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6 Devotions for Toddlers That Are Perfect for Summer

June 11, 2021

Summertime brings plenty of heat with it, which means we need to keep our little ones cool. What better way to have devotions for toddlers than through fun water play!

Babies and toddlers alike will have a blast splashing around while learning about the Bible and its many well-loved account. Use a kiddie pool or sand pails, and be sure to supervise children closely at all times.

Try these 6 devotions for toddlers that incorporate water play and Scripture messages:

1. Creation

God made all the water that fills the earth! Fill a tub with water and explore this gift from God. (For fun, add a few ice cubes and talk about how water changes.) Talk about how people all need lots of water to drink, and plants need water to grow.

2. Noah’s Ark

In a kiddie pool, set out some toy boats (or make some out of milk jugs). Then have toddlers load toy animals onto the ark and sail them around. Talk about how God made all the animals, watches out for them, and wants us to take care of them.

3. Rebekah

Encourage toddlers to practice their pouring skills as they pour water for 10 camels, just as Rebekah did (see Genesis 24:17-19).

4. Moses

As a baby, Moses floated in a basket on the Nile River. Transform some science experiments into devotions for toddlers by seeing which objects sink and which items float. Try using leaves and sticks, small rocks, and various toys.

5. David and Goliath

When David faced a “giant” challenge, he chose five smooth stones. Go on a “hunt” together to find some rocks that look pretty or have interesting shapes. Then have toddlers wash their rocks in a bin.

6. Jonah

Jonah was swallowed by a whale (or big fish) when he didn’t listen to God. Let toddlers play in the water with some fish toys or pool floats.

7. The 12 Disciples

A lot of the people who followed Jesus had previously worked as fishermen. Place toy fish in a tub or pail of water, and then have toddlers try to catch them with a net or mesh strainer.

8. The Parable of the Two Builders

In a large bin, make a sand section and a water section. Add a few rocks, and let young children touch and explore all the elements.

What other water play ideas do you use for devotions with toddlers? Please share them in the comments below!

This article originally appeared here.

Ronnie Floyd Responds to Released Secret Recordings; SBC Announces Independent Investigation

Jesse T. Jackson

June 11, 2021

Phillip Bethancourt, Texas’s Central lead pastor and former executive vice president for the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission released a letter on Wednesday containing five audio clips of SBC’s Executive Committee members Ronnie Floyd and Mike Stone (one of this year’s SBC presidential nominees).

Ronnie Floyd immediately released a statement in response to Bethancourt’s letter and recordings and posted it to his Twitter account. In the statement, Floyd apologized for “any offense that may have resulted from my remarks” in the recorded conversation.

Floyd also encouraged fellow Southern Baptists “to listen to these clips rather than simply accept a description of what the conversations entailed,” adding that the recorded discussions “reflect leaders engaging in a scriptural process of coming together with others who have differing opinions on complicated issues and of discussing those differences honestly with a goal of how to best move forward.”

Ronnie W. Floyd’s Full Statement

I knew when the Lord called me to lead the SBC Executive Committee that we were facing extremely difficult times. At that time, the number one issue was how the SBC was dealing with the responses to sexual abuse. I became increasingly aware of the challenges that lay before us as I got further into the role. The Convention was and still is divided over methods of response to response to sexual abuse. However, The SBC is not divided on the priority of caring for abuse survivors and protecting the vulnerable in our churches.

In May 2019, I called a confidential meeting of the Southern Baptist leaders in Atlanta with the express purpose to chart a path for Southern Baptists to appropriately address concerns of sexual abuse across the Convention. This morning audio clips from that meeting were released by Phillip Bethancourt in an attempt to mischaracterize them as an effort to avoid addressing the reality of sex abuse.

The fact of the matter is immediately following the meeting and even before leaving the airport, I instructed our staff and legal team to begin the creation of an SBC Credentials Committee. That work continued throughout the weekend, and by early the next week, the framework for that we now know as the Credentials Committee was born. Any suggestion that the purpose of the meeting was to oppose the efforts to address sex abuse is not credible when give the full context of the meeting and our immediate action to create the Credentials Committee.

I would encourage Southern Baptists to listen to these clips rather than simply accept a description of what the conversations entailed. These discussions reflect leaders engaging in a scriptural process of coming together with others who have differing opinions on complicated issues and of discussing those differences honestly with a goal of how to best move forward.

Noah’s Ark Replica Hit With a Deluge of Fines From British Authorities

By
Jessica Lea
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June 11, 2021

A Noah’s Ark replica that has been detained in Ipswich, England, for 18 months has been accruing daily fines of £500, or $700, since April 1. The replica is in something of a catch-22 as British authorities are preventing it from setting sail on the grounds that it is unseaworthy, but have been levying fines because it remains in port.

“We do have concerns about this vessel and we cannot rely on the grace of God that it can be safely towed to Holland,” said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), according to emails obtained by the East Anglian Daily Times (EADT). “Noah’s Ark will remain detained until all the deficiencies have been put right and an MCA surveyor is invited back by the owners to check they’ve been corrected.”

Noah’s Ark Replica Stuck in Limbo

The Noah’s Ark replica is owned by Aad Peters, a Dutch television and theater producer who purchased it in 2010 for three million dollars from Dutch carpenter Johan Huibers. The ark is one of two replicas that Huibers built to “educate people and strengthen their belief in God.” Peters’ ark is a 21,528 square foot museum and is estimated to be about half the size of the ark described in the Bible.

Peters’ ark has no engine and cannot travel on its own, but has to be towed. It arrived in Ipswich in October 2019, and British authorities impounded it the following month. According to the New York Times, visitors still toured the museum until March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the “serious concerns” that the MCA is reported to have are that the vessel has neither a load line certificate nor an antifouling certificate. The ark’s owners have been charged over £12,000, or $17,000, since January 2021 before they began accruing daily fines at the beginning of April. The owners say port authorities have told them the fines will increase “substantially” should the ark remain.

International maritime laws do not apply to the vessel, according to the ark’s owners, because it is registered as a “non-certified floating object.” They claim to have met all certifications, insurance requirements, and inspections. The owners also say they are ready to be towed back to the Netherlands once the British authorities allowed them to go. In a statement to the EADT, they said:

The requirement to obtain full registration and the required certificates was and may not be achievable within the required timescales and would incur unreasonable costs and time delays to the vessel. Towage plans have now been made for the Ark to return to the Netherlands and the vessel is still awaiting towage approval to depart from the UK. Owners have been continuously seeking a means (of release) and (permittance) to be towed on a single voyage from the UK to the Netherlands, with an agreed towage plan.

British and Dutch authorities are struggling to come to a resolution about the issue. The Ipswich Star reports that a spokesperson with the U.K.’s Department for Transport said, “We are aware of the situation and are in discussions with relevant agencies in the U.K. and the Netherlands. Safety remains the top priority.” Ipswich’s MP, Tom Hunt, said, “The last I heard, we’d hit a bit of a brick wall. It’s a very strange and unusual issue to crop up. We’re working with the Dutch authorities and are trying our best to get it back to Holland one way or another.”

Friends Mourn Steve Austin, Former Pastor and Author Who Wrote About Suicide and Mental Health

By
Bob Smietana
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June 11, 2021

(RNS) — Steve Austin, a former pastor who wrote candidly about his struggles with mental health, has died.

Police in Hoover, Alabama, confirmed that the body of Austin, whose full name was Glenn Stephen Austin, was found in that city on Monday (June 7). The death is being investigated as a suicide.

Several friends and his publisher also confirmed Austin’s death.

Austin, 38, was a writer, podcaster and life coach from Alabaster, Alabama, known for his writing about faith and mental health. He’d recently announced plans to start a program called “Jesus Coaching” to help people “deconstruct your faith and uncover your true self in a safe, confidential, supportive environment.”

In blog posts and in his 2016 book, “From Pastor to a Psych Ward,” Austin wrote about being found unconscious in a hotel room by emergency responders after taking an overdose of medication in a failed suicide attempt.

“I had been unconscious nearly 12 hours,” he wrote. “They thought I was dead.”

Surviving that experience gave him a second chance. Austin, who had been abused as a child, spent years trying to reduce the stigma of mental illness in churches.

“He wanted people to know that they could love Jesus and have a therapist,” said Holly Oxhandler, an associate dean at the Diana Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University.

Oxhandler, who became friends with Austin because of their shared interest in the intersection of mental health and faith, said she had been texting with him on Saturday about the possibility of meeting up. She and her family were driving home from vacation and their trip took them close to the Birmingham area, where Austin and his family lived.

“I was messaging with him just this past Saturday late afternoon,” said Oxhandler, who also co-hosts “CXMH,” a podcast about mental health and faith that Austin also co-hosted before Oxhandler joined in 2018.

Austin’s life, she said, was filled with light and he devoted himself to helping others. He especially wanted his fellow Christians to know struggling with mental illness did not diminish their faith or inherent worth in any way.

And he did not hide his own struggles.

That honesty drew people to Austin, said author and therapist Aundi Kolber, who had recently taken part in a faith and mental health book club organized by Austin, where they discussed her book, “Try Softer.”

“He wanted people to know that they were loved,” she said. “He had this way of being both witty and tender, which was such a great combination.”

Austin was the author of three books, including “Catching Your Breath: The Sacred Journey From Chaos to Calm” and “Hiding in the Pews: Shining Light on Mental Illness in the Church.” The latter is due out this summer from Fortress Press.

“Fortress Press is deeply saddened to learn of Steve Austin’s death and we extend condolences and prayers for God’s peace to his family and his many friends. Steve’s advocacy for greater recognition of mental health issues in the church made a remarkable impact and Hiding in the Pews is a lasting testimony to that work,” Will Bergkamp, editor-in-chief of Fortress Press, told Religion News Service. “Honoring Steve’s legacy and message is of utmost importance and thus Fortress is currently in conversation internally and with his close contacts about next steps, including the timing of publication.”

‘Preserve the Base’: Leaked Audio of SBC Leaders Shows Reluctance on Dealing With Sex Abuse

By
Bob Smietana and Adelle M. Banks
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June 11, 2021

(RNS) — Newly released audio clips from a Southern Baptist whistleblower appear to corroborate accusations Southern Baptist Convention leaders were reluctant to take action against churches accused of mishandling abuse.

The audio contains a recording of Ronnie Floyd, president of the SBC’s Executive Committee, telling SBC leaders in an October 2019 meeting that he is concerned about preserving the base in the denomination — even if that leads to criticism from abuse survivors.

“As you think through strategy — and I am not concerned about anything survivors can say,” Floyd says in the recording, taken during a meeting to debrief the Caring Well Conference, held to address the handling of sexual abuse allegations within the SBC. “OK. I am not worried about that. I’m thinking the base. I just want to preserve the base.”

The audio also contains a May 2019 recording of Georgia pastor Mike Stone, a leading 2021 candidate for SBC president, saying a working group deciding how to deal with churches accused of mishandling sexual abuse had been “bullied” and “thrown under the bus.”

“There’s this human factor, where good people are thrown under the bus, trying to do their best,” he said during an Atlanta meeting on sexual abuse. “And now we are asking the group to trust some of the ones who threw them under the bus.”

The recordings and a “whistleblower report,” released by Texas pastor Phillip Bethancourt, reveal more details about the divides between SBC leaders over how to deal with sexual abuse in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. The report comes on the heels of the leaking of two letters from former SBC ethicist Russell Moore, who resigned recently as president of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, detailing his disagreements with Stone and other SBC leaders.

In his letter, Bethancourt said he made the recordings of meetings involving Moore, Stone — who was then chair of the SBC’s Executive Committee — and Floyd in 2019. At the time, Bethancourt was on the staff of the ERLC.

Bethancourt said in his letter that he only shared clips and not the full audio of the two meetings because the names of abuse survivors are mentioned. He said he would release the full recording of the meetings to a third-party investigator if Southern Baptists decide to appoint one to look into the matter.

In the days since Moore’s letters were leaked, a number of pastors have called for a third-party investigation into how the SBC leadership has responded to abuse allegations.

“Southern Baptists are at a crossroads as we head to the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting in Nashville. I don’t know which direction Southern Baptists will choose,” Bethancourt wrote in his letter. “But I do believe these ancient words: the truth will set you free. The future of the SBC will only stand if it is built on a foundation of truth.”

Stone has denied Moore’s allegations that he tried to delay efforts to deal with abuse. He did not immediately respond to a request Thursday (June 10) for comment.

In a statement to Religion News Service, Floyd said he called a confidential meeting of SBC leaders in May 2019 to discuss how to respond to abuse in the denomination.

Pastor Jeff Jansen: Trump Will Be Reinstated Whether ‘People Like It or Not’

By
Stephanie Martin
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June 11, 2021

Pastor Jeff Jansen, a self-described prophet who was recently ousted by the ministry he founded, remains adamant that former President Trump will still have “back-to-back terms,” as “God promised.”

Jansen, author of Trump: God’s Destiny for America, initially said Trump’s reinstatement would occur by the end of April, via military coup. When that didn’t happen, he said that before spring officially begins on June 23, Trump’s return will lead to “dancing in the streets.” Contrary to what Jansen said, spring officially ends in June and began in March.

The former president’s reinstatement, Jansen says, will occur whether people “like it or not” because “God is going to do something amazing in this nation and through this nation.”

Jeff Jansen Refuses to Submit to Church Discipline

On May 5, a statement posted to the Global Fires Ministry website notes that its board asked Jansen to “step down…due to unscriptural and unbiblical behavior.” The founder, it says, was “disqualified…from New Testament leadership” because of “a pattern of making poor moral choices, and bad coping mechanisms [and] character flaws.”

“Rather than submit to the process of healing and restoration, Jeff recently made an intentional decision to leave his wife and family to pursue his own desires,” the statement says. “Any pursuit of further ministry on Jeff’s behalf is not under the umbrella and blessing of Global Fire Ministries.”

Jeff Jansen and his wife of more than 25 years, Jan, had been listed on tax documents as the only two Global Fire board members, according to investigative reporter Julie Roys. Jan Jensen told Roys that changes were recently made but gave no other details. She also told the reporter that Jeff is still using the Global Fires name, without permission.

Roys also reports that Jeff Jansen has a history of DUIs—and that, in a since-deleted post, he admits to making mistakes and having weaknesses, saying his public stance about Trump was a “crushing weight on an already struggling marriage.”

Response to Jeff Jansen’s Claims

On social media, reaction to Jansen’s prophecies and circumstances are mixed. “The Kingdom suffers violence and the violent TAKE IT BY FORCE,” one person writes. “The Holy Remnant shall take back ALL, RECOVER ALL…that was stolen.” Another person comments, “C’mon Jeff…you need to own up to what is really going on with you and your ministry. They are saying they threw you out, so what is the truth here?”

Jansen has indicated that he’ll provide “an update interview soon.”

A group of Charismatic leaders recently established prophetic standards, largely in response to unfulfilled predictions about the 2020 presidential election. A key standard involves making a public apology when a prophecy involving specific dates and details doesn’t happen.

Not all self-described prophets are on board with those standards, however. Georgia Pastor Johnny Enlow says apologizing would amount to disagreeing with God. Calling the 2020 election the “confrontation of the ages,” Enlow says, “Heaven is speaking to us and telling us a message, who is really president who is really under the authority of heaven.”

On the website of his ministry, Restore7, Enlow likens prophecy to “a multi-piece puzzle.” He writes, “To not know THE DAY justice sweeps in does not change what IS known.”

Is Dr. Charles Stanley Selling CBD Oil? In Touch Ministries Warns of ‘SCAM’

By
Jesse T. Jackson
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June 11, 2021

First Baptist Church Atlanta’s former Pastor Dr. Charles Stanley has become part of an Internet hoax that he is selling CBD oil (cannabidiol) in a new business venture. The scam ad uses a picture of the notable pastor in an attempt to gain personal information from those tricked into clicking. According to the Harvard Medical School, CBD oil is the second-most prevalent of the active ingredients of cannabis (marijuana).

Dr. Stanley’s In Touch Ministries, which he founded, posted a ‘SCAM ALERT‘ on its website, warning people about the scam that has been circulated throughout Facebook, emails, websites, and text messages.

Dr. Stanley isn’t involved in any such venture, according to In Touch Ministries’ site, which warns, “In Touch Ministries has received reports that scammers have been posting Dr. Charles Stanley’s image, falsely reporting that Dr. Stanley is beginning a new business venture in CBD oil. Some of the articles even utilize fake Fox News headers to appear more convincing. However, none of it is true. IT IS A SCAM. Dr. Stanley has not begun any new venture.”

In Touch Ministries told followers to always check its website for updates regarding Dr. Stanley: “For news and information about Dr. Stanley, please always check here on intouch.org or on In Touch Ministries’ official Facebook page first.”

Dr. Charles Stanley Recently Stepped Down

The 88-year-old Stanley announced last September that he was officially stepping down and gave his successor Dr. Anthony George the reigns to the church he had served at for over 50 years. Dr. Stanley has remained at the church as Pastor Emeritus. The bestselling author who said he doesn’t believe in retirement told his congregation during his successor-search plan announcement, “As you know, I don’t believe in retirement. It’s not biblical.”

After serving as the associate pastor at the First Baptist Church in Atlanta for two years, Dr. Stanley took over as senior pastor in 1971 following what was described in a CNN article as a “bruising battle.” A battle that “inflamed tensions so much that his family received nasty, anonymous letters and deacons warned his father that he would never pastor again,” the article said. Dr. Stanley was the President of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1984 and 1985.

Majority of Pastors Call Legalized Marijuana Wrong

A recent Lifeway Research study revealed that 78% of Protestant pastors say that smoking marijuana is morally wrong although it has been legalized in almost one-third of the United States.

The study also showed that 76% of the pastors conducted in the Lifeway’s survey say that marijuana use shouldn’t be made legal within the states. Only 10% of evangelical pastors indicate favor for national legalization.

Why Your Church Needs You to Serve Kids Now More Than Ever

By
Jenny Funderburke Smith
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June 11, 2021

Praise the Lord that life is beginning to get back to normal in most places in the United States. As vaccine rates rise and new CDC recommendations emerge, restrictions are loosening and reopening is more common. Many children’s ministries have been open for months and some are just starting to meet in person.

Wherever your church falls in that spectrum, I can assure you of one common need. Your church and your church’s kids need you to step up.

I know you’re busy. Maybe your kids are grown and you feel it is not your turn anymore. Maybe you decided long ago that children’s ministry just wasn’t your thing. Perhaps you have kids of your own and you want a break on Sundays. I get all of that. For 20 years I’ve talked to church members who said those same things.

But this season is different.

We are coming back from something our modern day ministries have never encountered before. It has been a terrible challenge, but at the same time I know God is doing amazing things in the lives of His people and His churches.

Our church returned with a fresh vigor and anticipation of God moving. And He has been. But as I work with our own leadership and as I counsel children’s ministers in different parts of the country, I am realizing that our children’s ministry leaders need you more than they ever have before.

How is it different now?

Here are five ways things are different now.

Not everyone came back.

Many long term volunteers haven’t come back and many won’t. Many were senior adults who were cautious. They are just now coming out of staying at home and are not prepared to be in a room full of children. Many members made a transition during the pandemic and aren’t returning to your church at all.

Your leaders are exhausted and burning out.

When churches had to close, your children’s ministry leaders had to immediately switch gears and figure out how to serve families from afar. Next, they had to figure out how to reopen with a boatload of conflicting and confusing information. No matter what decisions they made, they lived with the burden of anticipating a call that someone had exposed others to COVID. They have had to essentially rebuild their volunteer force from scratch. And they are tired. Really, really tired. They need you.

12 Ways for Your Church to Stay Connected With High School Graduates and College Students

By
Chuck Lawless
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June 11, 2021

Over the next several weeks, our churches will celebrate with high school seniors as they graduate. Regrettably, churches too often lose touch with the students they helped raise when they go away to school. Perhaps these ideas will help your church avoid that tendency:

Commission students as missionaries to their campuses. Challenge them with this responsibility. Send them out officially as your representative, and then purposefully stay in touch with them.

Establish one person responsible for overseeing this church-student connection ministry. This ministry will take some intentionality and work, so find someone who can take the lead. A couple who can reach out to male and female students would be great.

Develop a prayer network for graduates. Raise up prayer warriors who will intercede weekly for each graduate. Use electronic means to keep in touch with the students and learn of their prayer needs.

Provide a scholarship with accountability. Offer some academic funding for deserving students, but hold them accountable to getting plugged into a strong local church where they attend school.

Develop small group partnerships with each graduate. Think about what a small group might do for students – offer prayer support, invite them to join the group via Skype, send care packages, remember them on their birthdays, pray for them during exam week, etc.

Provide financial assistance for computer filters. In my opinion, most young people need a filter that makes it harder to find pornography. When they move away from home, help them fight ungodliness by purchasing them a filter program for one year.

Provide weekly video updates for college students. Just a 5 or 10-minute online update will keep them informed about your church and give them a little taste of home when they get lonely.

Do Skype, Zoom, or some other electronic mentoring. Aim for all interested graduates having a mentor who meets with them once a month via Skype, Zoom, or other means.

Assist them in finding a good church in their college setting. They’re more likely to get connected to a local body if they already have some connection before they get there. Introduce them to somebody on the ground in their university setting.

Send exam week care packages to students. Something as simple as snacks and coffee says, “Hey, we’re thinking about you.” Plus, it requires the church to stay in touch with students to find out when exam weeks are.

Plan “homecoming” events during breaks. Don’t wait to find out who’s coming home to plan something. Instead, plan something and invite them to come. Make them want to stay connected with their church.

If your church is near a campus, connect with Christian groups there—and offer ministry through your church. In this case, be the church that attracts students who, too, need to be connected.

What would you add? What is your church doing?

This article originally appeared here.

Bethel Church Responds to Pastor’s Request for Clarification on Beliefs

By
Shane Ildeman
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June 11, 2021

About a year ago, I sent Bethel an email asking them to clarify a lot of the things that are being said about them (my initial article on using controversial music is below). They finally began that process. We don’t endorse this church – we are simply sharing what they are releasing to help clarify what they believe. Here is a page about the project, and episode 1 (full length) was posted here today. Each day a short-form clip of one of the specific topics will be published. By the 2nd week of July, all of the content for this video series will be published.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MUSIC?

The question goes something like this: “Is it possible to not endorse or agree with (such-and-such church) but still listen to their worship in a corporate setting?” First, I want to be clear that my position has never been “I don’t care what the roots are; I’m playing their music.” I myself am in the process of evaluating. You can actually watch my interview with Kim Walker Smith here. The answer to the first question is very eye-opening.

In 2020, I preached a sermon series on revival. Bryan and Katie Torwalt led worship during one of the messages and Kim Walker Smith during another one. To view the controversial services that sparked this article, click here and here. Then let us know your thoughts. Were the services God-honoring? Were the lyrics theologically sound? Were the messages biblically accurate? Could there be abundant fruit?

Just for reference sake, I use the MacArthur Study Bible, read the Puritans, and love any preaching from Lloyd-Jones, Spurgeon, and the like. I’m not endorsing and promoting Bethel. I have concerns too. I understand that playing a church’s music (in a sense) is viewed as promoting them. I get that, but there is a huge difference between direct promotion and indirect promotion because we have to legally acknowledge the source of the songs for licensing reasons.

WITH THAT SAID, I’VE PUT FORTH A FEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS THAT MAY OFFER CLARITY:

1. How inconsistent should a group be before we completely discontinue their worship? Should we also eliminate songs from Elevation Worship, Hillsong, and a few others because we disagree with some of what their pastors teach? Yes and no. It all depends on the severity of their error. Some people draw the line in the sand much quicker in regard to removing their music, while others are not there yet. This is what is happening here—many are not prepared to draw that line yet. And a lot depends on the spiritual character of the worship leader. For example, what Sean Feucht and Kim Walker Smith tweet is much different than what I’ve seen Joel Houston (Hillsong) tweet. I know both Sean and Kim, and both are solid.

2. Have I done my due diligence in investigating these bands? The problem is that there are many conflicting reports. I know people who attend Bethel, and they say the complete opposite of those who condemn it. For example, Bethel’s leadership condemns grave-sucking here, but people still say that they teach it. Yes, I have seen the picture of lead pastor Bill Johnson’s wife near a grave, but pictures don’t always tell the whole story. You wouldn’t believe the amount of heresy hunters I heard from when I released this picture.

Run 4 Experiments This Summer to Help Find Changes in the Church This Fall

By
Rich Birch
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June 10, 2021

Church leaders in prevailing churches think of themselves more like scientists testing theories than bakers applying a prescribed recipe. Rather than looking for the “perfect” strategy for your church, it’s better to consider your practices as a series of experiments about changes in the church and then watch the results. While it’s important to learn from other churches and incorporate “best practices” from organizations, your church is a unique culture, and therefore you need to employ a “uniquely you” strategy to connect with the community you are trying to reach!

3 Reasons Summer Is the Perfect Time to Try Changes in the Church

Easing Attendance

Most churches see a slight pull back in attendance during this season. This means that the logistics side isn’t as taxed as other times in the year, making it easier to try something new.

Program Reduction

Similarly, churches often cut back on their programs during the summer, which means that the leadership and staff have more energy and time to try something new.

Fall Is Coming

Most churches see the time between Labor Day and Christmas Eve as a critical season in the life of the church. Leveraging the period before that season to improve your ministry is a great use of your time.

Are you looking for a few new or different practices to possibly test this summer to see the results in your church? Here are four testable items that you could experiment with over the summer and then make changes to improve your ministry in the fall.

Changes in the Church – New Announcements

There are five precious minutes in your service that are solely intended to move people to action. The announcement time is a high leverage opportunity to encourage your people to move from where they are to where you want them to be. It really is the quintessential leadership moment during the service. However, it’s usually under-planned and under-utilized in most churches. You’re missing out on the opportunity to make sustained progress in your church simply because you’re not leveraging those critical moments in your service.

Rather than relegating the announcement portion of the service to just one person, a growing trend in thriving churches is to use a team of two co-hosts. This summer, what if one of your changes in the church was to experiment with co-hosts during all your weekend services?

My Youth Ministry Summer Bucket List for Teens

By
Kyle Kuckelman
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June 10, 2021

Summer is here, and that means as youth ministers, we have all the time in the world. Ha-ha! Just kidding! I don’t know about you, but my summers are crazy time, from mission trips to conferences and, of course, planning for the upcoming year. Nevertheless, I sure do love those summer months! That’s why I created a summer bucket list for teens.

Kids are out of school, so there’s a feeling that everything is carefree and more relaxed, which creates opportunities for youth ministers to just hang out with kids.

Just in case you’re looking for some new ideas on what to do with all of your “free” time this summer as a youth minister, I made a list of things I’ve done, and things I want to do, with our students this summer.

My summer ministry bucket list for teens includes these 20 entries:

1. Campfires!

Who doesn’t love roasting marshmallows and sitting around a fire with a guitar singing ridiculous songs? (“Hot” tip: Borrow a parishioner’s fire pit!)

2. Flashlight Tag

Go to the park down the road and play flashlight tag. Simple, cheap, everyone is invited.

3. Fishing

Rod, reel, worms. Good times.

4. 24-Hour Prayer Retreat

This summer we’re hosting a 24-hour Prayer Retreat in the chapel. Two teens at a time sign up for two-hour slots. In the chapel, we have guided reflections and meditations for the teens. It’s also a good way for the teens to be seen by the parishioners.

5. Service Days

We set up and host regular serve days around the parish, for teens to come serve the needs of the parish. It’s an easy way for the teens to be reminded of the larger Church.

6. Mission Trip in a Day

This summer we’re hosting five different days of mission at different community centers throughout town. Each week is set up and hosted by a different Core member.

7. Baseball (or any outdoor sport)

Find the cheap tickets, caravan down to the stadium, and go to the game together.

8. Go-Karts

Who doesn’t love go-karts?

9. Laser Tag

Again, who doesn’t love this stuff?

10. Campouts

Our summer retreat is a massive campout for any high school teen in our area.

Former RZIM Leader: Abdu Murray Interview With the McDowells ‘Not Appropriate’

By
Jessica Lea
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June 10, 2021

The interview that Josh and Sean McDowell did with Abdu Murray, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), needs to be taken down. That is the view of Carson Weitnauer, who resigned from RZIM in January of this year in protest over the ministry’s handling of the Ravi Zacharias abuse scandal.

“Abdu has been charged with serious abuse against Ruth [Malhotra] that’s been public record for months now,” Weitnauer told investigative journalist Julie Roys on the most recent episode of Roys’ podcast. “It’s extremely detailed. And there’s other stories I can get into. But I think that while there’s an investigation going on into the toxic culture of RZIM, it was premature and inappropriate for Josh and Sean to repeatedly praise Abdu and honor him and endorse him when there’s some pretty credible allegations of Abdu’s wrongdoing.”

Carson Weitnauer is the founder of the ministry, Reasons for God, and was on staff with RZIM from 2013 to 2020, during which time he served as U.S. Director and Innovation and Ministry Partner Specialist. During their discussion, Roys and Weitnauer covered a variety of evidence that RZIM is still displaying the patterns of unhealth and secrecy that led them to cover up Ravi Zacharias’s abuse in the first place. Roys released exclusive audio of a town hall meeting held by RZIM on February 15, four days after Miller & Martin released its investigative report. The last half of her conversation with Weitnauer focused primarily on Abdu Murray’s recent interview.

READ: Sexting, Spiritual Abuse, Rape: Devastating Full Report on Ravi Zacharias Released

“I want to treat Sean and Josh and Abdu with respect,” said Weitnauer, “and I don’t mean to be hurtful or mean in anything I say today…But there’s a variety of reasons that the interview was not appropriate and that I’m really concerned about it.”

You can read more about the interview the McDowells did with Murray, as well as watch it, here.

Carson Weitnauer on Abdu Murray’s Complicity

The McDowells’ interview, said Carson Weitnauer, revealed in “a variety of places the loyalty that Sean and Josh both have for Abdu.” Weitnauer also said that Murray minimized his level of responsibility in perpetuating Zacharias’s abuse, as there is credible evidence that Murray perpetrated toxic and bullying behavior that he has not yet acknowledged or apologized for. “Abdu says in the interview,” said Weitnauer, “he just repeated Ravi’s explanations. And what’s challenging about that statement is it really downplays what he did.”

For example, one of Ravi Zacharias’s arguments for his innocence in his email exchanges with Lori Anne Thompson was that he was from India and had valid cultural reasons for his communications with her, reasons that Western people would not understand. For more info on what happened between Zacharias and Thompson, see the following article: The Story Behind the Ravi Zacharias Allegations (Part 1): Lawsuits, NDAs, and Email Threads.

“Julie, that was really hard to believe,” said Weitnauer. “But then Abdu would join in and affirm that what Ravi was saying made complete sense to him. And that made it really hard for us to challenge Ravi because both he and Abdu are claiming that we just lacked the cultural ability to understand these emails.”

Murray did not merely repeat Zacharias’s version of events with Thompson, said Weitnauer. Murray is a trained attorney and had knowledge of the RICO [Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations] lawsuit that Zacharias filed against the Thompsons. Yet Murray still proclaimed Zacharias’s innocence. “That carries a lot of weight, right?” asked Weitnauer. “But now, it’s clear that the RICO lawsuit was an egregious response to the Thompsons…the RICO lawsuit was a red flag that Ravi was guilty. And, you know, a big problem here, because Abdu’s whole apologetic is that he’s a lawyer. He had a podcast at RZIM called The Defense Rests. And as an apologist Abdu likes the RZIM hashtag #noquestionofflimits. But when team members were asking questions about Ravi, we know that Abdu got hostile.”

Pressure Mounts for an Independent Investigation of SBC Executive Committee Handling of Abuse

By
Bob Smietana
-

June 10, 2021

(RNS) — The chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee plans to call for an independent investigation into the committee’s handling of sexual abuse claims when it meets next week in Nashville, Tennessee.

Rolland Slade, pastor of Meridian Baptist Church in El Cajon, California, said he would also support a proposal from two Southern Baptist pastors for an investigation, which will likely be raised during the denomination’s annual meeting June 15-16.

“It’s never the wrong time to do the right thing,” he said.

Russell Moore, who recently resigned as the president of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, has accused Executive Committee leaders of mishandling claims of abuse.

In letters leaked recently, Moore accused Georgia Baptist pastor Mike Stone, a former chairman of the Executive Committee and current nominee for SBC president, of trying to “delay the formation of a credentials committee to assess churches reported to be mishandling sexual abuse.” Moore also said he had been in meetings with SBC leaders where abuse survivors were referred to as “crazy” and were compared to Potiphar’s wife — a reference to a Bible story where a woman made a false accusation of sexual assault.

Stone, a leading candidate for SBC president, called Moore’s accusations “slanderous” and denounced Moore’s letter in a video posted to Twitter.

“It’s unscriptural, it’s ungodly, it’s outrageous,” Stone said.

The Georgie pastor has long been a critic of Moore and chaired a task force that labeled Moore and the ERLC as a ” significant distraction” to the denomination’s work.

Jared Wellman, pastor of Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, and a member of the SBC Executive Committee, is concerned with how Baptist leaders have handled accusations of abuse. He said Baptist leaders have failed to listen to abuse survivors and he wants to see an independent investigation.

Wellman worries some Baptist leaders may want to set up an internal task force to look at the matter. That would be a mistake, according to Wellman.

“I think it is time for an outside investigation,” he said. “I think messengers from SBC churches deserve that — to help regain trust back in our Executive Committee.”

UPDATE: Nevada Church Is Awarded $175k to Cover Attorney Fees Accrued Fighting COVID-19 Capacity Restrictions

By
Stephanie Martin
-

June 10, 2021

UPDATED June 10, 2021: Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley in Dayton, Nevada sued the state last July in an attempt to increase their worship capacity restrictions from 50 to 90 people during the pandemic in their 200 seat sanctuary. The Supreme Court denied the church’s request in a 5-4 ruling that resulted in the conservative Chief Justice Roberts siding the with liberal justices.

The Nevada Board of Examiners unanimously approved and awarded Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley $175,000 on Tuesday, June 8, 2021. The money will be paid by the state of Nevada to cover the attorney fees the church accrued fighting worship attendance restrictions place on them by the state because of the pandemic.

In the church’s 2020 suit that was filed against Nevada their lawyers argued that, “The governor allows hundreds to thousands to assemble in pursuit of financial fortunes but only 50 to gather in pursuit of spiritual ones. That is unconstitutional.”

Last December, a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed the state’s ruling and said that “instead of a 50-person cap, the Directive could have, for example, imposed a limitation of 50% of fire-code capacity on houses of worship, like the limitation it imposed on retail stores and restaurants, and like the limitation the Nevada Gaming Control Board imposed on casinos.”

ChurchLeaders original article written on July 27, 2020, below.

In another 5-4 ruling Friday night, the U.S. Supreme Court prevented a Nevada church from expanding its attendance at in-person worship services. The state’s Democratic governor, Steve Sisolak, has capped church attendance at 50 people during the pandemic, yet casinos and other for-profit businesses may operate at 50 percent capacity.

Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley, a church east of Reno, sued the state because it wanted up to 90 worshipers to meet in its 200-person sanctuary. “The governor allows hundreds to thousands to assemble in pursuit of financial fortunes but only 50 to gather in pursuit of spiritual ones,” said lawyers from Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented the church. “That is unconstitutional.”

Dissenters: Constitution Protects Religion, Not Gambling

Chief Justice John Roberts again sided with the liberal justices, deferring to elected state officials and their public health orders. Though the majority didn’t comment on Friday’s ruling, several justices issued strong dissents.

“We have a duty to defend the Constitution, and even a public health emergency does not absolve us of that responsibility,” writes Justice Samuel Alito. “The Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion. It says nothing about freedom to play craps or blackjack, to feed tokens into a slot machine, or to engage in any other game of chance.”

Dissenting Justice Neil Gorsuch writes, “In Nevada, it seems, it is better to be in entertainment than religion. Maybe that is nothing new. But there is no world in which the Constitution permits Nevada to favor Caesars Palace over Calvary Chapel.”

The church’s legal team argued that the state is enforcing health orders inconsistently. Restaurants, it points out, are comparable to church gatherings, yet Nevada’s dining establishments can now operate at 50 percent capacity. Recent large-scale protests also violated restrictions on large gatherings, say church lawyers.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows tweeted that the ruling “would be a supreme disappointment to our founding fathers.”

Nevada: Casinos, Unlike Churches, Are Regulated

Gov. Sisolak argued that Nevada’s gambling industry is highly regulated, with on-site enforcement officials. Churches, however, are unregulated, leaving them to practice safety measures such as social distancing on the honor system.

In his dissent Friday, Justice Samuel Alito writes that the governor’s regulation argument is “hard to swallow.” He also notes that as a health emergency progresses, governmental decisions should face increasing scrutiny by courts.

When a lower court ruled against Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley last month, the judge wrote, “It is not enough for Calvary to demonstrate that the directive is intermittently not being enforced against secular activities. Calvary must also demonstrate that Defendants are only enforcing the directive against places of worship.”

In May, a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling quashed a California church’s request to be exempt from strict health orders. California Gov. Gavin Newsom actually gave houses of worship more favorable treatment than businesses. In Nevada, however, “there’s a plausible argument that [the state] does single out places of worship for inferior treatment that’s not imposed on many comparable secular spaces,” according to Vox writer Ian Millhiser. He adds that Chief Justice Roberts “appears to be willing to defer to [state] officials even when they hand down public health orders that draw constitutionally dubious lines.”

Citation: https://www.basketballinsiders.com/online-casinos/live/blackjack/

George Barna: Latest Findings Show America Is Now a Major Mission Field

By
Stephanie Martin
-

June 10, 2021

A new report from George Barna’s Cultural Research Center (CRC) reveals what Barna describes as the most radical religious and cultural shifts of American beliefs of the past 40 years. Those “upheavals,” says Barna, are “causing monumental changes within our nation’s historically stable religious alignments.”

The “American Worldview Inventory 2021” report, released on Tuesday, points to several troubling trends, including consistent 30-year declines in Christianity and confidence in religion. “In its first 200 years, America could count on the consistency of its people’s faith commitments, and with that, common views about morality, purpose, family, lifestyle, citizenship, and values,” says Barna. “But as my recent worldview research clearly shows, the United States has become one of the largest and most important mission fields in the world.”

American Beliefs: Other Faiths Attract More Americans

Four key spiritual indicators have drastically decreased in the past 30 years, according to the report. In 1991, 86% of U.S. adults held a biblical view of God, but now just 46% do. Belief in the Bible as “the accurate Word of God” fell from 70% in 1991 to 41% in 2021. And the percentage of Americans who believe they’ll go to heaven because they accept Jesus as their personal Savior fell from 36% in 1991 to 30% in 2021.

Meanwhile, the number of Muslims in the United States has increased from less than one-half of one percent in 1991 to almost three percent today. And about five percent of American adults now identify with Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, more than double the number from 10 years ago.

The well-documented rise of the “Nones” also is impacting Hispanic Americans, a group that had been largely Catholic. During the past three decades, the percentage of Hispanic adults in the United States who identify as Catholic has declined from 59% to 28%. Meanwhile, 31% percentage of U.S. Hispanics now identify as “Don’ts” (saying they don’t know, don’t care, or don’t believe that God exists), compared to just three percent in 1991.

Churches Must Reimagine Evangelism Efforts, Says George Barna

With fewer U.S. adults holding to traditional Christian beliefs, interest in reincarnation is growing. Although this is especially true among Millennials, Christians of all ages are embracing the concept. More than one-third (36%) of self-identified Christians say they believe reincarnation is a real possibility for them.

Another finding is a plummeting level of confidence in religion. Today, only 40% of U.S. adults say they have high confidence in religion, compared to two-thirds of U.S. adults in the 1970s.

These trends in American beliefs offer Christians and church leaders abundant, close-to-home mission opportunities, Barna says. But he adds this caveat: “As I see it, Christian ministry as practiced [in America] for the last five decades will be ineffective in meeting these new challenges.”

Looking ahead, he says churches need to “invest most heavily in reaching children and equipping their parents,” offer a solid foundation of “absolute moral truth,” reimagine typical church services and programs, and “foster bold and creative leadership.” Barna adds, “Like never before, I believe we will need to reimagine and increase our efforts to strategically transform this new cultural landscape with biblical truth.”

What Happened Before Russell Moore’s Leaked Letters?

By
Mark Silk
-

June 10, 2021

J.D. Greear, from left, Russell Moore, and Amy Whitfield speak with press at the Southern Baptist Convention headquarters in Nashville, Tenn., on Feb. 18, 2019. RNS photo by Bob Smietana

(RNS) — If you think it’s a coincidence that two accusatory letters from Russell Moore were leaked just before the Southern Baptist Convention convenes in Nashville, Tennessee, next week, I’ve got a big granite mountain east of Atlanta to sell you.

The main business of the annu al meeting will be to elect a new SBC president to follow J.D. Greear, who, because the 2020 meeting was canceled due to COVID-19, has served an extra year term.

One of the four candidates for the presidency, Georgia Pastor Mike Stone, is charged by Moore with undermining the denomination’s efforts at sexual abuse reform, a charge Stone protests. If you’ve read either of the two letters, you’ll know that Stone is hardly the only object of Moore’s ire.

But let’s back up a bit.

Eight years ago, Moore became president of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the entity responsible for overseeing the denomination’s engagement in national affairs and public policy. He was a professor and dean of the School of Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and, at 42, represented a stark contrast to his predecessor Richard Land.

After 25 years heading the ERLC, which he helped to launch, Land was dumped when he accused the Obama administration of using the Trayvon Martin case to stir up racial tension in a radio commentary subsequently found to be lifted almost verbatim from someone else’s newspaper column.

Land’s successor, as theologically conservative as anyone could ask, largely steered clear of culture-war polarization. Playing against type, Moore criticized gay conversion therapy, opposed display of the Confederate flag and supported refugee resettlement. And come the 2016 election, he vigorously and publicly opposed Donald Trump, a stance that elicited calls for his ouster and made him a pariah in the pro-Trump evangelical world.

Above all, Moore stood for advancing the SBC’s program of racial reconciliation and combating a tendency among major SBC figures to ignore a cascade of sexual abuse and sexual misconduct cases. Foremost among these figures was Paige Patterson, a leader of the conservative takeover of the denomination four decades ago who in 2018 was fired from the presidency of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for mishandling the investigation of an alleged rape case there.

Moore wrote the first of the two leaked letters in February 2020, shortly after it was reported that Patterson had received a “Defender of the Faith” award from a suburban Dallas church whose pastor had himself been sued for sexual misconduct. In that letter, Moore notes that there were members of the SBC’s Executive Committee who were enraged at SBC President Greear for saying that he thought the award was a bad idea.

These were the same folks who had been enraged at Moore for holding a public conversation with Rachael Denhollander in a conference on sexual abuse held as the 2019 annual meeting got underway. Denhollander, the former gymnast who was the first to accuse Michigan State and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar of sexual assault, described “the disparagement and poor treatment of a sexual abuse survivor by Executive Committee staff.”

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Identity in Christ Verses to Receive, Remember, and Walk In

#1 What purpose will your groups fulfill?

#2 What groups do you already have?

#3 Why do your people want groups? (I didn’t ask why you think they should join a group).

#4 What will you require for someone to start a group?

#5 How will you support the leaders?

#6 What will the groups study?

#7 What is your church leadership’s goal for groups?

Final Thoughts

Try these 6 devotions for toddlers that incorporate water play and Scripture messages:

1. Creation

2. Noah’s Ark

3. Rebekah

4. Moses

5. David and Goliath

6. Jonah

7. The 12 Disciples

8. The Parable of the Two Builders

Ronnie W. Floyd’s Full Statement

Noah’s Ark Replica Stuck in Limbo

Jeff Jansen Refuses to Submit to Church Discipline

Response to Jeff Jansen’s Claims

Dr. Charles Stanley Recently Stepped Down

Majority of Pastors Call Legalized Marijuana Wrong

How is it different now?

Not everyone came back.

Your leaders are exhausted and burning out.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MUSIC?

WITH THAT SAID, I’VE PUT FORTH A FEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS THAT MAY OFFER CLARITY:

3 Reasons Summer Is the Perfect Time to Try Changes in the Church

Easing Attendance

Program Reduction

Fall Is Coming

Changes in the Church – New Announcements

My summer ministry bucket list for teens includes these 20 entries:

1. Campfires!

2. Flashlight Tag

3. Fishing

4. 24-Hour Prayer Retreat

5. Service Days

6. Mission Trip in a Day

7. Baseball (or any outdoor sport)

8. Go-Karts

9. Laser Tag

10. Campouts

Carson Weitnauer on Abdu Murray’s Complicity

Dissenters: Constitution Protects Religion, Not Gambling

Nevada: Casinos, Unlike Churches, Are Regulated

American Beliefs: Other Faiths Attract More Americans

Churches Must Reimagine Evangelism Efforts, Says George Barna

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