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Justin Giboney: How to Know If Your Pursuit of Justice Is Biblical

By
Jason Daye
-
communicating with the unchurched

Justin Giboney is one of the founders of the AND Campaign, a gospel-centered movement that seeks to educate and organize Christians for faithful, civic, and cultural engagement. Justin is an attorney and political strategist in Atlanta, Georgia, and has managed successful campaigns for elected officials, as well as referendums related to transportation and infrastructure. He is the co-author of the recently released book, Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign’s Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement.

Key Questions for Justin Giboney

-How can Christ-followers view civic engagement in a healthy and biblical way?

-What can church leaders do to help their congregations to critically analyze their political beliefs?

-What does it mean to look at political issues with others, not ourselves, in mind?

-How do we know what true justice is when people define it differently?

Key Quotes from Justin Giboney

“Whether we like it or not, politics impacts everything in society.”

“I think one of the reasons Christians should engage in politics in a certain way is really because of the second half of the Greatest Commandment…if we would want justice for ourselves, we should want justice for our neighbors.”

“We think the Bible does give us a framework for how to engage in general, and we think that applies to politics, as well as to personal interactions.”

“The gospel is about compassion and conviction. You see justice, but you also see moral order.”

“It’s ok sometimes that we may disagree on issues.”

“One of the easiest way to go about politics is to fall in with your ‘ideological tribe.’ A lot of Christians, including myself at one time, have allowed their political affiliations to become religious in nature.” 

“You should be able to sit back and list six serious things that your side gets wrong.”

“If you can’t list the things [your political side gets wrong], there’s a chance you’re indoctrinated. And that’s what we’re trying to avoid.”

What Not to Say to a Preacher’s Wife

By
Joe McKeever
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communicating with the unchurched

(I wish Margaret were here to help with this one. As my wife of over 52 years and through our six pastorates with her as a preacher’s wife covering 42 years, I suppose she heard it all. As of January, 2015, she’s now resting in the arms of her Savior. In her memory and in her honor, I send this forth to encourage church members to bless this dear lady married to the shepherd whom God sent to your church. Please see the disclaimer at the end. —Joe)

“Encourage one another and lift up one another…” (I Thessalonians 5:11, somewhat, and a favorite line in an old chorus)

“You cannot use my name.”

That’s how the typical private note from a preacher’s wife begins.

Marlene introduced herself as the wife of a pastor. She had come across our article from a year or more ago on “59 things not to say to a preacher.” Back then, I had solicited input from Facebook friends and ended up with that number of comments which preachers do not need to hear and which affect them negatively. The article got a good bit of play and drew more than a fair share of controversial reactions.

Preachers loved the list. And so did their wives, incidentally.

There’s a lot of hurt out there.

Marlene appreciated the list, she said. But she added that I had quit early. We need a list of what not to say to the wife of a preacher.

So, I asked her to get me started. Here is her reply:

Joe,
I accidentally deleted your email. Sorry, must have been the
turkey overdose. (This was around Thanksgiving.)
Here are a few of the things that we PWs do not enjoy hearing:
–Numero Uno…Do you play the piano?
–Our former pastor’s wife did it this way.
–Where were you this morning?
–Why weren’t you at the meeting?
–Do you sing in the choir?
–If we call your husband, what do you bring to the church? Getting a good preacher’s wife is like getting two for the price of one.
–Since you work, your husband doesn’t need a raise.

–Since your husband wants a raise, maybe you should get a job.

–Anything that begins with “We knew you wouldn’t mind…” is never good. 
–We knew you wouldn’t mind if we borrowed your husband for a while.

 –We knew you wouldn’t mind if we volunteered your home
for a meeting, party, etc.

 –We knew you wouldn’t mind filling in for the missing nursery
worker.

 –We knew you wouldn’t mind filling in for the missing Sunday School teacher.

 –We knew you wouldn’t mind overseeing (insert project here).

 –We knew you wouldn’t mind making the angel costumes for the children’s choir.

–Anything that begins with “But you’re a preacher’s wife”…
you don’t have any problems…just ask your husband to pray for it…you
can’t wear that…you’re not supposed to be sad…you’re not supposed to
have fun…you’re not supposed to get angry…you’re not supposed to say
no…you will just have to grow thicker skin.

Anything that begins with “I don’t mean to pry but…”
…you could improve your housekeeping skills…you could improve your
yard working skills…you could improve your (insert whatever here).

Anything that begins with “I just think you should know…”
what so and so said…what someone said about your husband…what
someone said about your children…what someone said about your
hair…what someone said about your dress…what someone said about your
(insert anything you do or do not do here).

I even had someone tell me that I was not wearing “preacher’s wife
shoes” one time.

3 Reasons Ministry Leaders Will Leave Vocational Ministry During the Pandemic

By
Eric Geiger
-
communicating with the unchurched

In the last month I have been on several zoom calls with pastors who I am in “learning communities” with and the subject of pastoral turnover has been surfaced. Early stats are being thrown out as to the number of ministry leaders (not just senior pastors) who will leave vocational ministry during this pandemic and immediately following. Last week Nate Pyle tweeted a thought that resonated with many people and sparked a lot of responses from others on Twitter. He tweeted: “Prediction: In the next two years there will be a large exodus of pastors from the pastorate. Every pastor I talk with is exhausted and, to a degree, frustrated. Theological and ideological differences between pastor and parishioners is increasing. It’s not sustainable.”

Ministry leaders stepping away from their roles in this season is becoming a common conversation. To be clear, this is not a discussion about leaders disqualifying themselves from leadership with immoral or unethical behavior. This is also not a discussion about leaders being mismatched culturally or unfruitful in their roles. The conversation is about good and godly people who have made important contributions to their ministries/churches stepping away from a full-time ministry position, still loving Jesus and His people, and deciding to do something else vocationally. Here are three reasons people are predicting this will happen (and may already be happening):

1. The division is discouraging.

Nate’s tweet resonated because division is exhausting. My assumption is that if you lead a church or ministry that is filled with people who think the same way about every issue, then you may not face the exhaustion of division, but that is becoming less and less likely because there are more and more issues in which people are pontificating about and drawing dividing lines over. And even if there could be uniformity of thought on every tertiary issue, uniformity is not what many of us envision for the churches we serve. What makes the body of Christ so beautiful in a local community is when people with different backgrounds and perspectives are united by a better King and Kingdom.

As an example, the “mask” conversation has been tiring for many ministry leaders. Funny story: A few weeks ago, I posted in my Instagram story a picture of Kenton Beshore (pastor emeritus) and me at one of our neighborhood gatherings. We were both in masks and standing next to one another. Someone responded, “Why are you wearing masks?!” as if we are idiots and another responded, “Why are you not standing further apart?” as if we are reckless. It is hard to win. And if we think the mask conversation has been challenging, just wait until there is a vaccine and the debate begins on taking the vaccine versus not taking the vaccine. Leaders, the hills in front of us are likely larger than the ones we have just climbed.

Personal note: I am so thankful for the church I get to pastor. Of course, there are outliers, but the overwhelming majority of people want Jesus to be the hero, don’t treat tertiary issues as primary ones, deeply desire a unified church in the midst of polarizing conversations, and are kind and gracious to one another. I am very blessed to be with these people during this time.

2. What some most enjoyed about their ministry roles is not what ministry is currently.

Many ministry leaders have experienced joyful aspects of their job ripped from them because of physical distancing, limited gatherings, necessary changes in programming, and increased reliance on technology. A small example: Imagine if a leader’s favorite week of the year was summer camp where teenagers and kids were invested in and mission for a new school year was established. That sacred moment being gone has changed that role for a season. While there is “light at the end of the tunnel” as gatherings for a church resume, there is still uncertainty about some aspects of ministry.

3. The bullet points on many job profiles have changed.

The pandemic has created tremendous opportunities to serve our local communities, has accelerated what many churches are doing technologically, and has reinforced many church’s commitment to discipling people through smaller groups and helping parents disciple their kids. These opportunities are real and must be seized for the health of the Church and the expansion of Jesus’ Kingdom. Yet, as we know, new approaches also require a new mentality, some changing of job profiles, and a different posture. Leading a stable ministry where the programming and rhythms are pretty much the same each year is not the season that we are in, and the shaking will cause good and godly people to evaluate if this season matches their gifting.

What does this mean?

When ministry leaders step away in this time we should not assume something is wrong with them. We should thank them for all they have done, and we should not guilt them for stepping away. It does not mean they are less Christian or less anything. We must also remember that all work can be scared. A.W. Tozer stated, “It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular; it is why he does it.” Which means ministry work, when done for the wrong reasons, can be very secular. And marketplace work, when done for the right reasons, can be very sacred.

This article about leaving vocational ministry originally appeared here.

Protecting Your Church Against Financial Fraud

By
Steve Thomason
-
communicating with the unchurched

In 2014, churches lost an estimated $39 billion due to internal financial fraud. Compare that with the $35 billion that churches spent on worldwide missions in the same period.

The statistics, from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, illustrate how improving stewardship through better controls can have real impact on any individual church’s objectives.

Church fraud is particularly pernicious because it takes place amid an environment of trust. Even when discovered, there is a reluctance to prosecute. It’s because of that goodwill that most fraud schemes go undetected for so long (median duration is 18 months) and hold so much appeal for would-be thieves.

But trust does not have to displace good sense. The key is to run your church finances like you would run a business, and put certain controls in place that reduce the opportunity for theft in the first place.

A majority of the perpetrators of church fraud are first-time offenders without a criminal history, and most are long-time employees of the church.

The two biggest schemes perpetrated against churches are (1) skimming of the weekly collection between when the totals are collected, counted, recorded and deposited, and (2) fraudulent cash disbursements—an employee writing checks to himself but recording the transaction in church records as going to a vendor.

Additionally, a growing issue is credit card abuse—when an employee or minister charges personal items on the church credit card.

The amounts are not small and the schemes can take a variety of approaches. The median loss in fraud cases against churches is $145,000.

So how do you protect the church’s resources, and improve financial oversight?

• One of the most important steps is to make sure your church has a system of adequate segregation of duties. The person who writes the checks should not be the same person who reviews the checks and bank statements each month, for example. Having two authorized signatures on checks, not using computer-generated signatures and only allowing signature stamps to be in the custody of the authorized signer also can reduce opportunity for fraud.

China Uses IUDs, Abortion, Infanticide to Control Uyghur Population

By
Jessica Lea
-
Uyghur Genocide
A female demonstrator cries during the demonstration. Uighurs and sympathisers gather at the Dam Square in Amsterdam to show their support with China's ethnic Uighurs and protest against what they see as the oppression of the Uyghurs in China by the government of that country. (Photo by Niels Wenstedt / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

A new report from Radio Free Asia (RFA) sheds more light on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) campaign to carry out a Uyghur genocide by slowly and covertly exterminating the Uyghur population. Hasiyet Abdulla, a Uyghur obstetrician now living in Turkey, told RFA that hospitals are forcing women to get abortions and even killing their newborn children in cases where Uyghurs have exceeded the government’s limit on the size of families.

“The regulations were so strict,” said Abdulla. “There had to be three or four years between children. There were babies born at nine months who we killed after inducing labor. They did that in the maternity wards, because those were the orders.”

Uyghur Genocide Happening in China

Abdulla worked for 15 years in hospitals in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), where Uyghur Muslims make up an estimated 10.5 million of the area’s 24 million people. She explained that the CCP closely monitors the number of children that Uyghur and other minority families have, as well as how many years have transpired between births. Said Abdulla, “Every hospital had a family-planning unit that was responsible for implementation—who had how many kids, when they’d given birth to them—they tracked all of this.” 

The birth control policies Abdulla described are not merely repressive—they include state-sponsored infanticide. “It’s an order that’s been given from above,” she said, “it’s an order that’s been printed and distributed in official documents. Hospitals get fined if they don’t comply, so of course they carry this out.”

RFA can document the government compelling Uyghur women to get abortions at least as far back as 2005. It is also common for Uyghur women to be forced to undergo tubal ligation (where the fallopian tubes are tied or cut) and to get intrauterine devices (IUDs)—even if they have not exceeded the limit on the number of children they can have. Women have reported severe vaginal bleeding, as well as sterilization, as a result of Chinese IUDs. 

One woman who spoke to RFA anonymously said that she spent 30 years collecting fines from people who had violated the CCP’s birth control policies. She herself has been taking an unknown birth control pill for over 10 years and is convinced the medication has led to hair loss and loss of memory. She said, “At first there were no side effects, but then [about a year later] my hair started falling out—now I have only a tiny handful of hair left, and scarves won’t even stay on my head…My memory is unusually bad. I can’t even memorize my childrens’ phone numbers.” The woman says she knows 40 to 50 other people who are experiencing the same symptoms from the unknown medication. 

Adrian Zenz, senior fellow in China Studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, recently published a report that extensively documents evidence of the appalling methods the CCP is using to suppress the growth of the Uyghur population. Zenz says:

Intrauterine contraceptive devices, sterilizations, and forced family separations: since a sweeping crackdown starting in late 2016 transformed Xinjiang into a draconian police state, witness accounts of intrusive state interference into reproductive autonomy have become ubiquitous. While state control over reproduction has long been a common part of the birth control regime in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the situation in Xinjiang has become especially severe following a policy of mass internment initiated in early 2017 (China Brief, September 21, 2017) by officials of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). 

Zenz says his findings support the idea of a Uyghur genocide and “provide the strongest evidence yet that Beijing’s policies in Xinjiang meet one of the genocide criteria cited in the U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.”

More Than a Cultural Uyghur Genocide

As ChurchLeaders reported last year,  at least one million Uyghur Muslims have been placed in so-called “re-education” camps in XUAR (the “mass internment” to which Zenz referred), although Reuters reports this number could be closer to three million. Chinese party leaders are accomplishing this Uyghur genocide through creating a police state. They use highly advanced technology, such as facial recognition systems, to surveil and control the Uyghur people and other ethnic minorities. In the name of stopping terrorism, the CCP has detained Uyghurs for reasons including “extremist thoughts,” having too many children, and practicing their religion. 

Update: Board of Trustees Accepts Falwell’s Resignation

By
Megan Briggs
-
communicating with the unchurched

Update: 

On Monday afternoon, Liberty University released a statement stating the Board of Trustees had accepted Jerry Falwell Jr.’s resignation. “The Liberty University Board of Trustees acted today to accept the resignation of Jerry Falwell, Jr. as its President and Chancellor and also accepted his resignation from its Board of Directors. All were effective immediately.”

Additionally, the statement said no changes to Falwell’s predetermined severance package would be adjusted: “Falwell’s severance compensation was dictated by the terms of his pre-existing employment agreement without any adjustment by the University or its Board.”

As far as finding a replacement for Falwell, the statement says the board set another meeting, the purpose of which will be to identify a search committee for the university’s new president.

As Liberty University students started their fall semester on Monday, negotiations between the school’s Board of Trustees and University President Jerry Falwell Jr. were heating up. Falwell, who had already been placed on an indefinite leave of absence earlier this month, incurred another strike calling into question his fitness for leadership when an article emerged on Monday alleging that Falwell and his wife, Becki, were engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a business partner. After announcing he had resigned from Liberty Monday afternoon, Falwell seemed to step back from his resignation, but then late Monday night, reported that he submitted his letter of resignation to the school.

“I was never called to be a pastor, my calling was to use my legal and business expertise to make Liberty University the evangelical version of Notre Dame,” Falwell told ABC News. He added, “Some of us are called to be preachers, that wasn’t mine. I was called to make Liberty University the greatest Christian university’s [sic] in the world and I couldn’t have done that as a preacher.”

Falwell Resigned, Then Withdrew Resignation, Then Resigned Again

Liberty University has been brief in their response to the unfolding events, but yesterday the school’s Office of Communications & Public Engagement released a statement acknowledging Falwell’s back and forth decision to resign. “On the first day of classes of Liberty University’s fall term, Jerry Falwell, Jr., agreed to resign as its President and from its Board of Directors, but following media reports about the resignation, withdrew it,” the statement reads. The statement also said the full Board of Trustees will be meeting this morning (Tuesday) to address the matter. It appears the statement was released before Falwell spoke to ABC News Monday night, confirming his resignation.

“I call upon the University community and supporters to be in prayer for the University and for all its leadership, past, present and future, as we walk with the Lord through this stormy time of transition,” acting President Jerry Prevo wrote in the statement.

How Did We Get Here?

As ChurchLeaders reported earlier in August, Falwell agreed to go on an indefinite leave of absence on August 7th after posting a questionable picture of himself while on vacation. The picture showed Falwell standing next to Becki’s assistant with his pants unzipped and his shirt pulled up to his mid-torso, revealing his underwear. The post has since been deleted, but screenshots of it are still floating around the internet.

Many Christian leaders questioned the prudence of such a photo, and many more Liberty University students and alumni balked at the double standard on display. One former student wrote, “Imagine posting this while living on the dorms. This would have been at least one required meeting with the office of student leadership or Resident Director. I’m not for legalism, but I do think we should keep figureheads accountable for how they represent their community.”

Liberty University named the Rev. Jerry Prevo, chairman of the school’s board of trustees, as the acting president. Many people called for Falwell’s permanent removal, including a group of Liberty alumni. An organization named Save 71, composed of Liberty alumni, students, and faculty, published a timeline of troubling actions from LU leadership over the past five years. “There is much to admire about Liberty, its students, and its professors,” says the group on its website. “But for too long, Liberty’s leaders have used the school’s virtues to shield its sins and used its power to cloak its failures. That must end now.”

There Is No Peace Without God’s Wrath

By
Colin Smith
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communicating with the unchurched

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Rom. 12:18-19).

How striking it is that when God calls us to peace, he speaks about his own wrath and vengeance. Notice there are three things that you need to know in order to have peace and to bring peace.

1. There will be retribution.

“Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord (Rom. 12:19).

God has established governing authorities in this world to administer justice. Paul speaks about this just a few verses later. Speaking of one who rules, Paul says, “He is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer” (Rom. 13:4).

God has established authorities in every home, school, workplace, church, community, and nation. Those who are given this authority are responsible for the work of recompensing evil that is necessary to maintaining peace. They “carry out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”

The basis of order in any home, community, or nation lies in the wrath of God. God is irreconcilably opposed to all evil. He will bring it to judgment. Therefore, he establishes governing authorities to deal with evil justly.

It is on this basis that parents exercise discipline in the home, and without this there will not be much peace. If parents stop believing in the wrath of God, they will find it difficult to discover another basis for discipline in the home.

The principle for the administration of this justice is clearly given in the well-known words of Scripture, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” There is a quip on this that is often attributed to Ghandi: “An eye for an eye leads to the whole world going blind.”

But this saying is based on a misunderstanding. When God says, “An eye for an eye,” it’s about proportionality. The justice must fit the crime. The proper administration of justice is necessary to the maintenance of peace. Remember this: God never punishes to the full extent of his strength, and neither should a parent.

When God says, “An eye for an eye,” he does not say it to individuals. God gives this directive to judges and others in authority. God does not say, “If someone smashes your window, go and smash theirs.” That would be a formula for anarchy, in which the whole world would soon go blind.

2. You are not to take retribution yourself.

Beloved, never avenge yourselves (Rom. 12:19).

The word ‘beloved’ is significant here. It communicates how deep the pain of evil and injustice is, and how strong the impulse to seek revenge can be. With a great sensitivity of heart to the pain, Paul says, ‘beloved’—or dearly loved ones—never avenge yourselves.

God has given this responsibility to the governing authorities in this world, not to you. This is still true even when governing authorities are far from what God calls them to be. What about crimes that are never solved? Injustices that are never dealt with? Evils that are never brought to light? What about the times when there is a miscarriage of justice?

3. Place the unresolved injustice into the hands of God.

Leave it to the wrath of God (Rom. 12:19).

If people stop believing in the wrath of God, two things will happen. The first is that courts will be overrun with endless disputes, which is where we are in our country now. When people cannot get what they want from the courts, they will feel that they must take the law into their own hands, and there goes their peace.

The Scripture says, “That is never your job! Don’t take it into your own hands. Leave it in the hands of God. Do not say, ‘I will repay evil’; wait for the Lord, and He will deliver you” (Prov. 20:22).

What evil have you suffered that has never been brought to justice? What injustice do you need to trust into the hands of God today? When you do this, you are following in the path of Jesus.

Jesus knows all about this. There was no justice for Him in this world. He stood before a judge who said, “What is truth?” What chance of justice do you have when the judge isn’t even sure that there is such a thing as truth? Before the chief priests, Jesus was blindfolded, spit on, and struck while he was in what was supposed to be a court of law (Mark 14:65).

What did Christ do when He faced this injustice? He continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly (1 Pet. 2:23). “Father, I know that every evil will be dealt with, and it will be dealt with by you. Every wicked deed will be brought to justice. You have said so, and you yourself will do it!”

The truth of God’s wrath is the assurance that one day there will be justice. God Himself will bring it, and this is the basis on which we can exercise restraint, even in the painful situations where we cannot get justice now.

If we lose sight of the wrath of God, believing that the only justice we can get is in this world, then we will feel that we must take matters into our own hands. And then the world will look in vain for peace. As much as it depends on you, live peaceably by leaving vengeance in the Lord’s hands.

—
This article is an adaptation of Pastor Colin’s sermon, “Overcoming Evil with Peace”, from his series, Overcoming Evil.

This article originally appeared here.

How to Create a Virtual Choir (Band, Praise Team, Orchestra) Video

By
Kenny Lamm
-
communicating with the unchurched

MY JOURNEY WITH A VIRTUAL CHOIR

During the COVID-19 period, churches have been looking for ways to keep their choirs and other musician groups engaged despite being sheltered-at-home. Several churches have introduced virtual choir videos to Facebook, their worship streams and more. I have had several questions about how to do this. I decided to venture out and do one myself. Below, you will find my way of producing this video. It could be done in a much more complex and beautiful fashion if I had more time or if I was an expert. Honestly, I had never used this video software before this project, so I was limited in my capabilities. Nonetheless, I believe with some effort, a very useable expression of worship may be produced that will encourage others, build community and provide something you can use in your online worship. Obviously using a group smaller than the 50 that were involved in this project would exponentially reduce the time needed to produce this. ENJOY!

UPDATE: Within a few hours of premiering this video on Facebook, the views and shares are growing exponentially. This makes me aware of how a project like this can reach around the world to bring the hope of Jesus Christ to a world that is looking for hope right now. The outreach impact of this project may be far more than I had first thought. I am encouraging our choir to share this and hold watch parties to reach more people with this powerful message.

Kenny

PLAN YOUR VIRTUAL CHOIR PROJECT

First, determine what group you want to involve and the song you want to produce. Will you use live musicians or a track (tracks require additional licenses)?

In this example, I invited the membership of the NC Baptist Singers & Orchestra to participate. Less than 50% agreed to do this (voice parts well represented). We had only a small sampling of instrumentalists participate. I obtained copyright permission from the publisher to use a backing track to fill out some missing parts for the orchestration and used only our voices for the final mix.

PREPARE YOUR MATERIALS

Next, you need to set up, with great detail, how your members will prepare and submit their videos.

In this example, I first prepared a video of me conducting the song with the original track (including voices) that would be a guide for participants. They would need to watch the video and have earphone on to hear the track while singing to their phones–this would capture their image and only their voice or instrument. (details below). Note: I added a click to the opening and asked everyone to say “1-2-3-4” on beats 5-8 to help me sync the tracks across the 50 videos.

Secondly, I set up a Google Drive folder for people to upload their completed videos. I used driveuploader.com to make that a bit easier.

Lastly, I prepared a webpage with detailed directions for them:

EXAMPLE: NCBSO VIRTUAL CHOIR PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS

  • Choose a place with a non-cluttered, pleasant background that will not distract from your presentation. Make sure there is soft lighting in front of you so you can be seen well (more than the light behind you).
  • Plug in your earbuds or headphones into your device and play the video embedded below. You can also download the video to play if you prefer. You should hear the track in your ears, but the video recording of you singing or playing should only record you or your instrument. (Do not play the track in speakers that will be picked up by your microphone.)
  • You will need to set up your iPad or mobile phone that will be recording you in the landscape position (wide left to right) so that it will video you singing or playing in normal orientation. Be sure it is secure so it is still during the video. Check out this video from another director on how to position your camera.
  • ALTERNATE PLAN WITH ONE DEVICE: You can play the video of Kenny directing on your laptop, use earbuds/headphones, and record the video from your laptop webcam (i.e. one device). Mac users can use Quicktime to record. PC users can use the Camera app to record.
  • Set your device to begin recording.
  • Play the video of Kenny directing the song and sing/play along.
  • NOTE: You will hear “1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4” at the beginning. The second “1” is the beginning of the song. The track’s music actually begins on the 3rd beat of that measure rather than on 1 as written (altered for recording).
  • IMPORTANT: To help sync your video, please clap and/or say loudly (in staccato) the SECOND 1-2-3-4 during the recording process unless you play in the first two measures. That’s right. say strongly and punctuated, “1-2-3-4” on the second 1-2-3-4 or clap your hands if you prefer. This helps Kenny sync your video with the other videos.
  • Sing looking into the camera as much as possible and sing just like in choir (but maybe more pleasant??).
  • Once the song ends, stay still and smile at the camera for a few seconds, then stop the recording. Do not worry about too much extra video at the beginning or end of your video–it will be edited.
  • You will need to name the video your name and voice part/instrument (Mike Johnson_Baritone.???. Do not change the file extension that may be MOV or MP4 or other.
  • Then upload your video to this site: [insert URL here]
  • You are done. Wait for the beautiful compilation.

Here is the guide video I prepared:

PREPARE YOUR AUDIO

While some prefer to mix the audio in the video editor, I prefer to take all the audio and mix it separately in an audio editor. To show this can all be done CHEAPLY, I used Audacity (free). You may have GarageBand or another application you prefer.

First, you will need to download all the video files your people uploaded to the cloud. I chose to strip the audio from the video using VLC software (free). Tutorial here. There are other ways you can do this as well.

Then I dumped all the SOPRANO audio tracks in Audacity and synced them with each other. Using the 1-2-3-4 count made that job much easier. Refer to basic tutorials for using your particular audio software. I would spot check some strong entrances to make sure everyone was in unison and make adjustments as needed.

Now, the fun begins. You take each voice and mix them to be even in volume (or whatever you deem the best mix with your voices). I took advantage of the software to delete a few obvious wrong notes or bad entrances (shhh–don’t tell my choir). I used the balance controls to spatially separate singers so they sound like they are singing from different locations. Once I had the soprano section like I wanted it, I exported a file of the soprano section.

I repeated the procedure with the altos, tenors and basses, resulting in four master audio tracks–one for each voice part. Then I began the final mix. I brought in the commercial instrumental track, all the instrumentalists (in our case, piano, drums, two harps, two trombones, flute/piccolo and a tuba), and the four voice parts. I synced everything with the commercial track. Then I added in our instruments into the mix, making it sound very authentic, but having the commercial track to fill out the missing parts.

I added some reverb to the voice parts to make them seem more realistic for a choir. I deleted lots of “silent” sections in each part to reduce extra noise (in Audacity, you generate silence, not delete).

I worked on the auditory field, playing with the balances of each part. Since we have two harps, I placed one 30% to the left and one 30% to the right. All this helps in the final stereo mix.

Once I had everything like I liked it, I exported the final audio mix to use later in the video software.

PREPARE YOUR VIDEO

Now the real fun begins!! I had used Adobe Premiere Elements on and off for a few years and began the project with that software. I quickly grew frustrated with its clunkiness and slow reaction and decided I needed something more powerful. I discovered DaVinci Resolve, a FREE and powerful video editor. I highly recommend it. I downloaded it and completed the project. I made frequent use of Google to determine how to do tasks in this new software.

As I mentioned, this could have been done much better than my finished project, but with limited time and capabilities, this is what I produced. Taking time to color correct each video would have been helpful to the final product as well.

First, I determined I did not want just one view for the entire song (50 videos on screen the entire time), but manipulating 50 videos every few seconds would be astronomically time-consuming in the production process! In doing this, I committed to never using just a few singers in a scene–I would use either all women, all men or everyone. (I did black out the altos briefly in a couple of sections to provide a desired effect of entrances).

I then prepared a video collage of all the ladies and another one for all the men. Each had space on the sides that additional videos could be placed. Also, I was able to crop these two scenes to include them together so the entire choir would be seen.

So, I imported all the ladies videos, synced the audio with the master recording, cropped each video to squares and placed them on a 5×5 grid. I cropped the pianist video with just the keyboard and some of the pianist showing and placed it in the space left over on the right side. I checked to make sure everything synced properly and then exported an mp4 of the entire song with just the ladies. This video will be used in the final production.

I repeated this process with the men, but added drums and piano to the left side after placing the men in a 4×4 grid.

This is a look using just the two videos from the ladies and the men:

This one adds additional videos of instrumentalists:

Next, I started a new timeline and dumped the men’s and ladies’ videos in as well as all the instruments. THen I began to design the looks to match the music from beginning to end. I tried to keep things changing all the way up to the final big last chorus where almost all hands were on deck.

Here is an example of a scene featuring some of the instrumentalists:

This is the area where much more time could yield a better project. You have to determine how much time you can give to the project and plan accordingly. My decision to make the 25 ladies videos into one and the 16 men videos into one was a huge time saver.

Note: After I synced the videos (using audio waveforms) I deleted all the audio except the master I produced in the audio software.

Once I was satisfied with my product (I added bumper graphics I designed in Canva), I exported the final video, uploaded it to Facebook and scheduled a premiere.

FINAL THOUGHTS ABOUT VIRTUAL CHOIR

The project certainly takes time to produce. I do feel it builds community at a time when your groups are isolated. I was amazed by how great the group could sound from 50 video recordings taken on mobile phones! I hope this project helps people worship our mighty God throughout the world.

Barna & Viola: A Candid Look Back at Pagan Christianity

By
J. R. Miller
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communicating with the unchurched

It’s been four years since George Barna and I released Pagan Christianity. Joe Miller recently caught up with George and me, giving us our first exclusive interview in four years. Joe’s questions were excellent.

Here’s the interview.

Joe Miller: Before we get to your current life, can you tell us, what has been the most enduring and positive legacy of your book, Pagan Christianity?

George Barna: The book has helped many people to open their minds to the fact that the organized, localized, congregational form of ministry commonly known in the West as “the church” is a human construct that was neither dictated by God nor described or found in the Bible. In that sense, I think the greatest legacy of the book, based primarily on Frank’s extensive research, is giving people an awareness of the truth about the history of the modern local church body and the tremendous possibilities for more meaningful ministry experiences and expressions.

Frank Viola: One of the most enduring qualities (and effects) of the book is that it has given millions of Christians permission – biblical and historical permission – to question cherished church practices and traditions in the light of God’s written Word. It has effectively driven many believers – including pastors – to reexamine the way they practice church in view of New Testament principles and church history.

Since I have a very high view of Scripture, I count that as a positive thing. It’s also given many Christians a new appreciation for those believers in the past (like the Anabaptists) who dared to challenge the religious establishment of their day on the basis of Scripture. In this regard, the Reformation has never ended, including the Radical Reformation of the Anabaptists.

As John Stott famously said, “The hallmark of an authentic evangelicalism is not the uncritical repetition of old traditions, but the willingness to submit every tradition, however ancient, to fresh biblical scrutiny and, if necessary, reform.” I believe the local church is highly important to God and His purpose. Our book merely demonstrates that the local church has (in many cases) been redefined and reinvented outside of scriptural lines. Thus, restoration is needed.

Joe Miller: I wonder if there are things you wrote four years ago that do not reflect your thinking today. Is there one thing you can point to in your current writing or ministry that reflects the biggest change from the man you were four years ago?

Frank Viola: With respect to the content and research, I am more convinced today than I was four years ago that what we wrote was accurate. Part of that conviction is based on the fact that thousands of reviews and critiques tried to refute the book, yet none of them were successful in discounting it. Instead, many critics had to resort to personal attacks and/or misrepresentations. We dedicated an entire page that answers questions, objections, and critiques to the book.

Use Short Words – Preaching that Connects

By
Brooklyn Lindsey
-
communicating with the unchurched

A few years of a great religion degree can lengthen the words in your vocabulary. This isn’t a bad thing. I love words. I love to use new words, especially after I’ve learned to understand what they mean! One of my favorite words learned in undergrad was the word concomitant. It’s a word that means that something naturally occurs together with something else, or follows it. I loved learning this word because it helped me understand how God does multiple works of grace in our lives–at the same time–justifying us completely as well as sanctifying our hearts by the truth.

This is meaty stuff. Awesome to talk about, except such words signal passivity. They leave a listener with abstract ideas–unable to connect them with the needs they have and want to deal with.

Over the years I’ve had to learn to let the temptation to sound educated die. It hasn’t been easy. It’s a struggle not to default to what we’ve learned formally in books, blogs, and bachelors degrees. But it has worked, to return to short bursts of clarity, bright and powerful words placed intentionally together that help a listener to GRASP the power of God’s story involved in their lives.

Our ministry isn’t understanding and being able to articulate theological terms in the right context and with the proper pronunciation (while it is supported by it) Our ministry is found in connecting with the listener.

Preaching that loves knows this. It’s a practice in self-denial. To think in terms of the other. To be clear, to be connecting, to be vulnerable–all the while being rooted in Scripture and open to the work of the Holy Spirit–this is opposite our desire for others to hear our concerns, our study, our perspective.

I know if what I have to share, is about Christ and making him known clearly–then the work will also be done by Him. This knowledge frees me to speak with authority. It removes doubt and we find ourselves being able to connect at another level.

The next time I’m tempted to be pithy or to “wow” an audience with how much I know (which takes quite a bit of doing as far as I’m concerned), I ask for God to correct me. To line me up with the heart of Christ. Empty me. So that I can preach the Word clearly and with authenticity. Thinking of who is hearing and how they may be receiving it.

“Jesus wept“. This story, this line of God’s Word is one of the most clear and concise Scriptures in the Bible. It tells the whole story. It reveals. It connects.

We can always make more room for God as we pray that he would become greater (John 3:30) in our ministries. And as we become less…God will continue to refine us to be great communicators of the Kingdom–connectors to Christ and his great love.

In this case, less really is MORE.

In Their Own Words: Why Religious “Nones” Are Leaving the Church

By
Megan Briggs
-
Group of multi-ethnic young people having fun together outdoors

The number of people who identify as not ascribing to any religion (also referred to as “nones”) is on the rise.

A new survey conducted by Pew Research asked religious “nones” why they no longer identify with a religious group. An article on the survey results clarifies the attributes of this demographic, stating, “They can be broken down into three broad subgroups: self-identified atheists; those who call themselves agnostic; and people who describe their religion as ‘nothing in particular.’”

The responses are intriguing and highly varied, as should be expected among a diverse demographic. However, a few themes emerged as Pew discussed the responses.

Lack of Belief

The most commonly given answer among those who grew up attending some kind of religious service was lack of belief. Specifically, things like science or logic were cited among this group. Some respondents got even more specific and said, “I don’t believe in miracles.”

Dislike of Organized Religion

One in five people cited a more definitive dislike of organized religion. One person expressed, “I see organized religious groups as more divisive than uniting.” Other people cited “The clergy sex abuse scandal” and “The church’s teachings on homosexuality.”

Unsure About Religion

Eighteen percent of the respondents said they are religiously unsure. As in “I believe in God, but in my own way.” The classic response of being “spiritual” but not religious also came up.

Inactive Religiously

One in 10 people are now “inactive” when it comes to religion. Meaning, they do not currently take part in religious practices for one reason or another. One of the reasons cited was being too busy.

A summary of the results can be seen in the table below:

Half of ‘nones’ left childhood faith over lack of belief, one-in-five cite dislike of organized religion

Phil Vischer: Social Welfare Is Not to Blame for Racial Inequality

By
Jessica Lea
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communicating with the unchurched

On June 14, Phil Vischer (who is known for being one of the creators of VeggieTales), posted a video called “Race in America,” which has generated over 1.2 million views as of this writing. In a follow-up video posted a few days ago, Vischer addressed four questions people have been asking him in response to his initial post, and he encouraged his white viewers not to downplay their role in fighting racial injustice.

“Those of us in the majority have been in the majority since the very beginning,” said Phil Vischer. “The policies that created inequality came from the majority. And any big changes needed to address that inequality will need the support of the majority.”

Phil Vischer Discusses Poverty, Welfare, and the Breakdown of the Family 

Phil Vischer says there are several questions he has received repeatedly in response to his first video, which  “kind of went viral.” The first was essentially, “What about the fact that Black fathers are often absent?”

Vischer referenced a report created in 1965 by Robert Moynihan for President Lyndon B. Johnson. The report made the case that African American families were in crisis because of their high rate of out-of-wedlock births. At the time, 25 percent of Black women had children outside of marriage compared to five percent of white women. Moynihan saw this as a national crisis connected to the fact that Black men could not get work to support their families.

Today, the disparity is still there and the rates have increased: 70 percent of Black women have children out of wedlock, compared to 30 percent of white women. But we learn something important if we look at how educated the mothers are. The out-of-wedlock birth rate among white women who have a college education is five percent. Among white women with a high school diploma, it is 40 percent, and among white women with no high school diploma, it is 65 percent. This last number is very close to the average out-of-wedlock birth rate for Black women. It is also worth noting that since 1965, the out-of-wedlock birth rate has been growing faster among white Americans than it has among Black Americans. 

Vischer concludes, “Marriage isn’t collapsing in Black America. It’s collapsing in working-class America.” He believes the reason that the numbers are worse in Black communities is that African Americans are two-and-a-half times more likely to be living in poverty than white Americans are. 

One factor Vischer sees contributing to unemployment and the breakdown of Black families is the fact that unskilled manufacturing jobs have become automated, moved to the suburbs, or moved overseas. Unable to find jobs, uneducated men lose faith in the idea that they can go to work, bring home a paycheck, and support their families the way that their fathers and grandfathers did. “Without the hope of being able to support a family,” said Vischer, “men give up on the idea of fatherhood, and family is in collapse.”

There is one other ethnic group in the United States that is comparable to the Black community in its high rates of unemployment, out-of-wedlock births, and single-parent homes. That group is Native Americans. “Think about it,” said Vischer. “These are the only two groups of people that weren’t given a choice whether or not to live in white America, the only two groups that have been actively and consistently treated unjustly by European settlers since before there even was an America.” 

He went on, “And today they are the two groups whose communities are marked the most by poverty, unemployment, and addiction. Is it just a coincidence that we see the most dramatic breakdown of family structure in the two communities that have faced the most historic injustice?”

Phil Vischer on the Welfare State

The next question Phil Vischer addressed is whether or not the welfare programs of the 1960s increased Black poverty and unemployment. His answer to that is a resounding, “No.”

The Black poverty rate was 55 percent in 1959. In 1969, after President Johnson launched his War on Poverty and created federal welfare programs, the Black poverty rate dropped to 32 percent. This does not prove that Johnson’s policies were directly responsible for this decrease (this was a time of overall economic growth in the U.S.), but the numbers do show that those policies did not cause poverty in the Black community to increase.

Ethical Concerns Raised Over COVID-19 Vaccine

By
Stephanie Martin
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communicating with the unchurched

After Australia announced a deal with AstraZeneca that will provide free COVID-19 vaccines to all citizens upon approval for human use, religious leaders wrote to Prime Minister Scott Morrison about moral and ethical concerns.

The Oxford vaccine, one of dozens being tested, relies on a line of stem cells originally obtained from an aborted fetus. Though scientists say that’s standard practice—and necessary to ensure safe use on humans—some religious groups oppose it for ethical reasons. 

The Vaccine ‘quandary’

In their letter, Sydney’s Catholic and Anglican archbishops, as well as Australia’s Greek Orthodox archbishop, urge Morrison, an evangelical Christian, to pursue “alternate vaccines that do not raise the same ethical concerns” with its development. Other requests include not making a vaccine mandatory and not punishing anyone who refuses it for religious reasons.

Vaccines are needed to defeat the coronavirus, the signers admit, but, “This will be better achieved if the vaccines available do not create an ethical quandary.” The letter emphasizes that “our churches are not opposed to vaccination…but we pray that it be one that is not ethically tainted.”

Pro-life groups in America and Canada also have contacted politicians regarding ethical concerns of vaccine research. 

Scientists Respond

Fetal stem cells, used in vaccine development for 50 years, are integral to safety testing, say researchers. Rubella and chickenpox vaccines emerged that way, for example. The cell lines have existed for years and aren’t from recent fetuses.

Dr. Nick Coatsworth, Australia’s deputy chief medical officer, acknowledges the religious leaders’ concerns but says vaccines need to grow in cell cultures. “There are strong ethical regulations surrounding the use of any human cell, particularly fetal human cells,” he says, adding that Oxford is reputable and uses “the highest of ethical standards internationally.”

Robert Booy, a professor in Sydney, says Christian groups have previously agreed to this testing method because there’s a “big distance between the cell line and the final vaccine.” Unlike adult cells, fetal cells replicate frequently, he adds, and “the purification of the virus means they don’t include human DNA in the actual vaccines.”

The Roles of Faith and Science

Political leaders in Australia say they’re following medical advice and will urge widespread vaccination, when available. Jim Chalmers, opposition treasury spokesman and a Catholic, says vaccines are the way to “get us to the other side of this diabolical health problem.”

Meanwhile, more than 2,700 evangelical leaders recently signed a statement from BioLogos, the nonprofit founded by geneticist Francis Collins, a devout Christian. The “Christian Statement on Science for Pandemic Times” urges believers to neither politicize the coronavirus nor “ignore clear scientific evidence.” It also recommends that Christians “listen to scientists and doctors when they speak in their area of expertise, especially when millions of lives are at stake.”

To those who accuse medical professionals of changing advice throughout the pandemic, the statement says that represents “good scientific advice and honesty,” not error.

Science and faith can work together, the statement notes. The signers recognize that “vaccination is a provision from God” but add, “It is our faith, not science, that overcomes fear and brings hope.”

Church Vandalized a Week Before Roger Stone Appearance

By
Jesse T. Jackson
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communicating with the unchurched

A church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, pastored by Greg Locke, was vandalized late Saturday night/early Sunday morning in an act that appears to have been incited by the church’s upcoming scheduled appearance of Roger Stone. Stone, a former 2016 campaign advisor for President Donald Trump and convicted felon, is scheduled to speak at next week’s worship service at Global Vision Bible Church.

Stone was invited to give his testimony about standing up with 500 other people at a Franklin Graham prayer service this past January and confessing that he was a sinner (thus committing his life to Jesus).

Vandal(s) sprayed painted vulgar comments and Bible verses around the Global Vision Bible Church campus including the rental tent they have been using for their outdoor worship gatherings due to the pandemic. The perpetrator(s) wrote, in a couple of places, “Locke and Stone will burn in hell” and Titus 1:16 which says, “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.”

Locke said, “They wrote ‘FU’ in big letters right on the top of my pulpit right here. So I guess that means forgive you in Jesus name…So whoever did it we forgive ya!” He comically, yet sincerely, told the vandal(s), “If you want to silence Greg Locke, don’t write FU on my pulpit.”

An estimated $5,000 in damages was done, but no forced entry to any of the buildings was discovered.

Romans 16:18, “For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive,” was also spray painted on one of the buildings next to Titus 1:16.

Global Vision Bible Church Never Closed

Pastor Locke hasn’t shut Global Vision Bible Church down amid all the state’s COVID-19 mandates because he believes the church is an essential service to the community. Global Vision Bible Church has been meeting outside since late March, and in a July Facebook Live video Locke said, “I will go to jail before I close our church.” Locke adamantly expressed, “They will be selling frosties in the lake of fire, before Greg Lock and Global Vision Bible Church ever closes down…we are staying open, we are packed to capacity, you ain’t got to wear a mask, we’re not social distancing.” The video received over 64 thousand reactions and 16 thousand comments.

Falwell Admits Wife’s Affair, Subsequent Battle With Depression

By
Jesse T. Jackson
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Liberty University president
Screengrab Instagram @Jerry Falwell Jr.

Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr., who was recently suspended after posting an inappropriate vacation photo on Instagram, released a statement revealing that he has suffered from depression for years because a former family friend has been threatening to expose an affair he had with Falwell’s wife, Becki.

“I’m just tired of it…it’s just got to end,” Falwell told the Washington Examiner’s “Secrets” division.

Falwell revealed that Becki’s affair happened with a young man whom they befriended while they were on a vacation eight years ago in Miami, Florida. The young man, identified as Giancarlo Granda, was working at the hotel they were staying, and the couple was “impressed by his initiative in suggesting a local real estate opportunity.” The Falwells bought a youth hostel in Miami and put Granda. The affair took place shortly after the death of Jerry’s father (Jerry Falwell Sr. 1933-2007) while Falwell was working long hours to grow Liberty University, and Becki was traveling to Miami to finish the hostel deal.

Falwell said that after learning about the inappropriate relationship, he lost 80 pounds and “people who saw me regularly thought that I was physically unwell, when in reality I was just balancing how to be most supportive of Becki, who I love, while also reflecting and praying about whether there were ways I could have been more supportive of her and given her proper attention.” He said, “Becki and I forgave each other, because while her indiscretion may have been more obvious and apparent, I realized that there were important smaller things I needed to do better too,” citing both Matthew 5:27-28 and Ephesians 4.32 in his statement.

Liberty University President Claims He Wanted to Protect the School

After Becki’s confession, the couple “extended the spirit of forgiveness to this man with respect and kindness, both for spiritual and religious reasons, and in the hope that we could help him find his way and allow us to put this behind us, without any harm or embarrassment to our family or to the LU community to which we have dedicated our lives.” According to the Falwells, what followed were years of angry and aggressive threats and demands for money. Falwell said, “We were doing our best to respectfully unravel this ‘fatal attraction’ type situation to protect our family and the University.”

However, an article published in Reuters tells a different side to the story—Granda’s side. In it, Granda claims Falwell was also involved in the affair and feels the couple preyed upon him. “Whether it was immaturity, naïveté, instability, or a combination thereof, it was this ‘mindset’ that the Falwells likely detected in deciding that I was the ideal target for their sexual escapades,” Granda said. Granda also provided screenshots of text messages and audio recordings of phone conversations he exchanged with the couple.

Falwell Advocates for Mental Health Counseling

The suspended Liberty University president said that he is taking the time to seek help for the “emotional toll” the whole situation has taken:

I am now dealing with things in a way that I should have done before—including seeking to address the emotional toll this has taken. I shouldn’t have been afraid to admit my vulnerabilities and to reach out for assistance from the mental health professionals who could have alleviated this pain and stress. I am committed to speaking out and sharing with others at Liberty the importance of seeking counseling instead of thinking you need to be tough and try to bear these burdens on your own. I am in the early stages of addressing these issues.”

Falwell cited Proverbs 3:5-6 and explained, “The trauma of this experience has brought us to a very challenging point in our lives, but we are strong, our faith in Christ is greater than ever, and with His help and with those in the community who we love and who appreciate the impact of forgiveness, we will get through this. We ask for your prayers and support.”

Albert Mohler Kicks Off New School Year at SBTS With Fiery Convocation Address

By
Megan Briggs
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communicating with the unchurched

Albert Mohler jump started the new academic year at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In his Convocation sermon, Mohler made the bold claim, “We’re beginning this academic year in an act of outright intellectual subversion.”

Mohler goes on to make several more strong claims, but his main point is this: Because God’s word is settled, “We’re not trying to figure out what to believe. We’re not trying to figure out what to teach. We’re not trying to figure out what the faith is supposed to be. We’re not trying to figure out how to make the faith more relevant for the modern age. We’re not trying to figure out how to reform theological education in order to try to recover some purpose amongst the ruins of a theology lost.”

Instead, Mohler states they are there to “stand with every faithful teacher throughout the history of the Christian church.”

You can watch a strong segment of his sermon in the video below.

One on Ones, 101: The Perfect Primer on Contact Ministry

By
Katy Langley
-
communicating with the unchurched

So you’re getting to know students beyond just the “Oh hey, good to see you again!” You’ve got some contacts and you want to start getting into some “spiritual conversations”, but how exactly do you go about that? You hear that “intentional discipleship” is a hallmark of great youth ministries, but, uh, what are you supposed to do in a one on one, sit down and say, “Okay kid, here we go. Time to follow Jesus, lemme give you a rundown.”??

Here’s a few tangible jumpstarters you can use as you move from “contact work” to “intentional discipleship” during a one on one.

How to Do a One on One

  • Extend Specific Invitation

Students want to know you care. Take time to invite specifically and personally. Whether this is asking if they want to take a quick walk during free time at camp, or grabbing boba after school on Tuesday, initiate. Suggest a time and follow through. If you don’t initiate it, it probably won’t happen.

  • Prepare Back Pocket Questions

These are a lifesaver! Pre-loading a few questions makes one-on-ones way less awkward all the way around. As you get to know the student more, you can think ahead to follow up with prior conversations. See the below list of sample questions for ideas.

  • Listen, Listen, Listen

Simple. Difficult. Takes practice. Worth it. You’re there to hear them first, not the other way around. Students are rarely heard and often spoken to, so reversing that trend is more meaningful than we can imagine. Advice has its time and place, but often, students need to first be given constructs for thinking for themselves, not just thoughts to think. Ask questions that will help them understand what they’re saying; ask questions that help them figure out a solution. Sit on your hands. Resist answering. Encourage thoughtfulness.

A special note, too, on pain: stay present. There’s no formula for grief and there’s no fixing hurt. Empathy first, solutions second. If a student shares something that hurts, be fully present: make eye contact, acknowledge the difficulty, grieve that all is not as it should be. Lament is biblical.

  • Resource the Student

One on ones don’t end at the one on one. Help the student take next steps of their own by equipping them. For example, if you have a student eager to serve, network them with a local non-profit. If you have a student interested in social justice, get them a book that a social leader has written. Handing them something to pursue on their own time is a huge way to help root what you have planted in your conversations.

  • Have Your Own One-on-Ones

You need mentors too! What works in those relationships? Can you imitate it with students?

  • Follow Up

Some students you’ll meet with regularly, some you won’t. That’s okay. Make sure, either way, you remember something the student shared and follow up, even if it’s as simple as an intentional greeting the following program. A little goes a long way. Students need to know they are noticed and valued, and a one-on-one with no follow up or acknowledgement of the time together can almost backfire. Whether it’s a funny moment from your time, or a significant follow-up question based off something difficult they shared, make sure you show them that you really heard them!

Back Pocket Questions

What’s one strength/highlight and one struggle/pain in your life right now?

This is a great “polaroid” of their life and things that they’re proud of and wrestling with.

What’s your family like?

You need to know this information. Period. How’s their relationship with their parents? Do they have siblings? Do they split time at Dad and Mom’s places? Are they alone in their faith, or lack of faith? Is home a healthy or hard place for them?

What are three things I need to know about you?/What’s something you’re super good at?

Give students a “brag-free zone” and a chance to fill you in on things that are important to them! 

What character is God in your life right now?

A personal favorite! It’s a way to help students creatively envision the role God is playing in their lives. Answers vary from “a lifeguard – he’s distant but I know he’s looking out for me” to “a lion, terrifying and huge and powerful”. It’s a thought-provoking question that promotes students looking into where they see God actually present on the daily. Especially fun to follow up on a couple years later.

Where do you see Jesus in your life right now?

More or less a rephrasing of the above, but more transformation-oriented. But be prepared for the “I don’t,” answer sometimes!

If you don’t mind/You don’t have to answer…

Avoid creating any kind of space where a student feels trapped. When you’ve reached a level with students where you’re asking personal questions about their lives and choices, preface difficult questions with a way out. They want to be known, so don’t be afraid to ask questions, but make sure they feel safe with you and know that there’s no pressure to answer anything they don’t want to.

How do you feel about that?

Help students understand themselves! Often a rant on a situation by a student will reveal little of their own worries and fears in themselves. Don’t be taken in by the temptation to fix a situation when the student simply wants to be heard and understood first.

What do you most want?

This is gold. Similar to the above, it helps refocus the conversation away from a “fix-it” to a human conversation. Sometimes what the student wants is a million miles from what they are talking about, and this question helps bring clarity to the conversation.

This article originally appeared here.

4 Reasons Why Praying Leaders Have Faster Growing Groups

By
Jim Egli
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communicating with the unchurched

One of the most significant findings from my research involving over 4,000 small group leaders is that praying small group leaders have faster growing groups. I’ve always been intrigued by this. Why does something that no one sees—the leader’s personal time with God and their prayer for their group—impact a small group’s growth so significantly? I think there are four simple reasons why praying small group leaders have more magnetic groups.

  1. God answers prayer. Jesus said, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for” (Luke 11:9, NLT). Praying small group leaders ask God to do great things in their group and he loves to answer their requests.
  2. Praying small group leaders are compassionate. When leaders pray for their members, they capture God’s heart for them, and people are drawn to the concern and love that they feel in a group led by caring leaders.
  3. God directs praying leaders. When we take time with God, we can better hear his voice and more clearly receive his direction. Instead of just running with our own ideas, the Holy Spirit can begin to direct things and this makes everything go better.
  4. Praying small group leaders invite God’s presence. Have you ever noticed in the Gospels how magnetic Jesus was. Crowds of people always wanted to be with him. They loved to be touched by him, to hear his voice and receive his blessing. The same thing is true today. People don’t need us, they need God. As we take time with him and invite his presence in our lives and our groups, Jesus becomes more central and he is the real secret to small group growth. He said, “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (John 12:32).

What does this mean for you and me as small group leaders? It’s pretty simple really. Consistently take time to enjoy God. Make time with him a refreshing part of your daily routine. As you do that, take some time to pray for your small group members and your small group meeting. Ask God to do big God-sized things that show just how awesome, great and compassionate he is.

Remember Jesus promised: “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.” What are you going to ask God to do in your group this week?

This article originally appeared here.

Help!, My Pastor Grooms Power with Fear

By
Scot McKnight
-
communicating with the unchurched

A young Christian entering into ministry once told me that his principal Christian mentor informed him that he (the mentor) had the “gift of intimidation.” Gulp. Power leaders with the so-called gift of intimidation, which is not a gift but a strategy for aggrandizing power through fear, make up the world of politics and business. And, at times, the church. Especially one with a toxic church culture.

Add to this strategy the make-up of a narcissist and you have a toxic church culture that may well appear to everyone as successful, strategic, innovative, observably Christian and biblical, and worthy of emulation. Once the curtains are pulled back, and one might have to say IF the curtains are pulled back, what was observably Christian and biblical becomes ugly, unChristian, unbiblical, and contrary to the gospel.

Pastors who are power-through-fear leaders groom people into their power and fear culture. Here are some of the noticeable features of that grooming. Power, and Laura and I develop this more in our book (A Church called Tov), has the capacity to diminish a person’s ability to empathize and care and make persons reckless and care-less (other than for their own power).

Eight elements of a power-through-fear culture:

  1. Power becomes invested, knowingly or not, intentionally or not, in a single person, the pastor.
  2. The pastor’s approval becomes the only meaningful approval in the leadership and staff. Remember, that for some people the pastor’s approval is God’s approval.
  3. Those approved by the pastor (and his inner circle of approvers) experience status enhancement. “If the pastor approves me, I must be somebody.” In power through fear cultures an inner circle of the approved is formed and those inside know they are special. They are special because they are approved. Hear this: a message of unconditional love by God is thwarted by a pastor who approves of others conditionally. This is nothing less than grooming for the pastor’s power. We don’t need inner circles in churches who are inner because they’ve been groomed to be insiders.
  4. Power pastors have a blade that cuts on both sides: it provides status enhancement on one side and status diminishment on the other.
  5. The power of the pastor and his or her inner circle has become fear-based. Staff and other leaders are now intimidated. This is grooming.
  6. Judgments and decisions are made behind closed doors. Insiders know, outsiders don’t know, but the ruling reputation remains: our pastor is great, our church is great, let’s keep it up.
  7. Behind that wall of secrecy lurks a culture that fears status degradation by shaming, humiliating, and re-assigning. This culture is formed through private reporting to the power pastor about what so-and-so said or did. Now everyone is wondering about everyone.
  8. The end of the power culture is removal from the toxic culture of power-through-fear, leading very often to guilt (before God, mind you) and humiliation and depression and the impacts of gaslighting.

As Ronald Enroth, an expert on power-based church leaders, describes it, an abusive, fear-based church culture emerges with power-mongering leaders:

Ruler is the right term to describe the kind of people in authoritarian leadership roles. . . . They are spiritual tyrants who take unholy pleasure in requiring obedience and subordination of their followers. It is important to recognize that leadership depends on followership, and from a truly Christian perspective, that means cooperation with the leader rather than domination and control by the leader. The source of legitimate Christian leadership therefore lies in entrusted authority.

The spiritual autocrat, the religious dictator, attempts to compel subordination; the true Christian leader can legitimately only elicit followership.

Everything about this kind of power-through-fear culture is wrong, it is anti-gospel, it is anti-pastor, it is anti-Jesus, and it is anti-biblical and subChristian. But it is the way of the Kosmos and Flesh and so it creeps into church cultures seeking to remake us in its grip.

In the coming weeks I will develop posts about what Laura and I call the “Circle of Tov,” or the circle of goodness that forms into a goodness culture. But we have to know what we are up against so we can resist toxicity, and the two major problems facing a tov culture are narcissistic pastors and their power-through-fear culture formation.

This article originally appeared here.

Six Characteristics of Gospel-Shaped Love

By
J.D. Greear
-
communicating with the unchurched

Jesus said the most defining characteristic of his church should be its love (those characteristics were then discussed in Romans 12). Your love for each other, he told his disciples, is how the world will recognize that you belong to me.

What convinces the world of the truth of the gospel is simply not our defense of the faith; it’s our love for each other. Francis Schaeffer said, “Love on display in the church is Jesus’ final apologetic to the world.”

There are six characteristics of gospel-shaped friendship from Romans 12 that, if the church adopted well, would attract people more than great music or special services. In fact, people would be beating down our doors to hear more.

1. Our love should be without hypocrisy (Romans 12:9).

One of the worst Southern phrases is “Bless his heart.” That means, “What I just said is really mean, but I’m going to make it OK by seasoning it with some Southern politeness.” For example: “That woman is a snake … bless her heart.”

Paul says our love should be different. It shouldn’t just be seasoned; it should be love all the way down, from our words to what we wish for others in our hearts.

That’s an easy thing to say, but sometimes people are difficult to love—and that’s where Romans 12:1 kicks in: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God …” (CSB). The gospel enables you to love someone despite their flaws because it puts you in touch with the tenderness of God for you.

2. Our love should be grounded in God’s truth (Romans 12 v. 9).

Have you ever seen parents who don’t discipline their child, even when it is necessary? They just can’t bear the tears or anger of their kids, so the moment their child pushes back, they cave—even if it’s not good for the child.

Parents who do this (and that’s all parents at some point, by the way, myself included) aren’t loving their children too much, but too little. They love being liked by their child more than they love their child.

The same thing applies to our relationships in the church. We have to love each other enough to tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable, because love that is not based in the truth is ultimately not love at all.

3. Our love should feel like family (Romans 12 v. 10).

The love at work within the body of Christ should resemble the love at work in our families.

In a healthy family, for instance, if your sibling develops a problem, you don’t give up on them. If your parents become needy in their old age, you don’t say, “Well, I just don’t have space for this in my life.” No—you rearrange your life to take care of them, even if that means they move in with you.

Your relationship to the church should be like family—a family where you show up for your brothers and sisters not because it’s convenient or benefits you, but because gospel love means when one member of the family has a problem, the rest of the family makes it their own.

4. Our love should recognize the inherent worth God has placed in every person (Romans 12 v. 10).

The gospel teaches us to think differently about people, to recognize and acknowledge the value someone has because he or she is made in the image of God.

C.S. Lewis wrote,

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare.”

Go out of your way to lift up others. As Paul says, “Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10 ESV).

5. Our love should brim with the inherent optimism of God’s promises (Romans 12 vv. 11–12).

Romans 12:11–12 says, “Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer” (CSB).

You are never working in a circumstance too difficult or talking to someone who is too far gone because our God brings life back from the dead. We can rejoice in the hope of God’s good promises, knowing he is relentless in his commitment to his children.

When someone is afflicted severely, we can help them bear it with patience because we know God is working all things together for good (Romans 8:28) and that what Satan and others mean for evil, God will overturn for good (Genesis 50:20).

We can be persistent in prayer because we have a God who hears and answers prayer (Psalm 103:17).

These are gospel promises that brim with optimism and on which we stand. As William Carey said, “The future is as bright as the promises of God.”

6. Our love should express itself in tangible actions (Romans 12 v. 13).

In Romans 12:13, the order of commands is important: “Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.”

Taking care of each other in the church comes first because we’re family. We should be committed to each other in such a way that we bear each other’s burdens together. But it should never end there. Our love and commitment to each other should then spill out into the streets in the form of hospitality and bringing in the outsider.

The early church is our best example of how to love in this way. They did not multiply because of great musicians, snappy teaching, or impressive buildings (remember buildings?). They multiplied because of how they loved.

A church (1) marked by love without hypocrisy, (2) grounded in God’s truth, (3) that feels like family, (4) that recognizes the inherent worth in every person, (5) that is optimistic because of God’s promises, and (6) that expresses itself in tangible actions—isn’t this the kind of community you want to be a part of? Isn’t this the kind of community the world yearns for?

Paul connects all these “shoulds” to being renewed in and saturated with the gospel: Therefore, in light of the mercies of God, you can be transformed into these kinds of people.

It’s only through faith in what God has done that we are empowered in what we ought to do. The fire to do in the Christian life comes from being soaked in the fuel of what has been done.

“We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). The only way to love like this is to see yourself as a recipient of great love. Rooting yourself in the love of God for you is how love for God and others grows in you.

This article originally appeared here.

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