Jesus Started a Church for Misfits

By

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March 22, 2021

Jesus Started a Church for Misfits

If I were going to start an organization that would fix all of the world’s biggest problems, I’d need to hire the best and brightest. I’d look for people of character, for sure, but I’d also look for people with the right blend of education and experience, the talent and charisma, and the energy and drive to get the job done.

When Jesus wanted to start an organization that would fix all of the world’s biggest problems, he invited a ragtag band of misfits to lead it.

One day, Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee and saw some guys fishing. They’d been passed up by other rabbis and rejected as raw material unfit for the tasks of spiritual leadership. But Jesus wanted them.

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

~ MATTHEW 4:18-22 NIV

He saw them. He chose them. He invited them. And they left everything to follow the rabbi who had finally picked them! But were they qualified?

As Preston Sprinkle puts it in his book, Charis:

God aggressively and delightfully values and uses thugs and misfits to build His glorious kingdom: abrasive, thickheaded people like Peter, hotheaded racists like James and John, violent brawlers and extortionists like Simon and Matthew, and mentally deranged bag ladies like Mary Magdalene. He doesn’t give them a bowl of soup and shuffle them out of the church. He gives them responsibility—the hallmark of genuine value—and trusts in the God who uses the weak to shame the strong.

Grace isn’t a term. It’s not a doctrine. It’s not a buzzword. It’s not the words of a song, a prayer before meals, a name plastered on our churches. It’s not leniency or niceness. It’s not something that can be domesticated or completely understood. And it’s something that can never grow old or stale.

Grace is what flows through the veins of Jesus, whose heart stubbornly beats for you—a thug loved by the One who gladly endured the cross to bring you back to Eden.

It’s not the plan you or I would have had to start the movement to take the good news of Jesus and his kingdom to every single people group on planet Earth. No, it’s a far better plan!

Who better to represent to the world what the grace of God in Jesus Christ is capable of doing than people utterly and totally changed by it, enamored with it, and committed to it for life?

And guess what? Jesus sees you, too, and he’s inviting you in!

This article originally appeared here.

Maximize Your Church Communication With Modern Digital Signage

By

OptiSigns

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March 20, 2021

Digital signage is more than just PowerPoint slides on TVs. Modern digital signage can improve the experience for your congregation, help them navigate your church, be informed about upcoming events, get important messages and collaborate, and share their ideas where it’s appropriate.

In this critical time, sending clear messages is more important than ever. As a leader, you are looking for more effective ways to send important messages, event schedules, and future events to your congregation. You want to be sure that the message has been received without having to individually remind everyone.

In this day and age, nothing can be as effective as visual communication, but to some who don’t have much experience with creating modern digital signage content this might sound too hard and time consuming. You are probably wondering how can I take time from my already busy schedule to update visual contents on my TV screens in my church?

I am going to show you some easy ways to turn your TV screen into your own digital assistant and how to create, upload, and change digital contents in minutes using OptiSigns Digital Signage apps to produce modern digital signage.

6 ways to use modern digital signage.

1. Create Content.

Once your TV screen is set up, you’ll need to upload contents and schedule times for which you want to display those contents. One simple way you can create contents with Optisigns is the Canvas app. Using thousands of existing templates created for any occasion, you can simply select a template, edit the text, and upload it to your screens in minutes. Using the canvas app is easy, you don’t need to be a digital media expert to create content anymore, and it will do most of the hard design work for you.

You can also use the tools you are familiar with like PowerPoint, Google Slides and start your project from scratch if you have previous experience creating content. Both options are very easy to work with, and they can get the job done for you quickly with the best quality.

2. Communicate Your Schedule.

An important function of modern digital signage for churches is to help communicate what’s coming up. You can leverage slide templates to quickly create signs that highlight single events. Or you can link up your shared Google or Microsoft Calendar and have it automatically update on your screens. Using a shared calendar can reduce the work needed to update your digital signs with upcoming schedules. It will also allow others to contribute simply by sending invites to the shared calendar.

Unity, Purity, and Civility

By

Mark Simpson

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March 20, 2021

Pastoring Between Two Extremes?

Pastoring a church today is challenging on many fronts. One of those fronts is navigating the biblical call for maintaining both unity and purity in the local and global church. In this pursuit, a pastor may often feel like a pinball getting knocked around. Battles over purity and brawls for unity swap blows like two prizefighters using the pastor as the training bag. The pastor becomes a tightrope walker seeking to balance these realities. Yet purity and unity are actually complementary and should be kept in cooperation with one another.

This is where the work of Dr. Albert Mohler and Gavin Ortlund, with contributions from many others, can be incredibly informative and helpful. Dr. Mohler coined the phrase, “theological triage”. This phrase is intended to clarify the posture by which we can pursue purity and unity as pastors leading our churches. Triage means “to sort”. Mohler uses the analogy of a medical doctor evaluating the severity and urgency of a patient’s injuries to prioritize treatment order to illustrate. Dr. Mohler asserts a similar approach to theological triage. In this Christians learn the discipline of determining “a scale of theological urgency” that consists of various levels (he suggests three) that correspond to issues and priorities of theology present in current doctrinal debates.[1] Ortlund takes Mohler’s concept and further develops it. He provides insights from his own journey into theological triage and highlights helpful principles to guide the overall process. Ortlund proposes four categories for prioritizing our theology.[2] For both men, the point as it relates to the pastor who desires unity and purity is that not all Christian doctrines are created equal, nor should they possess equal weight. Christian doctrine is a mountain range with certain doctrines rising in elevation and priority, while other doctrines, though still important, reside in the valleys living in submission to the greater doctrines. We run into difficulty when we treat our doctrines as a flat plain in which all doctrines live at the same elevation sharing an equal priority. Instead, we must accurately prioritize our beliefs so that we may experience the beauty and benefit of living as the church unified and pure.

Lessons from Those Who went Before

Church history provides many examples of believers doing this well and not so well. One example that serves us well is the lengthy process the church navigated in recognizing the twenty-seven books of the New Testament as the divinely inspired authoritative Word of God. Throughout this process, we find a blend of the desire for unity and the pursuit of purity.

Approximately three hundred years passed between the death of the last Apostle and the formal recognition of the collection of writings that guide the practices and expansion of the Christian faith. From local church to local church there was both similarity and disparity regarding which of the roughly 125 books in circulation should be read when the church gathered for worship. This put churches in a vulnerable position. Errors could creep in and pollute local fellowships. Just such a scenario appears to be what launched the Church on the pursuit of recognizing a formal list of writings for guiding the Church.

Near the end of the second century, two individuals stepped on the scene presenting some unique perspectives about what should and should not be considered God’s revelation to humanity. Marcion was convinced the god presented in the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) could not possibly be the same god presented in the gospels and the writings of the Apostles. Therefore, he proposed a complete removal of the Old Testament for use in local churches. As far as the writings of the Apostles were concerned, he promoted only Luke’s gospel and eleven of Paul’s writings. Montanus was far more inclusive. He believed that he and a few of his followers had been given the gift of ongoing revelation by which their words should be added to the authoritative writings for the church.

The response of the Church displays a desire for purity. They declared both Marcion and Montanus as promoting and teaching aberrant beliefs that threatened Christians. These men were leading people astray with their false teaching and beliefs. In the end, the Church declared them heretics, seeking to preserve the purity of the Christian church. At the same time, the actions of these two men drove church leaders to recognize the need for an actual accurate list of the writings that were true, authentic, and useful for Christians to read. This pursuit shows the desire for Christian unity.[3] The Muratorian Canon, our earliest Christian effort at listing Christian Scriptures (c.175) appears to be the first response to Marcion and Montanus. Several other lists followed in the third and fourth centuries. This process of pursuing unity concluded with the first listing of the current twenty-seven books. Athanasius, in his letter declaring the date of Easter in 367, provides this complete list. In the letter, he lists all 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament. He acknowledges that this process had been passed on to him by others who encouraged him to carry on. He writes, “it seemed good to me also, having been urged thereto by true brethren, and having learned from the beginning, to set before you the books included in the Canon, and handed down, and accredited as Divine…In these alone is proclaimed the doctrine of godliness. Let no man add to these, neither let him take ought from these.”[4]

Athanasius’ comments reflect a pursuit of unity and purity among Church leaders. The process was formalized and finalized at the Council of Carthage (393) and the Council of Hippo (397). It was at these Councils that Church leaders from across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East joined together to affirm twenty-seven books as the true, authentic, and useful books of the New Testament.

This is a beautiful picture of how churches and leaders can work together to preserve the purity and unity of the church. Their conviction is a hopeful model for succeeding generations. Each generation of faithful leaders passed on their pursuit of unity and purity in hopes that the next generation would build upon the foundation until the entire process was brought to completion. That is exactly what happened. Though not a perfect process it does give us hope and a model to learn from and build upon.

A Forgotten Virtue

As we seek to build upon and honor the legacy of the saints who have gone before us (Hebrews 12:1), one of the keys is to revive a concept that has fallen out of favor in our culture and among many within our congregations. It is the idea of civility. Merriam-Webster defines civility as polite, reasonable, and respectful behavior.[5] If we are to navigate the pursuit of purity and unity biblically with those who believe differently than us on issues not essential to the gospel itself, within and between our local churches, then we must familiarize ourselves with an approach to unity and purity that adopts the importance of civility. We live in an age of extremes. Our human interactions are not exempt. The automatic response of many when someone disagrees with our position is shutting out and shutting off. We’ve labeled this “cancel culture” in which there is no time, space, or tolerance for dialogue about differing views.[6] This forces uniformity instead of unity. Sadly, this is slinking its way into our churches. Another deeply ingrained cultural belief is captured in the phrase “love is love”. This love takes whomever and whatever as they are with no regard for reality or truth. This posture flies in the face of purity at the expense of going along to get along. Sadly, this too is wriggling its way into our churches.

The Beauty and the Benefit

As pastors, pursuing civility in the face of both extremes brings out the beauty and the benefit of unity and purity in an unbroken relationship. No matter the degree to which we disagree with someone, a respectful conversation can help us see things in a different light. It encourages us to affirm the reality that every human being is an image-bearer of God. As a result, they are to be treated with dignity and honor. These originate from our Creator, whether we acknowledge the Creator or not. For those of us in the church who acknowledge and esteem the Creator, the responsibility to be civil with other human beings is non-optional. Leading through the challenge of preserving and promoting the unity and the purity of the church will continue to demand the pastor’s attention. Purity and unity should exist together in every church and Christian. Pastors who cultivate civility will nourish the soil of their congregations to enjoy this biblically beautiful blend.

Bibliography

Athanasius, St. n.d. “From Letter 39.” New Advent. Accessed February 16, 2021. https://ww.newadvent.org/fathers/2806039.htm.

Greenspan, Rachel E. 2020. “”How ‘cancel culture’ quickly became one of the buzziest and most controversial ideas on the internet.”.” Insider. August 6. Accessed February 16, 2021. https://www.insider.com/cancel-culture-meaning-history-origin-phrase-used-negatively-2020-7.

Jr., Dr. R. Albert Mohler. 2005. “”A Call for Theological Triage and Christian Maturity”.” Albert Mohler. July 12. Accessed February 15, 2021. https://albertmohler.com/2005/07/12/a-call-for-theological-triage-and-christian-maturity.

Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “civility,” accessed February 16, 2021, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civility.

Nickens, Mark. 2020. A Survey of the History of Global Christianity, Second Edition. Nashville: Broadman & Holman.

Ortlund, Gavin. 2020. Finding the Right HIlls to Die On: The Case for Theological Triage. Wheaton: Crossway.

[1] (Jr. 2005)

[2] (Ortlund 2020)

[3] (Nickens 2020)

[4] (Athanasius n.d.)

[5] Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “civility,” accessed February 16, 2021, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civility.

[6] (Greenspan 2020)

This article originally appeared here.

How Complementarianism Fueled a Culture of Abuse in the Church for Jennifer Lyell

By

Bob Smietana

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March 19, 2021

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — Jennifer Lyell was trying to do the right thing.

In the spring of 2019, Lyell, then a well-respected leader in Christian publishing, decided to publicly disclose that she was a survivor of sexual abuse.

She did so after learning her abuser, a former Southern Baptist seminary professor, author and missionary, had recently returned to ministry. Lyell feared he would once again have the opportunity to abuse others and wanted to stop that from happening.

So she wrote up a statement detailing the abuse and shared it with a reporter from a Christian news organization. Then things went terribly wrong.

Instead of reporting she had been abused, Nashville-based Baptist Press, which is overseen by the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, reported in March 2019 that Lyell, then a vice president at Lifeway Christian Resources, had admitted being involved in a “morally inappropriate relationship” with her former professor.

The fallout was quick and devastating. Lyell was labeled on social media as an “adulteress” rather than an abuse survivor, with users leaving scores of vile comments about her on Lifeway’s Facebook page and the Baptist Press website. Pastors and churches called for her to be fired. She lost her reputation, her job and even her health in the process.

The article was eventually retracted, but the damage was done.

Lyell told Religion News Service she wished she had never gone public. Instead of receiving support and compassion, she found herself trying to convince critics she was not responsible for the abuse she had experienced at the hands of the former professor.

“It takes years and years to recover from trauma, and no one should be in the position of having to explain it to the whole public while they’re still trying to do that,” she said.

Lyell’s experience reveals the difficulty survivors often face when they try to speak up about their experiences. While churches say they want to care for survivors of abuse, those survivors are often viewed with suspicion, having to prove they are worthy of compassion and respect. And Christian theology about sin and about the roles of men and women often makes it difficult for survivors who come forward.

David Pooler, professor of social work at Baylor University, said sexual misconduct by clergy and other religious leaders is often labeled as “having an affair.” But that description misses the power imbalance at play.

“At its simplest level, it is abuse because it is not consensual,” he said. “A clergy person has enormous power. And because they, in a sense, represent God, they have more power than almost any other professional person that works with other people.”

He said people often turn to clergy when they are at their most vulnerable. And because of their power and influence, pastors and other religious leaders have a responsibility to set up boundaries in their relationships with other people.

Pooler said abusive relationships with clergy often last for years. The abuser often spends years grooming a victim and then does not let the victim go.

“Once the person gets access, they keep that access,” he said.

And recovering from abuse as an adult is a long-term process. Survivors often deal with the trauma of the actual abuse along with a sense of betrayal and rejection from other believers, who often take the side of abusers. He said it is often easier for churches to blame victims than to look at the way they have empowered abusers.

Pooler said church members often become “nonprotective bystanders,” whose inaction enables abuse to continue and abusers to go unpunished. He also said churches often believe survivors were participants in their abuser’s sins.

Lyell told RNS that at first, she did receive a great deal of support from Southern Baptist leaders when she told them about the abuse she experienced. In the spring of 2018, after more than two years of therapy, she disclosed to her boss at Lifeway that a former professor named David Sills had first “sexually acted” against her — without her consent — during a mission trip he was leading while she was a seminary student. Lyell told RNS she did not initially report what happened because she was in shock, confused and scared about what people would believe. Lyell says Sills, who was a surrogate father figure to her, eventually abused her again and then continued for years, even after she left seminary.

She did not revisit all the details of the abuse but did disclose those details to leaders at Lifeway and then to Al Mohler, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where the professor was employed. Within days, the professor had been confronted and resigned. Lyell said that at the time, she did not want the seminary or Lifeway to publicly disclose what had happened to her.

Things changed, however, once the abuse became public. The leaders who had the information and ability to correct the inaccuracies supported her privately but were publicly silent.

She said Southern Baptist leaders do not hesitate to use their public platforms to debate theology or drive culture war issues but rarely call out abusive behavior in their own camp —especially if it means correcting other denominational leaders. They may, at best, support survivors or criticize fellow denominational leaders in private but will not use their power to do the same in public, she said.

“We say that we are not this hierarchy but in reality, we function like we are protecting the barracks of the Vatican,” she said.

Hilary Scarsella, assistant professor of ethics and director of women and gender studies at Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School, said survivors of clergy abuse can feel trapped because they know publicly disclosing the abuse may have consequences, both to their own faith and their place in the community.

“Survivors don’t just lose their trust in that one person,” she said. “They also risk losing their relationships with everybody else who has a relationship with that person — because when the chips fall, you don’t know how they’re going to fall.”

Scarsella, who also works with a nonprofit that advocates for abuse victims, noted that clergy abusers also often know how to use the theology of sin for their advantage. By admitting to having sinned and asking for forgiveness, they can mitigate the consequences of their actions and preserve a future in the church.

“Abusers in the church have figured out that if they are willing to admit partial, limited wrongdoing and if they are willing to perform apology, repentance and intention to do better,” she said, “behaving in sexually violent ways doesn’t actually diminish their prospects for leadership in the church.”

Church Confirms Release of Pastor Threatened With Execution

By

Morning Star News

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March 19, 2021

JOS, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Church leaders have confirmed reports that Islamic terrorists who threatened to execute a pastor they abducted in northeast Nigeria freed him on Wednesday (March 3).

The president of the Church of Brethren in Nigeria (Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria, or EYN), Joel S. Billi, told church leaders on Thursday (March 4) that he had spoken to Pastor Bulus Yakura (also transliterated as Bulus Yikura) after he was freed, according to a notice posted on Friday (March 5) on the website of the Church of the Brethren’s U.S. headquarters by Zakariya Musa, head of EYN Media.

“Speaking to Yakura over the telephone today was heart-touching,” Billi said, adding that Pastor Yakura told him, “I am fine, thank you for your prayers and concern,” according to Musa.

Nigerian newspaper the Premium Times had reported that Pastor Yakura, an EYN pastor abducted from Pemi village near Chibok, Borno state in an Islamic terrorist attack on Christmas Eve, was freed after Christians met ransom demands.

Citing security sources, the newspaper reported that Islamic insurgent group Boko Haram freed Pastor Yakura on Wednesday evening (March 3). A Premium Times correspondent in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, reported sighting Pastor Yakura at about 6:15 p.m. as he was taken to the office of Nigeria’s intelligence agency, the Department of State Services (DSS).

The Abubakar Shekau-led faction of Boko Haram, which in 2015 formally aligned with the Islamic State and changed its name to Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), released a video on Feb. 25 in which the pastor said he would be executed by March 3 unless government and church officials met the kidnappers’ demands.

After watching the video in which the pastor had announced the deadline for his execution, his wife had fallen ill and his children refused to go to school, Musa reported.

An EYN church member, Kwajaffa Balamusa, also confirmed the release of Pastor Yakura in a text message to Morning Star News on Sunday (March 7), accompanied by a photo of him and the pastor after his release.

“Thank God, for our EYN pastor is alive,” Balamusa said.

The Premium Times reported that on Wednesday (March 3), when asked to speak about his freedom, Pastor Yakura kept repeating, “I thank God, I thank God.”

The Islamic State recognizes the ISWAP faction that broke away from Shekau in 2016 as its cell in the region, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), and many Nigerians still refer to the Shekau-led faction of ISWAP by its original name, Boko Haram.

Efforts by the EYN and Pastor Yakura’s family resulted in his release, according to the newspaper.

“Premium Times gathered from security sources that family members and the EYN church had been negotiating the release of the abducted pastor since last week,” the newspaper reported on Wednesday (March 3).

Prior to his release, Nigerian newspaper Sahara Reporters had reported that the Christian community in Borno state’s Chibok County had contributed money for ransom in order to secure the pastor’s release.

Pattern of Executions

In a video released on July 22, Islamic extremists thought to be members of ISWAP executed five Nigerian men in Borno state, with one executioner saying it was a warning to “all those being used by infidels to convert Muslims to Christianity.”

On Jan. 20, 2020, Islamic terrorists executed the Rev. Lawan Andimi, district chairman of the EYN in Michika County, Adamawa state, also in northeast Nigeria.

A video released in January 2020 shows ISWAP terrorists executing Christian university student Ropvil Daciya Dalep, a member of the Church of Christ in Nations who was kidnapped on the Damaturu-Maiduguri Highway while returning to studies in Maiduguri, Borno state.

Nigeria was the country with the most Christians killed for their faith last year (November 2019-October 2020), at 3,530, up from 1,350 in 2019, according to Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2021 World Watch List. In overall violence, Nigeria was second only to Pakistan, and it trailed only China in the number of churches attacked or closed, 270, according to the list.

Nigeria led the world in number of kidnapped Christians last year with 990, according to the WWL report. In the 2021 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria broke into the top 10 for the first time, jumping to No. 9 from No. 12 the previous year.

The U.S. State Department on Dec. 7 added Nigeria to its list of Countries of Particular Concern for engaging in or tolerating “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.” Nigeria joined Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan on the list.

In a more recent category of non-state actors, the State Department also designated ISWAP, Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab, Al-Qaeda, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS, ISIS-Greater Sahara, Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, and the Taliban as “Entities of Particular Concern.”

On Dec. 10 the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, issued a statement calling for investigation into crimes against humanity in Nigeria.

Pastors Who Make $25 a Month: What I Learned About Leadership From Them

By

Charles Stone

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March 19, 2021

A few years ago I took a trip to Cuba with a team of 8 from our church. We spent 7 days serving pastors and serving a local church there. It was an incredibly profitable trip on multiple levels. Although we came to serve them, I believe I learned more from them. Cuba is a very poor country with wages averaging about $25 US, including pastoral salaries. Here’s what I learned about leadership.

First, a bit about what we did. The pastors there tell us that their greatest need is leadership development. So, we focused on working with their leadership and providing leadership development for them.

Working alongside a local church’s children’s leadership team to carry out a community VBS. We didn’t lead it. We simply helped train and resource them so they could lead it. This experience gave them ideas about how they could lead one themselves in the future without our help.
Visiting churches for three half-day training sessions for local pastors. To reach one church, we actually walked up a mountain for three miles after our truck got stuck in a river. 30 pastors and church leaders were waiting for us to encourage and train them. At the other two locations 30-40 pastors eagerly awaited our time with them.
Training a group of about 80 pastors and leaders in an intensive 3-day training session focusing on leadership skills.
Working with the men’s leadership at a local church to carry out a men’s retreat that included 25 believers and 25 unbelievers. 23 of those man came to faith during the retreat. Amazing.

By focusing on leadership development, we leveraged our short time there by pouring into the pastors themselves. All together, we served about 150 pastors that represented conservatively over 8,000 people in their churches.

Here’s what I learned.

Where there is a will there is a way.
- You won’t find Wal-marts or Christian bookstores in Cuba. Neither do Cubans enjoy the convenience of Amazon.com. Few stores are available for simple supplies that we often take for granted (like crayons for the kid’s ministry). But the pastors there find ways to make do with what they have and God has blessed them. The churches are rapidly growing and they have a vision to plant a new church for every 1000 people.
- Question for reflection: Do you let obstacles hinder your vision or do you find a way?
Limited resources made them appreciate even the small things.
- As part of the intense 3-day training, the pastors took a final exam and created a 90-day action plan where they recorded what they would apply during the next 90 days. I brought a few extra single sheet paper copies that I offered to them if they wanted them. They quickly snatched them up because even finding paper is difficult in Cuba. A simple piece of paper, even with copy already on it would get used in some way.
- Question for reflection: Have you lost appreciation for the small things God has provided for your ministry (like internet access, Bible resources, and paper)?
Ministry success really does rise and fall on leadership.
- The church in Cuba has dramatically grown the last decade or so. The denomination we worked with has prioritized a well-organized leadership development plan that includes a seminary, extension sites, in-church computer labs with bible software, and on-going training through intense seminars like the one I taught. They recognize that leadership is a powerful lever to move Kingdom purposes forward.
- Question for reflection: Do you have a leadership development plan at your church?
I’m not sure I really know what sacrifice is.
- That was my second trip serving pastors in Cuba. I used to think that since I’m an American serving in Canada I was making a great sacrifice for the Kingdom. After spending time with Cuban pastors, however, my ‘sacrifice’ pales into insignificance. The pastors at the 3-day intensive slept in non-airconditioned rooms with little air flow. Yet, they were alert and hungry to learn each day.
- Question for reflection: Do you ever feel sorry for yourself that ministry is a ‘sacrifice’ rather than a privilege?

As our church considers continued ministry to Cuba, I look forward to continuing to learn from a passionate group of leaders who love Jesus in difficult circumstances.

If you have experienced cross-cultural ministry, what have you learned?

This article originally appeared here.

God Doesn’t Call the Qualified … or Does He?

By

Dr. James Scott, Jr.

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March 19, 2021

There’s a popular church leadership meme being bandied around social media platforms making the following claim: “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.”

People love these biblically incorrect memes because they sound good and on first reading, seem to make sense. After all, what man is perfectly qualified, fully equipped, and resounding in wisdom to immediately step into a church leadership position and be perfect at it? God needs to “qualify” all He calls by enabling and empowering them to accomplish what He has called them to.

At the same time, that popular meme is biblically incorrect because we do find that God has provided in the New Testament some qualifications for anyone being considered for a pastoral, elder, or deacon position in His church. In that sense, God does call those who meet His qualifications.

Could it be a major contributing factor to the high turnover of pastors quitting ministry, especially within the first five years of “responding to the call,” is that we’re ordaining and putting into church leadership positions many men who do not meet the qualifications recorded in the New Testament for church office? The idea that there aren’t biblical qualifications which a man MUST meet in order to be ordained into ministry is not a biblical one, and is a dangerous path to seeing biblically unqualified men filling leadership roles in the church. Even business leaders see the need for some kind of standard for leadership, as illustrated in this story shared by pastor Davon Huss:

“Gene Getz was leading some Bible studies on the qualifications of church leaders. Two men were there who were new Christians and had little knowledge of the Bible. After a few sessions these two men said, “You know this is the first time we’ve heard this list of qualifications from the Bible. But we’ve learned from experience in hiring people for management positions that this is the kind of men we’re looking for. We want men who have a good reputation. We don’t want a man who is cheating on his wife or sleeping around, because chances are, he’ll cheat the company. We certainly don’t want a man who has all kinds of domestic problems. If he can’t handle his own family, how in the world is he going to handle people in a steel mill?”

So if you’re looking for someone to fill a position of pastor, or elder, or deacon, don’t sit back and accept just anyone applying for the position, thinking, “It’s okay, God will qualify them!” Instead, start by looking to the Bible to see the qualifications God has established for those He does call. Two “lists of qualifications” can be found in 1 Timothy 3: 1-7 (also verses 8-12 for the position of deacon) and Titus 1:5-9. Candidates for the position of pastor, elder, or deacon should be examined in light of these biblical qualifications for the positions.

Yes, God does “qualify the called” because they cannot even meet His qualifications without His transforming work in their lives, but He also calls those who are qualified according to the standards He has set.

This article originally appeared here.

Exorcist on Speed Dial During the Pandemic…Here’s Why

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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March 18, 2021

Rev. Vince Lampert, a Catholic priest from Indiana, says the pandemic is the cause for increased exorcisms.

In the United States, there are more than 125 priests who are appointed to the exorcism ministry Rev. Lampert is a part of. When he started 15 years ago, he was one of only 12.

Apprenticing in Rome under a Franciscan Priest, Rev. Lampert witnessed 40 exorcisms, and has seen levitations, foaming at the mouth, eyes rolling to the back of one’s head, people speaking other languages unknown to an individual, people slithering around like a snake on the ground, and individuals possessing superhuman strength.

He was taught not to focus on the forces he is battling against, but rather the power that he has at his disposal. “It’s not me, I don’t have any special powers or abilities…if we are relying on me we are all in trouble,” he said, “but if we are relying on the power and the authority of Jesus Christ He has given to His church, that’s the right sentiment to have.”

As the exorcist for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis, when asked if there’s anything that scares him Rev. Lampert says, “No, not when it comes to demonic. I don’t lose sleep over this.”

In the report from Indianapolis’ WISHTV.COM8, reporter Dan Klein said there are four types of demonic activity the Catholic church recognizes: obsessions, vexations, possessions, and infestations.

Obsessions are mental attacks that include irrational obsessive thoughts which can lead to suicidal ideations. Vexations are physical attacks that are actual aggression, physical, or psychological brought on by demons. Possessions are where Satan or demons take over a person’s body without their consent like which is depicted in the Hollywood movie “The Exorcist.” Infestations are when demons affect houses, objects, or animals.

Rev. Lampert says he deals with only one case of demonic possession a year, but he is involved with thousands of cases of infestations per year.

“A lot of those programs are true,” Rev. Lampert said, referring to television shows that revolve around people hunting ghosts. He says he has no interest in those shows, though, because he witnesses the activity in reality.

He receives an average of 10-12 calls a day from all over the world regarding demonic activity; that used to be 5-6 calls a day. Rev. Lampert blames isolation and says, “That tells me when people are isolated and dealing with mental health issues that the number of calls has really escalated.”

“I should be the last one to believe someone is dealing with the demonic,” he says. And he explains that his first step after receiving a call for help is to put them in touch with their local priest or pastor so they can provide continual care. He then requires a psychiatric evaluation from a trained professional to eliminate any mental or physical illness before classifying it demonic activity.

As an ambassador for the church, he says, “Evil is nothing to fear. If a person truly has faith, there’s nothing to fear. If you’re a person of faith and you’re living out your relationship with God. If you’re praying, the devil is already on the run. We don’t have to do anything extraordinary to fight the devil.”

Gender Transitioning Is Immoral, Say the Majority of U.S. Protestant Pastors

By

Jessica Lea

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March 18, 2021

Seventy-two percent of Protestant pastors in the U.S. believe it is morally wrong for people to identify with a gender that does not correspond to their biological sex, according to Lifeway Research. An even greater majority, 77 percent, agree it is morally wrong to use hormone therapy or surgery to change genders.

“Whether it is a physical sex-change or public identification,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, “a large majority of pastors see a person’s biological sex as something a human should not change.”

Among U.S. Protestant pastors, 72% say it is morally wrong for an individual to identify with a gender different from the biological sex they were born, including 62% who strongly agree. https://t.co/sgy0UEyZkr

— Lifeway Research (@LifewayResearch) March 17, 2021

Protestant Pastors Believe It Is Wrong to Change Genders

From Sept. 2, 2020, through Oct. 1, 2020, Lifeway Research surveyed 1,007 Protestant pastors about their beliefs about gender identity. In the report entitled, “Pastors’ Views on Gender,” researchers asked if the pastors agreed or disagreed “that it is morally wrong for an individual to identify with a gender different than the sex they were born.”

Sixty-two percent of the respondents said they “strongly agree” that it is morally wrong and 10 percent said they “somewhat agree.” Only four percent said they “somewhat disagree,” while 10 percent said they “strongly disagree.” Ten percent answered that gender identity is not a moral issue, and four percent said they were “not sure.”

Researchers explored if factors such as denomination, gender, and education impacted pastors’ perspectives on gender identity. They found that pastors aged 45 to 54 were more likely to view gender identity as a moral issue than pastors who were either younger or older. Male pastors were more likely than female pastors to say that identifying as a different gender was immoral.

Evangelical pastors and pastors who only had a bachelor’s degree were more likely to take a moral stance against people choosing a different gender than were mainline pastors and pastors who had gotten a master’s or a doctoral degree. Notably, pastors of churches with 100 or more attendees were more likely to see identifying as a different gender as morally wrong than were pastors of churches with 0 to 49 attendees.

Protestant pastors showed even more unity in their responses to the idea that it is “morally wrong” to change one’s biological sex by means of taking hormones or surgery. Seventy-one percent said that they “strongly agree” and seven percent said that they “somewhat agree” that such changes would be immoral. Three percent answered “somewhat disagree,” while nine percent responded “strongly disagree.” Only seven percent said that transitioning to another gender was not a moral issue, and once again four percent said they were “not sure.” The responses to the question of changing genders broke down demographically along similar lines as the previous responses regarding identifying as a different gender.

Researchers also surveyed pastors to see if they personally knew anyone who identifies as transgender and explored whether factors such as age, ethnicity, and denomination impacted the answers. Forty-eight percent of the survey participants said they did know someone who is transgender. Forty-one percent said they did not, and 11 percent answered, “Not that I know of.”

Younger pastors were more likely than older pastors to say that they personally knew a transgender individual. Fifty-five percent of pastors age 18 to 44 said that they did know a transgender person, compared to 45 percent of pastors aged 55 to 64 and 41 percent of pastors age 65 and older. African American pastors (36 percent) were less likely than pastors of other ethnicities (57 percent) to say they knew someone who is transgender. Mainline and female pastors were more likely to say they knew a transgender person than were evangelical and male pastors, respectively. Education and church size were also characteristics that influenced pastors’ answers. The more advanced a respondent’s degree and the larger his or her church, the more likely the pastors were to know someone who is transgender.

McConnell observed that previous Lifeway studies have shown that even though American Protestants tend to agree that God created people male and female, they are much more reluctant than pastors to say that identifying as a different gender is “morally wrong.” Said McConnell, “Protestant pastors are more likely than Americans who identify as Protestant to consider it wrong to identify as a gender different from your biological sex. While most Americans accept the biblical narrative of God designing male and female, pastors take changing that design much more seriously.”

Al Mohler: If the Equality Act Passes, Say Goodbye to Religious Freedom

By

Stephanie Martin

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March 18, 2021

“The audacity is breathtaking, and the threat to America’s first liberty is all too real.” That’s how Dr. Al Mohler describes the controversial Equality Act in an article for Public Discourse. Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is among the many Christian leaders warning that passage of the legislation will spell disaster for religious freedom in America.

The Equality Act, or H.R. 5, which passed the U.S. House last month and now heads to the Senate, amends the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). President Biden supports the legislation, calling it “essential” to protecting LGBTQ+ rights. Under the Equality Act, organizations won’t be able to use the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) to challenge or defend against claims of SOGI discrimination.

Al Mohler: ‘New Moral Regime’ Will Replace Religious Freedom in America

In his column published Monday, Mohler warns that the Equality Act, because of its vast scope, will telegraph a “clear moral message” by “normalizing virtually everything comprehended within the ever-expanding categories of LGBTQ.” Beyond its messaging, the legislation “is a draconian threat,” he adds, because it forces religious organizations, institutions, and individual believers “into compliance with the new moral regime.”

To illustrate the Equality Act’s reach, Mohler quotes its lead sponsor in the House, Rhode Island Democratic Rep. David Cicilline. When asked about potential threats the act would pose to religious entities, the openly gay congressman said, “The determination would have to be made as to whether or not the decisions they are making are connected to their religious teachings and to their core functions as a religious organization, or is it a pretext to discriminate?”

Those words, Mohler says, put all religious groups “on notice” that the burden of proof will shift to them. “Visible before our eyes is the threat of an anti-theological state and the end of authentic religious liberty in America,” he adds. “Don’t take my word for it—just take Congressman Cicilline at his.”

The Threat to Religious Freedom in America Is Real, Warns Al Mohler

Two landmark Supreme Court cases—Obergefell in 2015 and Bostock in 2020—have led to this legislative moment, says Mohler. When Obergefell legalized same-sex marriage, “arguments for the curtailment of religious liberty as the cost of newly declared LGBTQ rights were already widely circulated,” he writes. Bostock, which gave LGBTQ federal employees anti-discriminatory protections, resulted in even more “legal vulnerabilities for religious believers,” says Mohler, and the Equality Act would “expand the reach of the law far beyond” that decision.

“The legislation includes no acknowledgement of the right of Christian colleges and schools, for example, to hire teachers in accord with the school’s stated religious convictions,” writes Mohler, adding that “almost nothing would escape that coverage”—including individual Christians and their private businesses.

In a “Briefing” posted on his website Wednesday, Mohler writes that the Equality Act will “totally transform the United States as we know it” because it “represents a direct subversion of religious liberty.” Calling SOGI protections “newly invented artificial rights,” he warns that they’re “pushing out” religious freedom, which is listed first in the Constitution not only because it’s “first in priority” but “the basic freedom from which all other freedoms are eventually derived.”

Mohler writes, “If you eliminate religious freedom, if you redefine it, if you subvert it, you are subverting all authentic liberties, and all authentic rights.”

Super Bowl Referee Sarah Thomas Says Growing in Her Faith Is the Greatest Triumph of the Past Year

By

Bri Lamm

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March 18, 2021

Sarah Thomas made history last month when she became the first female referee to ever officiate a Super Bowl. But for the 47-year-old mother of three, her greatest victory is her faith in Jesus.

In this week’s episode of After Hours with Amy Lawrence, Thomas opened up about how the past year has grown her faith.

Struggling with the uncertainty of the pandemic, Thomas says the only thing she could do was lean on the Lord.

“I remember telling my parents I was not in a good place,” Thomas said of the uncertainty surrounding the NFL season and whether or not she would be able to officiate. “The worry, the concern, you can’t control anything.”

Through her surrender, and pressing into Him, God showed up in big ways. A conversation with the president of her bank led to the Lord revealing Himself to her through a series of events that renewed Thomas’ spirits.

“My biggest triumph is my faith,” Thomas told Lawrence when asked what her greatest triumph of the last year was. “I grew much stronger in my faith. I will tell you, the Good Lord knew I was gonna be in the Super Bowl, and that’s when He was just saying, ‘Be still. Let Me take the wheel.’”

Thomas grew up in a Christian home and attributes her laundry list of “firsts” and successes to the Christian foundation her parents established within their home.

“I just have to commend my mother and father for laying such a wonderful Christian foundation for all of us at home,” she said.

When she finally took to the big stage for this year’s Super Bowl between the Buccaneers and the Chiefs, Thomas was wearing an angel pin her mom gave her when she was a freshman in college.

“She told me she couldn’t be there with me all the time, but she would be there with me in spirit and that God would be watching over me,” Thomas said on “The Today Show” after the Super Bowl.

“That was my triumph,” she said in the interview with Lawrence, “that I needed to dig deeper into my faith and not doubt so much.”

This article originally appeared here.

Leading Black Pastors to Congress: Keep LGBTQ Protections With Religious Exemptions

By

Yonat Shimron

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March 18, 2021

(RNS) — Fifty-seven Black Christian leaders have written a letter to members of the U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee expressing support for sweeping LGBTQ rights but asking for a new bill that includes religious exemptions.

The signers, including representatives of the major Black Christian denominations, said passage of the Equality Act would deny federal funding for faith-based programs that profess a traditional view of sexuality. For example, it would end free and reduced-cost lunch programs for children who attend religious schools and revoke federal loan eligibility for tens of thousands of students who attend hundreds of religious colleges.

“…We want to clearly state our support for federal protections for LGBT persons in employment, housing and the like,” the letter states. “We’re committed to embracing and advocating for those safeguards. Unfortunately, the collaborative process and substance of the Equality Act fall well beneath the standard necessary to cultivate a healthy pluralistic society.”

The Equality Act, which passed the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 25, would amend the Civil Rights Act to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It does not include exemptions for religious groups and it would override the Religious Freedom Restoration Act which prohibits the federal government from “substantially burdening” individuals’ exercise of religion unless there’s a compelling government interest.

The Senate’s Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the Equality Act on Wednesday (March 17). Despite broad Democratic Party support, in its current form the bill probably has no chance in the Senate, given it will need 10 Senate Republican votes in order to beat back a GOP filibuster.

The faith leaders are advocating for a rival bill called Fairness for All, which would provide broad protections for LGBTQ people and, at the same time, provide exemptions for religious institutions that uphold traditional beliefs about marriage and sexuality. That bill was introduced in the U.S. House last month and is modeled on the “Utah Compromise,” a 2015 state law that strengthened religious freedom and protected LGBTQ people from discrimination.

The letter was written as part of the AND Campaign, a Christian advocacy group committed to bringing conviction and compassion into the public square. The group is led by Justin Giboney, an Atlanta lawyer and political strategist who was a delegate to the 2012 and 2016 Democratic National Convention.

“We want to be clear that we want to embrace and advocate for LGBTQ rights,” Giboney told Religion News Service. “But we have to do it in a more thoughtful manner than the Equality Act does. Religious liberty and LGBTQ rights are not necessarily in conflict. The Utah Compromise and Fairness for All has shown us that.”

The letter is noteworthy because many evangelical and conservative Christians, such as the Southern Baptist Convention and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, oppose the idea of adding sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes.

Among the signatories are A.R. Bernard, pastor of a Brooklyn megachurch and onetime evangelical adviser to former President Donald Trump (Bernard stepped down from that unofficial board in 2017); the Rev. Suzan Johnson-Cook, who served as ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom under former President Barack Obama; and the Rev. Barbara Williams-Skinner, a former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus.

The signers said that the Equality Act was not the result of a collaborative process and that it excluded the voices of faith leaders. (Several faith groups on the political left advocated for it.)

“The Equality Act is a reflection of our broken system, not an example of the civic spirit and good faith measures necessary to heal it,” the signers said. In addition to threatening free lunch programs and Pell grants to religious institutions, the pastors said the bill would convert houses of worship and other religious properties into public accommodations. That means churches might be compelled to rent out their facilities for same-sex weddings, for example, despite objecting to the practice.

This article originally appeared here.

Kirk Franklin Says of Son in TV Interview: ‘There Hasn’t Been Any Physical Abuse’

By

Adelle M Banks

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March 18, 2021

(RNS) — Gospel artist Kirk Franklin, following a recently recorded argument with his oldest son, told a talk show host their relationship has not involved physical abuse.

“I’m confident that there hasn’t been any physical abuse,” Franklin told Tamron Hall in an exclusive interview on her syndicated program on Wednesday (March 17).

Hall interviewed Franklin and his wife, Tammy Collins, on her show that was already scheduled to feature gospel music, including a prerecorded performance by the gospel artist.

The entertainer posted a 59-second video apology on Saturday after one of his sons released an obscenity-laced and physically threatening argument he claimed was with Franklin. The gospel performer said in the video his family has had “a toxic relationship” with his oldest child for many years.

In the 45-second audio recording on the Instagram of @kerrionrashad, two voices can be heard having an argument and yelling at each other.

The older voice can be heard in the audio speaking of not wanting to be disrespected and saying he’d “break your neck” or “put my foot in your a—” if he is.

The younger voice says at the end of the recording, “He just hung up the phone. ‘I’ll break your neck.’ Is that a threat?”

Hall asked Franklin how he responds to accusations of Kerrion Franklin, 32, about parental abuse.

“I’m confident that his mother, myself, Tammy, my family, there’s never been anything physical that concerns me or even makes me uncomfortable because I know the truth, he knows the truth, and I love him,” the elder Franklin told Hall. “And as a grown man, I am still his dad and when it becomes aggressive, I still have to have a level of respect.”

He later added: “I mean, we’ve had therapy and counseling sessions and documentation long enough to know that the deeper issue is, we’ve been just trying to help our son.”

Collins, who has a blended family with Kirk Franklin and four children, added she was not on the recent call that was posted on Instagram.

“I can tell you that it has been a very hard and difficult situation with our family for years,” she told Hall.

The show attempted to reach Kerrion Franklin for comment but he did not respond before the taping occurred.

Shawn Ewing, Kerrion Franklin’s mother, spoke about the situation Tuesday in an interview on the online program “The Heart Beat.” She told host Ericka English that Kirk Franklin informed her of the latest developments with their son.

“Sometimes it’s very difficult; sometimes we lose our cool,” Ewing said. “We don’t condone violence or threatening but discipline is important.”

In her TV interview, Hall asked Kirk Franklin if he respects his oldest son. The father said he does but said sometimes they haven’t spoken for one or two years.

“I respect Kerrion,” he said. “I’m not Kerrion’s equal, though. I’m not his equal. I’m his dad.”

Kirk Franklin ended the interview by saying his fans had a right to be disappointed in his use of language.

“I have a history of a toxic, challenging, turbulent relationship with a grown man now that I’m still trying to fight for,” he told Hall. “And in that fight it can become so difficult that my humanity, unfortunately that day, won. And I’m going to keep trying, while still continuing to admit that I am an imperfect man fighting to serve a perfect God.”

This article originally appeared here.

Suspect in Atlanta Spa Killings ‘Big Into Religion’

By

Religion News Service

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March 18, 2021

spa killings — Authorities investigate a multiple fatal shooting at a massage parlor, Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Woodstock, Ga. Cherokee County sheriff’s Capt. Jay Baker said Robert Aaron Long of Woodstock, Georgia, was taken into custody in Crisp County on Tuesday night. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

(RNS) — A Woodstock, Georgia, resident has been arrested after a killing spree left eight dead in spas around the greater Atlanta area Tuesday (March 16).

Robert Aaron Long, 21, has been arrested in connection with the killings of four women at a spa in Cherokee County, Georgia, and four additional women in two other spas in northeast Atlanta, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

According to police, the suspect told them he had a “sexual addiction,” and he carried out the slayings to get rid of the temptation such places posed to him. Capt. Jay Baker of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said Long claimed he was on his way to Florida, where he had planned to commit similar acts of violence at a place connected with “the porn industry there.”

Six of the eight spa victims were Asian women, raising concerns among the already alarmed Asian American community, which has faced a recent spike in anti-Asian hate crimes around the country. Nearly 3,800 hate-related incidents have been reported by Asian Americans since the start of the pandemic, according to a report released Tuesday by Stop AAPI Hate. Authorities have said it is too early to tell if Tuesday’s attacks were racially motivated.

“The reported shootings of Asian American women on Tuesday in Atlanta is an unspeakable tragedy — for the families of the victims first and foremost, but also for the AAPI community — which has been reeling from high levels of racial discrimination,” tweeted Stop AAPI Hate on Tuesday evening.

An official from the South Korean Consulate in Atlanta confirmed that four of the slain women were of Korean descent, according to news reports.

Little is known about the suspect at this point, but a fellow student who graduated high school with Long in 2017 told The Daily Beast on Tuesday evening that “he was big into religion” and that Long’s father was “a youth minister or pastor.”

Long’s parents helped identify him in the surveillance videos, calling the police to say they recognized their son. According to The New York Times, Long’s parents had reported him missing in January 2019.

“They come across as a good Christian family,” Mary Morgan, a neighbor of the suspect’s family, told The Washington Post. “They used to go to church on a regular basis, and I’ve never seen anything bad out of them.”

A post on the now-deleted Facebook page of Crabapple First Baptist Church in Milton, Georgia, indicated Long was baptized there and records show he was a member of a youth group there in 2018, according to the Times.

The Daily Beast also noted the tagline on an Instagram account that appeared to belong to Long: “Pizza, guns, drums, music, family, and God. This pretty much sums up my life. It’s a pretty good life.”

Long was first identified as a suspect in shootings at Young’s Asian Massage Parlor in Cherokee County, which left four dead and one injured. Video footage captured the suspect pulling up at 4:50 p.m. Tuesday, minutes before the shooting, according to the Cherokee sheriff’s office.

Around 5:45 p.m., four more people were shot and killed in two Atlanta spas across the street from each other.

“It does appear that it’s the same suspect,” Baker told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, based on surveillance images that place Long’s car at the second and third crime scenes.

Long was captured about 150 miles south of Atlanta, in Crisp County, around 8:30 p.m.

President Joe Biden spoke on Wednesday after being briefed on the shootings, saying that though he did not want to draw conclusions about the motivation behind the killings, he knows “Asian Americans are very concerned. Because, as you know, I have been speaking about the brutality against Asian Americans for the last couple months, and I think it’s very, very troubling.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman and the first Asian American to hold the office, responded to the shootings as well on Wednesday, speaking during a meeting with Irish officials. “I do want to say to our Asian American community that we stand with you and understand how this has frightened and shocked and outraged all people,” she said.

This article originally appeared here.

Groundbreaking Innovation Promotes Bible Reading and Study

By

Keith Williams

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March 18, 2021

I haven’t found anyone in church leadership who saw this coming. There aren’t stories of prescient church planners and innovators who had prepared for the day when nearly every church had to stop all programming, including Sunday worship services, and find ways to communicate with their members while they were largely confined to their homes.

As a Christian publisher, we’ve faced different problems, including international supply chain issues, printing and delivery delays, and a halt in plans to provide resources to churches that aren’t meeting.

One thing that has remained strong here at Tyndale is the demand by individuals for Bibles. People are indeed seeking out God’s Word as much around them has collapsed. I’m sure we’d all agree there has never been a better time to dive deeply into God’s Word.

It may be that God will use this time to turn our generation to unprecedented repentance and faithfulness. I think that you’ll agree that a deep and lasting revival will depend on a groundswell of biblical literacy.

Perhaps you have faced in your church what research has shown to be the case nationally: regular church attenders love and respect the Bible, but less than 40 percent of them are reading the Bible regularly.

So, how can pastors and church leaders promote biblical literacy and reading the Bible regularly?

We believe there are four keys:

Readability – The individual’s ability to easily read the passage.
Portability – An individual’s ability to take scripture anywhere.
Understandability – Tools an individual can use to understand the meaning of the text.
Accessibility – Study materials and devotional guides an individual can use to practically apply what they are reading.

Tyndale has launched The Filament Collection, a highly relevant suite of Bibles that combines readability, portability, study materials, and devotional depth. Filament is a fascinating, enjoyable, and comprehensive tool that can impact Bible literacy and provide a reading experience that can attract serious new readers.

It is beautiful thing when the incomparable Word of God can be paired with the very best technological advancements to advance reading, understanding, and application. That’s what we’re seeing with a line of new Bibles that are paired with a Bible app called Filament.

In one very important sense, the Bibles in the Filament Collection are exactly what you expect them to be: God’s Word in a simple, elegant format that is easy to read and carry. There’s nothing new or remarkable about what you read on the pages, beyond the incomparable nature of the text as the very Word of God. However, every page of these Bibles is teeming with valuable resources available through a simple but powerful app that delivers content to help readers understand the message of the Bible and apply it to their lives.

Most Christians want to have a better relationship with the Bible, but there are a few barriers in their way. On the one hand, there is a need to connect directly to God’s Word with nothing else to distract the reader from connecting with God through his Word. This direct relationship with the Scriptures is essential in a world filled with disruptions and agendas. So a simple Bible with nothing but a clear translation of the Bible is essential.

On the other hand, Christians today want to understand what they are reading, but they don’t always have ready access to resources that can help them right when they need it. The Bible is a large, ancient collection of writings. With a Filament Bible, they have immediate access to expertly curated content to help them engage more deeply with what they are reading on every single page of their Bible. The combination of a simple Bible that is ideal for undistracted reading with an app that provides targeted help when it is needed leads to greater confidence for everyday Christians as they seek to understand God and themselves better through engaging deeply with the Bible.

For some people who primarily use apps for reading the Bible, it might seem like a step backwards to bring a print Bible into the picture; for others, the idea of including their smartphone in their time with the Bible feels sacrilegious. However, we believe bringing the two formats together allows the opportunity to bring the strengths of both together in order to create a Bible experience that hasn’t previously been possible. Print is ideal for the Bible itself—a sacred, unchanging text that we desire to connect with deeply. Studies have shown consistently that reading in print is better for attentiveness, comprehension, and retention.

The smartphone app is then able to come alongside the print Bible to deliver dynamic, curated supplementary content to aid in understanding the Scriptures. This is valuable content, but it isn’t always needed and doesn’t require the same level of permanence in our lives as the text of the Bible itself. The print edition has nothing but God’s sacred Word; the app contains nothing but valuable content to improve engagement with the Bible. Keeping these two kinds of content separate (but linked) makes for a better experience overall with the Bible.

One of the great things about the Filament Bible Collection is that the content in the app is versatile enough that almost any level of Bible reader will benefit from the overall experience. Families and younger believers will love the videos that provide excellent biblical scholarship in clear and entertaining ways. Study notes, profiles, theme articles, and book introductions written by some of the best evangelical scholars are helpful to any eager student of the Bible. Devotionals found in the Reflect window are perfect for those wanting a reflective experience with God’s Word. Interactive maps and infographics are great for Bible teachers in both their study and for display on a screen while teaching.

Anyone who wants to engage deeply with the Bible will find the Filament Bible Collection experience to be just what they are looking for.

For more information go to www.filamentbibles.com

6 Faith-Focused Easter Egg Hunt Ideas for Kids and Families

By

Danielle Bell

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March 18, 2021

Easter can be one of the biggest outreach times for your church, but maybe you have been thinking this way for a while and need some fresh Easter egg hunt ideas. We have pulled together some ideas that can be used to achieve a kid-friendly, family-driven, and Gospel-centered Easter event.

Easter Egg Hunt Ideas

1. Easter Lesson Egg Hunt Idea

Easter is all about Jesus and we don’t want to lose the life-changing miracle of a risen Savior in the middle of a big event. To focus on the real meaning of Easter, set up several stations that families will rotate through to hear the truths of Easter. (for example: The Last Supper, Jesus praying in the Garden, Jesus’ Trial, The Cross, and the Empty Tomb.) Decorations can be minimized because the message is what is most important at these stations. Kids receive an egg from each station with a scripture and candy included. The last station can be designed as an empty tomb where children can collect several eggs. Checkout out these different Easter station ideas here.

2. Glow-in-the-Dark Easter Egg Hunt Idea

Turn the tables on a morning or afternoon egg hunt and plan a glow-in-the-dark-hunt at night. Purchase cheap glow bracelets at a dollar store or in bulk online and tie them in a knot and put in translucent eggs. Hide these eggs at night challenging kids to look for the light in the darkness. After the hunt, gather kids and talk about how Jesus is the light of the world and because He is alive we can have new life through Him. Kids can leave with a glow necklace as a reminder that Easter is all about Jesus.

3. Around the Church Easter Egg Hunt Idea

This is a great idea for people that are new to your church or have never stepped foot in the door. This hunt will help families tour the building but also learn what takes place in certain areas of the church. When families arrive, give them a card using some the following clues (be sure to add your own) so they can work in any order. It would be great to have greeters on hand to help direct families.

Location Ideas:

Clue: At our church, we believe all ages are important. In this area, we love to take care of the little ones and sing truths over them. We want even the tiniest of people to know that Jesus loves them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14 (Eggs will be hidden in the church nursery areas and the nursery staff can be there to greet families.)

Clue: God is worthy of our worship. There is no one like Him. Go to the location that our church gathers together to sing to God in worship. “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” Psalm 100:1-2 (You can hide eggs in the kids’ worship room or your church worship room/sanctuary. The worship team can be present to meet families or even leading in worship encouraging families to join them. )

Clue: One way to learn about God is through His Word. Not only do we want kids to learn about Jesus, we want adults to discover His goodness as well. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;” 2 Timothy 3:16 (Hide eggs in the adult education department. Adult teachers can be on hand to meet parents and invite them to a small group.)

Clue: All are welcome here. No matter where you come from, how many times you have been to church, or what you look like, you are loved by our great God. Find the church lobby and meet our pastor. “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Romans 15:7 (Hide eggs in the front lobby of the church. Invite the pastor and other staff there to greet and interact with families. Have extra Bibles on hand to give away to families that don’t own one.)

Clue: Kids rule. Following Jesus’ example, we want to welcome children and point them to Him. Find the children’s area and search for eggs and meet our children’s leaders. “He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:2-3 (Hide eggs children’s areas and have kids leaders there to meet families. Also have some Gospel tracts on hand to give to families when they are in this area.)

4. At Home Easter Morning Scavenger Egg Hunt Idea

Easter Egg Hunt Ideas — Courtesy of HappyHomeFairy.com

Check out this idea and free printable about how to equip families to have an easy Easter egg hunt at home. This scavenger hunt also makes sure to remind kids who Easter is all about.

Journey Through the Steps of an Online Scam

By

Steven Sundermeier

-

March 17, 2021

Winning a contest is a rush. If it’s ever happened to you, then you know. We know this and businesses know this. And cyber-criminals also know this. Join me as we journey through the steps of an online scam, an attempted hack that was foiled (hopefully before any unsuspecting “winners” entered their credit card information).

Last month: February 26, 2021 marked National Chili Day. As is par-for-the-course on “National Days”, businesses and organizations having an affiliation with the celebrated day often post promotions and sweepstakes on social media channels offering people the chance to win company branded apparel, merchandise and/or gift cards. National Chili Day was no exception and Skyline Chili, the Cincinnati-style chili restaurant chain, posted opportunities on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram enticing lucky fans to win “Swag Sets” (containing a hat, shirt and $50 gift card).

As you can see from the above screen capture, to enter the contest an account must be following @Skyline_Chili, they must tag a friend and also include the hashtag #SkylineSweepstakes.

For any avid contest-seekers, be aware: In some recent instances, I have found cybercriminals targeting niche hashtags, like those that containing the words ‘Winner’, ‘Sweepstakes’ or ‘Giveaway’. Consider this your first warning and a bold one: We must be informed when entering “free” contests.

In this Skyline Chili case, Facebook users who responded to the Skyline Sweepstakes post and posted the #SkylineSweepstakes hashtag were immediately greeted with a Friend Request that appeared to be coming directly from Skyline Chili.

It appeared legitimate, but if you had on your detective hat, would the “manager’s signature” seem fishy (or should I say “phishy”) to you?

Follow the progress of an actual online scam (on page two):

An Open Letter to Pastors About Children’s Ministry

By

Dale Hudson

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March 17, 2021

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dale Hudson has been serving in children’s ministry for over 30 years. He is an author, speaker and ministry leader. He is the founder and director of Building Children’s Ministry. Here’s his letter:

Dear Pastor,

The church is made up of many different ministries. All of them are vitally important. I want to share with you why I believe Children’s Ministry is one of the most vital.

• Children’s Ministry was a priority for Jesus. The disciples didn’t think it should be, but Jesus did. He made time to minister to children.

• Children are the greatest mission field. Stats show that 85 percent of people who come to Christ do so before the age of 18. We must invest our time and resources where we will see the biggest harvest.

• Children’s ministry can be a major growth engine for your church. When you reach children, you reach parents. We can have the greatest worship and messages, but if the children are not connecting, mom and dad won’t stick around for long. There’s a reason people stand in line for hours waiting for their kids to see Santa.

• One of the best investments you can make for your church is a great children’s facility. It will pay for itself many times over by the families it brings.

• Children’s Ministry is not childcare. It is ministry at the most critical time in a person’s life. The early years are the most formative.

• Staff your Children’s Ministry well. There is no “slow” time for Children’s Ministry. Summer is our busiest time and we go from that right into the fall. A good ratio is one full-time person for every 100-125 kids. Your Children’s Ministry staff is one of your most valuable partners in ministry. Take good care of them.

• If your Children’s Ministry space is at capacity, your church will stop growing. It doesn’t matter how much space you have in the auditorium. A full Children’s Ministry space is a lid for the entire church.

• If you want to reach families, reach kids. Remember, students can drive themselves to church. Children are brought by their parents.

• Children are not the church of tomorrow, they are the church of today. A healthy family is made up of grandparents, parents and children. Involve them in the life of the entire church. Give them opportunities to lead worship, greet, pray, read Scripture, serve and more.

• Make the Children’s Ministry budget one of your largest budget items. God will pour out His financial blessings on a church that invests in reaching and discipling children.

Thank you for taking time to listen. We’re your biggest fan. We’re here to serve you. Our heart is to stand by your side and help you reach families for Christ.

This article originally appeared here.

Pastor’s ‘The Funeral Is Cancelled’ Show Grips Hearts in Violence-Ridden Communities

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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March 17, 2021

Lafayette, Louisiana’s Freedom World Ministries‘ Pastor Lawrence Levy III brought his ‘The Funeral Is Cancelled‘ live display to the city of Shreveport after experiencing a violent week. Sunday’s event was hosted by Western Hills Baptist Church and was planned before Shreveport’s deadly week that recorded 10 shootings that resulted in six deaths and others injured.

Pastor Levy said it’s up to the people who aren’t committing the violence to take charge, and he explained that “‘The Funeral Is Cancelled‘ is basically a depiction of so many things that we deal with on a day to day basis in our country that I don’t think we need to have to deal with if we learn how to come together and put it aside.”

Described well on a ‘The Funeral Is Cancelled’s’ Facebook post, the organization says, Pastor Levy “is on a mission to bring awareness to the many circumstances that plague our communities by re-enacting scenes and situations so we can visualize the major impacts that separate community unity.”

The live display showcases powerful imagery of what violence on the streets really looks like in the hopes of raising the awareness in the community and providing hope to the hopeless. Still images using actors in live scenes of hate that feature KKK members, scenes of drug and alcohol abuse victims, gang-bangers shooting vehicles with victims covered in fake blood, police brutality, gang violence, and a mother holding her lifeless teenager are all depicted within yellow crime-scene tape.

‘The Funeral Is Cancelled’ stands for more than just ridding the streets of gun violence, Pastor Levy said, “We’re cancelling the funeral on racism. We’re cancelling the funeral on poverty. We’re cancelling the funeral on hatred. We’re cancelling the funeral on Black on Black crime. We’re cancelling the funeral on police brutality towards our young Black males…this is what ‘The Funeral Is Cancelled’ is basically geared around.”

“We need to see more in our nation today [of] Black and whites unifying to do something to bring peace, awareness, love, joy, and more importantly the love of God to a dying community…a dying generation…and a dying nation,” Pastor Levy said as he explained why it was so important to partner with the Shreveport Volunteer Network who serves within the community. The Shreveport Volunteer Network also provided meals and bottled water to the community at the event.

Pastor Levy shared in an interview that his whole message is geared around “unifying everybody…Whites, Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, business owners, ex-felons, ex-cons, drug-gang-bangers, and preachers…basically how can we cultivate a healthy society and a healthy community.”

As someone who used to be in the streets, been shot at, attempted to kill someone, and spent time in prison, Pastor Levy said, “I understand the mindset” of the youth living on the streets choosing a violent lifestyle.

Pastor Levy has been doing ‘The Funeral Is Cancelled’ for over 10 years and travels throughout the United States putting on the event that provides a message of hope for those who are hurting.

Pastor Greg Laurie Now to Reach Over 60 Million Viewers Per Year with the Gospel

By

Jessica Lea

-

March 17, 2021

Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., has announced that his messages will now air on several major television networks, including Fox Business, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), and Lifetime. Because of the widespread reach of these networks, Laurie will now be able to reach over 60 million people annually with the gospel.

“Airing on these major networks gives us at Harvest an even greater opportunity to grow the family of God,” Laurie announced in a press release Monday. “God opened this door to share the life-changing message of the Gospel. I am grateful for the privilege and I do not take it lightly.”

Pastor Greg Laurie Extends Reach of the Good News

Greg Laurie is a movie producer and best-selling author, as well as the senior pastor and founder of Harvest Christian Fellowship. The church started in 1973 when, at age 19, Laurie began leading a Bible study of 30 people. Harvest has since grown to a congregation of 15,000 with campuses in California and Hawaii. Laurie also founded Harvest Crusades, which are “large-scale evangelistic events that create a welcoming environment” for sharing the good news about Jesus. Since their inception in 1990, over 8.8 million people have attended Harvest Crusades, and over 500,000 have made decisions to follow Christ.

In addition to Fox Business, TBN, and Lifetime, Pastor Greg Laurie’s sermons will air on Newsmax, Daystar Television, and KCAL Los Angeles. The air times for each of these networks are as follows:

TBN – 4:30am EST / 1:30am PST
Newsmax – 8am EST / 5am PST
Fox Business – 1:30pm EST / 10:30am PST
Daystar – 6:30pm EST / 3:30am PST
Lifetime – 7:30am EST and PST
KCAL Los Angeles – 10:30am (PST only)

The combined viewership of these networks is substantial. TBN, which claims to be the largest Christian television network in the world, broadcasts to every continent on the globe in over 12 languages. Enlace, its Spanish-speaking network, reaches over 100 million households worldwide. On July 1, 2020, TBN reported that its viewership had increased by 30 percent, with 16 million people tuning in to the network’s programming on Easter Sunday last year.

Daystar Television is another faith-based network that broadcasts internationally. According to its website, Daystar reaches more than 108 million households in the U.S. and over two billion viewers across the globe.

Other networks that will be airing Laurie’s messages have an extensive reach as well. In a list of the most-watched television networks of 2020, Lifetime ranked 27th with 671,000 viewers. Newsmax was 88th with 105,000 viewers, and Fox Business Network was 97th at 103,000 viewers.

Pastor Greg Laurie Is Hopeful

In an article published on Jan. 1, Pastor Greg Laurie said that he had “high hopes” for 2021. The reason he is hopeful, said the pastor, has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with who God is. “I don’t know what 2021 holds, but I know who holds 2021,” he said. “Corrie ten Boom was right when she said, ‘Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.’ I’ve read the last page of the Bible. All is well in the end because God has a future and a hope for us. So, I have hope for this coming year.”

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The article was eventually retracted, but the damage was done.

“Once the person gets access, they keep that access,” he said.

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Easter Egg Hunt Ideas

1. Easter Lesson Egg Hunt Idea

2. Glow-in-the-Dark Easter Egg Hunt Idea

3. Around the Church Easter Egg Hunt Idea

4. At Home Easter Morning Scavenger Egg Hunt Idea

Follow the progress of an actual online scam (on page two):

Pastor Greg Laurie Extends Reach of the Good News

Pastor Greg Laurie Is Hopeful

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