Personal Testimony

Life-Application: Safe in God’s Arms

What is Freedom of Speech?

Church Leaders and the Freedom of Speech

Revealing the Threats to Freedom of Speech

Students

Abusive Pastors Should Be Disqualified, Say Pastors

Ken Ham Believes in UFOs, Not Aliens

Ham: Secularists Want to Find Alien Life to Back Evolution

Faith and Freedom Coalition Speakers: The Left Is Evil

Leaving the faith versus reforming from within

Pastor James Coates to Appeal Decision

Chandler Moore: We Were Just Dancing

Israel Houghton Defends Chandler Moore’s Post

Ed Stetzer Deepens His Connection With Outreach Magazine

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