5 Roadblocks to Advancing the Gospel in Your Ministry

March 6, 2020

When you seek to build a youth ministry that advances the gospel deeply into the heart of your community (and in the process, deeply into the heart of your teenagers) you will face roadblocks. Anticipating these obstacles will enable you to be better prepared to overcome them in the power of Christ.

Here are five potential roadblocks you may face:

1. Fear

When it comes to sharing the gospel, fear is one of the biggest obstacle we face. Why? Because sharing the gospel can be a scary prospect! I’ve been sharing the gospel for almost 40 years and I still get nervous before I bring it up to someone. So if “the Dare 2 Share guy” gets nervous, it shouldn’t surprise you if you or your teenagers do as well.

How do we overcome our fears when it comes to sharing the gospel and help our teenagers overcome them as well? We pray! That’s how the Apostle Paul pinned down his knee-knocking nervousness, “Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel … .” (Ephesians 6:19)

2. Lack of know how

One reason more teenagers (and youth leaders for that matter) don’t share their faith more often is that they don’t exactly know how. Unfortunately, evangelism training courses are not usually well-attended when and if they are offered as an elective in youth groups or churches. But effective evangelism training is necessary if teenagers are going to know how to bring it up naturally, explain it clearly and follow up naturally.

That’s why I believe evangelism training should not be an elective. I am convinced every teenager (and adult) needs to be equipped on how to share the good news in their circle of influence. If you are struggling to find effective faith-sharing curriculum, check out the Dare 2 Share store. Teenagers can also download our free Dare 2 Share evangelism training app onto their smart phones.

3. Teen apathy

This is a tough one. Sometimes it’s hard to get teenagers motivated to share their faith because they just aren’t motivated to do it. How do you combat this? A combination of prayer, inspiration and focus!

Start praying for your teenagers to be more motivated in the area of evangelism. Ask God to move their hearts to action! Combine this with inspiring talks on the urgency of evangelism. Remind them about what’s at stake for their friends who don’t know Jesus (both now and for eternity.) Seek to break their hearts with what breaks the heart of God. And, finally, focus on the teenagers who show even a glimmer of interest in faith sharing. Like a little ember that gets lit with a flint in a small pile of kindling, gently blow on it until it flares up and starts to consume the kindling (aka “other teens”) around it. It only takes a spark to get a … (you know the rest of the song).

There Is No Such Thing as Perfect Christianity

Stephen Mattson

March 6, 2020

There’s no such thing as a perfect Christian, and there’s no such thing as perfect Christianity.

They don’t exist. One of the biggest lies Satan can tell you is that perfect spirituality can be achieved—it can’t.

There’s no perfect denomination.

There’s no perfect church.

There’s no perfect congregation size.

There’s no perfect style of worship.

There’s no perfect theology.

There’s no perfect children’s ministry curriculum.

There’s no perfect youth ministry philosophy.

There’s no perfect sermon formula.

There’s no perfect service sequence.

There’s no perfect leadership structure.

There’s no perfect interpretation of the Bible.

There’s no perfect strategy for evangelism.

Unfortunately, the idea of attaining perfect faith is perpetuated throughout Christendom. If you only attend this church more, pray more, tithe more, forgive more, sacrifice more, and ultimately do this or that just a little bit more—then you will attain blissful happiness, perfect harmony, divine communion with God and a happily ever after eternity.

But this type of perfection is impossible to attain, and it’s a deception many spend their entire lifetimes attempting to validate.

The concept of perfect faith is tempting to believe in, especially for religious authorities who wield any sort of power, control or influence. Churches, institutions, organizations, pastors, theologians and leaders want us to believe in their perfection—all we have to do is follow them, give to their causes, buy their books, attend their conferences, donate to their fundraisers and support their agendas.

Crazy Worship

Tom Lawson

March 6, 2020

Love sometimes gets a little crazy.

In college, a friend of mine wrote the love of his life a long and deeply romantic letter on an entire roll of toilet paper (you realize this is no small feat if you’ve tried to write anything on toilet paper). Other people in love have rented out huge billboards or hired advertising blimps. That’s just crazy. There’s something about love that pushes the boundaries.

In Luke 7:36-50, Jesus is having a nice lunch with a nice group of very nice people. It is a pleasant moment. No one has called him names. The conversation has been civil and respectful. All the proper boundaries have been preserved. Simon, who is hosting the luncheon, has not joined other Pharisees in dismissively attacking Jesus. Simon isn’t like that. He has opened his home, his table, his hospitality, and has been decidedly respectful to the less educated Nazarene.

The pleasant lunch abruptly changes when the town’s best known whore aggressively shoves her way into the room. Before anyone can stop her, she throws herself at Jesus’ feet and starts holding and intensely kissing them over and over.

By then the whole room is filled with an overwhelmingly strong perfume. Since Simon’s triclinium used the traditional low table, everyone eating was lying on their left side, and using their right hands to eat. There are no chairs. So, the scene you need to imagine is Jesus on his side with his legs extended as this unsavory woman starts frantically kissing his feet.

The only possible reaction in the room was embarrassed silence. No one kept eating. Not even chewing. Everyone looked away. Respectable people did not stare at the almost pornographically embarrassing display of feet-kissing. In polite Jewish society, men and women rarely touched or even spoke together in public. Certainly, strangers did not touch, except for prostitutes. Which, of course, is exactly the point. Here was this well-known woman holding and kissing repeatedly on the feet of a traveling teacher. Such behavior would cross all the lines of public decency.

Just as disturbing, the man on whom this uninvited effrontery was being committed did not pull his feet away or voice a protest. In fact, he seemed to be more or less enjoying it. It was all too much for the very respectable host.

“If he was really all that holy, he’d pull away.”

But, what if there was a holiness that called not for greater separation but for greater connection?

“If he was really a prophet he would know who that woman is.”

But, what if Jesus not only knows who she is, but also knows that you don’t think he knows? Hmm? Fit that little bit of information into your tidy little box of messianic assumptions.

And now it’s story time. Sadly, there are no puppets. Two people are in debt. And, look, there’s the cruel moneylender. Okay, change that to, there’s the kind-hearted moneylender. One man owes ten times more than other. And, poof, both debts are erased. Now, which of the two will love the moneylender more? Yeah, good job. You aced the quiz.

Now, this is where things start to get out of focus. Lurking in the story is a rebuke. She washed Jesus’ feet, kissed him and anointed him, while Simon had not done any of those things. Simon got it wrong and the unnamed lady got it right. But, take a moment to think about what this must mean.

Simon’s failure was just that he had not gone overboard. Simon did not reject Jesus. He didn’t call Jesus mean names. He even opened his home and offered Jesus a place at his table. And, on top of that, he shared some pretty tasty food. And, all the while, he addressed Jesus respectfully.

So, what did he do wrong? Okay, so he did not go running to the front door, fall down on the floor, and wash Jesus’ feet. He didn’t go running up and give Jesus a big hug and a kiss, as though he were a long lost friend. But, honestly, it’s not like Simon got down and washed everybody else’s feet or greeted all his other guests with big kisses. He had not been rude and just snubbed Jesus, letting him stand there as the only guy in the room with dirty feet. Simon, after all, was a very respectful and courteous fellow.

But ‘respectful’ only gets you so far. Genuine worship, like genuine love, sometimes has to get a little crazy. Extravagant, wild, exuberant and uninhibited abandonment of self-consciousness and respectability are the occasional, but essential, evidences of honest-to-God adoration.

No age group or worship style has a corner on people getting a little crazy from time to time. Roman Catholics, Pentecostals, young evangelicals and the Scots-Irish Primitive Baptists of my youth all can have those moments when people break out of the expected and, driven by some great rush of joy, start acting a little crazy. Houses are sold and the money from it given away. Crazy. A couple moving into retirement announces that they’re going to Russia instead. Crazy. Somebody in a praise service tears off some of their clothes and goes out dancing in the streets — no, wait. That may not count. That’s King David. We can’t get that crazy, can we?

Most worship ministers (and quite a few lead pastors) are, by gift and curse, control freaks. Planning, planning and then more planning. When the unexpected happens we keep smiling on the outside, but on the inside we’re screaming, “Nooooo!” Good worship is worship like we (prayerfully) planned it. And most people in the congregation come each week operating within the distinct impression that giving Jesus respectful worship in singing, in giving, in listening and in breaking bread is all that any Messiah could ever want.

It’s good. Honestly. The worship we expect this Sunday is not bad worship. But, if you watch Jesus, do you ever notice him glancing around as if he’s looking for something a little crazy? Jesus loves us and smiles at our worship. But, it’s still those crazy woman-at-his-feet moments that make him laugh.

Why our worship should be a little more nuts.

Nigerian Govt. Finally Admits Boko Haram Is Targeting Christians

Stephanie Martin

March 6, 2020

In a narrative switch, Nigerian leaders now admit that terrorists such as Boko Haram are intentionally attacking Christians. Last week, information minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed offered several reasons jihadists focus persecution efforts on Christians: They’re feeling the heat of increased pressure from Nigeria’s military, they’ve had to resort to “soft targets” such as churches and schools, and they’re bent on a “satanic strategy” of triggering a “religious war” and throwing the nation “into chaos.”

As recently as early February, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari insisted that 90 percent of Boko Haram victims are Muslim. Groups such as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) strongly disagree, citing the beheading of pastor Lawan Andimi in January, the killing of 11 Nigerian Christians on Christmas, and the two-year captivity of Leah Sharibu, who refuses to renounce her faith.

Yes, Insurgents Are Attacking Christians

Nigeria, which has about a 50-50 split of Christians and Muslims, was recently added to the U.S. State Department’s Special Watch List for violating religious freedom. On its World Watch List of persecuted Christians, Open Doors ranks Nigeria 12^th.

Terrorists “have recently changed their strategy in the wake of their ceaseless pounding by the military,” Mohammed says, leading to desperate “guerilla tactics.” Previously, insurgents attacked people of both faiths “without discrimination,” he notes, but now “they have realized how emotive and divisive religion can be, when exploited by unscrupulous persons.”

Calling the jihadists “blood-thirsty, rapacious killers who subscribe to no religion,” Mohammed says they’ve “recently started targeting Christians with a view to sowing the seed of confusion between the two great religions.” Though attacks on Muslims haven’t ceased, he says, insurgents “now have a deliberate policy of attacking Christians.”

Mohammed appeals to religious leaders “not to fall for the antics of Boko Haram and ISWAP (Islamic State of West Africa Province), who are trying to divide us along religious lines.”

Now Take Action, Advocates Urge

John Hayab, a Baptist pastor in Nigeria, tells Christianity Today the government’s admission is “better late than never” but fails to tell the whole story. Terrorists actually want to “eliminate Christianity and stop evangelism,” he says, adding that Nigeria now needs “concrete steps to find solutions.”

Johnnie Moore with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom agrees that terrorists aim “to ethnically cleanse northern Nigeria of its Christians and to kill every Muslim who stands in their way.”

Nigerian President Buhari recently said, “We can never allow the terrorists to divide us—Christian against Muslim, Muslim against Christian. We are all sons of Abraham. And all Nigerians have the same worth and rights before the law, and before God.”

Although religion is key to the upheaval in Nigeria, it’s not the only factor. Throughout the Sahel region of West Africa, political instability and economic hardship run rampant. Because of severe drought likely caused by climate change, many residents struggle with day-to-day survival. President Trump recently placed Nigeria on a “travel ban” list, yet he reportedly remains popular among its citizens.

Her Husband Was Abducted, Now This Pastor’s Wife Is Being Recognized for Courage

Megan Briggs

March 6, 2020

Pastor Raymond Koh was walking to his car outside his house in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia on February 13, 2017 when he was abducted by more than a dozen people. Koh remains missing to this day, and there is reason to believe his kidnapping was orchestrated by the Malaysian government. His wife, Susanna Liew, has worked tirelessly to find him and to put pressure on the Malaysian government to tell the truth about his case. Now, Liew is being recognized for her efforts by the U.S. government.

“In April 2019, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) concluded that Pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat were the victims of ‘enforced disappearance by state agents,’” the U.S. Embassy in Malaysia notes.

Liew calls the ordeal she has gone through during the last three years of her husband’s absence “frozen grief.” Since she doesn’t know if Koh is alive or not, she cannot properly grieve. However, Liew says “I need to be strong for my children and…as I speak about these cases of ‘enforced disappearance,’ it also helps to heal me. As I help others, then I don’t think so much about myself.”

Susanna Liew Honored as International Woman of Courage

In addition to her husband’s case, Liew has also taken up the cause of other religious leaders in her country that have gone missing. For her efforts, Liew has been named an International Woman of the Year in 2020 by the Annual International Women of Courage (IWOC) Awards. The honor is given by the U.S. Department of State.

The U.S. Embassy in Malaysia writes “following her husband’s abduction, Susanna has fought tirelessly on behalf of religious minorities who disappeared under similar circumstances.” Additionally, Liew continues to receive death threats and harassment from police officers. Malaysia’s official religion is Islam, and government offices are largely held by Muslims. However, Malaysia does have a robust community of evangelical Christians. The nation, at one time a British colony, is also home to a significant population Chinese and Indians, many of whom adhere to other faiths besides Islam. Despite the ethnic and religious diversity present in this country, though, there is a strict law against proselytizing to Malaysia’s ethnic Malay people group. This law has landed some evangelical Christians in prison, or worse.

Liew Travels to U.S. to Receive IWOC Award

On its website, U.S. Department of States gives some background behind the International Women of Courage award:

Now in its 14th year, the Secretary of State’s IWOC Award recognizes women around the globe who have demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality, and women’s empowerment, often at great personal risk and sacrifice. Since the inception of this award in March 2007, the Department of State has recognized 134 women from 73 countries. This year will bring the total to 146 awardees from 77 countries. U.S. diplomatic missions overseas nominate one woman of courage from their respective host countries. The finalists are selected and approved by senior Department officials.

Liew is among 11 other nominees hailing from nations in Asia, Africa, South America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. The women were honored on Wednesday in Washington D.C. at a ceremony hosted by the Department of State. First Lady Melania Trump attended the ceremony The women are currently visiting various cities throughout the U.S. before reconvening in Los Angeles on March 16, 2020 for the conclusion of their trip.

In addition to attending the award ceremony, Liew met with the U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback.

Also was pleased to meet with Susanna Liew, who was honored yesterday alongside other International #WomenofCourage. She’s worked tirelessly, advocating for religious freedom in #Malaysia & for victims of enforced disappearances, including her husband Raymond Koh & Amri Che Mat. pic.twitter.com/ezhKCCv2oP

— Ambassador Sam Brownback (@IRF_Ambassador) March 5, 2020

Liew Believes Pastor Koh Is Still Alive

Speaking to a Radio Mindanao Network after the awards ceremony, Liew said there has been little progress on her husband’s case. “The police have been really quiet and have not updated the family.”

In 2004, Liew and her husband founded a nonprofit organization, Hope Community, that works with the poor, needy and marginalized. Before starting Hope Community, Koh served as a pastor of an Evangelical Free Church in Malaysia. Liew previously served as the principal of a kindergarten. Liew and Koh have two adult daughters.

Liew is quick to acknowledge those who have helped her during these nightmarish three years. “I find my courage from my faith in God. Also from the support of my friends and church and the society. Many people came to stand in solidarity with me during this time–lawyers, civil society activists. They helped me to voice what I couldn’t voice.” Liew says she has found the courage to help others now because she understands what they are going through.

When asked if she thinks her husband is still alive, Liew says yes. She believes that Koh is being detained somewhere. “My family and I have dreams about him,” she says.

6 Essential Components of a Small Group Launch

Mark Howell

March 6, 2020

There are six essential components of a successful small group launch. This is a transferable concept whether you’re using a church-wide campaign, a small group connection or the semester approach. Every launching strategy depends on these same components.

Detailed planning plays an important role in a small group launch. So much rides on what you’re about to do…it’s just irresponsible to wing it. The planning component includes decisions about promotion, timing, leader selection, the curriculum to be used, as well as a plan for sustaining what you launch. See also Planning an Alignment (Church-Wide Campaign), How to Develop a Timeline for Your Church-Wide Campaign and How to Sequence a Small Group Launch.

Timing is an incredibly important component. While there are a couple great opportunities every year to launch groups (and another pretty good one), there are also a couple times that are almost always wasted energy. Because launching groups is a high-energy project and so much rides on every attempt, wise leaders steward these opportunities and do everything they can to maximize the outcome. See also When Is the Best Time to Launch a Church-Wide Campaign.

Promotion is another very important component. No matter what launching strategy you’re using, you have to take into consideration several key details about almost every congregation. For example, it’s almost always the case that the people who need to connect are the least consistent attendees. Think about that. If they are the least consistent, it means you must promote the launch at least two or three weeks in a row. It probably also means that your senior pastor, who is almost always the most influential person, needs to be preaching in the weeks leading up to the launch (by the way, this is a huge detail that is often overlooked in planning). See also Why You Must Make the HOST Ask Several Weeks in a Row and 5 Keys to Getting Everyone Involved in Your Church-Wide Campaign.

Decisions about who will lead the new groups you launch is also a very important component. Whether you’re using the small group connection strategy (where the leader is selected in the process of the event), the church-wide campaign strategy along with the HOST concept (where hosts volunteer to open up their home for the small group study that accompanies the sermon series), or the semester approach where leaders would commonly be recruited and trained (or at least vetted) in advance, you will need to make decisions ahead of time about who can lead and what you might require of them. See also Determining Who Can Lead, Crowd-Friendly Leader Qualification and Small Group Leaders: Qualifications, Hoops, and Lowering the Bar.

Deciding what curriculum to be used is a critical decision. So many times every other component has been expertly dealt with only to choose the wrong curriculum and end up with a bust instead of a boom. Paying attention to who you’d like to connect as well as who will be leading is so important. Determining what you hope to accomplish, clarifying the win, is an essential step. See also How to Choose Curriculum That Launches Groups and Choosing Curriculum for New Groups for more information.

When you invest this much energy into anything, you’ve got to think ahead about sustaining what you launch. So many churches have had the experience of seeing 20 or 50 or even 100 new groups form…only to find themselves right back where they started 8 weeks later. There are some key strategic moves that definitely help sustain the maximum number of groups. Choosing a next curriculum that is similar in kind to the launching study, providing a coach or at least a helpful contact that will actually touch base during the first few weeks and talking up what’s next from the pulpit are all important keys. See also 5 Keys to Sustaining New Groups and Now Is the Time to Think about What’s Next tackle this issue.

13 People from AL Church Stuck in Bethlehem Coronavirus Lockdown

Jessica Lea

March 6, 2020

After seven cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in the city of Bethlehem, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas declared a state of emergency on Thursday. One result of this decision was that a group of Americans from a church in Alabama is now quarantined in a Bethlehem hotel and is currently unable to return to the United States.

“We want to go back to the U.S. as soon as possible, of course and we’re frantically working on that,” Pastor Chris Bell told NBC News. “We’re hoping that U.S. officials will help us get back. If they need to quarantine us back in the U.S., that’s fine, but we would love to go back to the United States.”

Stuck in a Bethlehem Hotel

Bell is the lead pastor of 3Circle Church in Fairhope, Alabama. He and members of the church’s staff left the U.S. on March 1 to go on a tour of the Holy Land. The group arrived in Israel on March 3 and stayed at the Angel Hotel in Bethlehem.

On March 4, the group got word that a Greek tourist who had stayed in the same hotel the week prior to their arrival had tested positive for the coronavirus since returning to Greece. The hotel initially sent the team away, but asked them return after a hotel employee tested positive for the virus. After some back and forth with the hotel and after consulting with the U.S. Embassy, the team ended up back at the Angel Hotel and were informed they would be tested for the virus and quarantined for 14 days.

“Now,” said the church, “the team of 13 3Circle Church staff members and employees of the hotel are in an unexplained quarantine at the hotel until further notice.” Six other hotel employees have since tested positive for the virus, and the seven hotel staff members are the first known cases of the coronavirus in the Palestinian Authority. However, the 3Circle group has yet to be tested, and the team members have been instructed to stay in separate rooms. Calling the situation “unknown and unclear,” the church said the group has been reaching out to U.S. officials for help so they can go home. “The team is hopeful that communication will come soon,” said the church. “The hotel employees have been incredibly helpful to the team during this process.”

The Jerusalem Post reports that, in addition to the Americans, around 25 Palestinians have been quarantined in the Bethlehem hotel, including the employees who contracted the virus.

It was after this situation developed, says Reuters, that Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh announced, “We have decided to declare a state of emergency in all Palestinian areas to confront the danger of the coronavirus and prevent it from spreading.”

Working with the Palestinian Authority, the Israeli military has put the city of Bethlehem on lockdown. The Palestinian government has closed all schools in its jurisdiction, cancelled foreign tourist reservations, and imposed a two-week ban on foreign guests at West Bank hotels.

Authorities have also closed the Church of the Nativity, revered as the site where Jesus was born, as well as other churches and mosques in the area. These closures will reportedly last for two weeks.

The closing of the Church of the Nativity is a severe blow to the local economy, particularly with Easter only a few weeks away. The Associated Press reports, “The Church of the Nativity receives some 10,000 tourists a day, according to Palestinian officials, and is expected to welcome tens of thousands of visitors during the Easter season.”

Meanwhile, the team members from 3Circle Church are trusting in God as they wait in the Bethlehem hotel for news on how to get home. Said the church, “The 3Circle team is asking for help and clarity, but most importantly, prayers. They know that God has a plan for all of this and that, ultimately, He will be glorified.”

Trust in the Lord…The Most Important Question to Ask Ourselves in Hard Times

Mark Altrogge

March 6, 2020

All of us who trust in the Lord will go through challenging and hard times. We live in a fallen world. We suffer ourselves at times. At times we suffer because our children or grandchildren are suffering or not walking with the Lord. I recently talked with a couple whose daughter is living with her boyfriend, not following Jesus and seems to want little to do with her parents. Another parent I know grieves on a regular basis because her son has chosen to live a homosexual lifestyle. I know another believer whose business is struggling. And I know several believers who are going through serious health problems. In all these kinds of struggles we can be tempted to fear or wonder if the Lord will help us.

The big question in every one of these painful and challenging situations is this: Who am I going to trust?

Am I going to trust in the Lord and his Word or my own heart and assessment of the situation? Am I going to trust God’s promises or my own understanding?

God tells us we have two options: To trust in the Lord with all our heart and to acknowledge him in all our ways or to lean on our own understanding and be wise in our own eyes.

First of all, we should trust in the Lord with all our heart.

This means we should trust God’s word wholeheartedly. Without doubt. Not partially. We must not think, “Well, maybe God’s word doesn’t apply to this situation. Maybe it applies to most situations, but not this one.”

We must believe that if God has made a promise he will fulfill it somehow. Some way. In his timing. I think this is especially hard with his promises for our children. He has made numerous promises to save them and to answer our prayers for them. I know many parents who did all they could to teach their kids about the Lord and bring them up in the knowledge of him. They took their children to church every week. Sent them to youth camps, etc. And now their children are not following the Lord. It is grieving to the parents. It is so hard to understand. After all God’s word promises that he will “establish” our children (Psalm 102:28), fill them with his Word and Spirit (Isaiah 59:21), and personally teach all our children (Isaiah 54:19). Yet they aren’t following as adults. So hard to understand.

So who will we trust? God and his promises or our feeble, limited understanding?

We need to trust in the Lord and not lean on our own understanding in all kinds of other situations. When we are tempted to lust. Tempted to get involved in sexual sin. Satan will lie to us, just like he lied to Eve in the garden. “You will not surely die. Nothing is going to happen to you. No one will ever know.”

We need to trust God with our finances. “I tithe, I give to the poor, yet why am I so tight? I thought God promised to bless me. Yet here we are. Financially tight. Why should I keep giving to the Lord?”

God tells us: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. He also tells us: Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.

That’s the big question: who will we trust? The Lord or ourselves? The Lord, who is all-powerful, all-wise, all-knowing, and completely good and loving, or our own understanding? Our own “eyes” or our own limited view of things, our own limited assessment of things.

We must cling to God’s promises and trust his word, even when we don’t see the answers. When we trust his word, we are really trusting his character.

When we trust a friend, or any human, we are trusting their character. Trust is always necessary when someone makes a promise. And trust is always necessary when we are waiting for something. If it’s in our hands we don’t need to trust that someone will give it to us.

We trust in the Lord as we wait for him to fulfill his promises. Psalm 27 tells us:

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Psalm 27:13-14

In this Psalm David is trusting the Lord for things in the future – in the land of the living. He “believes” or trusts, that he shall look upon the goodness of the LORD. But he hasn’t gotten it yet. He tells us we need to “Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage. Wait for the LORD.”

That’s not easy. It’s not easy to be strong. It’s not easy to let our heart take courage. But God will help us. Cling to this promise. Memorize it. I have, and I remind myself often that God has promised that I will see his goodness. In this life! In the land of the living. But especially in heaven. I know I will see how he has answered all my prayers.

When I was a young Christian, an older believer would say, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” I have never forgotten that. I remind myself of that as I fight to believe God’s word and not my own assessment of things.

God said it. And God is not a liar. God always tells the truth. We can trust his character. Another verse I use to fight my doubts is Numbers 23:19:

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Numbers 23:19

God never lies nor changes his mind. He will fulfill his every promise. Keep believing his Word. Keep trusting him.

I have written a few simple Scripture memory songs and made YouTube videos of them to help me memorize his promises. Here are a few if you’d like to check them out.

‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. Jeremiah 32.17 http://bit.ly/2HDy2WU

All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. Isaiah 54:13 bit.ly/323FwMm

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:13-14 http://bit.ly/37ETt4K

This article about trust in the Lord originally appeared here.

5 Ways That Every One of Us Should Be Preparing for Marriage

J.D. Greear

March 6, 2020

As I’ve said recently (here and here), the American church often has difficulty incorporating single adults into the life of the church. So much of the church’s language toward single people implies that the only task they have is preparing for marriage. And that’s true, but not in the sense that most people think.

Single Christians are preparing for marriage—but marriage to God, not to another person. Seen from this perspective, in fact, we’re all preparing for marriage. Some of us won’t experience marriage on this earth. But that doesn’t mean singles miss marriage completely. No, they will simply skip the shadow of earthly marriage and go straight to the substance of the heavenly marriage with Jesus Christ.

The ironic thing about preparing for marriage to Christ is that if and when you do find your spouse, you’ll be ready for them. Far too often we obsess about finding the right person, when Scripture counsels us to become the right person. As Andy Stanley says it, “Are you the person that the person you’re looking for … is looking for?”

Practically speaking, what does this kind of ultimate preparing for marriage look like?

1. Break bad habits (and start good ones).

Don’t think that on your wedding day you’ll suddenly be able to promise your way into a host of new habits. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. As I’ve heard it said, promises are no substitute for preparing for marriage.

So let Christ break you of your bad habits now. Stop looking at porn. Quit obsessing about your image. Decide that you aren’t going to go further into debt—and start paying that debt off.

And let Christ cultivate new, godly habits. Start serving in the church. Learn to be a giver. Pick your Bible up off the shelf and actually read it, consistently. Find out where your church is involved in missions and join in. You want this to characterize your life. So start today.

2. Get into real community.

Join the church and get involved with a small group. And don’t just use the church as a potential dating pool. Look to the church for real community. It’s good to find a spouse, but it’s better to find true friends, people who can join with you as you engage in God’s mission together. Friendship matters far more than we realize: both because you were made for it, and because it makes you.

6 Ways to Cultivate a Happier Family Around the Dinner Table

David Murray

March 5, 2020

Social science and common sense agree on one thing: A family that eats together stays together. But how? Here are some helpful tips I’ve picked up along the way.

A Family That Eats Together Stays Together: 6 Steps To Making It Happen:

1. Maximize the number.

Yes, we have conflicting schedules, shift work, overtime, etc. Yes, there are college assignments to be done, email to be answered, books to be read, chores to be completed. But just because you can’t get everybody together all of the time doesn’t mean we can’t get some together some of the time.

2. Maximize involvement.

Don’t let the loudest or oldest voice dominate. Work to ensure that everybody gets a shot at telling about their day, their joys and trials, successes, and failures.

3. Maximize listening.

Encourage careful, appreciative, and interactive listening. Ban cellphones and sarcasm. Put all phones in cell phone jail with this locked box. No rising from the table while someone is speaking.

4. Maximize positives.

It can be tempting for some people and for some families to just dwell on the negatives at work, at college, or even in the national situation. Sometimes it can be helpful to ask each person to list three positives from their day until that becomes more of a natural instinct. Humor and laughter are also tasty side-dishes.

5. Maximize food.

If teenagers know that they’re going to miss out on some really great food, and even better deserts, they’ll be much more likely to organize their schedule around your mealtimes. They can get microwave dinners anywhere. It’s worth putting extra money and effort into enticing them to the family table. Yes, godly herbs are better than ungodly steak. But godly steak is best of all.

6. Maximize worship.

Start the meal with prayer and turn the conversation toward God at opportune moments. This prayer cube makes learning prayers easy and fun for kids of all ages. Roll the cube to see which prayer will be prayed or recited during the meal.

“Better is a dinner of herbs where love is,
than a fatted calf with hatred.”
(Proverbs 15:17)

“There is more happiness in the godly dinner of herbs than in the stalled ox of profane rioters.” Charles Spurgeon

Is This YOUR Season for a CYBER Fast?

Paul Alexander

March 5, 2020

It’s become a new normal for our family. For the past couple of years, we take a step away from screens for the month. Call it a cyber fast. I don’t blog, we’re not on social media, the T.V. stays turned off, and my teenage daughters stay off their phones. They may not like it, at least for the first week or two, but they do it. And while this kind of move may not be for everyone, I’ve never regretted it. Here’s a couple of reasons why:

Distraction Free Family Time:

Instead of binge watching Netfilx or spending time on phones or tablets we actually interacted face to face with each other over family dinners, playing board games, going on walks, and other fun stuff on the family summer bucket list.

Turn down the Noise:

Screens can create a lot of added noise in our lives. Social media, texting, and video sound bites create a non-stop flurry of distractions and noise in our lives. Turning down that noise can help refocus our attention on things that have a higher priority in our lives.

Intentionality:

Our cyber fast, a simple step/action that our family has decided to take each year to be intentional and place a stake in the ground, so to speak, about what’s important to us. We’ve learned that if we don’t take simple intentional steps like this we’ll end up just running through the motions and get lost in the business of 4 kids schedules.

I’m still not Convinced 24-7 Access to Screens is a good thing for my kids…

Yes, I’m that dad who has drug his feet as long as he could on getting his kids cell phones. Even though they have them (at least my High School daughters) I’m still not there. We have a consistent approach with it. No phones after dad gets home (I can’t stand phones at the dinner table) and no phones in rooms at night time. I may be a little old school, but I keep seeing articles on studies connecting cell phones to teen depression, and I want my kids to grow up using technology not getting addicted to it.

(And if you want to know the real brains behind the idea, it was Lisa, not me who made the call on this a few years ago…glad God put her in my life…makes me a much better parent!)

This article originally appeared here, and is used by the author’s kind permission.

Craig Groeschel Is Quarantined, But Healthy

Jessica Lea

March 5, 2020

Craig Groeschel, senior pastor of Life.Church, and Bobby Gruenewald, Life.Church’s pastor and innovation leader, have been quarantined due to being exposed to the coronavirus while attending a leadership conference in Germany.

“We will not be at church, don’t worry,” said Groeschel in a video posted to YouTube on March 4. “We’re going to stay completely away. We’re trying to do this with an abundance of caution to make sure that everybody’s safe.”

Life.Church Pastors Quarantined for 14 Days

Life.Church is based in Oklahoma, but currently has 34 locations throughout the country. Groeschel was a featured speaker at the Willow Creek Deutschland Leitungskongress 2020, which had around 7,400 attendees, according to Religion News Service.

The conference took place in Karlsruhe, in southwest Germany, and was set to run from February 27-29. It was cut short, however, after one of the scheduled speakers contracted the coronavirus. Groeschel said that he and Gruenewald heard the news on their flight back to the States. They then told a flight attendant about the situation, in addition to informing health authorities once they landed. After that, said Groeschel, “We decided to isolate ourselves for the full 14 days. No contact with anyone whatsoever. The good news is I’ve got a lot of time to pray. I’ve written outlines through almost the end of May for sermon messages. I’m working out like crazy…Pastor Bobby will probably invent another app.”

Groeschel emphasized that he and Gruenewald were healthy and not showing any symptoms of the virus: “We feel 100 percent great. We’ve only got a few more days before we will be completely cleared.” People have been asking how they can pray for the two quarantined pastors, to which Groeschel responded, “I don’t think we need prayers for our health. I need prayers because I haven’t seen Amy or my kids in a long time.”

Gruenewald (who is the founder of the YouVersion Bible app) also released a statement about being quarantined, saying, “Pastor Craig and I remain at home and healthy…We have no symptoms, and someone is checking on us regularly. In the meantime, we’re making the most of this time to focus on ministry work and look forward to getting back to our normal routines.”

On March 3, the conference’s organizers posted a statement explaining why they chose to end the event early. “This was done as a precaution,” they said. “According to health authorities, there was never any danger to the participants. However, we decided to cancel this event as a preventive measure in order to give all participants the opportunity to come home in peace and quiet.”

The speaker who tested positive for the coronavirus was never present during the actual event, said conference leaders, but rather, “In the run-up…he had personal contact with some senior people who are now in quarantine.” In the update, the organizers also said they had learned that three other people who had had contact with the speaker had since tested positive for the virus, although they were showing “only slight or no symptoms” so far [Editor’s note: Quotes from conference leaders were obtained using Google Translate].

Is Your Church Prepared for the Coronavirus?

The situation the Life.Church pastors find themselves in underscores the need for American churches to prepare in the event the coronavirus outbreak escalates in the United States. Besides the normal precautions people take to avoid contracting any illness (washing hands, cleaning surfaces, staying home if sick), this could mean adjusting certain aspects of your worship service. For example, you might consider asking congregants not to shake hands with one another.

But there could come a time when it would be better for your church to temporarily stop meeting in person, as many churches in Asia have done. Should you find yourself in that situation, it does not mean your entire ministry needs to come to a screeching halt. Sociology professor Scott Thumma says it is advantageous that Life.Church already streams online and has online platforms for giving and taking prayer requests. He said, “They could worship online for a month and not miss a beat.”

See this article from ChurchLeaders for further recommendations regarding how you can protect your church members from the coronavirus.

A Spiritual Battle and Opportunity

Beyond the health impact to your members and your ministry, remember that the spread of the coronavirus presents a unique opportunity to share the gospel with people. Greg Stier says that a discussion about death is an important conversation “[for youth ministry workers] to have with our teenagers right away.”

One pastor in Wuhan, China (where the coronavirus originated), has emphasized, “You must know that this is not just an observable disaster, but even more it is a spiritual struggle.” He sees the coronavirus as a chance to fight for the souls of the people of Wuhan. By extension, all believers throughout the world have opportunities to minister to communities impacted by the virus. Said the pastor, “Christians are not only to suffer with the people of this city, but we have a responsibility to pray for those in this city who are fearful, and to bring to them the peace of Christ.”

Family Credits East End Nashville Church With Saving Their Lives in Tornado

Megan Briggs

March 5, 2020

East End United Methodist Church in Nashville sustained significant damage during Tuesday’s tornado. The 113-year-old church lost its bell tower and a stained glass window depicting Jesus as shepherd, which had recently been renovated. The community is rallying around East End Nashville, helping with clean up efforts. Across the street, a family who lost a big chunk of their house are thankful to have their lives–thanks in large part, they believe, to the big church.

“Selfishly I feel so thankful because I do think the church held its ground for us and sheltered us and our neighbors,” Annie Poag told News 2. “It took the brunt for my family,” she added.

The Shelter of East End Nashville

Poag and her husband have three small children. Their 10-year-old daughter woke the couple up in the night when she heard tornado sirens going off. Originally, the couple shrugged off her concern, telling her that sirens go off a lot. What they thought was hail hitting their house was actually debris. Thankfully, the family made it to a bathroom in the lower level of their house. “We felt the shaking, the rumbling, sat, the power was out, sat in our bathroom for a bit,” Poag said.

When they looked outside after the storm passed, they saw the church across the street, damaged yet resolute. East End’s pastor, Rev. Judi Hoffman, is so glad the church building was able to help in this way. “The church has always been in the business of saving people, and I’m so glad we did,” Hoffman told News 2.

What’s Next for East End United Methodist Church?

Despite not being able to congregate in their building at the moment, Hoffman plans to continue services by holding worship in a park next to the damaged church. The pastor is convinced the church will recover. “I have no doubt we will come back,” she says. In an update posted to East End’s website, the church says structural engineers are currently doing a “full analysis of the stability of our church.”

East End’s stain glass windows before the tornado. (Image credit: Facebook/@EastEndUnitedMethodistChurch

This isn’t the first time East End Nashville has experienced a tornado. In 1998, a tornado flattened another church nearby, St. Ann’s Episcopal. Hoffman told ABC she had actually helped pick up debris around St. Ann’s in 1998. At the time, East End sheltered neighbors affected by that hurricane. They even hosted the congregation of St. Ann’s for five years before that church was able to purchase a new property. Now, East End is on the receiving end of help.

A picture of East End before the tornado. (Image credit: Facebook/@EastEndUnitedMethodistChurch

Hoffman told ABC News the neighborhood is “rallying” around the East End Nashville. On Tuesday morning after the tornadoes subsided, Hoffman, who had to evacuate from the church’s parsonage the night before, returned to the church yard riddled with debris. She says she was inspired by the people who showed up to help clear the debris–people she didn’t even know.

Other churches and people affected by the Tennessee tornadoes suffered damage and loss of life. At least 24 people died and many homes and buildings are significantly damaged. Please continue to keep those affected in your prayers.

Ravi Zacharias in ‘severe’ Pain Following Emergency Surgery

Megan Briggs

March 5, 2020

Editor’s Note: After the publishing of this article, an independent investigation found allegations implicating Ravi Zacharias of sexual abuse to be credible. Prior to this report, ChurchLeaders had published multiple articles about Ravi Zacharias and his ministry. Although our editorial team believes his work still has value since it involved articulating the truths of God’s Word, we would be remiss not to disclose the painful truth of Mr. Zacharias’ personal actions that have come to light following his death. For further reading, please see:
Sexting, Spiritual Abuse, Rape: Devastating Full Report on Ravi Zacharias Released
The Story Behind the Ravi Zacharias Allegations (Part 1): Lawsuits, NDAs, and Email Threads
The Story Behind the Ravi Zacharias Allegations (Part 2): ‘Cursory’ Investigations and More Accusations

Christian apologist and evangelist Ravi Zacharias is currently recovering from spinal surgery. Eleven days after undergoing the emergency surgery, Zacharias’ wife, Margie, posted an update saying that the apologist is recovering at a “much slower pace” than he had anticipated. Margie also disclosed Zacharias is in “severe” pain, especially at night.

“Please keep praying for Ravi, especially his nights,” Margie wrote in an Instagram update posted on Tuesday. “There is still a long way to go before he will be able to pick up his itinerary,” she said.

Margie emphasized the whole family is grateful for the prayers concerning Zacharias:

Hello again friends, Margie here. Thank you so much for your continued prayers for Ravi as he recovers from his spinal surgery 11 days ago.

Ravi is progressing in his healing, but at a much slower pace than he had expected based on his past experience (perhaps since he is 18 years older now than when he had his previous back surgery, the healing takes more time). His pain continues to be severe, especially during the night, which makes the nights very long and difficult. We are thankful that Ravi has the expertise of two pain management doctors, including his brother Ramesh, but even so it is a little bit of trial and error.

Please keep praying for Ravi, especially his nights. This is a challenging time, and there is still a long way to go before he will be able to pick up his itinerary.

Thank you again for your love and caring for Ravi and our family. Your prayers and encouragement mean the world to us. -Margie Zacharias

Ravi Finds Out He Needs Emergency Surgery

As ChurchLeaders reported in February, Zacharias underwent surgery with little warning. On Wednesday, February 19, Zacharias posted on the RZIM website, explaining that he needed emergency back surgery and requesting prayer. He began, “Dear Friends, I seldom go to any lengths to talk about personal challenges but am making an exception because I know you will pray for me—and for my family and the team.” The apologist went on to say that he has had “serious back issues” for some time and has already had two back surgeries. God used the first surgery to bring him “comfort and strength” and “eighteen good years.” However, he said, “over the last year, I have battled several flare-ups, and after my last trip to the Philippines and Sri Lanka, it’s a miracle I got home on my own two feet.”

A subsequent CAT scan and MRI revealed that Zacharias, who is 73, needed surgery as soon as possible. The surgery involved removing two loose screws and anchoring Zacharias’s sacrum (which was fractured) to his pelvis in two places. His medical team cares about his ministry, said Zacharias, and they “want to see me positioned for the distance.”

Because of the surgery, Zacharias had to cancel a speaking engagement with Christian multimedia association National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) on February 25. His recovery was predicted to take about eight weeks, and Zacharias said he is confident that the team at RZIM is “more than capable of continuing their good work” during that time. At the time, the speaker also said he anticipated the healing process would be difficult: “It will be some days of pain and struggle. But by God’s grace and with my family, friends, and colleagues close at hand, I will make it.”

25 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me

James Emery White

March 5, 2020

I ran across an article the other day written by a man listing some of the things he wished someone had told his younger self about the vocation he had pursued. I know how he felt. One of the benefits of aging is gaining a clear sense of what you wish you would have known when you were younger. It got me thinking along the same lines. So just for fun, here are five things, in five areas, I wish someone had told me:

When I first became a pastor, I wish someone had told me:

Some people are safe, some are not. Unsafe people will often seek your trust, and you will often be quick to give it. Be so, so careful.
You can’t please everyone. 10% will love you, 10% won’t, 80% are suspending judgment. Thank God for the first, realize there’s nothing you can do about the second, and spend your time winning over the third.
Don’t mimic popular speakers. Learn from them, listen to them, but find your own voice—and trust it.
You won’t grow as fast as you hope you will. Instead, think of the acorn turning into an oak; meaning, don’t overestimate what you can do in one year, but don’t underestimate what you can do in 10. Or even better, 40. And remember, size doesn’t matter as much as influence.
The people you start with may not be the people you finish with. Sad, but true—and yes, painful.

When I first got married, I wish someone had told me:

A friendship started this; a friendship will see it through.
Honor her father and respect her family of origin. One day you will be that father, and yours will be that family of origin.
Savor every memory; you’ll never share them with anyone else.
Your spouse will change, grow, mature, become more confident and more self-assured. Don’t fear it—welcome it. It’s just that much more to honor, respect and love.
She will almost always be right. Listen.

When I first had children, I wish someone had told me:

You’ve decided to prioritize family over career and you wonder if it’s worth it. It is.
It seems like you will be this family forever – parents and kids, together in the home – but you won’t. It will go by so fast. Drink this season in.
You will never have a more important role than being a father to your children. It will mark them for life and will be your true legacy… extending into the church, where you will one day understand that you serve, ultimately, as a father.
You will one day give your daughters to another man—it will be the hardest day of your life. But you will ordain your sons to the role of husband and father—it will be the proudest day of your life.
You have a vision for your family, but just wait… grandparenting is the BEST.

Bonus: Don’t buy bikes for Christmas and wait to assemble them on Christmas Eve. Really. No, really. Basketball stands, too. Actually, never, ever buy anything that has “some assembly required” written on it. Until you are a grandparent.

When I first started to earn money, I wish someone had told me:

Avoid debt.
Start saving.
Avoid debt.
Start saving.
Really.

When I first became a Christian, I wish someone had told me:

The closest thing to normalcy is going to be three steps forward, two steps back.
Who you are in Christ is who you are, not who someone else is. Don’t try to emulate another’s calling or gifts, personality or temperament. Just let God form you into His dream for you.
God is very, very fond of you.
Your sin is real, it’s serious… but remember that grace is not just for others; it’s also for you. It’s not something you just teach about, it’s something you can – yourself – receive.
Prayer really, really, really, really matters.

This article originally appeared here.

4 Steps to Not Overreact to the Disgruntled Attendee

Gavin Adams

March 5, 2020

As a leader you are forced to make decisions, and if your church or company is bigger than you, these decisions will inevitably be upsetting to someone–the disgruntled attendee for one. Decisions have a way of upsetting the status quo. In many cases, the lack of success or progress with the status quo is why decisions are necessary.

Not to oversimplify it, but when decisions are made, the response seems to come from two separate categories of people:

1. The disgruntled attendee
2. The quiet supporters

The first category causes us to question our decision. The response (at least the vocal response) seems disproportionately in one direction. And this disproportionate response can be unnerving.

The second category really does bring balance to the conversation, but their quiet support doesn’t ring as loudly as the disgruntled attendee.

Facing this seemingly unbalanced response, leaders begin to either question their decisions, or worse, seek to make decisions that are more “vocally” supported.

But vocal support can feel like an organizational oxymoron. You’ve never called your local pizza delivery chain to thank them for your delivery, but you might have called to complain when your pie is late. People never call our church to tell us we’re doing a great job, but they have no problem letting us know when something doesn’t happen as they expect.

So what should we do when the disgruntled attendee feels like the vast majority?

1. Evaluate if the disgruntled are the real majority.

I know they’re loud, but is their volume representative of their size?

When we make decisions that produce some vocal frustration, the first thing I do is individually evaluate the source of the dissatisfaction. Seriously, I look them up in our database. The majority of the time — and I mean the vast majority of the time — the disgruntled attendee could be better labeled the disengaged disgruntled. They are not in a small group. They are not serving. They aren’t really generous to our mission.

I don’t mean for that to sound harsh, because we certainly desire to serve every person in our church and community, but there is an inevitable correlation between complaining and engaging.

2. Encourage the quiet supports to become vocal vision-casters.

The quiet supports typically have higher levels of trust. Why? Because they are engaged in our mission, and through their engagement, they’ve learned more about our mission, our vision, our strategy, and our decision quality. These are the exact people we should ask to vocalize their support in the face of the disgruntled attendee.

One easy way to do this is by simply revealing new decisions to the engaged before the disengaged. I talked extensively about this in a previous post: 11 Lessons from Announcing our Name Change.

3. Work to engage the disengaged.

The best way to help the disgruntled attendee is to engage them in the mission. Fighting the opinions of the disengaged is a lose-lose endeavor. It’s not always worth the effort, especially considering this same group will most likely be vocally frustrated with your next decision, too. So rather than convinced them to get on board, engage them and allow their involvement to solve the problem.

Again, a simple solution is to respond to a complaint with an opportunity to engage. Seriously! We do this all the time. It’s like Jesus answering a question with another question.

4. Free up the future for the perpetually disengaged.

AKA: Just let them leave. You didn’t get into ministry to keep people against their will, anyway. If the vocal disgruntled attendee never plans to engage the mission, they will perpetually be a noncontributing nuisance. We somewhat regularly invite people to leave our church — especially those who are Christians but never plan to contribute to our mission. Christian freeloaders are another version of an oxymoron.

As a leader, you’re never going to have 100% consensus on big decisions, but if the vocal disgruntled attendee begins to rule your leadership, odds are you’ll find yourself attempting to satisfy a minority group who have no intentions of partnering back with you.

This article about reacting to the disgruntled attendee originally appeared here.

12 Questions That Bring Clarity to Your Church Finances

Dan Reiland

March 5, 2020

I’ve never coached or consulted a church that told me they had too much money. That’s why these 12 questions to bring clarity to church finances are helpful for every church.

There are a few churches that are blessed with a significant margin, but that comes in great part from discipline among the staff and generosity among the congregation.

Most churches, however, face a tight budget to income ratio, often falling short and faced with difficult decisions.

(I have intentionally not mentioned the subject of God’s blessing. The purpose of this article is not to suggest that any church that struggles with church finances is without God’s favor. Or that churches who have great margin are especially favored by God.)

We can all agree that church finances often bring more tension and pressure than nearly any other single topic in the church.

Board meetings can heat up fast when cash is low, and unpaid bills are forcing tough decisions.

Tough decisions like:

Stopping a building project midstream
Letting staff go
Cutting back on ministries

fiA shortage of cash is difficult for any church to deal with, and the complexity is often compounded when the leaders are not aligned as a team with how they think about money.

It’s a great idea for your senior leadership to have a discussion about both theology and practice regarding money, independent of specific and live budget matters.

When it comes to money and the pressures of the moment, there is often too much stress and emotion to think clearly.

I urge you to have several open and honest conversations about your approach to biblical financial management. But not during actual budget meetings, again, there’s too much pressure then.

I’m offering a set of 12 practical questions to assist you in a productive dialogue that should relieve some tension in the boardroom.

Honest conversation guided by good questions doesn’t make financial difficulties and challenges disappear, but it helps you navigate them as a united team.

These conversations won’t necessarily be easy, but when you take this proactive approach, you can increase your effectiveness as leaders, improve morale and teamwork, and improve your overall stewardship.

12 Helpful Questions for Your Church Finances:

(In a few of these questions, I will risk meddling a bit close to differing theological views, but my goal is to remain practical.)

1) What role does prayer play in your church finances?

As mentioned, I’m not suggesting that any church with financial struggles is void of God’s blessing, but it’s always fair to ask about the consistency and focus of your prayer when it comes to money.

Financial prayers are about Kingdom stewardship and reflect your trust and dependence upon God.

2) In what specific way(s) is faith connected to your financial decision-making?

The intersection of faith and prudence is always a nuanced perspective when related to money.

How much of your decision-making is related to faith and trusting God, and how much is based on practical wisdom? It’s usually a combination of the two that provides the right answers.

3) Who is primarily responsible for the income of the church?

Again, theology! Yes, God is our provider, but God also has charged us with the responsibility to lead.

In some churches, the senior pastor takes point responsibility. In other churches, the board steps into that role. In others, still, it’s a lead team of senior staff.

The answer to that question should be clear at all times for the purpose of responsibility and accountability.

Even the Smallest Church Can Make a Big Difference

Justin Lathrop

March 4, 2020

If you work in and around churches, you know one of the most pressing and seemingly important questions is: How can we get our church to grow? We put a lot of emphasis here, and therefore every church wants to grow. Somewhere along the line, we’ve decided that:

Big church = important church
Small church = unimportant church

I think this simplistic view is misguided.

Don’t get me wrong. Church growth is important. I believe that. But I also think small churches can have an incredible impact on their communities, no matter the size of their Sunday attendance. In fact, in my experience, when churches focus on making a difference in the community, and inviting people to Jesus, growth is a question that takes care of itself.

Here are two things to think about instead of obsessing about how you can get your church to grow in size.

1. Know who you are and what you’re about.

One of the things I’ve noticed with small churches who want to grow bigger is that they often look to bigger churches for answers about how to organize their Sunday services, how to lead worship and how to do outreach. They mimic they way the bigger church does things.

And what you get—in the simplest form—is a small church acting like a big church.

This phenomenon is a bit like a younger boy who mimics his big brother. He wants to be “cool” so he dresses like him, follows him around and works hard to impress his friends. The problem is, even if he gains acceptance by his brother and his friends, they (and he) miss the real value this young man has to bring—his own distinct, unique, valuable self.

Small churches don’t grow by acting like big churches any more than young boys grow by acting like their big brothers. There is something to be learned from big brothers. But small churches grow (like young men and women) when they discover themselves.

Have you discovered yourself as a church?

Do you know what you’re about?

Do you have a mission statement?

Does everything you do fit into, and unfold around, this statement?

If you want to have an impact on your community (and ultimately grow as a congregation) this is a great place to start.

2. Serve your community.

I bet you would be hard-pressed to find a church that doesn’t desire to serve their community, or who doesn’t know this is a primary part of their God-given mission and calling. The problem is, many churches have a deadly misunderstanding about what this looks like.

In order to serve your community, you must first know them. I learned this from my friend and pastor, Scott Wilson, who learned the hard way that, despite all of his hard work, he wasn’t actually serving the community.

Have you talked to your community leaders?

Do you know what they’re trying to do in your area?

Have you prayed about how you could contribute?

Most churches haven’t. But it isn’t for a lack of caring; it’s just for a lack of understanding what it really means to serve. Serving doesn’t mean you outdo them (with festivals and events that overshadow theirs). Serving means you find out what they need, what they want and what matters to them—and then you innovate ways to lend them a hand.

You’d be hard-pressed, in my opinion, to find a church who is doing these things and not growing. The smallest church can make the biggest difference.

How to Minister to Women Who’ve Lost a Child

Angela Bassett

March 4, 2020

On February 17, 2010, as the sun broke through the darkness of night outside of Cook Children’s Hospital, Justin and I held the lifeless body of our precious baby girl. After Charlotte Jane’s week-long fight for life, her little body had done all it could to survive, and she surrendered her last breath in our arms as we wept and cried out to God in worship.

While we’d known that Charlotte’s life would be full of challenges, telling her goodbye just after we’d met was overwhelming. I still remember walking out of the doors of the NICU that morning to see my dearest friend, Taber, sitting and waiting to embrace me and cry with me. She had no words to say that I remember, but she was there. She held me close. She knew that’s what I needed. Justin is incredible, and he was such a rock for me in that season, but there was something unique about having a fellow mom there by my side. She truly grieved with me.

The First Weeks of Grief

In the days that followed, there was a lot to be done: a funeral home to choose and meet with, a cemetery to choose, a memorial service to plan, two big sisters to tell that Charlotte was not coming home to our house, an obituary to write, clothes to pick out, pictures to print, balloons to order, music to choose, a grave to be dug, people to feed and the list goes on. All the while, I was still healing from giving birth just seven days prior.

There were obviously things that had to be done by Justin and me, but everything else was put on a list, and a team of women from our church banded together and conquered all of it. I am not typically one to ask for help, but in this case, it felt very natural to just let those around me take care of me. These women were not pushy, but they were assertive in asking how they could serve us. I never felt that asking them to do something was a burden. Taber was my point of contact and everyone knew to go through her when seeking out how to serve our family. This was incredibly helpful, so I didn’t feel obligated to return a million text messages.

Following the memorial service, food kept coming for at least two weeks. This gave us a good opportunity to just “be” as a family and begin to grieve and heal. We didn’t just get dinner every night. Ladies brought some of our favorite breakfast foods and things that were easy to reheat.

This blessed me greatly because it was especially hard to get going in the mornings and food was the last thing on my mind, yet I had little loves who were hungry. One friend brought a huge bag of Costco snacks for us. I still remind her what a treasure that was. Absolutely nothing in me wanted to be standing in a grocery store with a million snack options and trying to make a reasonable decision; the Costco bag served us well!

Some other wise friends brought a Chick-fil-a party tray that lasted us several days for lunch. Others simply left coffee or special treats on the doorstep. These are just a few of the practical ways I felt incredibly loved and equipped to keep putting one foot in front of the other in those early weeks.

Precious Gifts

Another HUGE gift was ladies whisking away my big girls for a few hours here and there to allow me the chance to cry, sleep, write, read, pray or do absolutely nothing. Often they would just say, “I’m coming to get the girls at 10:00,” so I didn’t have to make any decisions or wonder if they were just offering to be nice. I don’t remember who it was, but one friend told me very clearly, “Please don’t write us thank you notes.” As much as I wanted to put into words my thanks, that was incredibly freeing! I had permission to just take care of me and to love my family. I needed that spelled out for me.

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The big question in every one of these painful and challenging situations is this: Who am I going to trust?

First of all, we should trust in the Lord with all our heart.

So who will we trust? God and his promises or our feeble, limited understanding?

We must cling to God’s promises and trust his word, even when we don’t see the answers. When we trust his word, we are really trusting his character.

Practically speaking, what does this kind of ultimate preparing for marriage look like?

1. Break bad habits (and start good ones).

2. Get into real community.

A Family That Eats Together Stays Together: 6 Steps To Making It Happen:

1. Maximize the number.

2. Maximize involvement.

3. Maximize listening.

4. Maximize positives.

5. Maximize food.

6. Maximize worship.

Distraction Free Family Time:

Turn down the Noise:

Intentionality:

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When I first became a pastor, I wish someone had told me:

When I first got married, I wish someone had told me:

When I first had children, I wish someone had told me:

When I first started to earn money, I wish someone had told me:

When I first became a Christian, I wish someone had told me:

So what should we do when the disgruntled attendee feels like the vast majority?

1. Evaluate if the disgruntled are the real majority.

2. Encourage the quiet supports to become vocal vision-casters.

3. Work to engage the disengaged.

4. Free up the future for the perpetually disengaged.

12 Helpful Questions for Your Church Finances:

1) What role does prayer play in your church finances?

2) In what specific way(s) is faith connected to your financial decision-making?

3) Who is primarily responsible for the income of the church?

1. Know who you are and what you’re about.

2. Serve your community.

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