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Why Church Giving Is Decreasing

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You are trying to comprehend why church giving is down. You may know several possibilities, but you aren’t certain.As I have worked with several congregations, we have isolated the issue to one or a few causes. See if any of these causative factors may be at work in your church.

Why Church Giving Is Decreasing

  1. Lower attendance. OK, I may be stating the obvious here, but it is worth noting. I spoke with a pastor whose church’s giving is down 15 percent from a year ago, and the attendance is down 12 percent. There is a high correlation between attendance and giving in church, even if you have a strong online giving component. It is also worth noting that attendance frequency is down in many churches, if not most churches, as well. The family who attends three times a month is more likely to give more than the same family attending two times a month.
  2. Generational shifts. Builders, those born before 1946, are more likely to give to the church out of institutional loyalty. Boomers and Gen X have the highest family incomes, but their giving in church is not as consistent. Millennials thus far are not strong givers in our churches. In many churches, the Builders are being replaced with Millennials. In other words, more generous givers are being replaced with less generous givers.
  3. Giving to purposes rather than organizations. From the Builders to the Millennials, there has been a dramatic shift in the motivations for giving. The Builders, as noted above, are more likely to give out of institutional loyalty. Thus, church leaders could exhort this generation to “give to the church,” and they would respond positively. The Millennials, however, give to purposes rather than organizations. Church leaders must demonstrate with specificity how the funds in the church are being used for a greater purpose. And that greater purpose must be real, personal and compelling.

The Need to Be a Pastor-Theologian

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Their child had only begun showing symptoms two days earlier. Deeply concerned from the beginning, they tried not to panic but called the doctor promptly, only to be told to take their son to the emergency room immediately. The staff made a valiant effort, martialing every medical resource to fight the meningitis, but to no avail. I stood with the parents as the mortician took their baby boy’s body away. The need to be a pastor-theologian never mattered more than when the heartbroken mother asked two questions. “Why did God do this? Will I see my baby again?”

A medical doctor can medicate that mother and numb her bleak agony. A psychologist or social worker can share coping mechanisms to navigate the overwhelming flood of anguish she feels. The task of a pastor-theologian, however, extends far beyond numbing or even coping with the pain. The pastor has the most difficult and most liberating truth to share. He has to point them to the glory of God in their pain. Nothing could be more inherently theological than that.

Done correctly, biblical pastoral ministry is inherently theological because, unlike secular counselors, psychologists and social workers, pastors deal with the eternal and spiritual nature of things. When a married couple struggles, for instance, they can find many resources that might help them get along better or even lead them to the elusive goal of finding happiness—in this life. A pastor, however, has the task of pointing them to God’s design in the creation of the world as well as our destiny in the consummation of the age. Marriage looks back to the Garden of Eden and forward to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. No secular counselor will ever tell a married couple, “Your marriage is not about you, or your happiness, or your fulfillment.” They will, in fact, tell them quite the opposite.

The pastor, however, knows a theological truth that the world does not acknowledge: The chief end of humanity is to know God and to enjoy him forever! That is a theological truth and that shapes the way we live our lives, perform at our jobs, choose and marry a spouse, live in marriage, have children, sorrow in our losses, bury our dead, and grow old and die. We will never see that the struggles and sorrows of this world are but a slight momentary affliction if we do not comprehend the eternal weight of glory for which they prepare us.

Not only is the pastor no different from secular counselors without theology, he is in some ways worse. He’s usually less trained and less experienced than his secular counterparts and cannot offer the expertise that others possess. But when he is equipped with the Word of God, grounded in the truth, filled with the Spirit, called by God and yielded to Christ, he is able to point them to a transcendent God who is sovereign and faithful. Steeped in a Christocentric theology, the pastor can hold out a hope through the Gospel that transforms our suffering and our struggles so that we more than conquerors through him who loved us!

That theological understanding of the world has to saturate everything the pastor says and does. Expository preaching that teaches the congregation the Word as well as how to understand it is essential. Systematic and comprehensive teaching helps a congregation get on solid theological footing before tragedy comes. A church doesn’t need a theological worldview only in sorrows but in everyday life. That theology shapes and sharpens our understanding of everything. The Bible has to be the filter through which we process every event and every thought. In other words, theology becomes ontological. God’s truth is the air we breathe, the thing that sustains our lives. The pastor has a unique role in helping his congregation think biblically and theologically about everything.

My answers to that mother’s questions were not glib nor trite. Her struggle to understand and to trust God in this moment was the same struggle that saints of God like Job, Habakkuk, David and Paul felt millennia ago. She was not wrong to ask the questions nor to acknowledge the bitter sting of grief. But through the truth of God’s Word, I had real answers for her. They were not the kind of platitudes that purport to explain the secret things of God, but they did provide her with a definite hope that nothing but the Spirit of God could provide.

Theology is ultimately the story of God and his redemption. A pastor-theologian helps his people discover that their story—even in its struggling, painful dimensions—is part of that marvelous, grand story of God and his glory.

 

This article on the need for a pastor-theologian originally appeared here.

Best Advice for New Worship Leaders

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When the Lord first called me into resident ministry, I’d always thought of myself as the “young buck” of a minister. You know that feeling? Wide-eyed, unmarried, eager, limited responsibilities and ready to take on the world for the sake of the Gospel. New worship leaders are distinct from the older worship leaders, the godly men and women who’ve been in your shoes.

Best Advice for New Worship Leaders

In my context, these older worship leaders were typically married, parents, slower to speak, had a few years of life experience over us, and carried just a bit more wisdom under their belts than new worship leaders. However, for us as new worship leaders, I feel as though we receive a different type of development compared to them. I’d like to provide some helpful points from what I’ve learned as a young worship leader.

1. Strive to be a pastor

Friends, just because you lead worship doesn’t mean you are the worship pastor, there’s a difference between leading an integral part of a Sunday liturgy versus being charged as a pastor to a local congregation. A pastor shouldn’t be a mere title, but rather it should be the lifestyle at which you shepherd people.

I learned this the hard way while serving at my old church as a brand new youth worship leader. I remember having an explicit conversation with the youth pastor regarding my leadership expectations. This pastor went on to define my role and told me that I was not a pastor. My pride was shattered at that moment, but he was absolutely right. I was not a pastor, nor was it my responsibility to be a shepherd for that church body. Here’s why:

Consider the words of Paul to the Church in Ephesus, “I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” (Ephesians 4:1).

At the time, I was around 19 years old but wasn’t equipped in my theology or doctrine, and struggled with my personal holiness in order to shepherd students. It was important for me to recognize that I was not a pastor and submit to my ministry leadership. In turn, this spurred my desire for pastoral growth later on. To be pastoral means to take on the roles of a shepherd. Shepherding means guarding, caring, feeding and leading the flock of God. Furthermore, as new worship leaders we cannot appoint ourselves as shepherds to the flock of God; only the Chief Shepherd can.

2. Crave growth and feedback in all areas of ministry

One phrase that’s familiar for any past or present worship resident from our team is to “crave constant feedback.” You may be thinking of the people who have already given you feedback on your worship leading. Yes, those people, but I’m not talking about your worship feats or musical capacity. Instead, ask more experienced people in your immediate ministry to assess your character. Going back to Ephesians 4, Paul continues from verse 1, “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.” These are qualities of character that every follower of Christ should be striving toward, including new worship leaders.

Bible School Snacks: 18 Yummy, Memorable Snacks for Children

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Bible school snacks are a great way to enhance your VBS and Sunday school lessons. Plus, you’ll fill hungry tummies while making connections to Scripture. Read on for 18 easy, high-impact treats to share with students!

From the moment Jesus first broke bread with his disciples to a Sunday school teacher sharing a snack with kids, the Christian experience has been passed from one hand to another in the form of food and fellowship. Food is one of God’s many gifts—a true blessing that serves many purposes. It nourishes, satisfies, and prompts us to share with others. Food is a delicious, tangible reminder of the blessings God gives us.

Plus, food is lots of fun! It looks, smells, and tastes great. And it’s the perfect way to make  Bible lessons even more memorable and exciting. These 18 amazing—and simple—Bible school snacks will intrigue, engage, and entice the children in your ministry as they explore the Bible. And each food craft comes with suggested Bible connections to help you get the most out of your munchables!

Alert: Some of these VBS and Bible school snacks contain peanuts or peanut products. Check for allergies before allowing children to create or consume any items.

18 KidMin & Bible School Snacks

1. Bible School Snacks: Gone Fishin’

Ingredients:

  • Pretzel sticks,
  • peanut butter or cream cheese,
  • paper plates,
  • Goldfish crackers,
  • and a knife.

This is a fun, active snack that illustrates how difficult it can be to “catch fish”! First, use the knife to spread peanut butter or cream cheese on a paper plate. Then fill another paper plate with Goldfish crackers, and place it next to the first plate.

Next, have kids dip one end of a pretzel stick into the peanut butter or cream cheese. Then, using their pretzel stick “fishing rods,” have kids “catch” Goldfish crackers by touching the dipped pretzel ends to Goldfish crackers and picking them up to eat. Monitor kids to prevent “double dipping.”

Bible Connections: Follow Me, Mark 1:16-20; Catching Fish, John 21:4-7.

2. Bible School Snacks: Apple Boats

Ingredients:

  • Apples,
  • thin cheese slices,
  • toothpicks,
  • paper plates,
  • and a knife.

First, core and quarter the apples. Then push a toothpick through opposite ends of a cheese slice to create a “sail.” Next, place the apple wedges on paper plates, skin side down. Then insert a “sail” into the center of each apple wedge.

Bible Connections: Jesus Stills the Storm, Mark 4:35-41; Walking on Water, Matthew 14:22-27; Catching Fish, John 21:1-14; Paul Shipwrecked, Acts 27.

3. Bible School Snacks: Baby Moses Baskets

Ingredients:

  • Large biscuit shredded wheat cereal,
  • marshmallow creme,
  • peanut butter or Nutella hazelnut spread,
  • melted butter,
  • mixing bowls,
  • mixing spoon,
  • wax paper,
  • jelly beans,
  • and red licorice whips.

For every four servings, place one cup of crumbled shredded wheat cereal in a bowl. Then in another bowl, stir one cup of marshmallow creme and one tablespoon of peanut butter or Nutella into 1½ tablespoons melted butter until the mixture becomes syrupy. Next, pour the marshmallow mixture over the shredded wheat cereal, and mix all the ingredients together.

Then form four equally sized balls from the mixture and then place them on wax paper and use your thumb to indent each ball, creating a “basket.” Next, use a 3-inch piece of a red licorice whip to create a handle and attach it by sticking it into the top sides of the “basket.” Lastly, put a jelly bean in each basket to represent baby Moses.

Bible Connections: Baby Moses, Exodus 2:1-10.

Alternative: Fill the baskets with Goldfish crackers and white jelly beans. They can represent the leftover baskets of fish and bread when Jesus fed the 5,000. Or place the indented balls on their sides to represent Jesus’ tomb.

4. Bible School Snacks: Pools of Fish

Ingredients:

  • Blue Jell-O gelatin,
  • boiling water,
  • cool water,
  • gummy sharks,
  • clear plastic cups,
  • a mixing bowl,
  • and a mixing spoon.

First, combine the gelatin and boiling water in the mixing bowl, following the package directions. You’ll need enough gelatin for each child to have ½ cup. Then add cool water, and pour equal amounts into the clear cups. Refrigerate the cups until the gelatin begins to thicken. Next, suspend gummy sharks in the middle of the gelatin cups. Then place these Bible snacks back in the refrigerator until the gelatin is set.

Bible Connections: Creation, Genesis 1:20-23; Jonah and the Fish, Jonah 1-2; Follow Me, Mark 1:14-20; Catching Fish, John 21:1-14.

5. Bible School Snacks: Sunshine Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • Yellow frosting,
  • cupcakes,
  • candy corn,
  • orange Tic Tac mints,
  • plastic knives,
  • and red licorice whips.

Spread yellow frosting on the cupcakes, and then arrange candy corn pieces around the cupcakes’ edges to create the sun’s rays. Finish by adding two orange Tic Tac mints for eyes and a red licorice whip for a smile.

Bible Connections: God Creates Light, Genesis 1:14-18; The Day the Sun Stood Still, Joshua 10:12-14; Easter Morning, John 20:1-9.

6. Bible School Snacks: Baking Bread

Ingredients:

  • Bread dough,
  • cookie sheets,
  • a clean work surface,
  • access to an oven,
  • oven mitts,
  • and nonstick spray.

Give each child a fist-sized piece of bread dough, and have kids each roll the ball into a “rope.” Then, on the cookie sheets, have kids shape their ropes into ovals, crossing the ends to create fish shapes. Once kids have perfected their shapes, bake the bread according to the recipe directions.

Bible Connections: Boy Shares Lunch, Mark 6:30-44.

Louisiana Pastor, Also a School Headmaster and Former ‘Survivor’ Contestant, Convicted of Child Cruelty

John Raymond
John Raymond on Season 5 of "Survivor" in 2002. Screengrab from YouTube / @officialsurvivorfan

After a contentious six-day trial, a jury found prominent Louisiana Pastor John Raymond guilty of three felony counts of child cruelty, plus one count of second-degree child cruelty. The charges stemmed from his disciplinary actions as headmaster of Lakeside Christian Academy, a ministry he founded through New Horizon Church in Slidell.

In 2022, Raymond taped shut the mouths of three seventh-grade students after they repeatedly disrupted class. He also put his hand over the mouth of a 4-year-old who was having a tantrum, preventing the child from breathing.

RELATED: Louisiana Pastor, Academy Headmaster Arrested for Juvenile Cruelty a Second Time

After hearing the verdict read in St. Tammany Parish Monday (Sept. 23), John Raymond said, “I’m not guilty. I’ve never been cruel to a child, and I love children.” The pastor and headmaster, who’s also an elected member of the Louisiana Republican Party’s state central committee, has claimed he’s a victim of cancel culture.

Raymond faces up to 40 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 23.

Pastor John Raymond Is Active in GOP Politics

This closely watched case was “in the crosshairs” of a “culture war,” according to Joseph Long, John Raymond’s attorney. The defense argued that prosecution witnesses were “wrathful” and that one, a former Lakeside teacher, was a “rumormonger.”

Northshore District Attorney Collin Sims, a Republican, rejected claims that he had succumbed to wokeness. “The law is the law,” he said. “You can’t put your hands on kids that aren’t yours without a parent’s permission. It was a pastor’s duty to counsel, not suffocate, the child.”

Parents of the victims have also filed a civil lawsuit against Raymond. Through an attorney, they said, “We will pray that John will benefit from this humbling experience and become the religious and community leader that he wishes to be.”

Raymond, a 2002 contestant on the reality TV show “Survivor,” also owns a local Christian radio station. He has testified about religious and educational issues at the Louisiana State Capitol, opposing LGBTQ rights and supporting biblical teaching and displays in public schools.

Last year, while Raymond awaited trial, he launched an unsuccessful bid for a State House seat. One theme of his campaign was “Reject the woke trans-agenda.” On the New Horizon website, Raymond’s sermons and blogs point to America as a “Christian nation.”

After Raymond was convicted Monday, Louisiana Republican Rep. Mike Bayham urged the executive committee of the state’s GOP party to remove the pastor. “It’s time to end the embarrassment,” posted Bayham.

School Defended Headmaster John Raymond

Pastor John Raymond’s legal troubles began in spring 2022, when Louisiana’s Department of Children and Family Services informed Slidell police about potential child abuse at Lakeside Christian Academy. After police investigated, they arrested Raymond twice that spring, once for the mouth-taping incident and again for covering the preschooler’s mouth.

Raymond, who took a leave of absence from the school at the time, posted a statement explaining and defending his actions. He said he gave the seventh graders a choice between having their parents called and being suspended or having their mouths taped for a few minutes. They all chose the tape and weren’t harmed or prevented from breathing, he said.

Learnings From Lausanne, Part 2: The Beauty of Community

Lausanne
Photo courtesy of Philip Miller

Note from Dr. Ed Stetzer: I’m here in Korea at the Lausanne Global Congress. During and after the congress, I am hosting delegates on ChurchLeaders. Today, we have Phillip Miller, pastor of The Moody Church in Chicago.

As the second day of Lausanne 4 draws to a close in Seoul-Incheon (if you missed yesterday’s piece, “A Taste of Heaven,” you can read it here), I want to reflect on the beauty of community I’ve glimpsed through our global brothers and sisters.

In the western world, it’s no secret that we live in a hyper-individualized culture. We tend to think of ourselves as the main character in the drama of our own stories, seeing everyone else as supporting cast. We enter and exit relationships, schools, jobs, clubs, and neighborhoods largely based on what those things have to offer us. We prize independence and autonomy, charting our own course through life.

In much of the world, life is understood very differently. In many cultures, the family and community come first. Individuals are important, but see themselves as enmeshed in a web of vital relationships and social responsibilities. Honoring those familial, societal, and cultural responsibilities is both a privilege and responsibility.

If the late modern West lives for independence, most traditional cultures live for interdependence.

I’m struck by how deeply interdependent Jesus calls us to be as his body, family, temple, and bride. We are not our own, but have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We are being built together into a living temple (Ephesians 2:21-22). We are joined together to one another in growing and mutually intertwined body (Ephesians 4:16). We as the people of God are together the redeemed bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27). The New Testament vision for the Church is one of deep mutuality and interdependency.

As a North American steeped in a hyper-individualized culture, I tend to view discipleship largely in terms of my own personal walk with God. I tend to see going to church, bible study, or meeting with Christian friends as tools to help me make progress in my walk with God. It’s mainly Jesus and me.

But as I talk with our global brothers and sisters from around the world, I’m struck by how differently they see discipleship. They see discipleship as a community of people filled with the Spirit learning together what it means to follow the way of Jesus. They see the gathered community as the very heart of discipleship. It’s mainly Jesus and us.

Our global brothers and sisters are quick to point out that traditional cultures often place too much emphasis on family and cultural expectations. They know the cost involved when Jesus says that following him outranks family obligations (Mark 3:31-35). For them, it is the call of individual allegiance to Jesus that confronts their cultural assumptions.

For those of us who swim in the culture of hyper-individualism, it is the call to mutual, interdependent community that confronts our cultural assumptions.

We in the West have much to learn from our brothers and sisters in the Majority World. They see some of our cultural blindspots. They know the beauty of community. The question is whether we’ll be humble enough to listen and learn.

Practical Insights to Overcoming Worry

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Leaders worry about stuff. I don’t mean that wring your hands, fretting and get sick to your stomach kind of worry. But the kind of natural focused concern about the things you care about.

Like we “worry” about our kids. Parents care, we just do. We want our kids to be safe, healthy and make good decisions. That’s normal, but not the best use of our emotional energy and spiritual capacity.

The bottom line is that worry isn’t helpful, productive, and rarely if ever changes anything.

There are common worries leaders experience such as:

  • Worry about what other people think.
  • Worry about what we can’t control.
  • Worry about difficult decisions.
  • Worry about finances.
  • Worry about conflict and division.
  • Worry about opposition or a confrontation.
  • Worry about failing relationships.

Corrie Ten Boom said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” That is such good wisdom.

But on a practical level it doesn’t help to simply say “Don’t worry, it will all work out.” As leaders, we know that things work out when we work them out. It requires someone to be out front leading or someone to be working behind the scenes and always in partnership with God. That’s how it “all works out.”

A good attitude and optimistic thinking always helps, but It’s more complex than that.

Sometimes in an attempt to stop worrying we overthink, overreact and end up getting stuck in the state of worry. It’s like telling someone, “Don’t think about the pink elephant.” Guess what they will think of.

Conquering worry is connected to taking appropriate action. We’ll come back to that idea, but for the moment, lets focus on what’s happening when we trade worry for the sense of “At this point I really just don’t care.”

The emotion connected to “I don’t care” is a self-protection mechanism especially in cases of prolonged, unresolved or heightened worry. And rarely is it true, because you really do care, and that’s why that kind of thinking doesn’t work.

What is actually happening is that the worry has caused you to become overwhelmed, and you lose perspective in your thinking. The result is various forms of “I don’t care” are masking your honest emotions.

Essentially, worry is wasted emotion, and rethinking your circumstance is necessary.

Undivided: How Regular Churchgoers Cultivated Racial Unity

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These days, it’s hard to avoid the divisive rancor that characterizes so much of our public life. In times of deep contention, how can church leaders equip people to bear witness to the gospel in a deeply convictional way, yet still be a source of unity—so that their communities can continue to grow and multiply? Navigating these turbulent times is no easy task for anyone in leadership. 

I am not a pastor, but this is a question that I contend with all the time in my role as a university professor and the director of an institute charged with (among other things) trying to bridge divides in our campus community. The unprecedented levels of polarization in our society have tempted me to throw up my hands, achieving peace simply by avoiding the most contentious topics.

But working on this book, “Undivided: The Quest for Racial Solidarity in the American Church,” made me realize how important it was not to give in to the temptation to avoid the hardest issues. 

Undivided

The book traces the journey of four congregants at the Crossroads church in Cincinnati, Ohio—two men, one Black and one white, and two women, one Black and one white—who were all part of a racial justice program called Undivided in 2016. They each became animated to take on the work of contesting racism but then had to grapple with inevitable backlash from their friends, family, workplaces and, at times, their church community. They were each tested in their conviction to take faith-filled risks for racial justice—and none of them came away unchanged. Neither did I.

One of the core lessons that emerges from “Undivided” is that leaders play a crucial role in designing the settings within which people learn to take on the risks that can come with bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed. Too often, we think about the challenge of discipling people as a challenge solely of individual development—what business people might call a “demand-side” problem (as in cultivating the demand among people to live a life consistent with the teachings of Jesus). But programs like Undivided teach us that is only half the challenge. 

The other half is the “supply-side” problem—how do we design and distribute the opportunities people have to practice bearing witness to the teachings of the gospel? Living a convicted life can be hard work, especially on issues as divisive as race in America. Most people are not born with the capabilities they need to do it. In the same way that people need gyms to develop their physical muscles, people need gyms to develop the muscles they need to live lives of faith. 

But we all know that some gyms are better than others. By paying careful attention to the social and structural conditions in the community they created, Undivided was able to create a “supply” of opportunities that pushed people to become more courageous in their commitment. 

Two design principles are worth noting here. First, they created communities of radical belonging, creating the social conditions that made people feel safe enough to ask hard questions, try new things, and come to own the work of racial justice as their own. Undivided organized people into intentional mixed-race groups and spent a significant amount of time helping people develop bonds of trust and relationship. Those small groups became ground zero in shaping a new set of behaviors amongst people in Undivided.  

Second, they scaled the work through a honeycomb structure that connected small groups operating at a human scale to each other. Linking those groups to each other allowed the work in those groups to have larger ripple effects through the community in ways that enabled it to bend without breaking under the weight of disagreement. 

How to Choose a Nursery Pager System

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What is a Nursery Pager System and how can it help you? A nursery pager system can be used as a telecommunications tool. Although it functions more like a radio, it is much easier to use. Pagers, chargers and transmitters are all part of paging systems. The radio signals are received by the pager from a particular paging network. The pager will either blink or vibrate depending on the signal it receives.

What is a Nursery Pager System?

The nursery pager system allows church staff to communicate easily with parents. Staff can call the parents by entering their pager number onto the transmitter. The pager will vibrate and blink to notify parents.

How to use a nursery pager system?

Pager systems can be very simple to use, believe it or not. When parents arrive at the nursery, staff should give them a pager containing a number.

Staff will then insert the pager number of the parent into the transmitter for emergencies. The transmitter will send out vibrations and lights to parents.

How can a nursery pager system be useful in churches?

It’s inevitable that there will be an emergency, so it’s a good idea to have a plan. Although cell phones are a great way to communicate, they might not be the best tool for your church’s nursery.

Parents might need to have their phones off or on silent mode in order to concentrate on the service. It can disrupt the church service and cause them to be the focus of unwanted attention.

You Don’t Understand the First Thing About Discipleship

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I hate to tell you this, but you don’t understand the first thing about discipleship. I was the same way. I had taught and written about discipleship for 30 years, and discipled many people both one-on-one and in small cadres. But recently I realized that my primary assumption about discipleship was wrong.

What am I talking about? I always thought that discipleship should immediately follow someone’s coming to Christ. In other words, I thought that discipleship followed evangelism. But I was wrong. Discipleship actually begins before someone comes to Christ! This is the biblical model. It is the one that works best. And, when we make this paradigm shift it changes everything.

While it’s true that someone who comes to Christ should be discipled—and I co-authored a great book for this, Beginning the Journey, that has sold over 100,000 copies in English and been translated into many languages—underneath this is a flawed assumption. Discipleship ideally does not follow evangelism. Discipleship actually begins before someone’s coming to Christ.

Let’s begin by looking at this biblically, and then we will look at it practically.

In the gospel of Mark, Jesus’ ministry begins in 1:15, as he declares, “The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Immediately after this, in verse 17, he begins gathering disciples on the seashore, challenging Peter, Andrew, James and John: “Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.”

Think about it: Were these guys born again when they started to follow Jesus as his disciples? I think you’d have to agree that they were not. It was seven chapters later that they begin to realize that he was the Messiah, and even then they are pretty confused about what that meant (Mark 8:27-33). And, it was not until the day of Pentecost, three years later, that the Holy Spirit invaded and changed their lives. Notice, however, that long before they recognize Jesus as the Messiah and years before their lives are transformed by the Holy Spirit, they have already been following Jesus and doing their best to obey him. Their discipleship began long before their conversion.

The same thing is true today. Almost always people begin to enter into Christian community and start to follow Jesus in small ways before they fully give their lives to him. As they learn to obey him, they discover that he is good and real and trustworthy, and—having experienced him for themselves—they put their full trust in him as Savior and Lord.

Biblical Perspective on Sports Ministry: Balancing Faith & Athletics

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A biblical perspective on sports ministry looks at connections between faith and athletics. Keep reading for a closer look at these two areas.

“Did you watch the game last night?” Sports are an ever-present, increasingly influential fact of life in America. They’re the topic of conversation around the office, at the gym, and on social media. Participation in and identification with sports are as great now as ever.

Don’t misunderstand. I’m a fan. I’ve enjoyed sports since I started playing football in my backyard. After my stellar playing career—5th/6th grade basketball & 10th grade practice soccer squad—I’ve taken to playing recreationally and cheering for my favorite teams. For people who want to cheer and bet on their teams, they can do so online.

Most people are like me, I’ve discovered. They have some memories from the glory days, play a pickup game occasionally, but mostly enjoy watching sports. But a few years ago, I realized I was more than just an active viewer. Upcoming games set my schedule. I increasingly spent nights in front of a TV. Not only did I experience the emotions of a good game, but they hung around afterward.

Sports was taking too significant of a place in my heart. I needed to go to bed and watch highlights the next day. And I needed to prioritize pursuing Christ over my enjoyment of sports.

What I’ve wrestled with, I’ve also seen students and families walk through:

  • How do you balance sports and church?
  • How do you balance sports and academics?
  • What does it look like to prioritize Christ in your pursuit of athletic achievement?
  • How does your faith impact the way you compete?
  • In what ways are you using sports to glorify God and advance the Gospel?
  • When have sports become an idol in your child’s life or your family?

Teens and families need a biblical perspective on sports ministry. Where do you turn for answers on balancing sports and faith? Check out these resources:

Resources: A Biblical Perspective on Sports Ministry

1. On Sports and the Christian Life: An Interview With David Prince (Part 1 & Part 2)

David Prince provides answers to a wide range of questions about sports and ministry. He shares his own interest in sports, lessons from sports for the Christian life, and guidance for families of athletes. One of my favorite quotes comes from his response to avoiding sports idolatry:

Unthinking rejection or unthinking embrace of sports is a failure of Christian discipleship. I believe that the Christian with a rightly ordered, Christ-centered worldview is uniquely in a position to enjoy athletic competition as a good gift from God and his or her sports loyalties as a demonstration of providential rootedness in time, place, family and community. (See also this TGC post.)

For more from David Prince, see his book In the Arena: The Promise of Sports for Christian Discipleship.

2. Don’t Waste Your Sports – C.J. Mahaney

This eight-part series from a fellow sports-lover is full of great advice for athletes and fans. Mahaney’s focus is helping athletes play to the glory of God. If your child plays sports and wants to be faithful to Christ, Mahaney’s book based on these posts makes a great gift (Don’t Waste Your Sports).

3. Are Youth Sports a Friend or Foe to Christian Discipleship? – ERLC

This is an important question. The answer can go either way depending on parental leadership. We can use sports to serve ourselves or glorify God. Sports can pull kids’ affections away from Christ or compel them to live for Christ. “Sports, rightly understood, are but a means to a greater end of delighting in God. Though, like all good gifts, sports can be corrupted and become an idolatrous competitor with God instead of a means to glorify him.”

For other helpful resources, check out this podcast on Youth Athletics and ERLC’s Resources on Sports.

Bible Characters for Kids: 22 KidMin and Sunday School Resources

Bible characters for kids
Adobe Stock #510643767

Bible characters for kids are standard Sunday school fare. Heroes from the Old and New Testaments teach us important lessons today. Some of the first ways we instruct children in God’s Word is by reading about beloved Bible characters.

Begin with an age-appropriate children’s Bible or Bible storybook. Look for easy-to-understand text and attention-grabbing images. Read aloud with excitement, pointing out pictures and answering questions along the way.

Search online for a list of Bible characters for kids, from Genesis to Revelation. Remember to include people from a variety of nations and backgrounds. Also include female Bible characters, people from parables, miracles, and more.

Note: Some teachers avoid “Bible characters” and “Bible stories.” Their thinking? Those may imply that Scripture is fictional. But referring to “Bible accounts” and “Bible people” can get awkward. So use the wording that works best for you. Just emphasize to kids that everything in the Bible is from God and true.

For a glimpse of free resources available online, we’ve collected a bunch below. Use or adapt these for Sunday school lessons, children’s church messages, and family devotions.

22 Bible Characters for Kids

First up, here are materials about key people in the Bible.

1. Overview

Sermons4Kids has a list of many Bible characters for kids. Click on each name for loads of free teaching and enrichment resources.

2. Bible People Printables

Next, make Scripture come to life with these Bible figures. You can print and cut them out.

3. List of Bible Characters

This site offers helpful summaries about important people in Scripture.

4. Male Bible Characters

Boys may be drawn toward Bible stories that feature male characters.

5. Female Bible Characters

Girls may be drawn toward Sunday school lessons featuring biblical girls and women.

Learnings From Lausanne, Part 1: A Taste of Heaven

Learnings from Lausanne, Part 1
Photo courtesy of Philip Miller

Note from Dr. Ed Stetzer: I’m here in Korea at the Lausanne Global Congress. During and after the congress, I am hosting delegates on ChurchLeaders. Today, we have Phillip Miller, pastor of The Moody Church in Chicago.

As a part of the North American delegation to the Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization hosted in Seoul-Incheon, South Korea, I’m sharing a few “Learnings from Lausanne” from this historic week as I reflect on the ways in which God is opening my eyes to his heart for the nations.

We just finished the first full day of the congress about an hour ago. The jet lag was noticeably evident for many of the participants, but that didn’t diminish the wholehearted worship of the global church gathered some 5,000 strong from 200+ nations. I’m told this is the largest gathering of the global church in world history. And frankly, it’s a little taste of Heaven.

I’m reminded afresh that God’s heart beats for the nations. God is on a mission to glorify His name by redeeming for himself a people from every nation, tribe, language, and tongue who will come alive in joyous relationship with him, through the redemption of his beloved Son, by the power of his Spirit. From the dawn of creation to the renewal of all things, this is what God has always been about.

In creation, God made humanity in his image and commissioned them to fill all the earth with his likeness, demarcating his rule and shalom throughout all creation. When God chose Abram to be the father of a great nation and covenant people, that blessing was given so that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).

In God’s commission to Israel, redeemed from bondage in Egypt, we again see his heart, “you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6). Israel was to serve a priestly function, living holy unto the Lord as a showcase to the nations of a flourishing life under the reign of God, and mediating his covenant blessings not only for Israel but for the whole world. They were to be a light to the nations, a vision that resounds throughout the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms (67:1-3; 96:1-9; 117:1-2) and Isaiah (42:6-8; 60:1-3), where the nations are invited to come up to Jerusalem to know the living God.

When we turn to the New Testament, the Father sends his Son into the world for the purpose of redemption (John 3:16) as “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:32). Jesus is the lamb who will take away the sins, not just of Israel, but of the whole world (John 1:29).

In Luke 24:44-47, the resurrected Jesus explains,

Everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled…that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

According to Jesus, all the Scriptures point to the mission of God through the crucified and risen Christ bringing forgiveness to all the nations.

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus’ followers are sent out to make disciples “of all nations.” In Luke 24:46-48, Jesus declares that he will send the Spirit promised by the Father upon his disciples that they might go and be his witnesses “to all nations.” In John 20:21, Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” In Acts 1:8, Jesus sends out his witnesses “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

‘What Kind of Man of God Would Do That?’ Judge Asked OH Pastor, Sentenced to Prison After Jan. 6 Capitol Riot

William Dunfee
Tyler Merbler from USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

More than 1,500 people have been charged for crimes related to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Ohio Pastor William Dunfee used a bullhorn to spur on the mob. Dunfee was charged with and convicted of two felonies, with a sentence of 30 months in prison and an order to pay $12,000.

“What kind of man of God would do that, sir?” asked presiding Judge Reggie Walton.

OH Pastor William Dunfee Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Jan. 6 Attack

On Jan. 6, 2021, a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in the middle of the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. After a speech made by former President Donald Trump urging supporters to “fight like hell,” the mob threatened the lives of Congress members as they took over the building.

According to United Press International (UPI), a pastor from Ohio, William Dunfee, was among the 1,500 suspects who faced felony charges for their actions that day. Dunfee “used a bullhorn to egg them on, falsely proclaiming Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen.”

The Justice Department said in a statement that Dunfee was convicted of two felony counts of “obstruction of an official proceeding or aiding and abetting and civil disorder” and two misdemeanor counts “of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds following a bench trial before Judge Walton on Jan. 22, 2024.”

Court documents include details prior to the Jan. 6 riot. Dunfee supposedly had posted a video on social media (on Dec. 27, 2020) directed toward the pastor’s congregation. “The Government, the tyrants, the socialists, the Marxists, the progressives, the RINOs, they fear you,” the video said. “And they should. Our problem is we haven’t given them reason to fear us.”

On the day of the U.S. Capitol riot, Dunfee used a metal barricade to physically push against U.S. Capitol police officers, according to the Justice Department. The officers were attempting to hold back the protest, protecting those inside the U.S. Capitol.

Dunfee also used a bullhorn to help communicate on behalf of the mob. “This election has been stolen right out from underneath of our noses and it is time for the American people to rise up,” Dunfee shouted in a video from the Justice Department. “Rise up. Rise up. Today is the day in which it is that these elected officials realize that we are no longer playing games. That we are not sheeple that are just going to be corralled according to their whims and their wills.”

The Justice Department said Dunfee addressed police during the attack, saying, “Mr. Police Officers, we want you to understand something. We want you to understand something. We want Donald Trump and if Donald Trump is not coming, we are taking our house. We are taking our house.”

The mob attack delayed election certification. Congress members were working on certifying the electoral results but had to take shelter during the riot. When Dunfee learned that the mob did, in fact, interfere with the certification, the Justice Department said he yelled, “Hallelujah! Mission accomplished.”

How Pastors Who Feel ‘Overwhelmed’ by AI Can Engage With It Well

artificial intelligence
Image generated by AI using Canva's Magic Studio™ on Sept. 23, 2024.

There are church leaders who want to ignore artificial intelligence (AI) completely and there are those who find it intriguing, but regardless of pastors’ feelings about the technology, it is essential that they engage with it. Experts whom ChurchLeaders spoke to at Gloo’s second annual AI and the Church Hackathon offered encouragement and practical steps for how pastors can do so well.

“It can be really overwhelming. And so probably the average church leader feels overwhelmed whether they admit it or not,” said Nick Skytland, one of the hackathon’s facilitators. Skytland is cofounder of Quite Uncommon, a strategy and technology firm, and he has also served as an elder in his church. 

“It’s just hard to keep up, right?” he observed. How are pastors, who “are juggling your ministry and all the complexities that come with pastoring and shepherding a local congregation” also to “keep up with the [news that the] world’s changing due to AI and it’s going to disrupt everything”?

“It can be very, very overwhelming for the church leader,” said Skytland. “But I think it’s really important for the church leader to know, this is not just a trend or a fad. It’s truly a transformational experience and it will impact everyone.”

Artificial Intelligence Is Here To Stay—So How Are Pastors Going To Engage With It?

Gloo, whose mission is to “release the collective might of the faith ecosystem,” held its second annual AI and the Church Hackathon in Boulder, Colorado, on Sept. 13-15. 

The theme of this year’s hackathon was “Redemptive Technology.” More than 200 attendees from the U.S. and other countries came together on 40 teams to compete for cash prizes by creating AI solutions that will support human flourishing and thriving churches.

RELATED: Gloo Holds 2nd AI & the Church Hackathon, Focusing on ‘Redemptive Technology’

Dr. Ed Stetzer, dean of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University and editor-in-chief of Outreach Magazine, told ChurchLeaders that as a missiologist, he evaluates anything by asking if it should be rejected, adopted, or adapted.

“I would say that we don’t have a choice to reject AI,” he said. “I mean, every time I put something in my phone, AI is engaged, right?” But he also would not “adopt it uncritically. For example, large language models have bias and some of the largest language models are biased more in a progressive direction.”

“I do think that we can adapt, use the tools, do so with a Christian worldview and a Christian sense of discernment,” Stetzer said.

“I think AI can be a superpower,” he continued. “I mean, I sit down and I teach pastors how to use AI, and it can save them hours every week if they use it appropriately and ethically. But they need to use it appropriately and ethically.”

Pastors should also recognize that “AI is probably going to be the biggest global disruption in our lifetime. And I think…pastors and church leaders need to learn more than they probably know now,” said Stetzer.

Not only will this knowledge “help them be more effective and fruitful and faithful in ministry, but [it will also] help their churches walk through what I believe will be a significant global disruption in everything we do.”

Steele Billings, Gloo’s director of AI Initiatives, suggested this disruption is something that God wants believers to seek his will on. “The church is the bride of Christ,” he told ChurchLeaders. “In the same way that if my bride were struggling with something, I would want her to come to me and talk to me…I believe that that’s God’s heart for artificial intelligence, too, is that as leaders, we should be seeking God for his purposes in my local context.” 

“We have a belief at Gloo that God is not surprised by AI, and that God allowed it to come into existence for his purposes. And there is a redemptive purpose for AI, and it can lead to the flourishing of people,” Billings continued. But these purposes will look different for every local pastor, and Billings encouraged pastors to “seek discernment” on how the Lord might be calling them to engage with AI. 

RELATED: Pastors, Don’t Let Your Fear of AI Cause You To Miss This Moment, Say Experts

“I would also encourage a pastor to take a few steps in trying something in their local context,” said Billings. “Use an AI model to ask a question that’s on the top of their mind, and see where that goes…but be led by the Holy Spirit, because we do believe that there are lines that can be crossed around ethics and morality of what should or should not be done.”

‘Permanently Disqualified’—Dr. Steven Lawson Removed From The Master’s Seminary and Grace Community Church Websites

Steven Lawson
Screengrab via YouTube / Caleb Bass

While it appears no formal announcement has been made by John MacArthur‘s Grace Community Church (GCC) or The Master’s Seminary (TMS) regarding the moral failure of Dr. Steven Lawson, Lawson has been scrubbed from both websites. 

Last week, Trinity Bible Church of Dallas released a statement sharing that Lawson, the church’s lead pastor, had been “removed indefinitely from all ministry activities” in light of an “inappropriate relationship” with a woman.

Lawson had been serving as the professor of preaching and dean of D.Min. studies at The Master’s Seminary and has frequently preached for MacArthur at GCC and at GCC conferences. He is also the founder of OnePassion Ministries.

RELATED: Dr. Steven Lawson Removed as Lead Pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Dallas Due to ‘Inappropriate Relationship’

Following the news of Lawson’s “inappropriate relationship,” OnePassion Ministries released a statement indicating that Lawson had “resigned from all his duties,” and the ministry removed all access to ministry resources featuring Lawson.

ChurchLeaders reached out to TMS for comment and was immediately referred to Trinity Bible Church of Dallas’ statement.

Over the weekend, it appears that both TMS and GCC have removed all of Lawson’s content from their respective websites. GCC previously hosted many of Lawson’s sermons and content on its website. That content is no longer on the site or available to be searched. TMS has done the same, removing Lawson’s profile from its site, as well as that of Trinity Bible Church of Dallas.

‘Permanently Disqualified’–GCC Elder Speaks To Dr. Steven Lawson’s Removal

On Friday (Sept. 20), a day after Lawson’s removal from Trinity Bible Church of Dallas, Lawson was scheduled to speak at the TMS-hosted Men of the Word Conference at Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, Virginia. He was removed in light of the scandal.

Others who spoke at the conference were H.B. Charles Jr., Abner Chou, Jesse Johnson, Austin Duncan, George Lawson, and Mark Zhakevich.

Austin Duncan, who is the director of the MacArthur Center for Expository Preaching, director of D.Min. studies and pastoral ministries department chair at TMS, and a GCC elder, explained to the nearly 500 men in attendance why Lawson wasn’t speaking.

RELATED: ‘It Has Been a Difficult Week’—Trinity Bible Church of Dallas Addresses Removal of Lead Pastor Steven Lawson

“I’m sure all of you have heard, one of our previously scheduled speakers permanently disqualified himself from pastoral ministry this week and brought disgrace to the name of Christ,” said Duncan.

NY Pastor Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Sex Abuse Material

James Swanson
Photo by Sora Shimazaki (via Pexels)

A former New York pastor has been sentenced to three years in prison for possession of child sex abuse material (CSAM). James Swanson, formerly of Rome Wesleyan Church in Rome, New York, will undergo 15 years of supervised release after he has completed his prison sentence. 

Swanson, 59, will also be required to pay $8,000 in fees and restitution. 

According to Daily Sentinel, authorities were alerted to Swanson’s illegal activity by Google in March 2022 after Swanson uploaded CSAM to his Gmail account. 

After opening an investigation and interviewing Swanson, authorities discovered that for years, Swanson would periodically download CSAM images before purging them and later downloading more. 

Swanson was taken into custody in September 2023. 

RELATED: MO Pastor Charged With 2 Counts of Promoting Child Sex Abuse Material

While the charges against Swanson meant he faced up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, he received a lighter sentence in exchange for pleading guilty. As part of the agreement, Swanson admitted to a years-long pattern of behavior involving CSAM. 

Swanson will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. 

According to a statement from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, Swanson had served as a pastor “for decades,” most recently at the Rome Wesleyan Church.

The investigation that led to Swanson’s arrest was a collaborative effort involving Homeland Security, the New York State Police, and the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office. 

RELATED: 86-Year-Old Pastor Charged in Child Sex Abuse Material Case Still Appears To Be Preaching

ChurchLeaders has reached out to Rome Wesleyan Church for comment and will update this article in the event of a response.

Pastor Steve Gaines Announces His ‘Transition Out of the Pastorate’ at Bellevue Baptist Church

steve gaines
Donna and Steve Gaines. Screengrab from YouTube / @BellevueMemphis

On his 19th anniversary as senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tennessee, Pastor Steve Gaines told congregants he “will now begin a transition out of the pastorate.” On Sunday (Sept. 22), Gaines read a letter from the pulpit, with wife Donna at his side. The 66-year-old, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), said he’s not retiring but hopes to travel and minister at different churches.

“The Bible says, ‘There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven’ (Ecclesiastes 3:1),” Gaines said. “Nineteen years ago, the Lord began a season for us at Bellevue, and now we have heard his voice that it is time for a new season.”

Last November, Gaines revealed he had been diagnosed with kidney cancer, which spread to his lungs. But Sunday he assured congregants his transition isn’t connected to health.

RELATED: Pastor Steve Gaines Reveals His Cancer Has Spread to His Lungs

“My treatments are going well, and I even received a good report last week on my latest PET scan,” he said. “But regardless of what tests show, I firmly believe the word the Lord has given me that ‘I will not die, but live, and tell of the works of the Lord.’ (Psalm 118:17).”

Pastor Steve Gaines Is Entering His ‘Fourth Quarter’

Before coming to Memphis-area Bellevue in 2005, Gaines served at SBC churches in Tennessee, Alabama, and Texas. He wasn’t asked to step down or pressured into the decision, he said.

“Many years ago, the Lord spoke to my heart that he would one day want me to serve as an itinerant preacher,” said Gaines. “That simply means that I would travel and minister at different churches instead of serving as the pastor of one church.” The pastor told Bellevue members that he and his wife “began talking about it a couple of years ago, and we agree that this is the right time.”

Although Gaines plans to be on the road often, Bellevue will remain his church and his ministry’s home base. “You have prayed for us, cared for us, and loved us well,” he told congregants. “We could never put into words how grateful we are for Bellevue Baptist Church.”

Gaines said he’s also eager to spend more time with the couple’s four children and 18 grandchildren.

“I am genuinely excited to enter into the next phase of ministry that the Lord has for me,” he said. “I’m calling it ‘my fourth quarter,’ and I’m ‘taped up and ready to play.’” Going off-script, the pastor noted that the fourth quarter is the “most important,” because that’s when a team wins or loses the game.

Transition Plans for Bellevue Baptist Church

Gaines assured worshipers he’ll “continue to preach and be your pastor until the Lord brings the next man, and then I will join you as our new pastor leads us.” He said, “My race as senior pastor of Bellevue is coming to an end, but my commitment to you is to keep running with all my strength and effectively hand the baton to the next senior pastor.”

Gaines has already started meeting with a transition team, and a pastoral search committee is forthcoming. He urged members to keep the transition process in their daily prayers.

“We do not know the exact timeframe in which this transition will be complete,” Gaines said. “But we are trusting the Lord to instruct us and teach us in the way that we should go and guide us with his eye upon us.”

‘It Has Been a Difficult Week’—Trinity Bible Church of Dallas Addresses Removal of Lead Pastor Steven Lawson

Steven Lawson
Screengrab via YouTube / @Trinity Bible

On Sunday (Sept. 22), Mark Becker, elder at Trinity Bible Church of Dallas, addressed the congregation for the first time since lead pastor Dr. Steven Lawson was removed last week for a relationship that Lawson had with a woman who wasn’t his wife.

In a statement published on Trinity Bible Church’s website, the elders said that they “regretfully announce that effective immediately, Steven J. Lawson has been removed indefinitely from all ministry activities at Trinity Bible Church of Dallas” due to an “inappropriate relationship that he has had with a woman.”

Removal of Dr. Steven Lawson Addressed by Elder

After greeting church attenders, Becker said, “It has been a difficult week for all of us. I know that it has been a very emotional week. In a lot of sense, it’s been sobering, and a lot has happened this week.”

RELATED: Dr. Steven Lawson Removed as Lead Pastor of Trinity Bible Church of Dallas Due to ‘Inappropriate Relationship’

Becker admitted that Lawson’s removal has resulted in “a lot of questions” and said he knows that they will continue. But Becker said that as an elder, “the only questions that are really important at this point is, how is this church, how is this local body going to move forward together?”

“When this church was founded in January of 2018,” he continued, “there was a charge that if we wanted to be a New Testament Church, that there were three things that we had to do in order to be a New Testament Church.”

Those three things are “preach God’s word faithfully,” “observe the ordinances” of baptism and communion, and, lastly, “practice church discipline,” Becker said.

He went on to explain why practicing church discipline is a must in a New Testament church: “God is a God of order. He is holy. And if you’ve been called, your charge, and my charge is to be holy.”

RELATED: Dr. Steven Lawson Resigns From All OnePassion Ministry Duties Following Moral Failure

After reading 1 Timothy 3:15, Becker said, “If you’re a parent and you have a child, you discipline that child because you love that child. You discipline that child because you want what’s best for that child.”

2 Realities That Often Stifle Conviction for Developing Leaders

developing leaders
Adobestock #805956048

Until one holds a deep conviction to develop younger or emerging leaders, leadership development will not happen. Conviction is necessary.

How do you know if you have a conviction?

If you can imagine leading without developing leaders, then leadership development is not a conviction. Think about it: Preachers who are convicted that the Word must be central in their messages could not imagine preaching sermons without the Scripture. To them, it would not even be preaching. Business leaders who are convicted that marketing or finance is an important discipline within their business would never consider leading without those disciplines. The principle applies to leadership development too; if there is conviction, leaders find a way to ensure developing leaders happens.

Two common challenges to developing a conviction for leadership development are the pressures surrounding the leader and the idolatry within the leader.

1. The Pressures Surrounding the Leader

If conviction for development within the leader is not greater than the pressures around the leader, leadership development will not happen. The pressure of the immediate, the inbox, and the interruptions are always there to pull us away from the task of developing leaders. The pressures of today pull leaders away from the task of developing others, because accomplishing a task today can feel more fruitful than investing time in someone for the future.

Of all people, Christians should have a conviction to develop others. Our Savior gave us the commission to develop others, and we are part of a long legacy of the faith being passed from one generation to the next.

2. The Idolatry Within the Leader

If the leader finds worth in his or her role, leadership development will not happen. One of the reasons leaders struggle to develop others is fear of loss of identity. If a leader’s greatest identity is the position or the prominence that comes with the position, then developing others could threaten the leader’s identity, as someone else could be perceived as being better for the role. It takes conviction to overwhelm insecurity—conviction that leadership development must happen.

Christians struggle with idolatry too, and the way to combat it is to rejoice more in what Christ has done for us than in what we do for Him or for others. If we don’t combat idolatry of our roles with reminders of our ultimate identity, then we will lose the motivation to develop others. If, however, we are in awe of Christ’s rescue of us, we are free to develop others and enjoy being part of their success.

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission. 

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