4 Ways to Talk to Kids About Purpose in a Post-COVID World

June 7, 2021

Kids living in a post-COVID world need hope now more than ever. Here are 4 ways to talk to kids about purpose and their place in God’s great story.

In his investigation of the world’s “Blue Zones” – the happiest communities on earth – Dan Buettner found that happiness is directly tied with feelings of purpose. But just 20% of high school kids feel they are living purposeful lives, according to William Damon, author of The Path to Purpose.

Clearly, we’re not successfully instilling a sense of purpose in our kids. Maybe that’s because of how our society today largely thinks about purpose – as something external or achieved, instead of something we innately have. That’s why 80% of college graduates believe it’s very or extremely important to have a sense of purpose in their work. And according to Pew data, 57% of adults find their life’s meaning in their money or career, compared to just 20% who turn to spirituality and faith.

With the upheaval and uncertainty of the past year, many kids lost those external things they may have associated with their purpose, like success in sports, teacher validation, or popularity. Purpose should have never been found in these fleeting things, to begin with. Now is the perfect opportunity to talk to our kids about their purpose that comes from God.

Purpose 1: “You are made for a bigger story.”

Ephesians 2:10 tells us: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Every single one of us was handmade by God — a very special, one-of-a-kind piece of art. God’s story is bigger than anything we can comprehend, and each of us is made to be a part of that bigger story.

Sometimes, it takes a while to understand that bigger story. Paul, one of the earliest and most important Christian leaders, didn’t figure it out until his conversion in adulthood on the road to Damascus. Before that, he had persecuted many Christians. Read the story of Paul to your kids to help them understand that everything doesn’t always happen the way we expect it to. God hasn’t forgotten us when difficult things, like COVID-19, happen. Sometimes he’s just setting us up for our role in the bigger story.

Purpose 2: “You were made on purpose.”

God made every single one of us on purpose, for good. No one is an accident, an afterthought, or a mistake. That’s why Psalm 139:14 tells us we are “wonderfully made.” As we go throughout life, God may have different roles for us to play. Right now, your child may be a third grader, but one day they may play the role of a dad or an aunt or a teacher or a doctor. All of these roles are important. Tell your kids the story of the shepherd David, who no one really took seriously until he slew Goliath and grew up to be the king of God’s people.

Jerry Falwell Jr.: Liberty University Lawsuit Is Excuse to Shame Him

Associated Press

June 7, 2021

LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) — Jerry Falwell Jr. is asking a court in Virginia to dismiss a lawsuit Liberty University filed over his headline-grabbing departure last year as leader of the evangelical school his father founded.

Falwell claims in a court filing that much of Liberty’s suit serves only to keep shaming him after a provocative photo of him came to light and revelations surfaced of his wife’s extramarital affair, The News & Advance in Lynchburg reported Thursday.

Falwell claims the suit focuses on his wife’s personal life while not addressing his “actions as the leader of Liberty.”

“The rehashing of these events and protected defamation of Falwell through litigation serves one mission — ruining Falwell’s reputation through mischaracterization of events and public shaming through out-of-context pictures filed in a public complaint,” according to Tuesday’s filing in Lynchburg Circuit Court.

Falwell’s departure in August came after a news outlet published an interview with a man who said he had a years-long sexual relationship with Becki Falwell and that Jerry Falwell participated in some of the liaisons as a voyeur. Falwell denied the report.

The school filed its suit in April, seeking tens of millions in damages. Liberty claims Falwell crafted a “well-resourced exit strategy” from his role as president and chancellor in the form of a lucrative 2019 employment agreement while withholding damaging information about the personal scandal that exploded into public view the following year.

The agreement included a raise, which Falwell told The Associated Press Friday amounted to $250,000, and a $2.5 million severance package.

“Despite his clear duties as an executive and officer at Liberty, Falwell Jr. chose personal protection,” the lawsuit says.

The suit also alleges that Falwell failed to disclose and address “the issue of his personal impairment by alcohol” and has refused to fully return confidential information and other personal property belonging to Liberty.

Falwell said in Tuesday’s filing that he had no duty to tell the university about private matters.

This article first appeared here.

Pastor Walks at H.S. Graduation and Receives Diploma at 99

Jesse T. Jackson

June 7, 2021

Dr. Jack Hetzel is the pastor of First United Methodist in Big Sandy, Texas. Hetzel is a World War II veteran, has written eight books, is the president and CEO of Hetzel & Hetzel Enterprises, and was a military science instructor at Texas A&M. But his many accomplishments didn’t include one thing that always nagged at him: the 99-year-old didn’t have a high school diploma. That changed this year when he joined Big Sandy High School’s graduation ceremony and walked across the stage to receive his high school diploma.

Dr. Hetzel says he was forced to drop out of school when he was in the third grade, and later received his GED in 1948. Since then he has dreamed about getting his diploma.

“It’s very exciting,” Hetzel said. “You see, when you have little education and then you have to come up through life and you have to front life with little education, you have to learn somehow.”

The school Dr. Hetzel attended growing up had no record of him attending, which made it hard for him to get his desired diploma. But that missing link never stopped him from learning. He says he sought out alternative ways to learn. Hetzel said he would look to the people around him as teachers. “If I got a question, I’d go to somebody who knew and asked them the question, and then I would use it in everyday life.”

The World War II and Korean War veteran fought in the Battle of the Bulge, Normandy, and in many other major battles while serving the United States. It was especially fitting that on this past Memorial Day, the Texas Senate recognized Hetzel by awarding him his high school diploma, and effort initiated by Sen. Bryan Hughes’ resolution.

“We’re proud of him,” said Sen. Hughes. “He’s someone that I represent, so I’m glad to brag about him and tell the story. It was fun for us.”

Big Sandy High School’s superintendent told KETK, “We’re really proud to be able to give something that means so much to him. It’s going to be one of the highlights of my school-year for sure.”

The Methodist pastor told KETK news during an interview, “Ninety-nine years of age; that’s something to be blessed about. I know my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ — that’s enough to be blessed about. How much more do I need?”

Summer Blast! VBS Alternative

Lindsey Whitney

June 7, 2021

I have to admit, I don’t know where to fall on the whole Vacation Bible School debate.

On one hand, it seems like a lot of work and a lot of cost. It’s exhausting to organize, it’s exhausting to execute, and it’s a little frustrating when the program is seen as nothing more than free babysitting.

On the other hand, it’s a whole lot of fun. There’s something so cool about transforming the whole church into Egypt for a week and getting a “first-hand” experience of Joseph’s life, especially if it involves live animals! And even if parents do view it as “free babysitting,” it still gets the kids in the door and hearing about God’s Word, right?

Last year, we took a break from VBS to try a few other ideas. Story time turned out to be an incredible experience, but Family Movie Nights tanked. I have to admit, it was exhausting trying to convince the church to “try something new.” It was exhausting trying to wrangle in volunteers for these new uncharted programs. It was exhausting to hear everyone complain about how they didn’t really like the new programs. It was perhaps more exhausting than just running traditional Vacation Bible School.

In May of this year, the kids in our Wednesday night program started asking, “When are we going to do that really fun week again?” Suddenly, I felt a little bad for killing VBS. I read this post by Jon Acuff about how his church refuses to do VBS and wondered if that’s how people talked about me and East Lake Road Alliance. I didn’t want to be the “no fun” church. But I didn’t really want to make a big decision just to stay in the VBS club.

So, we came up with a plan.

We’re bringing VBS back! Sort of. Instead of cramming all that VBS fun into one exhausting week, we’re running our VBS program on four Wednesday nights, starting July 11. Here’s why:

1. It’s less exhausting

Can you tell this is a big motivator in my life?

2. It establishes a pattern of attendance.

I’ve heard that if you get a family to return a second week to church, you’re halfway to integrating them into the church community. Hopefully, the same principle works here. If kids attend every Wednesday night for four weeks (and have fun), chances are, they will keep on coming.

3. It’s more cost-effective.

Instead of buying a VBS curriculum, we’re just using the curriculum we always use for our Wednesday night program (252Basics). 252 Basics already built some hype into the summer months by making the theme EPIC LOVE and adding some over-the-top lessons and games (perfect!). We’re adding to this foundation by moving our song and lesson time into the sanctuary so we can use “the big screen” and moving game time outside (who doesn’t love outside games?). I would have bought some decorations for our Wednesday night program anyway, so I just added a few extras to the cart, like this giant whale!

(Get yours at Oriental Trading!)

4. It’s more volunteer friendly.

It’s way easier to volunteer once a week than for an entire solid week, especially if you’re fairly new to the church and aren’t sure if you want to make that kind of time commitment. We have folks that are doing all four weeks, some that are doing just one week, and some that are popping in as they can.

5. It introduces everyone to the current curriculum.

Sometimes I think we don’t get VBS kids to return because we pitch Vacation Bible School as a “one time event.” I’m hoping to communicate to the kids, “This is the stuff we learn about every week. This is the format we use every week. Sure, this is a little over the top, but it’s the same basic idea!” That way, if VBS kids do return for a “normal” week, they are already familiar with “what we’ve been learning” and some of the other basic patterns and terminology of the curriculum. Not only that, it exposes the parents to the curriculum in a fun, nonthreatening way and it allows church members to get a taste of what volunteering for Children’s Ministry would REALLY be like.

6. It stretches out the fun!

We’re going to be decorating the sanctuary in a “Summer Blast” theme, and the decorations will stay up through the whole month. I think this makes buying decorations more worth it, because not only do you use them longer, but they give a great first impression to any guests who come in on a summer Sunday morning. I think it really communicates “family friendly.” If we stuck with the traditional VBS schedule, there might be one or two Sundays of decorations, but with our Summer Blast schedule, we’ll get six weeks. I only spent about $110 in decorations, and I think that’s a pretty good investment!

What About You?

Where have you fallen in the VBS debate? Are you trying some alternatives or sticking with the summer tradition?

This article originally appeared here.

Longing for a Father: A Story About David Cassidy

Greg Laurie

June 7, 2021

I recently watched a documentary on the life of David Cassidy titled David Cassidy: The Last Session, and let me tell you, it was just absolutely heartbreaking.

To me, the story could be summed up this way: David had a deep longing for a father.

He had one, of course, in Jack Cassidy, who was a Broadway star and celebrity in his own right. But Jack divorced David’s mother, and in many ways, he walked out of his son’s life. For the rest of David’s life, he seemed to live in his father’s shadow.

I can relate, to a certain degree, with the difference being that I never knew my biological father, and I had a string of so-called stepfathers walk in and out of my life. Jack Cassidy, according to David, was also an alcoholic.

David Cassidy and His Strained Relationship With His Father

Even when David had his all-too-brief interactions with Jack, they never connected on the level David longed for. David was a struggling actor and musician when lightning suddenly struck: he was cast as Keith Partridge on the massive hit TV show The Partridge Family. Ironically, the woman cast as his mother on the show was David’s step-mom, Shirley Jones, who was married to David’s father, Jack.

As David’s stardom was rising, his father’s career was declining. Jealous of his son’s sudden rise, Jack’s pride kept him from having any significant conversations with his son. He couldn’t even bring himself to tell David he was proud of him. Tragically, Jack died one night in a raging fire after falling asleep with a cigarette. And although David had become a global teen heartthrob and had everything the world could offer at his fingertips—money, fame, sold-out stadiums and adoring fan girls—he was still absolutely devastated and longing for more. His face graced the cover of every teen magazine—not to mention the lunchboxes, comic books and anything else that could be merchandised. Yet, he still longed for the one thing money and fame couldn’t give him: a deep, meaningful relationship with his father.

At the peak of his fame, David hit rock bottom and wanted out of his hit TV show. He longed to be taken seriously as an artist, but that never actually came to fruition for him. David turned to alcohol, and it left an extremely devastating effect on his health. By 2017, he was in a fast and sharp decline.

Following in His Father’s Footsteps

His fans became troubled when he could not remember the lyrics to many of his older songs, and it was especially worrisome when he began to slur his words. He was arrested three times for drunk driving, the last two arrests coming within only six months of each other.

Originally thought to have dementia, Cassidy finally admitted all of his issues were actually due to his alcoholism. It was a shocking confession, and the fact is, David had followed in his father’s very footsteps. David Cassidy finally admitted, “There is no sign of my having dementia at this stage of my life. It was complete alcohol poisoning.”

In the documentary David Cassidy: The Last Session, David said, “I did this to myself to cover up the sadness and emptiness.” Cassidy died of liver failure in November of last year.

According to his daughter, David’s last words were, “So much wasted time!” In one of the most poignant scenes from the documentary, David is struggling to finish a vocal for a new project he was working on, called Songs My Father Taught Me. Unable to hit the notes, he asks the producer to play his father’s recorded version of the same song. Breaking out in tears, David cries out, “Dad, I miss you!”

It broke my heart to watch it.

How I wish I could have told David about how I never had a father growing up either. I wish I could have also told him that there is a Father in Heaven who could be the Dad his earthly father never was.

The Father David Cassidy Could Have Known

If you are a dad this Father’s Day, make sure you let your son or daughter know that you love them. It really does matter. Even if they are adults, they still long for your approval; they need to hear it. If you are a child estranged from your father, reach out to him today—not because he deserves it necessarily, but because it’s the right thing to do.

Jesus wanted to show us what God in Heaven is like, so he told a story of a boy who ran away from his father and dragged his family name through the mud. The young man finally came to his senses, and reluctantly decided to return home. According to Jesus, when the boy was a long way away, the father ran to his wayward son, threw his arms around him, and welcomed him home. This is how the Father embraces us—without hesitation, without a tally of what we’ve done wrong. His arms are always wide open, waiting to invite us back into fellowship with Him.

Maybe your heart is heavy this Father’s Day because you are estranged from your father, or perhaps your dad has passed on. Remember this: There is a Father in Heaven who loves you. He will welcome you home to a loving relationship with Him. He is always near you, even on days—like today—that may make you feel isolated and alone. Run to His arms.

Accept His open invitation. It made all of the difference in my life, and I know it will do the same for you.

Happy Father’s Day.

Two Scary Reasons Church People Aren’t Coming Back to Church

Gavin Adams

June 5, 2021

After nearly one full year, we opened the Woodstock City Church building for in-person services on February 14, 2021.

We knew our physical attendance numbers would be much, much smaller than the previous February. We required registration, masks, temperature checks, and social distancing. We capped our registration at 40% of auditorium capacity, knowing our no-show rate would net us closer to 30% in attendance. We were cautious and careful, prioritizing science, safety, and influence as best we could.

All things considered, and all the frustrated emails and conversations had, our plans worked pretty well.

Fast-forward a few months, and many of our COVID protocols are going away. In our community, vaccines have been readily available for six to eight weeks. I received my second shot three weeks ago without any wait. We are now mask-optional in the lower portion of our auditorium and moving away from registration and even social distancing soon.

Under our initial, strict protocols, I expected physical attendance to be a fraction of the past. We guessed correctly. We’ve experienced anywhere from 30 – 40% of pre-pandemic, in-person attendance. That number has slowly increased, but only to around 50%.

Here’s my concern: As we remove the remaining protocols, I fear our in-person numbers won’t increase that rapidly. They may not increase at all. Not because everyone is still afraid of COVID or watching our online service stream.

I’m afraid we’ve lost a significant percentage of former church attenders for good.

Of course, some are attending in-person church services. Some have left our church permanently for other churches in the area. The intense polarization of virtually every topic created additional pandemics of anger and frustration that led to some unnecessary sheep-swapping. But even taking those who are attending elsewhere into account, we are missing a lot of people.

There are massive numbers of people completely missing in church action (MICA). As far as I can tell, they divide into two separate categories:

Group One: The church consumers with digitally reinforced behavior

Over the past decade, our increasingly consumeristic culture created space for churches to utilize consumeristic messaging and experiences to attract people to church. Hear me loud and clear: I’m not against the attractional church per se (after all, do any of us want to create an unattractive church?), but attractional churches can accidentally create an easy conduit for consumeristic Christians. And that was before the pandemic!

Without any in-person services for months on end, digital-only church further reinforced the ease of consumeristic patterns by allowing people to attend without “attending,” making church even easier for the predisposed church consumer. These people may come back to an in-person event or service at some point, but I’m not holding my breath. They were consumers before the pandemic, and now, the ease of digital church solidified their behavior.

BTW, they have children who aren’t coming back, either. While adults might have the willpower or desire to consume spiritual growth content (sermons, books, etc.) on their own, what about their children? This should frighten every pastor.

Gen Z Lost Touch With Faith Communities During Pandemic But Kept the Faith, Says Study

Religion News Service

June 5, 2021

Researchers are warning religious leaders, teachers and parents there isn’t going to be a simple “back to normal” approach for young people after the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather, we should all be looking for ways to help them experience ” the new normal.”

That’s the argument from Springtide Research Institute, which surveyed 2,500 members of Generation Z (ages 13 to 25) in February 2021 about their experiences of, and attitudes about, the pandemic.

It’s not going to be easy for young people to merely pick up where they left off, said Josh Packard, Springtide’s executive director.

“There’s just a whole lot of things that they missed,” he said. “They’re not getting back to some sort of normality. And they need help processing that, to make sense of it and understanding their lives now.”

The first step in helping them process is just to catalog it all unflinchingly: Graduations. Proms. Summer camps. Athletic competitions. Dates. College orientations. Religious youth group retreats. School concerts. First jobs. The list goes on and on. And that’s to say nothing of the fact many young Americans count loved ones among the nearly 600,000 U.S. citizens who have died so far in the pandemic.

Part of what religion can do is help young people grieve these lost milestones and relationships. “We have lots of really great and rich rituals and traditions that can and should be employed here to help young people,” Packard said. Religious leaders can draw upon those rituals to help teens and young adults name and mourn their losses. For example, they might have youth write down their missed milestones, talk about their feelings and then burn the papers to ash.

But here’s a problem: Nine out of 10 young people say they didn’t hear from a religious leader during the pandemic. “We were hearing lots of news stories about religious leaders scrambling to put services online. And at the same time, we’re hearing from young people that nobody was really checking in on them, especially religious leaders.”

Only 10% of the young people surveyed said a clergy member had checked in to see how they were doing. And only 14% reported turning to a faith community when they felt overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do.

On the other hand, faith communities scored higher than other institutions in how young people thought they handled the pandemic. The study found 50% agreed their faith community had done “a great job navigating the pandemic” — which was higher than the report card they gave to the government. In fact, two-thirds (65%) said the government did not do its best to protect people during the pandemic. And more than half (57%) said they’re going to have a harder time trusting others, even their own family and friends, after seeing how they handled the pandemic.

3 Marks of Humility in Leadership

Eric Geiger

June 4, 2021

We tend to despise pride in others and we recognize its destructive power. The Scripture teaches us that pride goes before destruction and haughty eyes before a fall. We long to serve with leaders who are humble, and we are wise to walk in humility ourselves. But what does humility in leadership look like?

3 Marks of Humility in Leadership

1. Attitude of gratitude, not entitlement

Leaders can move from gratitude to entitlement by believing their position or their performance entitles them to certain things. It is impossible to be filled with humility and a sense of entitlement at the same time. Whenever we feel we are owed something it is because we have forgotten that God is the One who gives all good things. Humble leaders believe all they have received is from the Lord, including the team they lead and their work ethic and intensity. All is from Him. When we walk in humility, we are grateful for all He provides.

2. Posture of stewardship, not ownership

Though some don’t recognize it, all leaders are temporary. Because leadership is a temporary assignment, humble leaders treat their roles and their organizations or ministries as something they steward not something they own. They know the Lord ultimately owns it all and they make decisions from the posture of a faithful steward not the posture of an owner who will always sit in the chair of leadership. Humble leaders desire to steward the season well and humbly recognize the season won’t last forever.

3. Trust in the Lord, not in oneself

Humble leaders trust the Lord and not themselves. Humble leaders seek His wisdom, not their own. They lead in His energy, not their own. They trust His leading, not their own. Their confidence resides ultimately in the Lord and not in themselves.

This article originally appeared here.

Tips and Timelines for Making the Transition From Children’s Ministry to Youth Ministry

Curt Knowles

June 4, 2021

When preteens are ready to make the move from kidmin to youth group, it’s helpful to have a plan and program in place. Begin the transition from children’s ministry to youth ministry about three months out, and focus on events and activities that celebrate the kids.

In such a program, you can take a variety of important steps and put everyone at ease.

Create a smooth transition from children’s ministry to youth ministry by:

1. Holding Informational Meetings

Send a letter to parents explaining the coming transition from children’s ministry to youth ministry. Include a greeting from youth teachers or leaders, along with their contact information. Invite parents and children to attend an informational meeting.

Here are some ideas:

Choose a theme for the meeting. Transition-related examples include Building a Bridge, Movin’ Up, Taking the Challenge, etc.
Engage in interactive activities that involve preteens, parents, children and youth ministers. These activities will help everyone get to know one another. Try a scavenger hunt with each team comprising a preteen, a youth, a children’s worker, and a youth worker.
Let the youth pastor give a presentation introducing the youth ministry to parents and kids. During it, have them explain the ministry’s mission and vision, as well as introduce some staff members.
Afterward, serve refreshments and encourage social time. That way, kids and parents can meet and talk one-on-one with the youth pastor and staff.

2. Sponsoring Get-Connected Events

Several months before the actual “moving” date, plan weekly or monthly youth ministry events that include preteens. Plan these events with the specific purpose of introducing preteens to the youth and youth ministry.

At these events, engage in activities that encourage relationship-building between preteens and older youth. Here are some ideas:

Preteen Retreat – Invite preteens on an overnight retreat with youth ministry staff and several youth. Include activities such as ropes courses, canoeing or rafting, cooperative group games, as well as times of worship and prayer.
Game Nights
Laser Tag
Picnic in the Park
Youth Bonfire

People Are Still Calling Pence a ‘Judas’—This Time It’s a Pastor

Jessica Lea

June 4, 2021

In a speech he delivered at a dinner for the New Hampshire GOP on June 3, former vice president Mike Pence mentioned the January 6 Capitol riot and observed that he and former president Donald Trump still do not “see eye to eye” on what happened that day. Shortly after the speech, Pastor Greg Locke tweeted that Pence is a “Judas.”

“January 6 was a dark day in the history of the United States nation’s Capitol, but thanks to the swift action of the Capitol police and federal law enforcement, violence was quelled,” said Mike Pence at the annual Lincoln-Reagan Dinner hosted by the Hillsborough County Republicans in Manchester, N.H. “The Capitol was secured. And that same day we reconvened the Congress and did our duty under the Constitution and the laws of the United States.”

Pence continued, “You know, President Trump and I have spoken many times since we left office. And I don’t know if we’ll ever see eye to eye on that day. But I will always be proud of what we accomplished for the American people over the last four years.”

“Mike Pence is a Judas,” Pastor Greg Locke of Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, Tenn., tweeted later that evening. In doing so, he echoed a troubling sentiment that seems to persist among some Americans, including some who move in evangelical circles.

Pastor Greg Locke Repeats Disturbing Sentiments

“I’m a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order,” said Mike Pence at the beginning of a speech that was unabashedly supportive of former President Trump and critical of President Biden. Pence praised what he referred to as “four years of consequence,” of “results,” and of “promises made and promises kept.” He talked at length about what he views as the Trump administration’s accomplishments and the Biden administration’s failures.

It was toward the end of his speech that Pence said, “We’ve all been through a lot over the past year,” and specifically mentioned the “tragedy at our nation’s Capitol.” The former vice president indeed went “through a lot” on January 6, as it was his responsibility to oversee the counting of the electoral college votes during a joint session of Congress and to then declare Biden president. This Pence eventually did, despite being delayed by the day’s violence.

Prior to that day, Trump had called the results of the November 2020 presidential election into question and pressured Pence not to follow through on declaring Biden the winner. At a Trump rally that took place before the violence at the Capitol, the former president said, “Mike Pence, I hope you’re going to stand up for the good of our Constitution and for the good of our country. And if you’re not, I’m going to be very disappointed in you.”

Protestors at the rally eventually marched to the Capitol, where rioters stormed the building as the joint session of Congress was taking place. Some of the rioters constructed a gallows and chanted, “Hang Mike Pence.” The phrase, “Hang Mike Pence,” later trended on Twitter. When Pence did not comply with Trump’s wishes, Trump attacked him for lacking “the courage to do what should have been done to protect our country and our Constitution.” As a result, some Americans have come to view Pence as a traitor.

There is doubt that the pastor who called Pence, “Judas,” is a controversial figure. In his Easter sermon, Pastor Greg Locke told his congregation to “take them stupid masks off.” On Sunday, May 30, Right Wing Watch posted a clip on Twitter of Locke’s sermon from earlier that day in which the pastor insisted that Trump was still president and also repeated parts of the QAnon conspiracy theory. Locke responded to the tweet, saying, “I STAND BY EVERY WORD OF IT.”

However, while Greg Locke is a controversial church leader, he is also an influential one. He has nearly 100,000 followers on Twitter and has over two million followers on Facebook. Perhaps more troubling is the fact that his tweet calling Pence “Judas” echoes quite a few responses Franklin Graham received when he requested prayer for the former vice president on April 15.

At the time, Pence was recovering from surgery after having a pacemaker implanted. “I know that he, Karen, and their family would appreciate your prayers,” said Graham on social media platforms, including Gab and Twitter. “He told me this evening that he is on the mend and God is good!”

Some of the responses, particularly on Gab, were chilling. One user called Pence, “Judas,” another, “traitor.” Yet another said, “True, God is good. He’s given the Americans a second chance to see Traitor Pence prosecuted and hung.”

Scientific Pro-Life Commercial Censored by CBS, Hallmark, and CMT Because Too ‘Controversial’

Jesse T. Jackson

June 4, 2021

Susan B. Anthony List (SBA) just released a pro-life commercial talking about the science of abortion and that it is still legal in America to have a baby aborted, even though a baby in womb can feel pain at just 15 weeks old. The commercial is part of the anti-abortion group’s $2 million campaign it says is to “highlight the humanity of unborn children” in the hopes of bringing awareness to the Supreme Court‘s upcoming Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case it will hear this October.

SBA’s commercial is 30 seconds long and explains that for five decades, because of “outdated laws,” every age group except the unborn has benefited from medical breakthroughs.

SBA’s President Marjorie Dannenfelser told Fox News, “The science is simple: unborn children are human beings and deserve protection. Across the country, state lawmakers acting on the will of the people have introduced nearly 550 pro-life bills. Seventy already enacted so far this year aimed at recognizing these facts and humanizing our laws. We are eager to further educate the nation about these realities and are hopeful that the law will soon catch up to the science.”

Pro-Life Commercial Is ‘Controversial,’ Say Networks

In a letter written to the Susan B. Anthony List, CBS told the pro-life agency their commercial was too “controversial” and was deemed “unacceptable.” CBS said, “Issue-oriented advertisements that are designed for the purpose of presenting views or influencing legislation on issues that are controversial by general public consensus are unacceptable.”

Country Music Television (CMT) also rejected airing the commercial and told SBA, “While we do accept political and issue-based ads on a case-by-case basis, issue-oriented ads that are designed for the purpose of presenting views or influencing legislation on issues that are controversial by general public consensus are unacceptable.”

Hallmark Channel’s parent company, Crown Media, said it didn’t meet the criteria for the positive experience Hallmark aims to offer it’s viewers.

CBS, Hallmark Channel, and CMT have aired controversial LGBTQ commercials, Planned Parenthood commercials, and sexual enhancement commercials.

Susan B. Anthony List responded on Twitter saying, “BIG MEDIA corporations like @CBS & the @hallmarkchannel BANNED our pro-life TV ad, claiming it’s too ‘controversial.’”

The pro-life commercial will air on the Lifetime channel, as well as on Bravo, and within the Washington D.C. television market.

Read what is said during the pro-life commercial below:

Five decades of medical breakthroughs. Every age group has more opportunity to live, except one. The unborn still fall victim to outdated laws. Science tells us that at 15 weeks these babies have formed faces. They smile, they yawn, they feel pain. It’s why European countries ban late term abortions. In five decades we’ve learned they are just like us. Isn’t time the law reflects the science?

Abortion Named Leading Cause of Death in 2020

The leading cause of death in the 2020 wasn’t COVID-19—it was abortion, something that has sadly held true for many years. The data Worldometers compiled showed that over 42 million abortions were performed in 2020, and in the United States alone it is estimated that over 3,000 abortions take place every day.

This year many states are tightening their laws when it comes to abortions performed within their state lines. Arizona recently passed a law making it illegal to perform an abortion based on “the sex or race of the child or the race of the parent of that child.” Oklahoma passed three new bills this year dealing with abortion restrictions. One of those bills makes it illegal for an abortion to be performed or induced if the unborn child has a heartbeat, unless there is a medical threat to the mother.

SBC Sources: Paige Patterson Made ‘Black Girl’ Comments Cited in Russell Moore Letter

Bob Smietana

June 4, 2021

(RNS) — Author and speaker Trillia Newbell was minding her own business this week, “doing the good work the Lord planned for me,” when she was drawn into another Southern Baptist controversy.

Newbell, a former staff member of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, was mentioned in a controversial leaked letter published Wednesday (June 2) by Religion News Service. The letter, which was leaked over the weekend to the news service, was written in February 2020 by then-ERLC head Russell Moore to the commission’s trustees.

In it, Moore cited an unnamed SBC leader who was critical of his decision to hire Newbell. Moore recently left his ERLC post after years of controversy, especially over his criticism of Donald Trump.

“I was really just concerned about that black girl, whether she’s egalitarian,” Moore recalled the leader as saying.

After seeing news of the letter on social media, Newbell tweeted she was “a grown woman” and would not let those comments stand in her way.

“I’ve experienced racism my entire life. Not gonna stop me now,” she wrote.

Two Southern Baptist sources have confirmed with RNS the SBC leader who made the comment about Newbell.

“It was Paige Patterson,” Phillip Bethancourt, the pastor of Central Church in College Station, Texas, and former vice president of the ERLC, told RNS. Bethancourt said he and other staffers heard about the comments critical of Newbell and Dan Darling, another former ERLC staffer, right after Moore spoke with Patterson. Patterson, a longtime Baptist leader, and former SBC president, was fired as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2018 for mishandling allegations of sexual abuse.

Patterson denied making the comments in a phone interview with RNS and said he had never heard of Newbell.

“I don’t know who the girl is,” he said.

He also said that Moore was “obviously wrong.”

A legend among Southern Baptists, Patterson, along with retired Texas Judge Paul Pressler, was one of the chief architects of the “conservative resurgence” that took over the nation’s largest Protestant denomination in the 1980s and 1990s.

Thieves Stole $740K From 600+ Churches, According to ‘Operation Thou Shalt Not Steal’

Stephanie Martin

June 4, 2021

“Thou Shalt Not Steal” is one of the Ten Commandments—and it was broken in a rather remarkable way during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During coronavirus shutdowns, church members found new ways to submit their offerings. Some turned to electronic giving, while others mailed or dropped off checks. Unfortunately, some thieves took advantage of these faithful stewards.

Authorities have arrested six people accused of stealing $740,000 from more than 600 churches and church schools—more than half of which are in Florida. Churches as far away as Oregon were victimized. The investigation, dubbed “Thou Shalt Not Steal,” began last December and eventually led to six Romanian nationals who operated out of Orlando.

Thou Shalt Not Steal—’Almost a Perfect Crime’

Four suspects arrested on May 26 are now in a Florida jail; the remaining two were taken into custody days later in Mexico and are awaiting extradition. Charges include grand theft, racketeering, money laundering and more.

Shane Pollard with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) says the suspects removed mail from church mailboxes on days when worship services weren’t occurring. “This theft ring took full advantage of the [pandemic] situation, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in church donations out of church mailboxes,” he says. “It was almost a perfect crime as COVID-19 swept the country.”

“They would spread the checks between themselves to be deposited into various bank accounts using ATMs,” Pollard adds. “Once the money posted to an account, they withdrew the funds immediately in cash before the banks realized the checks were actually made payable to churches and not the suspects.”

Police say they have video surveillance of some of the thefts. The suspects reportedly spent offerings on food, clothes, cars and entertainment, as well as wire transfers back to Romania.

FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen says, “This low-tech yet well-organized effort to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of mailed-in charitable donations—at a time when donations may have been most needed—has been stopped.”

Attorney General: Greedy Crime Ring Exploited People’s Generosity

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, whose office will prosecute the case, says, “Churches depend on donations from generous members of the community to operate and serve those in need. It is despicable that this crime ring would exploit the selfless acts of kindness displayed through these donations for selfish greed.”

According to lists posted online, churches from a wide range of denominations were targeted. Pastor Taylor Foley of Grace United Methodist Church in Cape Coral, Fla., says about a dozen families from his congregation were affected. “We actually had a family reach out to us and meet with one of our pastors concerned that their giving was not being reflected on the quarterly giving statements we send out,” he says. “We did our own internal review, just to make sure our internal checks and balances were being followed.”

After contacting its bank, leaders at Grace UMC called police. If any money is recovered, says Pastor Foley, it will go to the donors, not the church. “We’ll let them decide what to do.”

To prevent thefts, security experts recommend churches use lockable mailboxes for physical deliveries. Online giving also has become popular, especially due to the pandemic.

Russell Moore Leaves Southern Baptists Personally and Professionally

Adelle M Banks

June 4, 2021

(RNS) — Russell Moore, who recently resigned as the Southern Baptist Convention’s chief ethicist, has also moved on from the nation’s largest Protestant denomination personally, attending a Tennessee church that is not affiliated with the SBC.

T.J. Tims, lead pastor of Immanuel Nashville, announced Tuesday (June 1) on social media that Moore is now the church’s minister in residence.

“We want to be a home base for Dr. Moore and his family as he serves the body of Christ at large,” Tims said in a video posted on Twitter. “So this position is not primarily about what Dr. Moore can offer to us as much as it is what we can offer to him, namely, a gospel culture from which and in which to serve the Lord.”

Immanuel Nashville is a conservative evangelical congregation that is affiliated with the Acts 29 church planting network. It is not a Southern Baptist congregation, said Scott Thomas, executive pastor of the multiethnic church that has 1,000 congregants.

“However, all Acts 29 churches are autonomous and cannot be lumped into one genre, culture, or style,” Thomas added. “Immanuel Nashville is self-governed and has a distinctive gospel culture, which may not reflect an overly generalized Acts 29-type church.”

The church believes that only “qualified men” should be in leadership roles and that “Scripture does not permit any sexual activity outside of the lifelong covenantal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife.”

Moore’s additional separation is just the latest development in a denomination that has been riven over issues of race, gender and politics. Beth Moore, an influential Bible teacher who is not related to Russell Moore, told Religion News Service in March that she is “ no longer a Southern Baptist. ”

Russell Moore resigned as president of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission in May and will join prominent evangelical magazine Christianity Today as a full-time public theologian.

Both Russell Moore and Beth Moore faced criticism for comments they made about Donald Trump before and after he became U.S. president.

In 2015 Russell Moore said Trump was not fit for the office, calling him an “arrogant huckster” who was unfit for office. Trump responded by calling Moore “a nasty guy with no heart.”

Both Russell Moore and Beth Moore have also been outspoken on the need for Southern Baptists to address matters of abuse and race, and in a recently leaked letter, Moore wrote a year before his departure from the ERLC that race and gender loomed larger than politics in denominational debates about his work.

In 2019, Moore helped the ERLC develop a “Caring Well” initiative to help train churches to prevent abuse and assist survivors. The Rev. Marshal Ausberry Sr., president of the National African American Fellowship of the SBC, recently told RNS that Moore has “been a very positive force in the convention and sometimes even the conscience of the convention in the area of race relations.”

In Tims’ announcement welcoming Moore and his family to Immanuel Nashville, Tims noted that Moore preached on Sunday at the church. The lead pastor also affirmed Moore’s new role in launching CT’s Public Theology Project.

“Russell Moore is a man of tremendous integrity who has proven that his faith is not tethered to the changing winds of American politics or cultural trends,” he said.

This article originally appeared here.

Interfaith ‘Vaccine Ambassadors’ Take Up Biden’s Month of Action

Religion News Service

June 4, 2021

(RNS) — With collaboration and support from civic and community leaders across the country, President Joe Biden recently announced a “Month of Action” between June 4 and July 4, with the goal to increase vaccination rates to 70% of American adults before July Fourth.

At Interfaith Youth Core, the Month of Action could not have come at a better time. IFYC has been working throughout the spring with civic organizations, colleges and universities, and Rush University Medical Center in Chicago to train 2,000 people from diverse faith backgrounds to engage in vaccine outreach in their religious communities.

These Faith in the Vaccine Ambassadors, as we call them, are based on the community health worker model, proven to be effective from Haiti to Bangladesh, and are trained to engage people through their religious and ethnic communities.

IFYC’s core belief is that religiously diverse communities are foundational to America’s strength and that working together, these communities have incredible potential to advance the common good. These racially and religiously diverse young leaders are giving us much needed hope right now.

When we win in our battle against the virus, it will be because of people like a young Indian Hindu in Los Angeles messaging 10 people in his network who have expressed skepticism about the vaccine, offering experience he thinks will be comforting to them. Or an African American Muslim in Chicago organizing an event at her mosque for congregants who want to know if the Prophet Muhammad would have encouraged the vaccine.

Or a white evangelical Christian in rural Minnesota who is creating an online discussion board so people in his network can discuss Curtis Chang’s videos about the Bible and the vaccine.

Person-to-person engagement matters most as we enter the long, last mile of our fight against COVID-19. Indeed, the current work is not principally about mass vaccination centers, which are closing by the day. Instead, it’s about trusted messengers reaching skeptical, uninformed or reasonably concerned people through trusted channels.

These trusted messengers offer a valuable touchpoint, including a listening, sympathetic ear to understand concerns, simple but accurate scientific information about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, and often, values-based inspiration about the importance of receiving it.

And Now, A Completely Different Argument for Tattoos

Ethan Renoe

June 4, 2021

In Christian circles that debate this sort of thing, the subject of tattoos revolves around two things. Or rather, two primary arguments are made against tattoos, and there are like three that are given for them. Yesterday, I accidentally stumbled across a completely new perspective on Christians getting tattoos, stemming from an ancient pilgrim practice and a 700-year-old tattoo shop.

If you have ears and/or eyes, you are familiar with how the conversation normally goes (But if you don’t, here’s a more rigid examination of the arguments). Some fundamentalist-type brings up a verse from Leviticus which forbids the marking of skin, to which the young Bible scholar points out that this verse is archaic and refers only to Israelites who had escaped from Egypt circa the 1300’s BC. And so on.

It boils down to the fact that the older person simply doesn’t like them, and the younger person just thinks they’re cool, and neither one has a solid biblical imperative for their side; they just have their own preferences. Which is fine.

And for most of my life, until yesterday, that’s what I thought too. I thought that the best a Christian could do is eek by, building a series of excuses for why, no, I think it’s actually ok for me to have a tattoo and still love Jesus. Please.

In other words, I always thought it was permissible but never encouraged.

The closest I could come up with was the defense that they start conversations and get people asking about my faith. This is true too (for me anyway…I don’t know how many introverts who use that defense have actually chatted with strangers as a result of their ink. Am I biased against introverts? idk), but it’s still a rather anemic argument.

But yesterday I learned about an ancient Coptic tradition in which Christians–and especially Christians–would get tattoos to mark themselves as Christians. The most common of these Coptic symbols which you may have seen before is the Coptic Cross:

This and other symbols like it marked the individual as a follower of the Way of Jesus. Honestly, some of these are awesome and I’m considering sticking one on myself.

In other words, once you were marked publicly as a Christian, there was no more turning back. You don’t get tattooed and then just change your mind when you decide to pursue other comforts. At least in the Middle Ages you don’t–it’s either a knife to your skin or you embrace the decision you made: first to follow Christ, and then to take that decision public with your skin.

We in Christian ministry always use the explanation of baptism as a public declaration of our invisible decision to follow Christ. How much more public and permanent is a tattoo?

Now to take it a step further, place yourself in the Middle or Near East, where being a Christian is not merely a word you put in your Instagram bio, but could get you into some real trouble. Imagine living in a place where you regularly brush shoulders with Muslims and Sikhs and being outed as a Christian in the wrong part of town could have serious consequences.

The Coptic tattoo tradition wasn’t just to get some cool ink with some quasi-spiritual meaning beneath the ink, but a declaration of Who you follow, Who you worship. Like salvation should be, getting a Coptic tattoo is an irreversible statement that you’ve decided to follow Jesus and there’s no turning back.

The Greek word they used was ‘stygma’ which meant ‘marked.’ Christians were actually eager to mark themselves for Christ once they entered into the church.

Seen through this lens, getting a tattoo in the Coptic world seems more like something Christians should do, rather than something to be critiqued! I can almost picture a Coptic Christian grandmother chastising her grandchildren for not getting their tattoos soon enough.

“Where are your markings, child?? You’ve been baptized for two years now! Why haven’t you shown it yet?? What are you waiting for, an engraved invitation? Come on, Bubbeh will take you to the shop.”

Maybe we Westerners got so wrapped up in our own myopic arguments over these things that we lost sight of many of the larger realities: That any sort of public branding ourselves for Christ will not go to waste. Like Paul says with some strong language, we have become slaves to Christ, and a tattoo, especially in this tradition, is a beautiful way to show it.

A Refuge for the Guilty Soul

Nicholas Batzig

June 4, 2021

One of the most wonderful Old Testament types of Jesus and His saving work is found in the account of the cities of refuge mentioned in Numbers 35 and Joshua 20. The cities of refuge were appointed by God for the person who was guilty of manslaughter. Whenever someone accidentally killed another, he could flee for refuge to the place of God’s appointed safety. If he left the city, he would be killed by the Avenger of blood (i.e., the Goel or Kinsman Redeemer). The one who fled to the city for refuge had to remain there until the death of the High Priest. Once the High Priest died, the one who fled for refuge was set free.

When we come to Numbers 35 and Joshua 20, a number of interpretive challenges arise. Intermixed with the other details about the cities of refuge is a clear word about the guilt and punishment of one who intentionally murdered another. The one who intentionally murdered another was to suffer the punishment of the death penalty. This is on account of the fact that man is made in the image of God. To kill another image bearer is to raise an affront to God Himself. The distinction in this passage between one who murdered an image bearer and one who accidentally killed an image bearer raises a challenge. It might, on a cursory reading, seem as though God was teaching that those who commit unintentional sin are not deserving of avenging justice, but that those who have sinned with evil intent are the objects of avenging justice. However, close consideration of the details of these passages paint quite a different picture. Consider the following.

God gave the Levites 48 cities and the surrounding pasture, since they did not receive an inheritance with the other tribes. This was an undeserved grace of God. The Levites descended from Levi, who — together with his brother Simeon — had slaughtered the Shecham, Hamor, and the men of the city for what they had done to their sister Dina (Gen. 34:25). Instead of giving the Levites what they deserved, they received the bountiful mercy and grace of God. God set them apart to mediate between Himself and His people. This was the highest privilege for someone in the covenant community. In addition, the Levites were not to inherit any of the land, together with the other tribes, because they Lord would be their inheritance (Num. 18:25-26). Iain Duguid rightly notes, “Getting the opposite of what you deserve, or grace, is the central point of Numbers 35.”

Out of those 48 Levitical cities, God set apart 6 to be cities of refuge for someone who killed someone accidentally. Three of these cities were on the east of the Jordan and three on the west of the Jordan. This would be a place to shield the person who had shed blood from the avenging justice of the Avenger of Blood. The severity of the justice that God delegated to the Avenger of blood is due to the fact that whoever sheds man’s blood deserves to have his blood shed by man (Gen. 9:6). Since man is the image of God, shedding man’s blood (whether intentionally or unintentionally) requires a just penalty, namely death. This means that the one who murdered someone and the person who accidentally killed someone deserve the same punishment. At the end of Numbers 35, the Lord tells Moses that the shed blood pollutes the land. God could not dwell in an unclean place with His people. A sentence of justice had to be executed in response to the shedding of blood. While Numbers 35 teaches a principle of justice, God, in His mercy, also establishes His mercy in His provision of refuge cities. These were cities of mercy, depicting the mercy that sinners find in Christ.

Each of the cities of refuge were led by priests who functioned as elders. They were the ruling elders of each of these cities — representatives of the people within the city. The person who fled to a city of refuge had to remain in the city until the death of the High Priest. This was a principle of substitution that is meant to teach us about the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for sinners. Jesus is the city of refuge for sinners. All who flee to Him for safety from the guilt of their sin find rest for their souls and safety from the judgment of God.

Accountability for Young Men, Otherwise Known as ‘Fight Club Part 2’

Clint Archer

June 4, 2021

“Fight Club” is what I call the men’s discipleship group I lead in our church. Recently, I explained the rationale and format I use in the article, “Discipleship of Young Men, Otherwise Known as ‘Fight Club.'” In that article, I promised an example of the type of weekly assignments we are expected to complete, as well as the list of accountability questions we ask and answer each session.

So, here goes.

(Author’s note: If you have not read the first article, I encourage you to do so now before you continue. Also, you’ll notice the following ideas are mostly geared toward married men, which is the group I normally do this with, but you can tweak it to suit single people, or any other way depending on who you are meeting with.)

Accountability Questions We Answer at Each Meeting

Have you been with a woman other than your wife (if married) in a compromising, or what might appear to be a compromising, situation?

Do any of your financial dealings lack integrity (in business, prudent spending, incurring unwise debt, and giving to the church)?

Have you been (intentionally or unintentionally) exposed to any pornography or sexually explicit films, articles, pictures, lewd jokes, or inappropriate discussions this week?

Have you spent adequate time (according to your own goal) in Bible study and prayer this week?

Have you made your family a priority this week? Would they agree with your answer?

Have you done anything against your calling (i.e., 1 Cor. 10:31; Eph. 4:1)?

Have you done the reading and assignments you committed to last week?

Have you just lied to us (i.e., a false or misleading statement made with the deliberate intent to deceive)?

Discipled: Signs That Children Are Truly Following Jesus

Jim Wideman

June 3, 2021

After writing about Developing a Biblical Worldview in Children, I haven’t been able to get this question out of my head: If our job as children’s ministers is to do what Matthew 28:19 tells us to do (and I believe it is), “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,” then what does a discipled child look like?

‘Discipled’ Defined

How can we tell where we’re hitting the mark if we haven’t defined and determined what a discipled child is in the first place? Mr. Webster says a disciple is a follower. Alan Root in his book Disciplification! defines it in three ways:

The travels of a disciple
The practiced habit of “following”
A made-up word that simply means the life changes made to become more and more like Jesus each day

So if our job is to make followers who, through life changes and good choices, become more like Jesus, then what actions, habits and character traits should be evident in the life of a discipled young Christ-follower ?

For years, we’ve been guilty of using faithfulness as the major evaluation of discipleship. If kids attended faithfully and participated in loads of activities and programming, we’d send them to the youth ministry and claim success. In a few years, we’d look them up in the youth group, notice they weren’t there, and wonder, “What did the youth pastor do to make this child lose interest?”

Children’s ministers should think of ourselves as foundation specialists. Anyone who’s ever constructed any kind of building knows that the type of foundation has everything to do with the type of structure you can build.

In construction, you start with the building plans and then determine what kind of foundation it requires. In children’s ministry, many of us have been guilty of designing the foundation, then saying to the youth ministry, “Now go fit your building on the foundation we have built.” Not once do we sit down and work together toward the end result.

Discipled and Devoted

Sometimes, the problem starts long before we promote kids to the youth ministry, or even from one kidmin department to another. In churches, we can be so territorial; we often don’t work as a true team and prepare children for the “now.”

Instead of looking ahead, we focus on the present, which centers on and around our own ministry responsibilities. When we help other departments and ministries succeed, however, then we’ll be successful too. We’re all on the same team working toward the same Great Commission goal.

Our mission at World Outreach Church is to help people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Our mission for the children’s ministry as well as for student ministries is to help young people and parents become fully devoted followers of Christ now and forever. You can’t hit the church’s mission without every ministry that makes up the church working on that same mission statement for their age groups.

Stephen Covey, in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, said it this way, “Habit number one is to start with the end in mind.” Why don’t we as church staff and ministers sit down together with our next-generation ministries and our lead pastors and just plan backward? We must ask, “What do we want a young adult to know as part of this congregation?”

Then let’s back up and look at the college ministry to see what those students need to learn. We must then continue, looking at the senior high ministry, then the middle school ministry, then the elementary ministries. Working backward, we also evaluate our preschool and nursery ministries to see what discipled kids should learn. (Notice I don’t use the word taught. Just because teaching takes place doesn’t mean learning occurs!)

Determining Our Discipled Results

To create discipled children, we must get in the habit of defining and evaluating what we do and the results those actions yield. This is just the first step in making this process a way of life at your church. Years ago, I sat down with my youth pastor and asked, “What do you want the sixth-graders I promote into your youth ministry to know and be?” That question took some time to develop.

This list may differ from church to church. The bottom line: Make a list. If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time. Make it a matter of prayer, and work on your list as a team.

Discipleship is more than getting children “saved.” It’s time we all focus on helping children live saved. Disciplification is all about how a saved person lives each day.

Youth Discipleship: 5 Essential Reminders for Your Ministry Team

Josh Griffin

June 3, 2021

Jesus’ command to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20) also applies to youth discipleship. As leaders who regularly speak into people’s lives during their most formidable years, youth ministers must pay extra attention to the Great Commission!

When it comes to youth discipleship, I regularly share some reminders and challenges with our ministry team.

Emphasize these 5 key points for youth discipleship:

1. Our authority to disciple comes from Christ.

Your authority to disciple comes not just from the senior pastor. Christ, who receives all authority from the Father, gives us the authority we exercise in youth discipleship. When we exercise this authority, we’re tapping into the very same authority that God the Father has given to Jesus. Even Jesus himself didn’t grab authority from the Father. Rather, the Father delighted to give it to him. We must both accept and exercise authority with the same servant heart.

2. Youth discipleship doesn’t just happen in the church.

To make disciples, we must go and we must make. To go requires movement, and to make requires creativity. Jesus went from heaven to fully immerse himself in the sin-filled, God-rejecting world we brought on ourselves. He made and grew his disciples by preaching from boats, raising people from the dead, and putting a runaway ear back on a soldier’s head. Jesus was creative in discipleship, and we should be too!

3. Baptism should be our first aim of youth discipleship.

As youth ministers, it might be tempting to consider salvation our first aim. But salvation by itself isn’t what Christ commands us to work toward. Baptized young people should be our first aim in youth discipleship.

“The meaning of baptism develops out of this meaning of discipleship,” says John Piper. “If becoming a disciple of Jesus means dying to your old life and walking in newness of life with Christ as Jesus taught, then it’s almost inevitable that the symbolic act of that conversion should come to signify a death and resurrection.”

Baptism is about more than the occasion itself. It’s also about the death of our old selves and our resurrection with Christ. Sounds like a good first aim of youth discipleship to me!

4. Youth discipleship is about making kids more like Christ.

As the saying goes, discipleship is first about being and then about doing. If we aren’t observing all that Christ has commanded us, how can we expect the people we’re discipling to do anything different? We shouldn’t just lead young people toward our own special interest areas. We want them to become more like Christ. So let’s resist the temptation to turn them into mini-me’s.

5. You’re not alone!

After offering his final instructions on earth, Jesus didn’t just leave us to it. Instead, he promised to be with us always! That means when you’re facing a youth discipleship challenge that seems insurmountable, Christ is with you by his Holy Spirit. When a parent seems completely uninterested in a young person’s life, Christ is with you. When you bring the new church van back with a dent shaped like a frightened cow, Christ is with you. Always.

What youth discipleship tips and encouragement can you share? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Purpose 1: “You are made for a bigger story.”

Purpose 2: “You were made on purpose.”

1. It’s less exhausting

2. It establishes a pattern of attendance.

3. It’s more cost-effective.

4. It’s more volunteer friendly.

5. It introduces everyone to the current curriculum.

6. It stretches out the fun!

What About You?

David Cassidy and His Strained Relationship With His Father

Following in His Father’s Footsteps

The Father David Cassidy Could Have Known

I’m afraid we’ve lost a significant percentage of former church attenders for good.

Group One: The church consumers with digitally reinforced behavior

3 Marks of Humility in Leadership

1. Attitude of gratitude, not entitlement

2. Posture of stewardship, not ownership

3. Trust in the Lord, not in oneself

Create a smooth transition from children’s ministry to youth ministry by:

1. Holding Informational Meetings

2. Sponsoring Get-Connected Events

Pastor Greg Locke Repeats Disturbing Sentiments

Pro-Life Commercial Is ‘Controversial,’ Say Networks

Abortion Named Leading Cause of Death in 2020

Thou Shalt Not Steal—’Almost a Perfect Crime’

Attorney General: Greedy Crime Ring Exploited People’s Generosity

Accountability Questions We Answer at Each Meeting

‘Discipled’ Defined

Discipled and Devoted

Determining Our Discipled Results

Emphasize these 5 key points for youth discipleship:

1. Our authority to disciple comes from Christ.

2. Youth discipleship doesn’t just happen in the church.

3. Baptism should be our first aim of youth discipleship.

4. Youth discipleship is about making kids more like Christ.

5. You’re not alone!

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