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10 Ways to Become a Plastic Church

By
Chad Missildine
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What is a Plastic Church?

A Plastic Church is a church that looks like church from the outside: building, services, staff, etc. Who knows, there may even be a steeple! On the inside, however, the Plastic Church barely resembles a church at all. No real community of believers, no prayer, no real concern for people, no application of Scripture in real life, no transformation.

These are all signs of a real, authentic church. Could you have a Plastic Church or be on your way?

Here are 10 Ways to Become a Plastic Church:

1. Devalue authenticity.

Don’t Miss

Don’t create an environment where people can come as they are, baggage and all. This is easy when you, the church leader, are not authentic and genuine. Act as if you have it all together, and everyone else will act the same way!

2. Don’t push people to serve out of obedience to Jesus.

Talk instead about what’s in it for them. Better yet, don’t encourage people to serve at all.

3. Be a fake Follower of Christ.

There is no better way to have a fake church than to be a fake follower of Christ as a church leader. Talk the talk, but don’t get off your tail to walk the walk. Be a Plastic Church leader.

Choose Your Attitude: 4 Attitudes You Can Choose Today

By
Brandon Cox
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

Sometimes God takes me back to kindergarten, spiritually speaking. I spend time reading theological treatises, but I sometimes forget the most basic and simple of truths. Here’s one of those basic truths I sometimes struggle with: You can choose your attitude.

We don’t choose our circumstances. We don’t choose the weather, the direction of the economy, what people around us will do, or the direction of world events. If we could choose our circumstances, we would avoid discomfort every time, and in doing so, we would miss out on some amazing opportunities for growth. So we don’t get to choose our situation, but we do get to choose our attitudes.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

~ Philippians 4:8 NIV

In other words, focus your thinking on better alternatives. Here are at least four attitudes we get to choose.

4 Attitudes You Can Choose Today

choose your attitude of confidence in spite of my circumstances

1. Choose Your Attitude of Confidence In Spite of My Circumstances.

My situation might stink, but God is always alive, awake, actively working, and attentive to my situation. He saw it coming. He’s fully prepared. He wants to grow me through it and He’s on my side. Those are little truths to throw in the face of the enemy when he plants seeds of doubt. If God is for us (and we know He is) then who or what can possibly be against us?

choose your attitude of being positive in spite of criticism

2. Choose Your Attitude of Being Positive In Spite of Criticism.

Anyone who has ever had any influence on their surrounding culture has endured criticism. And often that criticism comes from the circles of people from whom we would least expect it. But criticism doesn’t have to defeat us. We should draw out of criticism anything that might be true and use it to our advantage. Everything else, we should throw at the feet of Jesus and turn our desire to be defensive over to Him (this is one of my biggest struggles). And we should be tenacious and stubborn enough to keep pressing toward God’s goal for us regardless of what others might say.

Choose Your Attitude of Being Hopeful When Nothing Seems Certain

3. Choose Your Attitude of Being Hopeful When Nothing Seems Certain.

Some of the toughest times we go through aren’t necessarily times of deep loss, but rather are times of waiting, times of uncertainty and unrest. When our presumed reality seems to be threatened and the positive things we were counting on seem to fall through, we can still be hopeful. God’s goal for us doesn’t change. He still intends to shape us into the image of Christ. He’s still going to return in absolute victory someday. He’s still causing us to be more than conquerors through Christ.

Choose Your Attitude of Being Content with Christ Alone.

4. Choose Your Attitude of Being Content with Christ Alone.

Of the four choices I’m mentioning, this one is by far the toughest. In fact, it really takes a lifetime for us to get this one down. Being content with Christ alone is a difficult attitude to gauge in our western culture because we have so much more than Jesus. I have a family, a home, two cars, food on the table, cable television, air conditioning, and gadgets galore. Will I ever know if I would truly be content with Christ alone? I’m not sure, but what I can do is walk in this attitude on a daily basis when deals fall through, when people let me down, when losses come. I can practice the discipline of saying “Jesus, You are enough. If all I have is You, I’m okay.” Contentment boils down to accepting with gratitude whatever God has in mind for us, surrendering our own idea of what is necessary in exchange for His idea of it.

These are tough. Adopting healthy attitudes is a daily discipline that requires our enjoying time with God in prayer, yielding to others, and cultivating thoughts of gratitude for God’s grace. Regardless of the size of the challenge, I know that all of these attitudes are possible because they are all commanded and exemplified in Scripture.

So choose wisely.

This article originally appeared here.

What Would Justin Martyr Do?

By
Richard Winston
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

What would Justin Martyr do about Netflix’s release?

Last December, Netflix released The First Temptation of Christ, a film that depicts Jesus as gay. The tagline reads, “Jesus, who’s hitting the big 3-0, brings a surprise guest to meet the family.”[1] The surprise guest is Orlando, Jesus’ partner, who returns home with Jesus from the desert only to be greeted by a surprise birthday party thrown by Jesus’ family. The rest of the film explores the growing tensions surrounding Jesus’ sexuality, his relationship with God and Joseph, and his own faith and powers.[2]

Not surprisingly, the film has angered many people. The First Temptation was produced by Porta dos Fundos, a Brazilian film company, and released on Netflix in Brazil. Brazil is almost 65% Roman Catholic, while an additional 20% of Brazilians follow some version of Christianity.[3] On Christmas Eve, at least four masked assailants launched Molotov cocktails at the production house for Porta dos Fundos, and later released a video taking credit for the attack (the production house was empty at the time; no one was injured and the firebombs did little damage to the building).[4]

More lawful responses to the film involve two online petitions to remove the film from Netflix.[5] Online comments include denunciation of the film as blasphemous, accompanied by threats to cancel one’s Netflix subscription. The opposition to the film has seen some success: on January 8, a Brazilian judge ordered Netflix to remove the film[6] (at the time of writing, the film is still available on Netflix USA).

The film’s production raises the question of how Christians should best respond to attacks on their faith. Christianity has long faced its cultured despisers, including during the earliest years of Christianity in the Roman Empire. In those days, many base rumors circulated concerning the Christians: they were incestuous and cannibalistic.[7] Furthermore, cultural elites such as Celsus sought to refute Christianity on intellectual grounds.[8] Church historian Justo Gonzalez notes, “Such arguments, and many others like them, could not be set aside by a mere denial. It was necessary to offer solid refutation.”[9]

While online petitions and threats of cancellation have short-term gains (the removal of the film), they do not constitute a robust and engaging defense of the faith. Instead, they belong to the category of “mere denial.” It is not wrong to exercise one’s rights (though such rights would have been foreign to the early Roman Christians), but perhaps the Christian’s engagement of error should rise above the level of denunciation and frustration (1 Pet 3:15).

In this respect, one of the earliest defenders of the faith, Justin Martyr, offers Christians solid guidance.

Three strategies in particular stand out.

First, in Justin’s “First Apology,” he addresses the very people in authority who unjustly hate and abuse the Christians.[10] He calls his writing an “Apology,” a defense, one that engages with the people who misunderstand the faith.[11]

The story has often been told of Rosario Butterfield’s conversion that began with a “kind and inquiring letter” from Pastor Ken Smith.[12] After Butterfield published a critique of the Promise Keepers in a local newspaper, she received so much mail in response that she kept two boxes on her desk, one for hate mail and one for fan mail. But when Pastor Smith’s letter arrived, she didn’t know which box to file it in because it asked thoughtful questions that challenged her to explore her presuppositions, an exploration that ultimately resulted in her conversion. Like Justin, Pastor Smith humbly addressed the person who opposed Christianity.

When films appear that challenge the biblical portrait of Jesus, instead of venting to other Christians online, one could write a summary of the gospel material for unbelievers that highlights the emphases of Jesus’ ministry. Perhaps even invite a non-Christian friend to read through Mark’s Gospel with you.[13] Like Justin, take time to address “readers on the outside.”[14]

Second, Justin appeals to ideas that non-Christians accept in order to establish a base for justifying Christianity. Historical and theological studies have given much attention to Justin’s doctrine of the Logos, namely, that God first sowed his knowledge among the Greek philosophers as preparation for Christianity.[15] Without affirming all that Justin claims there, apologists often seek to establish some point of contact between Christian truths and non-Christian reasoning. Throughout Justin’s First Apology, he highlights Christian ideas that pagans already accept, and argues that if they accept such ideas, they should be willing to consider more of what Christianity claims.

For example, when Christians are called atheists for refusing to worship the pagan gods, Justin notes that Socrates was accused of the same: “When Socrates, therefore, by dint of true reason, diligently applied himself to bring these hidden works of darkness to light, and to rescue mankind from the impositions of devils, then these very devils struck in with men of the same black spirit and delight in mischief, to get Socrates taken off for an ungodly wicked fellow and an introducer of new demons.”[16] When Christians speak of a coming judgment, Justin notes, “Plato and we are both alike agreed as to a future judgment, but differ about the judges—Rhadamanthus and Minos are his judges, Christ ours.”[17] Other philosophers speak of a destruction and renovation of the natural world, analogous to the Christian doctrine of the final judgment and new creation.[18] Justin therefore essentially asks, If we teach some of the same things as your teachers but with more proof and virtue, why are Christians unjustly hated more than others?[19]

4 Reasons I’ve Stopped Using My iPad for My Personal Bible Study Time

By
Greg Stier
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I love my iPad. It’s a powerful tool for both my ministry and personal life. I can return emails from it, watch videos on it and show fundraising presentations with it.

I’ve even gotten used to preaching from it. At our Dare 2 Share conferences I used to preach from a giant notebook. I’ll never forget the days that Propaganda and Zane would come out with their sleek iPads to preach from and I’d come out with a full-sized notebook that looked like it was on steroids. In this super-sized notebook were all the notes for the entire weekend, youth leader training, student manual and dramas. It had everything and then some.

This year I made the switch from using my fat notebook to a skinny iPad Air. I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to make the switch, but I did. It has worked out really well. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to preaching from paper.

But, although I’ve made the switch to an iPad for preaching, I’m switching back to a hard copy of the Bible for my morning devotional times. For the last few years I’ve used my iPad during my quiet times with God. It’s been easier to read from (because it’s backlit and I can make the font size bigger for my getting-older eyes) during my early morning devos.

But, in spite of its many benefits, I’m giving up having my devotionals on an electronic device. Here are four reasons why:

1. I can underline, take notes and mark up my Bible in a way that honors the past lessons God has taught me.

Sure I can highlight verses and jot notes on my iPad. But there’s something about the scribble of your own handwriting that marks the pages of your Bible with a customized imprint that begins to build a treasure trove of truth God has taught you. Over the last 25 years of ministry I’ve used two primary Bibles to study from on a regular basis. There are countless times I’ve referred back to my own personal notes in the margins of these two Bibles to reflect on spiritual insights I’ve received from God along the way. Every Bible I’ve ever owned is it’s own scrapbook in a way, full of snapshots of what God was teaching me during that particular time of my life.

2. Although an iPad is easier to read from, it’s harder to study from.

One of the great things about Bible reading is being able to cross-reference easily. If I’m reading in Romans and want to check out a passage in Psalms that Paul quoted (like he did in Romans 4), it’s just a matter of turning some pages. I can quickly get there and get back and read as many cross references as I like in the amount of time it takes to turn the pages. This process really enables me to get to know the Bible in a fuller, deeper way than just reading.

Leading Through Personal Trials

By
ChildrensMinistry.com
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

A friend of mine is an international speaker, and he often jokes about not having a “real” job. I first met him some 20 years ago, and he impressed me so much that I decided I, too, wanted to be a professional speaker. I mean, how difficult could it be to open your mouth and flap your lips in front of hundreds of people? He made it look so easy, yet I discovered how much work was really involved — and how looks can be deceiving.

My friend spent years refining his speeches, polishing his programs, and practicing to the point of near perfection. And no matter what was going on in his life or how he felt, the show went on. Through the years, I’ve held many roles in leadership and did develop a speaking career, although nothing that would hold a candle to my friend’s accomplishments. Whether I was speaking on stage or leading a team, I realized that the lights were on, and everyone was watching…no matter what. When you’re a leader, you’re a leader 24/7.

You probably feel the same way in your role…it looked so easy! Then you jumped into the deep end of the children’s ministry pool and have been treading water ever since, trying desperately not to drown. Welcome to the world of leadership!

The Leader’s Reality

It’s not just your imagination: Everyone really is looking to you as a leader. And it can feel as though you don’t have the latitude for the occasional bad day or room for a personal issue. And let’s be honest, our culture expects leaders to keep their personal lives at home because they have no place at work. The reality is that our work comes home with us — and our problems at home come to work. We’re human, and we all have issues like everyone else. But leaders are expected to simply press on through their trials. Why?

The Leader’s Creed

A scene from the movie Saving Private Ryan with Tom Hanks resonates with leaders. It’s the one where the Captain, played by Hanks, breaks down after years of stuffing emotions from the awful war — the things he’s seen, the things he’s done. He finally falls apart…all alone. A few scenes earlier, the Captain’s troops had asked him why they never saw him in a bad mood. He responded by saying that leaders don’t complain down the line — they go up the chain of command. But what he didn’t mention was that those up the chain of command really don’t want to hear about it. So the reality, as we see so dramatically played out on film, is that leaders often have no one to turn to; they tend to suffer silently and alone.

Your leadership role challenges you every day as you struggle to balance guiding and directing team members while ministering and mentoring a wide scope of people of varying ages. On top of that, you likely have your own responsibilities to attend to. So what happens when your personal life hits a speed bump…or completely and utterly crashes?

I’ve been there, and I want you to know I understand how isolating it feels. But I also want to suggest this: “I’ve met the enemy, and it is me.” Unfortunately, the very things that make us good leaders (strong will, determination, dedication to serving, and so on) can also make us lousy at dealing with personal issues. We “suck it up,” take it like a pro, and press on — or at least that’s what I did, because I really didn’t know any other way.

The Lonely Road

During my dark days (I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say I was going through almost all major stress factors at once while trying to maintain my career), I spent a lot of energy putting on my happy face. In fact, most people had no clue as to what I was going through. Sadly, I thought that was a badge of honor at the time. The less people knew about how horrible my life really was, the more in control I thought I was. In addition, I think I used leading as a way to hide from my personal life. We can often pour ourselves into our role in hopes that “home stuff” will sort itself out. Then days turn into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. When we avoid the hard stuff, time doesn’t heal — it only compounds the fracture.

But how does one learn to cope? My parents certainly didn’t sit me down and say, “Hey, honey, when your life falls apart one day, here’s how to get through it.” I don’t think I’m alone in that. Our education and training doesn’t address it either, so we have to make smarter decisions. And by doing so, we actually become better leaders.

The Journey Through Darkness

I discovered that by not sharing with at least one close, trusted friend, I was preventing God from working through my trials. I believe God uses our prayers and others’ prayers to accomplish his will. And I don’t believe that God desires his servants to burn up in a ball of flames. We’re no good to God’s kingdom and purposes when we’re so dry we have nothing left to give.

How did I learn this? When my life unraveled to the point where I could no longer hide it (and believe me, yours will too if you don’t address it), a friend of mine called me and read me the riot act. She said I’d denied her the ability to be a friend and sister in Christ. She couldn’t pray for what she didn’t know. Ouch.

That’s not to say you should dump your burdens on your team. But you must be wise and seek the ear of someone who cares. Just having someone listen to your challenges can make a difference in the weight of your troubles. It may not change them, but knowing someone is praying for you will give you that extra strength to keep going — which you must do. Jesus is the best example of a leader that I know, and even he was overwhelmed minutes before fulfilling his purpose. But nonetheless, he pressed on toward the goal — but not without first asking his Father for help.

• Find a friend. Select someone you trust who has your best interests in mind — and who isn’t on your team. This person may be your spouse, a peer, family member, or small group friend. Don’t exclude counselors and consultants; they can be excellent sounding boards with objective insights and feedback. And, pray. Rely on God as your closest friend and adviser. In the midst of darkness, that may be easier said than done. But know this: God is nearer to you in your darkest hour than you can imagine. Rely on and draw strength from him.

• Keep a journal. It takes a lot of energy to press on through dark days. It isn’t easy; I won’t lie to you. But one thing that’s often helped me is journaling. Oh my, I would never want a single person to read some of my entries because they’re raw, but I’ve learned that God can handle it…and he loves me anyway. Journaling has helped me release my anger, shed my doubts, and let go of my fears. And after I do, all that remains is God’s light and with it, peace. Granted, my peace may only last until the next crisis, but I’ll take what I can get.

The Facts About Stress

Personal crises of all shapes, colors, and sizes can be boiled down to one word: stress. It’s a small word, but it packs one powerful punch. Whether you’re moving into a new home, balancing the kids’ schedules, experiencing marital problems, dealing with a death in the family or — fill in the blank — you’re experiencing stress. And our bodies respond to all stresses, whether they’re happy occasions, negative situations, or simply realities of life such as the alarm clock or deadlines. A chemical reaction kicks in when we’re excited, bothered, worried, or anxious. And when we don’t do anything to alleviate this reaction, our bodies get sick from the inside out.

• Know the symptoms. Restless nights, headaches, backaches, stomachaches, and a myriad of other ailments can be signs that you aren’t managing your stress in a healthy manner. And if you find yourself in search of food, alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to help you cope, you could be on the brink of burnout. To continue to be an effective leader, you must carve out time for yourself. Even if it’s only 10 minutes to sit and breathe, it can make a difference. Jesus took time away from his disciples because he knew he needed to fill his own cup to pour himself into others. It isn’t being selfish; it’s being prudent.

• Know the prevention. Just as I prepare each day by looking at my to-do list, I now include evaluating my life stresses. Ask yourself, What’s going on with my spouse? kids? friends? family? church? By determining what’ll take energy from you today, you can plan accordingly to include activities that’ll fill your cup. These activities are different for everyone. For me, I need two things: lots of exercise and plenty of sleep. When those two things are in balance, I stand a chance of properly handling my stress. If either is forsaken, I’m weakened and vulnerable to my stress, and it may rear its ugly head.

An Opportunity to Shine

Remember, all eyes are on you. Rather than a burden, this reality provides an opportunity to be a great example to those you serve with. As a society, we’re slowly improving when it comes to recognizing that we need balance — but we still generally live in ways that are out of balance. People need leaders who are striving to balance life. You don’t have to be perfect, but by practicing stress and life management, you can have a more positive impact on people, be a greater influence, and hopefully keep your sanity and health in the process.

Lorraine Bosse Smith – ConceptOne Online – is the author of Leveraging Your Leadership Style and I Want My Life Back along with five other books.

5 Morale-Killing Mistakes Leaders Make

By
Gary Foster
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In an organization facing a lot of tough challenges or restructuring, or where jobs are under pressure, is it possible to maintain strong morale? It’s the job of the leader to implement an organization’s tone day in, day out. They’re the “front line”; their behaviors and expectations will set the standards for how people feel and respond to all sorts of situations.

Even in good times a leader needs to maintain engagement and minimize complacency. Whether things are slow or full of internal change and pressure, a leader needs to know how to respond and work with their team in such a way as to keep people on board.

Whatever the strategy for the team or organization, a leader has to win hearts and minds if he or she wants to see their team perform at their best. But building such high-performing teams doesn’t happen accidentally. It is the result of behaviors, values and beliefs which underpin the way people work together. Sometimes these values or beliefs are unspoken; sometimes they operate at an almost sub-conscious level. But they still affect the attitudes, behaviors and performance of every individual within the team and wider organization.

Sometimes, however, despite the best of intentions—despite setting and clearly communicating the expectations and vision for how people work together—some things sabotage the results. Take a look at the following and see if any of these apply to you or your organization.

1. INCONGRUENT ACTIONS When the boss does or says one thing, then turns around and does or reinforces the opposite, employees are quick to see the inconsistency. The more a staff sees this happen, the more they lose respect and trust in the individual leader and the wider organization. High-trust environments are built on consistent and congruent actions. Erosion of trust dampens morale and creates negative emotions inconsistent with high productivity.

2. NO ACTION Leaders can sometimes “talk a good talk”—they state grand visions, plaster values and belief statements everywhere—but then they take little or no action to ensure these grand statements are actually followed through. It is hard to expect a team to take vision statements seriously when they see nothing actually happening in regard to them. They begin to think, “We’ve heard this all before,” or “Here goes yet another meaningless initiative.” Leaders must act on their vision, and they must act within a reasonable time frame.

3. OVERCOMPLICATING THE VISION Sometimes leaders offer visions that are so complicated, people can barely read them, let alone remember them. If people can’t remember the vision, chances are it isn’t simple enough.

4. LOST IN DETAIL Some leaders are so detail-oriented that they simply find it hard to understand the idea of vision. They give little creative attention to tomorrow and the “big picture” because they are consumed by detail. It’s not that details aren’t important, but they should not become the sole focus.

5. SABOTAGING THE VISION Sometimes people within an organization will try to sabotage the vision. They understand it, but they disagree and try to work against it. Other people know they are doing this, and they expect the leadership does, too. If nothing is done to stop these efforts, those who are genuinely trying to adhere to the vision end up thinking, “What’s the use?” Leaders must act swiftly when they see this happening. And it begins not with a reprimand, but with a question to understand why people are behaving in this way.

By taking time to uncover some of these “morale killers” and taking steps to change things, a leader can improve morale at least within his or her own team, and sometimes—even despite morale issues—in the wider organization.

Five Common Mistakes Managers Can Make Which Kill Morale, Motivation And Engagement by Shona Garner. Adapted by Gary D. Foster, Gary Foster Consulting

7 Encouragements to Leaders Who Lead with a Limp

By
Ron Edmondson
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This is an encouragement to those who are limping in leadership.

The truth is, the best leaders I know have a limp of some nature. It may not be a literal, physical limp, or even visible, but if you are around them long, they will display remnants of a previous injury.

They may have had a failure that crippled them for a season. They may have messed up. They may have made a mistake. They may have lost their way. They may have even been tempted to quit, but they pushed forward, never to be the same again. With that in mind, here are seven ways to lead well, with a limp”

Don’t hide it – There is most likely a younger leader around you who feels they’ve lost their way…or will some day. They need your guidance. They need your encouragement. They need to see by example they can get up again and move forward.

Don’t be a martyr – No one enjoys a complainer or someone who is always making excuses. You suffered a failure. You had a setback. You made a mistake. Don’t wallow in your misery forever. It’s not an attractive characteristic in leadership.

Allow it to strengthen you – Allow your limp to make you a better person and leader. Let you limp strengthen your leadership abilities, even if it’s learning what not to do next time.

Be empathetic – Always remember others are limping too. If not now, they will be. They’re finding their way, just as you did.

Learn valuable lessons – Most of us learn more in the hard times than the easy times. Most likely, you will also.

Remain humble – Rahab of the Bible never lost her title as a harlot, even in the faith chapter (Hebrews 11). It reminds me that the past is my past. A great leader never forgets where he or she came from.

Limp to victory – Don’t give up. Great leader proudly limp across the finish line.

Are you leading with a limp? How has it shaped your leadership?

New Conservative Resurgence Seeks to Correct Liberal ‘drift’ in SBC

By
Stephanie Martin
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

The Conservative Baptist Network (CBN), a grassroots movement that launched today, is working to affirm the Bible’s sufficiency and to reject “unbiblical ideologies” affecting the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). The partnership of Southern Baptist pastors and laypeople formed in response to what it considers theologically liberal trends in America’s largest Protestant denomination. The group is essentially calling for a new conservative resurgence.

In a press release and on social media, the CBN says it’s a place “where all generations are encouraged, equipped, and empowered to bring positive, biblical solutions that strengthen the SBC in an effort to fulfill the Great Commission and influence culture.”

An official CBN launch event is planned for June 8, ahead of the SBC’s annual convention in Orlando, Florida.

It’s Time for Another Conservative Resurgence

CBN spokesman Brad Jurkovich, pastor of First Baptist Church in Bossier City, Louisiana, says the network is “concerned” about the denomination’s current path—“a road that is twisting what God’s Word is saying about things like human sexuality, biblical racial reconciliation, and socialistic justice.” The CBN, he adds, offers “fresh breath” and “the momentum needed for a course correction” in the SBC.

Southern Baptist pastors and churches have three choices, Jurkovich says: Do nothing and “watch this denomination drift, drift, drift into oblivion.” Leave the SBC and leave its many resources in the hands of “ideologies that will lead this convention into irrelevancy.” Or take a stand and make a difference. The pastor believes most people want to take a stand, saying the CBN is forming to support efforts to “overcome our present malaise and experience another spiritual renaissance.” It could be time, Jurkovich indicates, for another Conservative Resurgence, a movement that started in the SBC 40 years ago.

CBN posted a 1988 quote from former SBC president Adrian Rogers: “Denominational cooperation through compromise is neither Baptist nor biblical. And Baptists must beware of the leaven of liberalism.”

What Concerns the Conservatives 

CBN’s press release references the “insolence and disrespect” shown by some 2018 annual-convention attendees, who walked out of an address by Vice President Mike Pence. Jurkovich asks, “As Southern Baptists, can we not love both Jesus and America? Is it no longer okay to be a pastor and a patriot?”

Another concern is Resolution Nine (which passed last year) and its social-justice concepts of Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality (CRT/I). While other SBC leaders have called those concepts “analytical tools” that encourage diversity, CBN maintains they’re “ideologies that have their roots in Neo-Marxist, postmodern worldviews.”

Lorine Spratt, an African-American and longtime Southern Baptist, says she’s “embarrassed and insulted” by CRT/I. “I’m insulted that [denominational leaders] would think to use something like that to say that my culture or ethnicity…that we need extra care; that is not true,” says Spratt, who serves as executive assistant for Jurkovich. “You’re not helping me if you’re not pointing me to the Lord Jesus Christ. And I am not a victim. I am victorious in Jesus Christ.”

CBN’s concern about “the redefining of biblical gender roles” refers to the debate about complementarianism, a concept that’s being scrutinized in the wake of church sexual abuse scandals.

On its website, the new conservative network says it “affirms the longstanding Baptist beliefs as expressed in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.” It also specifies that the CBN is not “a new denomination, a blog or social media page existing solely to air grievances, a competitor with other like-minded ministries, [or] a group exclusive to one soteriological view or another.”

Who’s On-Board With the CBN

By midday on Friday, CBN reported that more than 800 people had signed up to join during its first five hours. Many supporters say they’re excited to confront the so-called #WokeChurch movement.

Tom Ascol, president of Founders Ministries, tweeted: “I am glad to see this new network roll out today. A growing number of Southern Baptists are determined to resist godless ideologies that undermine the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.” And Ken Ham, founder of Answers in Genesis, tweeted: “It’s great to see leaders in the SBC publicly taking a stand on challenging the church to stand on God’s Word in all areas. Culture changes but God’s Word doesn’t! The church needs to be reminded of this.”

UK Cancellations Are ‘freedom of speech issue’, Graham Says

By
Megan Briggs
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

Franklin Graham is yet again facing opposition to his plans to minister in the United Kingdom this year. So far, eight venues (seven of which had a contractual agreement with Graham’s ministry) have dropped the American evangelist. Graham’s critics include an LGBTQ group, opponents of President Trump, and even other Christian ministers. However, Graham maintains he is not crossing the pond to spread any kind of hate speech or political agenda. Rather, he simply seeks to spread the good news of Christ. Graham even compares the push back he’s receiving to the opposition his father, Billy Graham, faced in 1954 when he came to the UK.

“This is something that we’ve never run into in any other place in the world,” Graham said in an interview with the BBC. Graham calls the venue cancellations a “freedom of speech issue.” 

Despite the opposition, though, Graham is determined to press forward with the tour. Speaking to Religion News Service, Graham goes so far as to say the negative press is helping him. “We’ve seen a real rally of churches behind this event because of this negative publicity,” Graham said. “I think it’s helping. We have strong support from churches. We will go forward. I believe God has even a better plan.” Speaking to the BBC, Graham reiterated that there are “over like 1800 churches supporting us.” 

BBC Reporter Asks Graham About His Controversial Views

Edward Stourton of BBC Radio asked Graham about a handful of issues for which his critics in the United Kingdom fault him. The first issue was a statement Graham made 20 years ago calling Islam “evil.” Graham explained he made the comment after 9/11 and hasn’t “said it since.” He attempted to clarify his position on Muslims by saying: “I respect them, but I believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.” 

Stourton pushed back on Graham’s comments, saying “Lots of people believe that without saying Islam is evil. Can you see why that is such an inflammatory thing?”

There are “millions and millions of Muslims who are wonderful people,” Graham tells Stourton, and he distinguishes those people from radical Islam. However, given the chance to apologize for his remarks from 20 years ago, Graham doesn’t take the opportunity. 

Next, Stourton brought up Graham’s stance on homosexuality. Graham has been criticized for saying that same-sex marriage is the work Satan and also denouncing democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg for being gay. Graham told Stourton he won’t be addressing Islam or “gay, lesbian issues” in his crusade and that everyone is welcome to attend the events he has planned. 

Additionally, Graham made a point to say he wouldn’t be talking about Donald Trump, either. Stourton, bringing up Franklin’s father, Billy, asked Graham if he didn’t worry about being closely associated with Trump, who is a “pretty partisan figure”, in light of the fact that Billy Graham so famously served as a spiritual advisor to presidents of “both stripes.”

“I don’t think I’m as closely associated as most people think,” Graham stated. “I see him maybe once or twice a year. I prayed at his inauguration, along with eight other ministers.” 

Continuing, he said “He’s my president and I’m going to do all that I can to help him succeed. And when the next president comes along, I’ll do whatever I can to help him succeed.” Graham also defended the U.S. President, positing that Trump has helped the cause of Christianity by standing up for religious issues. “More than any president has done that in my lifetime,” he emphasized. 

Conservative MPs Defend Graham’s Crusade

On his Facebook account, Graham posted a video clip of two conservative members of Parliament, Fiona Bruce and Jacob Rees-Mogg, defending the evangelist’s right to book venues and hold his crusade in the UK. 

Graham originally planned to bring the “Graham Tour” to eight cities in the UK starting in late May. Graham will have to find new venues to host the events, and has indicated he will be filing lawsuits against seven of the eight venues that cancelled their agreements with him.

2,411 Unborn Children Buried: ‘There Is No Shortage Of Depravity’

By
Jessica Lea
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

Last fall, the remains of 2,411 aborted fetuses were discovered in the home of deceased abortion provider Ulrich Klopfer. On Wednesday, Indiana Attorney General Chris Hill presided over a memorial service for these unborn children.  

“The shocking discovery of 2,411 medically preserved fetal remains in Illinois, left in a garage and in a trunk of car was horrifying to anyone with normal sensibilities,” said Hill during the service in South Bend, Indiana. “Regrettably, there is no shortage of depravity in our world today, including due regard for the most vulnerable among us.”

The Chicago Tribune reports that “a couple hundred” people attended the burial, which featured remarks from pastors and anti-abortion advocates, as well as praying, singing, and a moment of silence. All of the remains were buried in the same plot, donated by Palmer Funeral Home. Ulrich Klopfer performed abortions in the cities of Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Gary, Indiana, and Hill explained that it would have been desirable to return the fetal remains to their respective cities. 

However, it was not possible to tell which city each of the remains belonged to due to how much they had decayed and to the unreliability of the medical records. Instead, said Hill, “We have gathered here at this site because it is both fitting and proper that these 2,411 unborn, even at this late date, receive their final resting place as would be expected and appropriate for any human being.” 

The ‘Shocking Discovery’ That Followed Ulrich Klopfer’s Passing

Former abortion provider Ulrich Kloper passed away on September 3, 2019, at age 79. The Chicago Tribune reports that his wife discovered the fetal remains when cleaning out the garage following her husband’s death. The home was located in Crete Township in Will County, Illinois. According to attorney Kevin Bolger, Klopfer’s wife never used the garage, which was filled “floor to ceiling.” There, investigators found 2,246 decaying fetal remains in “molding boxes and old (foam plastic) coolers containing large red medical waste bags.”

Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley said, “There were hundreds and hundreds of boxes that we had to go through to make sure there were no more of these remains in that residence. I can tell you that in the 31 years that I’ve been doing this job, I’ve never seen anything like this, ever.” Later that October, authorities found an additional 165 fetal remains in one of Klopfer’s vehicles.

USA Today reports that the remains were preserved with a chemical called formalin. According to Hill, it was hard to determine the gestation age of the remains of the unborn children, although he said, “There certainly were some indications that some of the remains would have been outside of the appropriate standard of when it would be appropriate for someone to seek an abortion or qualify for an abortion…beyond the first trimester.” Soon after the initial discovery in Kloper’s garage, officials found thousands of abandoned medical records in Klopfer’s abortion clinics in Indiana. 

Authorities were able to use records attached to the fetal remains to date them to abortions Klopfer conducted between 2000 and 2002. Hill said his office has been receiving calls from mothers whose children were aborted in the early 2000s and who want to inquire about the remains. Indiana legislators have also been contacting Hill to determine if all of the remains of the unborn children had ties to Indiana, even though they were found at Klopfer’s home in Illinois. So far the answer seems to be yes.

Background Info on Ulrich Klopfer

Calling Ulrich Klopfer “one of the Midwest’s most prolific abortion doctors,” USA Today says he was the only abortion provider in the three cities where he practiced, and he conducted “tens of thousands of abortions over 40 years.” According to the South Bend Tribune, Klopfer began performing abortions in 1973 after the passing of Roe v. Wade. In 2016, however, the Indiana Medical Licensing Board revoked his license “for failing to exercise reasonable care and violating several notice and documentation requirements.”

Among the most notable incidents the board took issue with was Klopfer’s failure to follow procedures for reporting abortions he performed on two girls under the age of 14. The board also seemed particularly troubled by the offhand way Klopfer recounted performing an abortion on a 10-year-old girl who was raped by her uncle. Klopfer (along with the girl’s parents) failed to report the incident to authorities. 

The state of Indiana currently requires fetal remains be buried or cremated following an abortion. But this requirement only went into effect in May 2019 after the Supreme Court upheld a 2016 law signed by then-Governor Mike Pence.

Why would someone save the remains of thousands of aborted children? Father Frank Pavone, the National Director of Priests for Life, works with many former abortionists. He says, “Most people do not realize how traumatized and deeply damaged these men and women are because they are killing babies. To do that day after day? It requires a betrayal of one’s own humanity and a colossal distortion of mind, heart and emotions.” 

Pavone argues that the inhumanity of what abortion providers are doing leads them to act in “bizarre” ways, including saving fetal body parts. Notably, notorious abortion provider Kermit Gosnell also preserved the remains of children.

One of the attendees at Wednesday’s memorial service was a woman named Serena Dyksen, whose parents took her to get an abortion from Klopfer after she was raped as a teenager. “Coming here today was just another layer of the healing process,” she said. “As post-abortive men and women, sometimes we think we shouldn’t be able to mourn the loss of our children, but it was a loss of life. It doesn’t matter the situation, the age, I still had a mother’s heart.”

“There are so many hurting women in our community because of this,” Dyksen went on to say. “We don’t want to forget what happened.”

2020 Summer Olympics … Ministry Plans Underway in Tokyo

By
Caroline Anderson
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

If you share the gospel with a Japanese person, there is a 99% chance this would be the first time they’ve ever heard the message. With that statistic, Japanese people can be classified as an unreached people group. So the 2020 Summer Olympics bring great ministry opportunities.

This might come as a surprise for those who think of “unreached people groups” with images of men and women living in jungles or remote desert dwellings. Instead, Japan’s unreached are often businessmen working in skyscrapers and young adults with unparalleled digital connectedness.

IMB missionaries say in this era of Japan’s history, they see an unprecedented opportunity to reach the Japanese with the gospel. Japanese people are increasingly open to hearing about hope and eternal life. Japanese Christians and missionaries are excited to potentially be on the cusp of change in the tides of Christian history on the island nation. Daniel and Tara Rice, IMB missionaries in Tokyo, say they believe the 2020 Summer Olympics could be a game-changer, and they are hopeful that in 2020, the percentages of those who haven’t heard the gospel will continue to decrease.

Eras of resistance

Why aren’t more Japanese followers of Jesus? And why has it been so difficult to reach Japanese with the gospel? Carlton Walker, who has served in Japan for 40 years, says Japan is a country and culture of homogeneity. Japan’s geographic isolation kept out many outside influences. That isn’t to say there weren’t outside influences. Part of the Japanese alphabet, the Kanji, came from China, as did Buddhism and the all-too-famous ramen noodles. However, for two centuries, Japan remained closed to the West. Imperial Japanese rule brought political isolation for more than 200 years. Tradition dictated that lower societal classes, like fishermen, be deferential to higher ones, and the classes didn’t mix. Changes in society were minimal. Japanese have a famous saying: “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.” That fear of being hammered down has kept the status quo. Maintaining the unity and uniformity of the culture has been more important to them.

Walker says Japanese people will listen to presentations on the gospel, and like many people in honor/shame cultures, they don’t want to bring shame on the person sharing the gospel by disagreeing with them. This may make it seem like the person hearing the gospel is interested in the gospel when the opposite could be true. Walker explains the Western evangelistic method of sharing that we have sinned and need to repent isn’t effective in Japan. More effective is framing the gospel as the shame of a broken relationship that needs to be restored. Though history and culture have been stumbling blocks for the advance of the gospel, IMB missionaries say that beneath the veneer of tradition and the culture of honor and shame, a religious zeal is waiting to be revealed.

Era of restoration

As in most societies, zeal and fervor can be easily found at festivals and sporting events in Japan. The Rices and Walker say the atmosphere allows freedom of expression and gives unspoken permission to be silly or carefree. On these occasions, missionaries say Japanese people are more likely to listen to presentations of the gospel. The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo will provide missionaries, Japanese believers and Southern Baptist volunteers inroads to talk about Jesus in Japan. Over the past six months, and in the months leading up to the 2020 Summer Olympics, the Rices and Japanese churches are hosting community festivals. The festivals will feature family-friendly games, activities, food and gospel presentations. Volunteers from Southern Baptist churches in the U.S. are key partners in the festivals.

“The festivals are seen as a first step in discipleship,” Daniel said. “They are always connected to a local church, and we strongly encourage the local church to have something planned next.” During the Olympics, mission teams will focus on evangelism through things like a pop-up coffee shop and Olympic pin trading. The goal of each effort will be to share the gospel with Japanese and visitors who might be more receptive to the message. After the Olympics, Japanese churches will follow up with people interested in hearing more about Christianity. Involving Japanese Christians ensures that the gospel doesn’t leave with the short-term volunteers or IMB missionaries when their terms of service end. The Olympics have the potential to usher in a Christ-centered era in Japan. Join IMB missionaries and Japanese Christians in praying this will be a reality.

This article about 2020 Summer Olympics ministry originally appeared here.

Church, Believe in Young Leaders

By
Eric Geiger
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

Churches often struggle with empowering younger leaders, with handing significant responsibility to the next generation. Yet the Scripture gives us the sense that a church should believe in young leaders. The Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy to “Let no one despise your youth; instead, you should be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity (1 Timothy 4:12).

Paul was convinced that, in his young age, Timothy could set an example for others. In many ways, younger leaders who walk in humility are uniquely positioned to set an example. Instead of trusting their own wisdom, younger leaders are positioned to trust His wisdom. Because they know they are in over their heads, younger leaders are positioned to rely on the gracious hand of God. Instead of banking on their “years of experience,” younger leaders can boldly bank on the Lord’s favor and blessing.

God delights in using the weak and vulnerable to exert His power (Psalm 8:2). God is not attracted to those who believe they are strong and wise but to those who understand they are weak and foolish, those who know they need His power and grace. In both the Scripture and Church history, we see God greatly using the young to accomplish His purposes.

Young Leaders in Scripture

  • God used Jeremiah to proclaim His truth, though Jeremiah protested saying, “I am only a young man.”
  • Samuel was a young boy when he was serving in the temple.
  • Josiah was 16 years old when the Lord used him to spark a revival among God’s people.
  • Hezekiah was 25 years old when he became king, and he led the people to remove idols from the land, including Moses’ bronze snake that had become an object of worship.
  • Mary was a teenager when the Lord chose to bring the Messiah into the world through her womb.
  • The disciples Jesus chose were all young men, likely under the age of 18.
  • Timothy was likely quite young when his ministry began.

Young Leaders in Church History

  • John Calvin was converted at age 25 and within a year had completed the first draft of Institutes of the Christian Religion.
  • Martin Luther was joined by Philipp Melanchthon, a 21-year old scholar, as they lectured to hundreds of university students during the years of the Reformation.
  • Jonathan Edwards was 19 when he penned his 70 resolutions, which he then read once a week for the next 35 years in hopes of stirring greater affection for God.
  • George Whitefield and John Wesley met together with a handful of other college students in what was called the “Holy Club.”
  • One of the greatest missionary revivals is known as the Student Volunteer Movement, where hundreds of university students gave their lives to be foreign missionaries.

A church that does not believe in young leaders is a church that has drifted from our great history, a history of equipping and empowering the young to lead. A church that does not believe in young leaders is disregarding how God has chosen to work. Church, believe in younger leaders.

This article originally appeared here.

The Screening Process That Protects Your Children and Church

By
Angela Lewton
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

The screening process for paid staff, a volunteer, or a leadership position is a vital piece of your church’s overall safety plan and includes seven key elements. The screening process functions as a deterrent for would-be offenders, eliminates easy access to children, and brings to the surface need-to-know information about a person’s character, commitment, and history working with children and youth. 

Screening takes time, and time is valuable, however consider these points when evaluating time for screening. 

  • Less than 10% of child sexual abusers are criminally prosecuted, meaning 90% will have no red flags or marks in their history when undergoing a check
  • 38% of repeat sexual offenses take place in areas other than where the previous offense was committed

The screening process applies to adults 18 years and older, assumes applicants are applying to work directly with children on a consistent basis, and the evaluation is taking place for paid staff, a volunteer, or a leadership position.

The Seven Elements of the Screening Process

1. The Written Application lays the foundation for the other six elements and identifies the vital information required to make an informed decision about granting access to children.

The application should always be 100% completed. If an applicant is unwilling to complete the required information, this is a red flag.

Applications at a minimum should include the following information:

  • Name and any aliases 
  • Verified social security number
  • Driver’s license state and number
  • Current phone number, address, or past addresses if they have been at their current location for less than a year
  • Personal email
  • Educational history and work experience with kids/youth
  • Family information
  • Current/past church associations (if they’re in children’s ministry or a church-sponsored youth group)
  • Criminal history
  • Signed waivers for background and social media checks

2. The Background Check is a vital element of the overall comprehensive screening process. Alone it’s not a silver bullet and can often lead to a false sense of security. If budget is a constraint ask the applicant to cover the cost (approximately between $10 and $20) for their check. It’s a good way to gauge their level of commitment and rarely does anyone refuse.

Background checks do not include family or civil cases about child abuse, arrest history, or other legal complaints. They do not call out federal or criminal cases in other states.

3. The Social Media Check is a valuable resource for learning more in-depth information about an individual. It helps to identify a good fit and provides information left off the written application or during the interview.

Information shared socially appears to be unfiltered and more representative of an individual’s character, preferences, and skills. It may also uncover additional talents not mentioned in other evaluation activities. 

Social media is new for most organizations. Quick tips to get the most from your social media check:

  1. Include a social media “Release of Information” form with the written application. It authorizes the organization to obtain and verify applicant information as it pertains to social media activity.
  2. Never ask for an applicant’s password. It’s now illegal in several states and creates a risk of violating the federal Stored Communications Act.
  3. Focus only on information that is public and posted by the applicant.
  4. Complete the social media check after the face-to-face interview. It’s better to form a first impression in person rather than via social media.

Dallas Woman Helps Thousands Love the Bible, Not Just Read It

By
Jessica Lea
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

A Bible podcast started by a woman in Dallas, Texas, now has 13 million downloads from listeners throughout the world. Because many find the Bible to be unapproachable, Tara-Leigh Cobble started The Bible Recap podcast to help people, not just understand Scripture, but to love reading it—and to love God better as a result.

“When you love something, you want everyone to love it and see how great it is,” Cobble told NBC DFW News. “There is nothing I would rather give my time to than this. I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done, probably the best thing I’ll ever do.”

Launched in 2019, The Bible Recap is a brief, daily podcast that follows a chronological Bible reading plan. Listeners read the Bible passage of the day and then listen to the podcast episode, in which Cobble summarizes key points from the passage and what it reveals about the nature of God.

Cobble recorded The Bible Recap from her Dallas apartment using about $200 worth of equipment and spending about six hours per day researching, writing and recording the Bible podcast. Before she started the project, Cobble checked to see if anyone had done something similar, but no one had. And once she began, she realized why: “It was so much work.”

Why a Bible Podcast?

Cobble recorded several episodes where she preps listeners for what to expect in The Bible Recap. In the first prep episode, she says, “If you’ve ever closed your Bible and thought, ‘What did I just read?’ The Bible Recap is for you. And the good news is, you’re not alone. Lots of people struggle in their relationship with Scripture.”

When faced with the strangeness of the Bible, people often jump around, avoiding sections that make them uncomfortable and only reading books they find appealing, such as the Psalms or Proverbs. Or they stay in the New Testament because they like Jesus, but don’t understand the Old Testament. Some people give up reading the Bible altogether and instead just read devotionals. Others who have stumbled across Cobble’s Bible podcast might not even be sure that God is real or that Christianity is true. “Regardless of where you’re coming from,” says Cobble, “The Bible Recap is here to help.”

In the second prep episode, Cobble explains that even though she became a Christian at a young age, grew up in a Christian home, and was doing ministry as an adult, she had never actually read the Bible from beginning to end. When a friend challenged her to do so, she found the experience difficult and off-putting. Cobble says it wasn’t hard to understand what the Bible was saying about God. What was hard for her was accepting what it said. She was actually more bothered by what the New Testament said about who God was than she was by what the Old Testament said. But a mentor encouraged her to keep wrestling through what was bothering her. So she read through the Bible again with that mindset, praying that God would help her to see him for who he is. And he did.

The second time around, says Cobble, “I found him. And I fell in love with him. I began to see, not just what he was doing, but why he was doing it, what his heart was behind it. And he answered that prayer to teach me about himself in such a way that I felt like I was learning a whole different God than I’d heard about in church.” 

How Does Cobble’s Bible Podcast Work?

If you would like to read through the Bible using Cobble’s plan, you can search for The Bible Recap under “Plans” in the YouVersion Bible App. If you have not yet done so, you will need to sign into the Bible App through Facebook or create your own login. The Bible Recap follows a particular chronological reading plan, so Cobble advises people not to buy a chronological Bible because it will not line up with the podcast.

Once you start the plan, you will read the assigned passage for the day, which Cobble says typically takes about 12 minutes. Then you will listen to the podcast episode for the day, which is usually around eight minutes long. In each episode, Cobble shares a few insights on the passage she has gained through years of reading through the Bible in its entirety. Because she has read through the Bible at least 10 times by this point, she is able to evaluate specific portions of Scripture with the metanarrative of the Bible in mind. 

Cobble notes that she is not an academic or a scholar and that she has never gone to seminary. The episodes, she says, are more like an overview or a highlight reel than they are a scholarly commentary. More than focusing on theological terms or historical details, she is concerned about highlighting God’s character. Each episode concludes with a section she calls “The God Shot,” a summary of what each passage shows us about who God is.

Scripture Changes Lives

One listener who completed The Bible Recap told NBC DFW that she saw a shift in her own heart and the hearts of her children as they read through the Bible and listened to the podcast. One result of that change was her family ended up fostering and eventually adopting a little girl. 

Says Cobble, “If all you gain from this is one new insight about God, that might legitimately change the rest of your life and your relationship with him.” 

Pastor in Singapore Tests Positive for Covid-19

By
Megan Briggs
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covid-19
Screengrab Youtube @Grace Assembly of God Singapore - Official

Pastor Wilson Teo of Grace Assembly of God in Singapore has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, dubbed Covid-19 by the World Health Organization. Teo’s is one of seven confirmed cases of the virus among members of the church. As a precautionary measure, the church will close its doors and pause all face-to-face activities for two weeks. 

“This virus will come and pass, but Grace Assembly must emerge stronger and more united than ever, under God’s presence and provision!” Teo wrote in a letter to the congregation. The pastor assured his congregation he is “recovering well” and looking forward to his full recovery “when I will share with all of you on Grace Assembly’s journey in overcoming this virus.” 

Covid-19 Halts Grace Assembly’s Activities

Teo is currently quarantined in Singapore’s National Centre for Infectious Diseases. Because of their contact with Teo, staff members of the church are under a Home Quarantine Order (HQO), issued by Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH). 

In the letter, Teo also told congregants that the MOH has started contact tracing, a process wherein they track down who has been in contact with the confirmed cases linked to the church. The MOH is reaching out to these people, and Teo asked parishioners to comply with any instructions they may receive. If they have not been contacted, however, Teo said congregants should “live your life as normally as you can.” 

While Teo says he is looking forward to resuming services at the church the weekend of February 29th, he says this is a date to hold loosely. “With the evolving situation, we must be prepared that things may get worse, before they get better,” he writes. The pastor also commended the courage of those church members who have offered to send meals and buy groceries for those under the HQO. Additionally, he notes that many members “have created prayer groups to pray for the church and our staff.” 

Founded in 1950 by missionaries Valence and Lula Baird, Grace Assembly of God is celebrating its 70 year anniversary. The church started with Cantonese Bible studies geared toward children. Currently, the church, which is affiliated with the global Assemblies of God denomination, offers services in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, and Tagalog. The megachurch has two locations in Singapore, one in the Tanglin area and the other in Bukit Batok. Pastor Teo started working at Grace Assembly in 2018 as the Executive Pastor. In December 2019, he was installed as the church’s Senior Pastor. The church sees an average attendance of 4,800 people each weekend between its two locations.

Other Churches Affected by Covid-19

Grace Assembly isn’t the only church with confirmed cases of Covid-19. A much smaller church, the Life Church and Missions Singapore, has five confirmed cases linked to its congregation. The church has since stopped all services and also engaged a professional cleaning service to disinfect the premises using a hospital-grade disinfectant.

Speaking to the congregation via YouTube livestream on Sunday, Rev. Vincent Choo informed those watching that the church unwittingly had two visitors from Wuhan, China (the epicenter of the virus) in their services three weeks ago. Those two visitors have since been confirmed as carrying the virus. The three other cases linked to the church represent church members, one of whom was in an intensive care unit of the hospital as of Sunday. Choo emphasized during his message that congregants should not blame the visitors for spreading the virus. “This is not the Chinese, the Wuhan people’s fault. It is also not the fault of those who came to sit among us. In times like these… we must pray for the masses, we must pray for Singapore. We must pray for the hospital staff, we must pray for China.”

Church Guide to Coronavirus 1

Currently, Singapore is reporting 58 cases of the Covid-19 virus. The MOH has issued a health advisory mandating citizens and long-term residents be placed on a 14-day leave of absence if they have returned from mainland China from January 31st and onward. The leave of absence entails staying home from work or school, avoiding public gatherings, and avoiding sharing food or having visitors to one’s residence. 

Churches throughout Singapore have started taking precautionary measures to screen members and visitors to their churches in order to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. For instance, the Archbishop of the Catholic Church in Singapore has ordered canteens in churches closed and church classes suspended. 

While livestreaming a service is viewed as an outreach tool in the Protestant world, the Catholic church sees it as a last resort for those who cannot attend Mass in person. Due to so many people being placed on a leave of absence, however, the Archdiocese of Singapore has announced they will be livestreaming Mass from the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd starting February 16th. In its social media post announcing the livestream, the Archdiocese reminds would-be viewers of the Vatican’s position on watching a livestream service versus attending Mass in person:

“… those who hear or view these broadcasts should be aware that, under normal circumstances, they do not fulfill the obligation of attending Mass. Visual images can represent reality, but they do not actually reproduce it. While it is most praiseworthy that the elderly and the sick participate in Sunday Mass through radio and television, the same cannot be said of those who think that such broadcasts dispense them from going to church and sharing in the eucharistic assembly in the living Church.” – Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis, 57.

Many churches require attendees to use hand sanitizer and have their temperatures taken before entering the church. Other churches are collecting information from attendees such as names, contact numbers, and travel history, in the event contact tracing becomes necessary. The precaution doesn’t end at the door, either. Many churches have also adjusted their communion practices, using pre-packaged single-serving communion cups and wafers and requiring communion servers to wear gloves and masks. 

Joseph Prince’s New Creation Church is using state-of-the-art technology to help screen attendees. The church is employing thermal scanners, similar to ones used in Singapore’s airports and hospitals, which don’t require the use of a traditional thermometer. The church is also utilizing bio-fogging to disinfect areas used for large gatherings and children’s areas.

Covid-19
Screen Capture from New Creation Church

The Super Bowl Halftime Show: Turning Your Overreaction Into Interaction

By
Jonathan McKee
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

The whole family gathers around the big screen eating pizza and wings, eager for the second half of the Big Game to start. Then Shakira and JLo are introduced, and within seconds moms and dads around the country are forced to react to the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

What do I do?

A. Jump up, turn the TV off, and begin ranting about “the trash on TV today!”

B. Leave it on, but send the kids out of the room.

C. Don’t say a word and hope that your kids don’t notice (even though your 12-year-old son now has a strange grin on his face).

D. Point to the screen and say, “Son, that right there is how babies are made.”

E. None of the above.

The Super Bowl Halftime Show Can Teach Us Something About Parenting

Parenting has always been difficult, but controversial Super Bowl halftime shows like this past weekend made it even more so when parents were instantly put on the spot to react… or overreact…in the moment. And these moments are always difficult to navigate.

Honestly, what were we supposed to do?

If we turn the TV off, our kids might think of us as antiquated and ignorant with archaic values. Sure, we shouldn’t let that bother us…but it does. What if our values aren’t archaic? What if they’re just refreshingly unwavering? How can we help a wishy-washy generation being spoonfed, “Do what feels right at the moment” to understand?

If we leave the TV on and send the kids out of the room then we’re hypocrites… maybe even a pervert.

If we just sit there and hope our kids don’t notice, then we’re the proverbial ostrich with its head in the sand. And let’s be real. Our kids definitely noticed. (Which makes you wonder if JLo actually considered, “My daughter is going to see me doing this!”)

And it would be nice to try to turn moments like this into teaching moments…but what does that actually look like?

A Little Too Common
Sadly, this situation isn’t that rare. If you’ve got screens in your house (and most of us do), or your kids have screens in their pockets (and most of them do), then the struggle is real. The messages in today’s top music are frequently irresponsible. The apps they want are far from innocent. Many of us implement some reasonable rules and screen limits…but let’s be honest, we can’t block everything. Besides, we don’t want to be so focused on blocking the lies that we forget to talk about the truth!

So how should we respond in these moments?

Here’s four tips I teach in my brand-new Engaging Generation Screen parenting workshop:

1. Press Pause


No, not literally with your remote control (because you don’t want to freeze-frame on JLo’s booty). Pause your reaction. Do anything you can to delay your response.

This is tricky when considering the example of the Super Bowl Halftime show. If you delay reacting at all, then you’re automatically allowing your kids to see it. So in this situation, what if you stood up, turned off the TV and said, “Who wants some nachos?”

If your kids argue, “But Daaaaaaaaad, I wanted to see JLo pole dance!” then pause your reaction.

Delay.

Do anything you can to buy yourself time.

Why? Most of us aren’t that good in the moment. I know I’m not. In fact, every time I did react…actually, overreact…I always looked back about an hour later and thought, “What I should have said was…”

So why not just give yourself that hour in the first place. And if your kids press you, then memorize a phrase like, “On the advice of my lawyer, I’m delaying my response so I don’t say anything stupid.” Or even, “I love you, and I respect you, so I’m going to pray before I respond because I don’t want to say anything insensitive.”

Pressing pause helps you to…

5 Ways to Pray for Your Church Family in 2020

By
Erik Raymond
-
Father’s Day program ideas for church

As we turn our calendars to a new year, we instinctively make plans to give attention to what matters. As Christians, we know that when we think about our priorities, prayer is right at the top of the list. I was reading through Nick Batzig’s helpful post on how to pray for our pastors and thought about how we could pray for our churches. Here are five ways that we can be praying for our own church family and other churches as well.

1. Pray for a hunger for the Bible.

If the goal of the church is Christlikeness, then the diet for the church must be the Bible. After all, it is the Bible that God uses to make the child of God more like the Son of God (John 17:17). Therefore, we can pray that the church would be filled with people who hunger for hearing from God in their private devotions, public gatherings, and conversations with other believers. Imagine the impact of a church full of people who wake up eager to come and hear the Word preached on Sunday morning. Imagine a church that longs to open the Bible each morning to discover anew the truth of God’s character and conquests. Imagine hearts so overflowing with the Bible that their text messages, conversations, and meditations just drip with the Scriptures. Everything pivots on what we do with the Bible.

Our Father, give our church—give me—an abiding delight in Your Word. Cause me always to hunger for the truth while being ever satisfied with the truth. Lord, make our church a Bible-saturated church.

2. Pray for thankfulness.

A thankful church should not be taken for granted, and an unthankful church should not be left alone. The Apostle Paul identifies being unthankful as a footprint of unbelief (Rom. 1:21) while noting thankfulness as a mark of a believer (Col. 3:15–17). One way we can be praying for our churches is to plead with God that we would be thankful.

But thankful for what? And thankful to whom?

The Apostle shows us that the thankfulness we are after is God-centered and gospel-wrought. In other words, we want to see churches enveloped by a real joy in God because of what He has done for us in Christ. You see this in Colossians 1 as Paul, himself in prison, prays for a church full of people whom he has never met—that they would understand the greatness of God and joyfully respond to the gospel with thanksgiving to God (Col. 1:9–14).

God, make us to be a church that is thankful to You and for You. May Your worth and work captivate our hearts, minds, and wills so that circumstances are transcended by the fact that You are for us in Christ.

3. Pray for gospel growth.

The gospel is intended to advance. Jesus commissioned His disciples as missionaries (Matt. 28:19–21) and churches have been advancing the gospel ever since. This cannot happen, however, with churches full of people unmoved by the gospel. The truth of the gospel must get down deep into the marrow of our beings, our very souls. It is a truth that must color every thought, action, and reaction. As we grow in our understanding of the gospel (and its implications), we find ourselves growing in our knowledge and application of the Bible. We become mature. Now, please understand—there is a difference between knowing about the Bible and gospel growth. The Pharisees knew a lot about the written Word but they rejected the incarnate Word. You have to do more than graduate with a degree in Bible Trivia. To grow in the gospel is to have one’s identity, mission, security, and hopes all built on what Christ has done. A church that is growing in the gospel is filled with people who are joyfully loving, serving, and sacrificing for one another as they demonstrate the gospel. They are also tactfully, winsomely, and zealously declaring the gospel to each other and the world around them.

God, strengthen us in the gospel. Draw us deeply into the glory of Christ. Make us more and more impressed with Him this very day. Cause us to grow in the gospel and walk in a manner worthy of it.

4. Pray for holiness.

The Apostle Peter exhorts us to be holy because God Himself is holy (1 Peter 1:15–16). Before the church is anything else, she is set apart to holiness. Therefore, one of the prevailing burdens for us in prayer is to walk in holiness that corresponds to the reality of being positionally set apart by God. This is a challenge because we live in the midst of a world that is not holy. It does not regard holiness as a virtue. It, quite frankly, mocks holiness. As a result, we need to continually pray for our church family that we would be a holy people. The Bible tells us to pursue, or strive, after holiness with an intense effort (Heb. 12:14). This unwavering burden to reflect the divine character to one another and to the world around us must be an ongoing prayer.

Our holy God, make us to prize and pursue Your holiness. Strengthen our burden, commitment, and endurance to strive daily after holiness in our lives.

5. Pray for unity.

The gospel brings people together. What’s more, it brings sinful people with various backgrounds (geographic, ethnic, economic, etc.) together. The gospel takes selfish people and causes them to love one another. However, we know from reading the New Testament and from experience that selfishness constantly attempts to overthrow unity. How do we combat this? We are told to preserve unity (Eph. 4:2) by walking in a manner that is worthy of the gospel. This is a humble, gentle, enduring, and loving walk. It tends toward preserving unity rather than fracturing it. As long as selfishness exists, we must find ourselves praying for unity. We get there by asking for believers to walk this gospel walk, leaving footprints of humility.

Father, You are one God in three persons. There is such a loving, happy unity in the Trinity. Make this church—make me—to feel this happiness. Cause us to be united in and through the Trinity so that we might be united together, as a church, in love.

This article originally appeared here.

May Jesus’ Name Be Known Through Me

By
Marshall Segal
-

Jesus came on mission, lived on mission, died on mission and left his disciples—including all of us who follow him today—on mission. Conversion is about commission, not just salvation, because we’re not saved to be saved, but saved to be sent. Redemption is a life-saving rescue, but it also involves a profound rewiring and repurposing. We are saved to go out into the world for the glory of our Jesus—to make him known as our Lord, Savior and greatest Treasure.

How is that mission accomplished? What plan did Jesus bring to make himself known in the world? Well, it began with a small group of confused, unqualified and unknown men that walked with Jesus—and even one of them betrayed him to death.

Jesus “called the 12 and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits” (Mark 6:7). Jesus could have chosen the experienced, well-educated teachers of the day. He could have commissioned the crowds that gathered in city after city—thousands and thousands of people. Instead, he picked 12 seemingly random guys, stayed with them his whole ministry, and sent them out to speak on his behalf.

“We’re not saved to be saved, but saved to be sent.”

Sent by Jesus for Jesus

These 12 “went out and proclaimed that people should repent” (Mark 6:12). Repentance—turning away from sin, from other gods, from lesser treasures—is the fitting response of a sinful people to the good news of a holy, sovereign and gracious God.

It was a condition for salvation (Luke 13:3, Luke 13.5″ data-version=”esv” data-purpose=”bible-reference”>5), but it was so much more than a condition. Repentance is living, breathing and believing faith. Why would we continue walking in sin when we’ve seen the path of life, when we’ve heard the gospel—the medication all our sin-sick souls so desperately need? This was the message in the disciples’ mouths. There is a Name that loves the unworthy, redeems the hopeless, heals the sick and conquers every evil. His name is Jesus.

Sent With Nothing, and Yet Everything

Before the disciples went out with the news, Jesus “charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics” (Mark 6:8–9). Why would he intentionally make their journey so hard, hungry and precarious?

To make and keep them humble and dependent on God. Those entrusted with the greatest news in the world and empowered to be lights where they live will always be tempted to be proud and self-reliant. It’s a profound but pervasive irony that fruitfulness so often causes us to forget the sovereign love of God upholding and empowering all our ministry. One way to avoid the trap is to intentionally forego safety and comfort, even safety and comfort we can afford to provide for ourselves.

Sometimes we need to make ourselves trust God for what we need tomorrow, instead of structuring our lives to only need him every once in a while, when an unexpected crisis comes. Leave what you need at home, and know that you’ll have what you need. Your Father loves you more than you know and has more at his disposal than you could possibly fit in that bag—or house, or 401K (Matthew 6.33–34″ data-version=”esv” data-purpose=”bible-reference”>Matthew 6:33–34).

Leading Up: How to Get Your Good Ideas Across

By
Dan Reiland
-
Father’s Day program ideas for church

You have good ideas but you may need help leading up to get your good ideas across.

You are passionate about them, but they seem to hit brick walls more often than you like.

Ever been there?

When you have what you believe is a good idea, passion alone isn’t enough to get it across.

Leading up is a nuanced art required of all leaders.

Leading up and leading change requires finesse in your leadership.

It’s not an all or nothing process. Leading up requires give and take and keeping your eye on the big picture.

Leading up is not about manipulation or politics but wisdom and discernment that shows respect and fosters a spirit of unity.

You may be the senior pastor reporting to the board, or the newest member on staff, and it feels like you report to everyone.

No matter what position you play on the team, getting your ideas to become a reality can be layered and complex, especially as the organization gets larger.

Here’s a counterintuitive caution, if you’re in a church where anyone can do anything they want, that is equally problematic. Maybe more so than a church where it’s extremely difficult for most anyone to get their ideas through.

Always check your motives first.

Why do you want your idea to be implemented?

It should always be for the good of the team and the good of the church, not just because it’s good for you. Or, it’s what you want.

I have to check myself too. When I have an idea, especially one that involves change, I ask myself, “Is this best for the church?” And I’m also aware that it’s my opinion that it’s best for the church. It may not be everyone else’s opinion.

That helps me set my perspective in the right place. It doesn’t lower my passion, but it increases my pursuit of unity.

In some environments, it may seem like the ideas and requests of the loudest person with the biggest personality in the room always seems to win, but I can assure you there is an approach that is more effective over the long run.

Here’s a better way for leading up to get your idea across:

1) Think it through carefully.

If you want your idea to land, you must know with precision what you want to accomplish or what you need and why.

Always start with why.

Your idea needs to show the value to the whole organization, not just the value to your campus, your team, or you personally.

If it’s a ministry idea, for example, think through all the elements. Be clear on everything, from resources to timelines.

Let’s take financial requirements, for example. Take the time to know the total cost. Don’t just estimate. Do the research it takes to know the real numbers.

Think through the matter of return on investment.

Will the outcome of your idea be worth or greater than the expense of time, energy, and money?

A critical question to ask yourself is – “Is there another way?” There are likely other ways to do this.

Why is your solution the best?

2) Write it clearly.

When leading up, passion is important, but a plan is more powerful.

A written plan represents your refined thinking on paper.

If you want someone to read it, make your proposal one page, two at the most. If asked for more, you can add more later.

It’s ok to attach research, data or photos, etc., but don’t cover that material. The team can look at it later if they need to.

Be sure that your written plan is clear. Remove the fluff. Use bullets over lengthy paragraphs with flowery language or unnecessary words.

Have a friend test read it. If they don’t immediately understand precisely what you are saying, write it again until they do.

3) Present it well.

Get the right people in the room. You don’t need a lot of time, but you do need the right timing and the right people.

The right timing includes questions like, “Does the agenda already have so many items that yours will be lost in the mix and become an overlooked side issue?”

Or, “Are there other items of much more importance or urgency than yours at that moment?” Be sensitive to that. Wait for the right time.

When leading up, don’t plead your case with passion hoping to “win.” Communicate in a levelheaded manner that demonstrates calm inner confidence about why your idea is genuinely good for the church.

Be sure that your idea or request is not just to make things different. It needs to make things better.

Be clear and concise, hand out your one-pager (or two), and stick to it.

Take a few minutes to answer questions then close it out, asking if more time or info is needed or if a decision can be made.

I realize this may seem very formal for many church staff situations. It would be pretty formal for ours too, but all the elements are still important.

Just make them fit the relational vibe of your culture, and again, these guidelines will be helpful.

4) Lay it down.

Remember, you are on the team to serve, not win, that’s key in leading up.

You are there to find a way, not get your way.

You have ideas, and you believe in them. Great! That’s what leaders do. It’s part of our responsibility to solve problems, innovate to make things better, and make progress.

But there is also a sensitive balance between progress and culture. Teamwork, unity, and a spirit of cooperation must remain intact.

Here’s a truth that has helped me over the years.

The person or persons you want approval from face pressures you aren’t aware of. Keep that in mind.

They may like your idea but have conflicting responsibilities, requirements, and pressures you may or may not be aware of.

Even when you lead up well, you will get no’s, we all do. You will gain much more respect and favor in the future if you take a no with genuine maturity.

It’s unrealistic to get a yes every time. Don’t take it personally.

Take it in stride, remain committed to the team, and bring your next idea at the right time. Each time you get a yes, it’s important that you deliver the results you promised!

This article originally appeared here.

Tim Keller on Godliness

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Megan Briggs
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