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2020 Child Safety Trends Your Church Needs to Know

By
Angela Lewton
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

With the start of a new year, it’s important to understand child safety trends and new opportunities churches can take advantage to better prepare for challenges, improve effectiveness, and increase child protection.

In 2019 many child and youth-focused organizations invested in prevention tools, increasing collaboration with incident response teams, and prioritizing training and education. 2020 will be the year many organizations fully implement what they learned and fine-tune the processes around current tools.

Top Child Safety Trends and Predictions

Experience Drives Loyalty

Leaders who oversee child and youth ministries know that families make connections through their experiences. 2020 will bring in a hyper-focused experience-driven culture both now and in the future. Families function in a new reality, one that dictates prioritizing child safety 24×7. Due to this shift, they are always watching. Create a proactive and preventive culture they can see and experience. This will be a big reason they choose to stay or go in 2020.

Building Trust

If anything, 2019 revealed security breaches, safety concerns, leadership scandals, and a myriad of distrust around a lack of volunteer and staff screening for child-centered organizations. 2020 will bring a renewed focus on reestablishing trust both inside and outside the organization. As leaders gain more knowledge on the proliferation of abuse, they’re better prepared to address family questions and concerns and offer real-time solutions that improve child safety.

Align for Credibility

Leaders often think of their teams as only direct reports or the individuals they see daily. Offering a high standard of protection is a big job and difficult for only one person. Aligning with cross-ministry teams to leverage expertise or establishing a Child Safeguarding Committee to reach your safety goals, are smart ways to leverage resources. Security teams, HR professionals, CPR trainers, first responders, or others with a safety emphasis are great sources of knowledge to tap. Utilizing people with skills beyond what you have to offer increases credibility and provides families a sense of comfort that you’re serious about establishing safety and you are not trying to do it alone.  

Communication & Collaboration

2020 will usher in a whole new level of required content and frequency of communication with families from staff, volunteers, and leadership, which will contribute to creating a proactive and preventative culture (mentioned above). Prioritizing a weekly connection through email, social media, and or text for those in your organization and with families is important. Provide updates, changes to policy and guidelines, reviews, potential threats, or safety tips and tricks. This is good information to share and helps keep the priority on improving safety, get everyone on the same page, and allows for better preparation in the event of an incident.

Consistency Is Key

Consistency is an essential element of safety! It doesn’t matter if you have families that have been with you a while or new ones you’re welcoming. Consistency with process, policy and guidelines shows watching families that you won’t deviate from your stance on safety no matter what the situation is your facing. Families like to know processes won’t change because the situation does. An example of this is check-in and check-out. Check-in is the front door to your church, and if it’s chaotic or doesn’t exist, families more than likely won’t choose to stay. A well-designed check-in and out process provides order, safety, and important trackable data.

By the Numbers

Good data is vital to making improvements, tracking attendance, balancing staff, and demonstrating you’re running the organization well. Nevertheless, the term good data can be subjective. 2020 will usher in the need of customizable, digitally stored data that is accessible from anywhere. Leaders will work to increase their understanding of ratios and trends to make informed data decisions. Features such as custom reports, on topics such as statistics, graphical charts, attendance, roster, and health/allergy management reports will be top of mind.

Tools, tactics, and data will be the stars this year. Ask yourself, is my ministry poised to take advantage of these new opportunities, and if so how?

5 Tips to Unleashing Your Child’s Creativity

By
Andrew Linder
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

Unleashing creativity in children is possible, because not only is creativity all around them, it is within them. Put there by God Himself!

Genesis 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him.

Look at the world around you… I think you’d agree that we are created in the image of a very creative God. That’s why we call Him… Creator. He has put his creative nature inside of each and every one of us, meaning that we each have a contribution to His world that is as unique as we are.

Creativity in Children

Children are especially creative, even more than most adults, and for a number of reasons.

  • They use their imagination on a level that most adults have forgotten they can.
  • Children see the world through an untainted lens where anything is possible.
  • They don’t think outside of the box, they’ve completely gotten rid of the box.

Do you remember being a kid, and how much differently the world looked as you viewed it from a little closer to the ground?

“The creative adult is the child who survived.” – Anonymous

Creativity unleashed allows the world to see what is yet unseen. In a world filled with creativity, yet so limited by the lack of it, how can you help nurture and unleash the creativity in children?

5 Ways To Unleash The Creativity In Children:

1. Make them play outside

In my opinion, nothing has the potential to unleash your child’s creativity and imagination as much as them breaking outside the walls of your own house. Children need to spend time outside in nature. And nothing is wrong with actually requiring your child to go outside and play. Give them a time limit, then let their imagination kick in and take over the rest.

“Almost all creativity requires purposeful play.” – Abraham Maslow

2. Require them to have downtime

Today’s kids are too busy. Their schedules reflect a culture that doesn’t know how to say no and doesn’t know how to slow down. The only way our kids will have margin is if we create it for them. Kids need time and space to be creative. However, children nowadays are often not creative simply because they don’t have to be. We have filled their lives and attention with never-ending options.

“I think it’s necessary to let kids get bored once in a while. That’s how they learn to be creative.” – Kim Raver

3. Limit their screen time

Screen time is one of the greatest threats to the creativity of this generation. Children no longer have to think for themselves, which means that they no longer have to imagine or create. Unlike a book, screens not only tell them the story but visualize it for them, leaving little to the imagination. And in the age of the iPhone and Siri, creativity and play are often replaced with screens and convenience.

“Play is the highest form of research.” – Albert Einstein

4. Give them challenges

Here’s one you can try – put them in a room and give them an hour with nothing but a box of legos… or a puzzle… or a book. Or tell them that they have to sit down at the kitchen table for 30 minutes with some good old-fashioned plain paper and a few crayons. Get creative… and so will they. After they get over the initial shock, they might actually enjoy it.

“Children are naturally creative. It is our job to give them the freedom, materials, and space to let their creativity blossom to its full potential.” – Jean Van’t Hul

5. Be creative yourself

Creativity breeds creativity. I find that my own children are more creative in their own lives when I am. Whether I get creative in our family life or the way we spend our time or money. We’ve found that creativity thrives off of being exposed to creativity. And there are very few things in life our kids are exposed to as much as us, their parents.

“Creativity is contagious, pass it on.” – Albert Einstein

Which of these five things could you prioritize this week to help unleash your child’s creativity?

This article originally appeared here.

4 Sundays Every Church Leader Should Work on Every Week of the Year

By
Rich Birch
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

Doesn’t it feel like Sunday is always coming at your church? Every seven days, it just keeps showing up! This relentless rhythm can lull us into a situation where we see every Sunday as the same in a never-ending line of weekends. But this just isn’t the case! There are some Sundays every year that are frankly just more valuable to you and your church as you attempt to grow and make an impact in your community. You need to focus your leadership disproportionately on these four weekends to leverage them for church.

Two Reasons “Big Days” Are Critical to Your Church

Not all Sundays present the same opportunity for making an impact in your community. Some weekends present a better opportunity for having more people attend your church, and therefore, church leaders are required to pay more attention to such weekends. These “Big Days” are unique opportunities because of two factors:

  • Your People Are More Likely to Invite Their Friends – There are certain Sundays during the year that people who attend church are more likely to invite their friends and family to their church. We want to make sure that we are doing everything we can, so as to equip our people who do the inviting as it’s a change in their normal behavior.
  • The People They Ask Are More Likely to Attend – When your people do the inviting, their friends and family are more likely to say “yes” on these weekends. If your people have the positive experience of inviting a friend to visit their church and they come, your people will be more likely to invite people in the future!

Most of our communities are more “unchurched” than they were a generation ago. We find that across the country, in various regions, the above mentioned two dynamics still hold place. There are just a few weekends that your church is going to see more guests attend than others, and hence, you need to apply a different strategy to those weekends than any other.

“Big days” are a categorically big deal when you are making an effort to see your church grow.

The Four Sundays You Need to Pay Extra Special Attention to:

  • Christmas Eve – (I know this only falls on a Sunday once every seven years, but you know what I mean!) Christmas is possibly the single biggest opportunity for your church to connect with unchurched people.
  • Easter – This day is driven not only by a strong “return to church” undercurrent where people who haven’t attended church in a while come back, but also by the curiosity factor around the “Easter story” that still resonates in our culture.
  • Mother’s Day – Everybody loves their mom. Who wouldn’t go to church if their mom asked them? (The same is not true of Father’s day!) Many churches are finding this “Hallmark Sunday” is a strong time to connect with the community and build lots of momentum around it.
  • “Back to Church” Sunday – This Sunday varies from church to church but most churches have a Sunday when it seems like their region is hardwired to try visiting the church again for the first time. You can figure out which is that Sunday at your place by observing your attendance patterns and seeing which Sunday that isn’t one of the above three, but has the next largest attendance. I’ve seen it on one of the following Sundays, on a regular basis:
    • Second Sunday in January – Connected with “New Year’s Resolutions” and getting life back in order.
    • Weekend After Labor Day – Related to kids being back in school and life getting back to “normal” after summer time.
    • Daylight Savings Time Sunday – People have an extra hour to sleep in on this fall Sunday and are more likely to attend.

Five Elements to Every “Big Day” Weekend at Your Church

The reason why church leaders at prevailing churches are always working on one or two of these “big days” is that they require extra effort to put together. They represent the opportunity to build bridges to reach new people in your community and to see those people get connected to the life of your church. Here are five aspects of the “big day” that you’ll need to focus your time and energy on:

  • Robust Communications Plan – Ensuring that your people are not only informed about what is happening during the special Sunday, but are also motivated to reach out to invite their friends this weekend. In my book Church Growth Flywheel, I outline in detail an effective communication plan that you can just “copy and paste” into your church. The key here is to ensure that the right people are getting the right message, at the right time.
  • Clear & Compelling Preaching – At the core of a fantastic “big day” is an effective message that connects with your audience. Three out of four people who attend churches say sermons are a major factor of why they go to the church. [ref] The message is core to what happens in your church; it needs to take center stage in the planning for these big days. The “cyclical” nature of these days can present a challenge to some communicators because it can be difficult to come up with a “fresh spin” on the content. Special attention and focus should be given to ensure that the message doesn’t get overlooked.
  • Obvious Next Steps – The goal of these weekends isn’t to get a large attendance for the sake of filling our rooms. We’re hopefully having larger attendance at these weekends and then encouraging those people to return to our church in the future. Prevailing churches use these weekends as the front door to the church, but then have obvious and simple “next steps” for people to take into the community and life of the church. These can include clear invites to the next series at your church or digital follow up processes that are designed to help you stay connected with your guests. How you are asking your guests to return after your next “big day” at your church needs to be central to how the Sunday is constructed.
  • Something for Kids – Churches that are growing are centered around attracting and keeping families. These “big days” need to have something extra special for kids. It doesn’t need to be complex or expensive but should have a little extra “zing” to make it great for your youngest guests. Gather your team together and empower them to come up with a special programming element or maybe a fun gift to give to every kid who comes to this Sunday.
  • Prepared Teams – These Sundays aren’t like any other Sundays during the year, and so your volunteers need extra levels of support and care to make it great for them. Your music teams will probably need to do an extra rehearsal or two. The guest services team will need to get together and work out what happens when you have twice the normal crowd size. Your kids’ ministry will require extra team members ready to ensure that you can register more “first time families” through your check-in process. These weekends need to be treated with love and care so that your people come away from them being happy about them. If you fail to prepare your volunteer teams for these “big days,” they will just feel like a giant hassle having all these guests rather than appreciating the privilege and honor it is!

How Do I Make My Small Group Members Accountable?

By
Allen White
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

Okay, let’s rethink the question a little bit, then we can tackle the issue. Forced accountability is less like having a spiritual coach and more like having a probation officer. Since most group members aren’t working hard to avoid incarceration, making group members accountable is a failed enterprise. The title of that book would be How to Lose Friends and Frustrate People. I don’t think that’s what you have in mind. Here are some things to consider in developing group member accountability:

1.       Why do you feel your group members need accountability?

Either accountability works well for you, or you’ve heard that it does. Whether you’re starting a new habit or forsaking a bad habit, the help and encouragement of another believer can be a great support and motivator. If your group members are asking for accountability, that is a beautiful thing. If you think your group members need accountability that they’re not currently seeking, well, that’s a whole other deal. Proceed with caution, unless you are exercising your gift of martyrdom on this one.

Think about what led you to see accountability was a good thing for you. More than likely, this was a process for you. It wasn’t a gut reaction. You thought about how accountability could help you. You thought about what would work for you. You thought about who would coach you. It took a little time. Your group members probably aren’t there yet.

Give them insights into how accountability has helped you before you pop the question. Just casually bring up accountability during the group meeting. You might even start with a praise during the group’s worship or prayer time, “I am thankful for my accountability partner. This relationship has really (helped me maintain a consistent quiet time or kept me in the gym or whatever it was).” You have to show them on the value of accountability.

“But this will be good for them. We need to just get started.” Imposing accountability on unwilling group members will backfire in a big way. It will be about as popular as the brussel sprouts you serve instead of brownies at your next meeting. Your group members want to grow spiritually. You have found a tool that will help them get there. Now, you have to give them the “why” and not just impose the “what.”

2.       What accountability is your group open to?

Every believer is at a different place in their spiritual journey. In fact, no two believers walk identical paths. While Jesus is the only way to Heaven, each person’s background, wounds, victories, personality, gifts and passions are very different. What works for one will not necessarily work as well for everyone else. One size does not fit all.

The only accountability that works is the accountability that your group members actually want. They may very well want to forsake a bad habit or develop a good one. Accountability may be the perfect tool to get them there … but only if they ask for it.

Once your group members have bought into the concept of accountability, there is nothing wrong with asking the group members what they would like accountability for.

3.       What accountability has the group agreed to?

Your group has already agreed to some things that require accountability. Your small group agreement outlines each member’s responsibility to the group. If your agreement puts responsibility on your members to let the group know when they can’t make a meeting, then they have consented to accountability in that area. The same with the other areas of agreement: confidentiality, active listening, etc. If someone violates something in the group agreement, then you should definitely ask them about why they broke one of the ground rules for the group.

Accountability That Works

Some accountability comes across as coaching and encouraging. Other efforts at accountability seem condescending and defeating. Here are some things to consider in setting up accountability with others:

1.       How does accountability work?

Accountability fails when it’s conducted by an accountant. “Your goal was to exercise four times last week, but you only exercised two times. Now you need to repent and pledge to do better next week.” Yikes! Sounds like they’ll be skipping the next accountability meeting, too.

The Bible tells us that “love keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:5). If the purpose of accountability is to confront the person with their failures, it’s a failure. The nature of accountability can’t be merely a ledger recording wins and loses.

Accountability works when it’s more like coaching and less scorekeeping. If the member only got two workouts in this week, then the response should be, “Good, you got two in. What kept you from doing all four? How did you feel after your workouts? How did you feel when you skipped your workout? How can I help you this next week?” What are the reasons behind the success or failure? What motivates them? What demotivates them?

Accountability partners need to know that you have their best interest at heart. Your prayers are significant. Your short voicemail messages or texts or tweets can encourage them daily. But encouragement should be given in appropriate doses; otherwise it can seem like a backhanded rebuke.

2.       Who should provide accountability?

As the group leader, you should have an accountability partner, especially if you are advocating accountability. But the group leader shouldn’t have more than a couple accountability relationships himself. “But the group has never done this. What if they don’t do it right?” Okay, Moses, read Exodus 18 and take a breath.

The group leader can coach the group on providing and receiving accountability. But there is no way to maintain an accountability relationship with every person in your group, and it’s not healthy either. Ideally, group members should be matched with someone who has a measure of victory in the area they are holding another accountable for. This just makes sense. Who do you want coaching you on weight loss—the guy who lost 80 pounds in the last year or the guy who would like to? You want the guy who has succeeded.

If someone wants to get up at 5:30 every morning to start a quiet time, they need someone who is up at that hour to give them a wake-up call for a while. (By the way, 5:30 pm is just as spiritual as 5:30 am—just sayin’.)

Your group might not even want to use the term “accountability partner.” For several years, my group had “prayer partners.” Two of us got together every other week to pray for each other. There was some checking in involved in the process, but it didn’t feel like a pop quiz.

Done the right way, accountability can be a good tool to strengthen your group and deepen their relationships with each other and with God. As long as you keep the “why” ahead of the “what,” your group could be well served with this.

 

 

Are We in Danger of Worshiping Worship?

By
David Santistevan
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

The question needs to be asked: Are we in danger of worshiping worship?

The mood. The atmosphere. The melody.

The crowd. The emotion. Your favorite worship leader. Your favorite speaker.

The band. The performance. The feeling.

Are we being moved by the right things? Are our hearts aimed in the proper direction?

The problem with our worship culture is that we equate worship with an experience, a moment.

We end up loving worship more than we love God. We end up talking about worship more than we talk about God.

Our culture has made worship an end in itself, rather than what it should be—a way of life with Christ at the center.

But when life is chaotic, what do you turn to? When crises hits your life, what worship songs are you singing?

The Distracted Worshiper

I’m not advocating we create boring, terrible music or rid our gatherings of emotion. This isn’t a time to point the finger, listing all the churches, record labels and artists who are doing it all wrong.

I’m issuing a caution—a warning to guard our hearts from loving worship more than we love God.

Imagine hiring a photographer for your wedding who was so distracted by the scenery that he never took any photos of you and your spouse. Not only would we call that unprofessional, we’d call it ridiculous. As a camera focuses in on a singular object, a special moment, so your life should frame itself around Jesus Christ.

But with good intent, many of us are running around focusing on anything and everything but God Himself. It’s as if Jesus is enthroned before our eyes, but we’re taking Instagram shots of the throne itself.

We’re more enamored by the gifts and talents of God’s people than the Creator of all things.

If we took away the music, the songs and the artists, would we have anything to say to God?

Are We in Love With the Right Thing?

If you were alone in a room with Jesus Christ, what would well up from the depths of your heart? What would you say or feel? How would you respond?

Can you talk about worship music for hours but have nothing to say about who God is in your life and what He is doing?

T. D. Jakes, the Trinity, and the Truth

By
Ed Stetzer
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

I’ve never met Texas pastor T.D. Jakes. Not long ago, we both spoke at the same event—we served as the co-keynote speakers for the Evangelical Press Association meeting in his hometown of Dallas, but did not meet—and that was about as close as my association has been. He is certainly well known and influential… and in the “evangelical press” again this week.

In evangelical circles, few issues have been as controversial lately as James MacDonald’s invitation of T. D. Jakes to an event called The Elephant Room. Many people expressed great concern and, to quote Mark Driscoll, MacDonald “must have felt like a piñata on Cinco de Mayo.”

During the simulcast that took place yesterday, Jakes was paired with Driscoll for a discussion about doctrine. Quickly the question that was on everyone’s mind was brought into the conversation—something called modalism or Sabellianism. (For more info on Sabellianism, visit Justin Holcomb’s Know Your Heretics series at The Resurgence.)

There is no official transcript yet, but Trevin Wax live-blogged the event. He acknowledges some content may be inexact, but an attendee who previewed this post attests to the substance of both the question and the answer. Thus, according to Wax, Driscoll asked Jakes:

We would all agree that in the nature of God there is mystery. But within that, for you, Bishop Jakes, is the issue one God manifesting Himself successively in three ways? Or one God existing eternally in three persons? What is your understanding now? Which one?

To which Jakes responded:

I believe the latter one is where I stand today. One God—Three Persons. I am not crazy about the word “persons,” though. You describe “manifestations” as modalist, but I describe it as Pauline. In 1 Timothy 3:16 he says, “For God was manifest in the flesh.” Paul is not a modalist, but he doesn’t think it’s robbery to say “manifest in the flesh.” Maybe it’s semantics, but Paul says this.

Now when we start to think about that sort of thing, I think it’s important to realize there are distinctives between the work of the Father and the work of the Son. I’m with you. I’ve been with you.

Be sure to read the whole recap here.

You might be wondering why this would even be an issue for arguably the most well-known African American pastor in the country. It’s because Jakes has, in the past, been identified with Oneness Pentecostalism, which teaches that God is one God in three successive “manifestations” rather than one God in three Persons eternally co-existing.

Kobe Bryant Went to Church One Last Time Before He Died

By
Megan Briggs
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Kobe Bryant Catholic
Screengrab Twitter @ArchbishopGomez

Before Kobe Bryant boarded what turned out to be an ill-fated helicopter flight with his daughter, Gianna, and seven other people, he went to church to pray. 

Father Steve Sallot leads Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in Newport Beach, California. Speaking to reporters, Sallot said “He just came and went quietly and prayed and gave his life to the Lord. And yesterday he had to give it back.” 

Father Sallot said Bryant did not attend the 7:00 am Mass that was scheduled on Sunday, January 26th. Instead, Bryant came and left before Mass started. Sallot ran into Bryant in a doorway, just as he, Bryant, was leaving, and Sallot was coming to officiate the service. The two chatted briefly before Bryant left for the airport. “We shook hands, I saw that he had blessed himself because there was holy water on his forehead. So I knew that he went in the chapel and prayed, came out and blessed himself.”

Bryant grew up Catholic and continued to exercise his faith later into his life. According to Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, Bryant “was a very good Catholic, a faithful Catholic.” The Archbishop posted a tribute to Bryant on his Twitter account. 

Despite his faith, Bryant’s life was not without sin. In 2003, Bryant was arrested for allegedly raping a woman in Colorado. Bryant insisted the sexual encounter was mutual, but the woman believed differently. The charges against Bryant were eventually dropped, and he issued this apology statement in 2004:

Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.

Speaking to GQ Magazine in 2015 about the allegations against him, Bryant said “The one thing that really helped me during that process–I’m Catholic, I grew up Catholic, my kids are Catholic–was talking to a priest.” 

Not only did his faith get the basketball superstar through this confusing time, it also seemed to have saved his marriage. Bryant married Vanessa Laine in 2001. The couple had four children, one of whom died with Bryant in the helicopter crash. In 2011, though, the Bryant’s marriage didn’t look like it would last too much longer. Vanessa filed for divorce, and Kobe, with the same determination he showed on the basketball court, refused to give up on the relationship. Again speaking to GQ, Bryant said:

We still fight, just like every married couple. But you know, my reputation as an athlete is that I’m extremely determined, and that I will work my [butt] off. How could I do that in my professional life if I wasn’t like that in my personal life, when it affects my kids? It wouldn’t make any sense.

Two years after filing for divorce, Vanessa withdrew her request. 

Father Sallot called the encounter with Bryant a “backhand of grace” encounter. “We got a moment for me that was grace. And hopefully, for him, it was as well,” Sallot said. 

Should You Allow Registered Sex Offenders in Church?

By
Jessica Lea
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

A new bill from Tennessee Representative Patsy Hazlewood (R-Signal Mountain) raises the question of how ministry leaders should deal with registered sex offenders who want to attend church services. Hazlewood’s amendment would allow known sex offenders in church within certain parameters. 

“As a father, you know, it’s concerning, but as a Christian as well, you know, I’m all for second chances and all for people turning their lives around,” said Jackson, Tennessee, resident William Rainer, according to WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News. 

What Does the Bill Say About Sex Offenders in Church?

Hazlewood’s bill specifies that sexual and violent offenders may be allowed “at a house of worship for the purpose of attending religious services or receiving educational or social support services.” The amendment to Tennessee’s law states that the offender must give written notice to the “the leader of the house of worship” and that the leader must provide written permission for the offender to attend services. Hazlewood filed the bill through the Tennessee General Assembly on Monday, and it has not yet gone to any committees.

WBBJ reached out to several churches in Jackson, Tennessee, for their reactions to the bill, but the churches were either reluctant or unavailable to comment. A resident named Lynn Havner said she understands why people would be fearful of allowing sex offenders in church, but added, “in a controlled circumstance I think that’s where they need to be.” Said Rainer, “You can’t shun people…The church is a hospital.”

If passed, Hazlewood’s bill would become law on July 1, 2020.

Clear Cause for Concern

Ministry leaders who have concerns about allowing sex offenders in church are right to be wary. The widsepread nature of child abuse within the Catholic church is now well-known, and recent years have brought to light the Protestant church’s own failure to protect its children from abuse. For example, former children’s ministry volunteer Jacop Hazlett was recently sentenced to 75 years in prison for sexual crimes against children. Some of these were actually caught on camera by the church where he volunteered in South Carolina. The church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, which has been dealing very publicly with what Albert Mohler has called, “its own horrifying #MeToo moment.”

Lawyer and advocate Rachael Denhollander, who was the first person to speak out against USA gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, has said, “The way the Evangelical church handles the issue of sexual assault and domestic violence is very much in opposition to Christ’s teaching. It’s in opposition to the Gospel.”

In addition to being a lawyer and outspoken victims advocate, Denhollander is a wife, mother, and committed follower of Jesus. She says, “Church is one of the least safe places to acknowledge abuse because the way it is counseled is, more often than not, damaging to the victim…It is with deep regret that I say the church is one of the worst places to go for help.”

Yet many believers recognize the importance of extending grace and the possibility of restoration to all people, no matter what their sins are. So what are church leaders to do if they want to help both victims and offenders in cases of sexual abuse?

Dealing with Sex Offenders in Church

David Middlebrook with the Church Law Group says that the question of what churches should do about registered sex offenders is “one of the toughest questions we are asked regularly.” 

For churches that want to allow a sex offender in church, Middlebrook offers the following advice:

  • Do a comprehensive background check on the person in question. 
  • It’s up to the church to decide precisely what the offender is allowed to attend. 
  • Obviously, an offender must not be allowed to have contact with the church’s youth or children. 
  • Assign a mentor or chaperone who is always present when the offender attends a church function. 
  • Create a “covenant of conduct” with the understanding that if offenders violate that covenant, they will not be allowed to return to the church. 

J.D. Greear Urges Caution: Patterson Was Fired for a Reason

By
Stephanie Martin
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

When asked about the controversy surrounding a disgraced former president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s preaching engagements, current SBC President J.D. Greear urged congregations to be cautious. The Houston Chronicle, which has been investigating sexual abuse and its mishandling within the denomination, asked Greear about Dr. Paige Patterson, who was removed as Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s president in 2018.

“Trustees terminated Paige Patterson for cause, publicly disclosing that his conduct was ‘antithetical to the core values of our faith,’” Greear said Friday. “I advise any Southern Baptist church to consider this severe action before having Dr. Patterson preach or speak and to contact trustee officers if additional information is necessary.”

Patterson, a leader of the SBC’s conservative resurgence, has been accused of covering up abuse allegations and mishandling complaints. He recently spoke at Victory Baptist Church in Rowlett, Texas, which presented him with a “Defender of the Faith” award. In February, Patterson is slated to appear at the Great Commission Weekend, held at Fellowship Church in Immokalee, Florida.

Abuse survivors and advocates have raised concerns about Patterson’s appearances, while his defenders cite “local church autonomy.” Addressing self-governance among the SBC’s 47,000 congregations, Greear says, “Churches must take our mutual accountability to each other more seriously than we have in the past. If our system of governance means anything, it means exercising due diligence and heeding what those whom we put in positions of trustee oversight have reported about official misconduct.”

The SBC’s new Credentials Committee is overseeing reports of churches that step away from denominational doctrine or policy.

Abuse Advocates Praise Greear’s Statement 

Rachael Denhollander, a lawyer and advocate who’s helping the SBC with abuse prevention and reforms, says she’s “deeply encouraged” by Greear’s warning and hopes others take a stand, too. “Autonomy does not mean silence and lack of accountability,” she tweeted. “The most important thing we can do is speak the truth and push each other towards righteousness. May we see more of this, and deeper action still.”

Abuse survivor Susan Codone, a professor who’s opposing Patterson’s Florida appearance, also appreciated Greear’s statement. “Dr. Patterson’s actions have harmed many,” she says. “The SBC is on a great trajectory and does not need his presence anymore.” Codone’s Twitter bio includes these words: “If you stand up to sexual abuse, you must remain standing.”

Others Say Greear Is Overreaching

Scott Colter, a former colleague of Patterson’s who also is slated to speak at the Great Commission Weekend, characterizes Greear’s comments as “a monumental overreach and misuse of his role as SBC president.”

Patterson, meanwhile, tells Christianity Today that Greear is entitled to his opinions. “While I read his persuasion with great sorrow, he has a right to publish his views as far as he wishes,” says Patterson. “If [Greear] is accurate, I deserve it. If false, I leave the matter in the hands of God confident that God will excel in mercy and justice at all times.”

Shelby Sharpe, Patterson’s attorney, says his client doesn’t need to address or publicize his “ministry opportunities.” Instead, he says, Patterson’s “sole focus is to be faithful to go where God calls him.”

2015 Charleston Church Shooter Appeals His Death Sentence

By
Megan Briggs
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

The young man responsible for killing nine people in the 2015 Charleston Church Massacre is appealing his case. Church shooter Dylann Roof was found guilty and ultimately sentenced to death in a trial that started in December 2016; he is the first person in the U.S. to receive a death sentence for a federal hate crime. Now, Roof’s lawyers claim he was unfit to represent himself during that trial. 

Roof “believed his sentence didn’t matter because white nationalists would free him from prison after an impending race war,” according to a legal brief filed with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia. 

On Tuesday, January 28, 2020, a full three years after it was handed to him, Roof appealed the court’s 2017 decision. Roof, who was 22 years old at the time of the trial, claims he was suffering from schizophrenia and other psychological disorders. According to his appellate lawyers, Roof was diagnosed with “schizophrenia-spectrum disorder, autism, anxiety, and depression.” His lawyers are also arguing that the presiding judge over the trial, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel, should never have allowed Roof to represent himself in the first place. 

The Charleston Church Shooter in Court

In June 2015, Roof walked into a Wednesday night prayer meeting at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Roof observed the meeting for about 45 minutes before opening fire and killing nine of the 13 people attending the meeting. The horrific act was driven by Roof’s racism. Roof told authorities his purpose in the shooting was to bring back segregation and potentially start a race war.

As ChurchLeaders reported in 2016, Roof claimed to come to his racist conclusions about black people through the Internet, and did research on black churches before deciding the historic Emanuel AME Church would be the target of his crime. Mother Emanuel is the oldest black church in the South.

During the trial in 2016, Roof’s attorney, David Bruck, did not offer any defense of his actions, stating everything the prosecutors were accusing Roof of was true. Although Bruck hinted at mental illness being a factor in Roof’s actions, the judge ruled this could not be used in his defense. Additionally, during his trial, Roof told jurors to disregard anything his legal team might have said about mental illness, claiming: “there’s nothing wrong with me psychologically.”

Also during this trial, families of the victims were given a chance to speak directly to Roof. Anthony Thompson, who lost his wife Myra in the massacre, told Roof he forgave him for murdering his wife. 

TobyMac Performs for the First Time Since His Son’s Death

By
Jesse T. Jackson
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

Christian artist TobyMac, who lost his first born son, Truett Foster McKeehan, to an accidental overdose in October of last year, performed his first concert since the tragedy.

Toby has spoken out on social media and even released a new song (21 Years) about how he was feeling after his son’s death, but Saturday night was the first time he has taken the stage since cutting short his TobyMac tour after hearing the news of his son while in Canada last year.

TobyMac Tour Hits Deep

When he took the stage, TobyMac said:

I appreciate the prayers, I appreciate the encouraging posts on social media. We are grateful to you. Thank you so much for surrounding us with love.

Someone told me once, when something like this happens, and you experience loss like this you’re going to start reaching for these promises of God. And some of them you thought he promised you, but you might have been mistaken. God didn’t promise you no suffering or pain or loss. But the promise I’ve been holding onto is that God will never leave us or forsake us. I’m believing that for me as well as my son, that God will never leave us or forsake us.

Toby then went on to sing The Elements and over-emphasized the line “This world always tryin’ to rip my family apart.” The chorus then says,

I’ll fight the elements
I got spirit, I got faith
I might bend but I won’t break
I’ll fight the elements

Toby reminds us that only God can give us the strength to make it through hard and impossible times. We are in a spiritual war here on earth (the elements) but as long as we keep our faith in Jesus, we won’t break.

He and his son Leo walked the red carpet at the Grammy’s on Sunday and got to attend Kanye’s Sunday Service in Hollywood.

You can view his speech below. Start at the 8:00 min mark.

Josh Weidmann: How (Not) to Be an Unhealthy Leader

By
Jason Daye
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

Josh Weidmann is lead pastor at Grace Chapel in South Denver, Colorado. He is passionate about communicating the gospel and as a teen traveled as a Christian illusionist before heading to Moody Bible Institute. His first ministry assignment after Moody was at Harvest Bible Chapel in Illinois. From there, he served at a few churches before becoming the lead pastor at Grace Chapel. Josh is married to Molly and they have five children: Chandler, Grace, Carolina, Daisy, and Charlie.

Key Questions for Josh Weidmann 

-What did your time at Harvest teach you about healthy and unhealthy forms of leadership?

-What can the evangelical church as a whole learn from what happened at Harvest?

-How can a leader grow in humility while still retaining a healthy confidence as a leader?

-When is a fallen leader ready to be restored? What does that process look like?

Key Quotes from Josh Weidmann 

“I learned great things [at Harvest] and I learned some really hard things there.”

“There are things that I learned from [James MacDonald’s] preaching process, but also his delivery, that still impact me to this day.”

“While James has disqualified himself from ministry according to his elders just a couple months ago, I do believe that there were things he was doing that were wrong, but God was using him to convey a message that was right.”

“One of the things I struggle with as a church leader and a pastor is to have confidence and to believe that what I’m doing, I should lead with boldness in.”

“I learned a lot about spiritual abuse…I learned how not to treat people even in the midst of conviction.” 

“I think the broad thing that we must learn from a leader falling, especially if it is the overt sin of pride, is to not point fingers and say, ‘Wow, look at how prideful he was,’ because that in and of itself is prideful. But to say, ‘Wow, so easily I could go down the same path of being caught in the current of pride.’”

“I think sometimes pride in leadership is our chief occupational hazard.”

“If we don’t have true, sincere humility that God can see and that God knows, if we don’t have that in our heart, then we’re not going to accomplish anything great for the Kingdom.”

“Humility is about motivation much more than it’s about action…So often as a preacher and as Christian leaders, we think about action and we think about maybe mindset or knowledge, but we don’t always talk about motive and what’s happening on the heart level.” 

It’s Not Up to You

By
Darryl Dash
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

“You’re just the kind of pastor this church needs,” we hear. “With your gifts, I can’t see how this church won’t double in the next few years.”

As pastors, we love to hear this. Our gifts will make the difference. We have what it takes. Our personality, our leadership abilities will make a difference.

The most effective lies contain some truth. God chooses to use people, and God seems to use some pastors in more visible ways than others.

But it’s still a lie. It’s not up to you. You don’t have what it takes, and that’s good news for all of us.

How God Builds the Church

God could have ordained powerful personalities to build the church. Instead, God has chosen the ordinary means of grace: things like the preaching the Word, prayer, the fellowship of believers, the Lord’s Supper, and more.

We play a role, but at best our role is a supporting one. We’re never center stage. We are nothing more than servants, never more than fingers pointing at one who is greater than us. He must increase; we must decrease.

I’ve often marveled at the focus on leadership within the North American church. Again, leadership is important. You can see that in Scripture. The one who leads should lead with zeal (Romans 12:8). But it would be difficult to attribute the growth of the early church to leadership skills. Leaders come and go. God uses them, and then they fade into the background. The most powerful leaders seem to exhibit unusual degrees of weakness (see 2 Corinthians). The focus is not on leadership. It’s on the Word of God growing with power.

God sometimes uses powerful personalities to grow the church. Even then, these unusual leaders play second fiddle. God ordinarily uses average people with average gifts to display his glory so that it’s clear it’s his Spirit and the Word doing the work, not the pastor.

Make the Focus of Your Ministry Him

Our job as pastors is to get out of the way.

Look for ways to move out of the spotlight. Shine the spotlight on Jesus. Make the focus of your ministry him. I’ve found that the Spirit seems to work powerfully when the focus is on Jesus, and less powerfully when I try to sneak my way into the spotlight. Make Jesus’ glory the focus of your ministry.

Raise up other leaders. Aim to be so utterly dispensable in your ministry that you’re interchangeable. Aim to raise up others who preach as well or better than you. Share leadership with qualified elders. Ask for their honest feedback.

And when someone tells you that you are something, don’t be falsely humble. Thank them for the encouragement, and give God the glory. But never believe the lie that you’re someone special. You’re a servant. You are like grass. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). Never make your fading life the focus of your ministry. Put the attention on what matters most and will last the longest.

Never steal God’s glory. You’re not the point. Our hope is in Jesus. Let’s step out of the way for his sake, for the good of the people we serve, and for our own sanity too.

This article originally appeared here.

God’s Story: John the Baptist

By
Megan Briggs
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Questions to Ask When You’ve Grown Stagnant

By
Mac Lake
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

If something doesn’t move for a while, it usually gets stiff or stagnant.  There are times in every leader’s life where we get stuck in patterns of immobility, and before we know it, we’re asking ourselves, “What’s wrong with me?”, “Why have I lost my passion?” OR “Is it time for me to move on to a new job?”  If you’re feeling a little stagnant, before you make any big moves, take some time to think through the following questions:

  • If I could add one thing to my job description, what would it be?  Why?
  • If I could eliminate one thing from my job description, what would it be?  Why?
  • What’s the most stimulating thing I’m doing in my job right now?  What about that responsibility gives me so much energy?
  • Who is actively challenging me to grow and stretch as a leader?  If the answer is no one, who can I invite to play that role in my life?
  • What strengths have I been neglecting and allowing to atrophy?  What do I need to do to restimulate those strengths?
  • What about my current routine is draining me and preventing me from dreaming and innovating new ideas?
  • Have I read anything in the past 30 days that has stirred my thinking?  If the answer is nothing, who can I ask for reading suggestions?
  • Do I have any goals that are inspiring me to give my all and trust God for outcomes bigger than what I’m able to do on my own?
  • Are the obstacles I’m facing demotivating me or motivating me toward greater determination?

As you reflect on these questions, write out your thoughts and create a growth plan that will get your blood pumping again!  The choice is yours…get moving or grow stagnant.

Trump’s Middle East Peace Plan Rejected by Palestine

By
Stephanie Martin
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

During Tuesday’s unveiling of his plan for Middle East peace, President Donald Trump said it offers “a win-win solution” for Israel and Palestine. But before details of the much-delayed proposal were even released, Palestinian officials balked, saying the plan violates international law.

Standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the East Room, Trump said, “Today Israel takes a big step towards peace.” The president has dubbed the 50-page plan, overseen by his adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, as the “deal of the century,” saying it provides “a realistic two-state solution.”

Netanyahu praised the plan as “the opportunity of a century,” while Palestinian leaders called it “the fraud of the century,” saying they won’t cooperate with a pro-Israel U.S. administration. Rival Palestinian factions have called an emergency meeting, and public protests are already underway.

Highlights of Trump’s Middle East Peace Plan 

Trump’s proposal calls for a Palestinian state but not for four years—and not unless certain conditions, likely to be deal-breakers, are met. The Palestinian Authority will be required to stop so-called “pay to slay” terrorism, and Hamas and Islamic Jihad must end all violence. Other conditions include honoring human rights, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press.

The Palestinians would have a capital in eastern Jerusalem, where Trump says “the United States will happily open an embassy.” Although the plan more than doubles the territory that’s currently under Palestinian control, it asserts Israel’s rule over key West Bank settlements and Israel’s control over all borders. A four-year freeze of Israeli settlement construction is included, as well as a tunnel connecting the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Trump said he does “a lot for the Palestinians,” who deserve a “far better life” than they currently have. “Palestinians are in poverty and violence, exploited by those seeking to use them as pawns to advance terrorism and extremism,” he said. “Our vision will end the cycle of Palestinian dependence on charity and foreign aid.”

Trump acknowledged that Palestinians “probably won’t want [the plan] initially, but I think in the end they will. It’s very good for them. In fact, it’s overly good to them.” This “historic opportunity for the Palestinians to finally achieve an independent state,” he added, “could be the last opportunity they will ever have.”

Before the plan’s release, Trump said many Arab states approved of his approach. “They think it’s great. They think it’s a big start,” he said. “I think it’s a big start, too. I think it’s a fantastic thing if we can pull it off. They say it’s probably the most difficult deal anywhere and of any kind to make.”

Reactions to the Plan Have Been Swift

Despite what one U.S. official calls “a lot of goodies” for Palestinians, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his rival, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, have both voiced opposition to Trump’s plan. Speaking about an emergency meeting for “all the factions” of Palestinians, one Hamas official said, “When we are united, neither Netanyahu nor Trump dare to take away our rights.”

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said, “This deal, which is not based on international legality and international law…gives Israel everything it wants at the expense of the national rights of the Palestinian people.” Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat tweeted, “If Netanyahu begins annexation of Palestinian territory officially, this means Israel’s withdrawal from Oslo Accords and agreements signed.”

Calling the peace plan “political theater,” Palestinian official Husam Zomlot compares it to South Africa’s era of apartheid. Protesters in Gaza City are burning posters of Trump and shouting slogans such as “Death to America” and “Palestine is not for sale.” Israel, meanwhile, is sending more troops to the Jordan Valley, considered one of its most vital security assets.

The Trump administration angered Palestinians by moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and by saying Israel’s West Bank settlements don’t violate international law. Trump’s evangelical supporters praised both of those moves.

Before Tuesday’s announcement, Trump met separately with Israel’s Netanyahu and his political rival, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz. The two are set to face off in an election on March 2. Netanyahu plans to visit Moscow Wednesday to update Russian President Vladimir Putin on the new Middle East proposal.

7 Venues in UK Refuse Franklin Graham After LGBTQ Pressure

By
Jessica Lea
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

Editor’s note: Since ChurchLeaders first reported on this story, ACC Liverpool has become the first of seven venues to either cancel or refuse to sign contracts ahead of the upcoming Franklin Graham tour in the U.K. According to Christian Headlines, the Utilita Arena in Newcastle is the only venue that has not yet cancelled Graham’s event due to pressure from LGBTQ activists. The Chronicle Live reports that a spokesperson for the Utilita Arena has said, “We are aware of the concerns raised regarding the Franklin Graham event scheduled at the Utilita Arena in June. We are currently talking with our partners and relevant stakeholders in order to come to a measured and fair conclusion.”

Despite the backlash, Graham and his team are determined to move forward with the tour, observing that Graham’s father, Billy Graham, also faced opposition in the U.K. when he first visited in 1954. Franklin Graham is currently in London giving media interviews in order to promote the tour.

A venue has canceled an event that is part of an upcoming Franklin Graham tour in the U.K., citing “a number of statements which we consider to be incompatible with our values.” Saying they have recently become aware of some of Graham’s opinions, ACC Liverpool posted a statement on January 24, announcing,

We can no longer reconcile the balance between freedom of speech and the divisive impact this event is having in our city. We have informed the organisers of the event that the booking will no longer be fulfilled. We are proud to represent all communities and will continue to move forward with our aim as a business to drive profile, major events and economic impact for Liverpool City Region.

Resistance to the Franklin Graham Tour in the U.K.

Graham was scheduled to speak at ACC Liverpool on June 12 as part of a tour he is doing on behalf of the the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), of which Graham is the president and CEO. The tour will take place from the end of May to the beginning of October, and in addition to Liverpool, he will be stopping in the following cities: Glasgow, Newcastle, Sheffield, Milton Keynes, Cardiff, Birmingham, and London. 

The BGEA has posted an article addressing the antagonism Graham is facing across the pond, saying that what he specifically will be doing is “holding one-day evangelistic rallies to share a message of God’s love.”

The primary reason why some people do not want Graham to come to their cities is because of comments he has made about homosexuality being a sin. On January 24, the LCR Pride Foundation sent a letter to ACC Liverpool and city leaders, requesting that they oppose and cancel the event. The letter states that Graham has been outspoken about “promoting hate of LGBT+ people as more important than education and openly supporting conversion therapy and the vicious attacks on our community in Russia amongst many other poisonous views.”

The Labour Party LGBT+ Network tweeted a petition for people to sign protesting Graham’s event, stating, “We fear that with such a high profile event gaining traction, Graham’s appearance may incite hateful mobilisation and risk the security of our LGBTQ+ community.” 

Among the various comments Graham’s opponents are citing as hate speech are that he has called Islam “an evil and very wicked religion” and has said that Satan is behind same-sex marriage.

According to the Liverpool Echo, ACC Liverpool’s original response was to say that because of freedom of speech, the venue was not going to cancel Graham’s event: “We do not discriminate against any individuals or organisations who wish to hire our venue based on their religious beliefs.” However, venue organizers soon changed their minds.

Graham’s Response

Franklin Graham has responded on Facebook by posting an open letter to the U.K.’s LGBTQ community, saying, “It is said by some that I am coming to the UK to bring hateful speech to your community. This is just not true. I am coming to share the Gospel, which is the Good News that God loves the people of the UK, and that Jesus Christ came to this earth to save us from our sins.”

Bill Hybels’ Mentor, ‘Dr. B’, Accused of Sexual Misconduct

By
Megan Briggs
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

An accusation of sexual misconduct has surfaced involving Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian, a mentor of Bill Hybels. Bilezikian, or “Dr. B” as he is often called, is a well-respected leader in the global evangelical church, and, according to Hybels, was pivotal in the founding and growth of Willow Creek Community Church. Now, an allegation from a long-time member of Willow Creek has gotten the attention of the leadership not only at Willow, but other Christian leaders as well.

“It began with subtle flirtations after weekend services, and grew to include hand holding, emotional sharing and intimacy, kissing and fondling, and pressure to have sex,” Ann Lindberg said about her relationship with Dr. B. 

The Allegations Against Dr. B

Lindberg posted her account of the alleged spiritual abuse and unwelcome sexual advances from Dr. B to her Facebook page on Saturday, January 25th. What she calls an inappropriate relationship with Dr. B took place from October 1984 to 1988, while Lindberg was attending Willow Creek. 

Besides the overt gestures Dr. B made, according to Lindberg, that were not only inappropriate but could be considered sexual harassment and aggression, Lindberg said Dr. B “confided about his unhappy marriage, his lack of joy, and desire for a better partnership.” According to Lindberg, Dr. B told her he would rather be with her instead of his wife, Maria. He also told her he was “very depressed and that being with me gave him energy and hope.” 

Lindberg’s story follows a classic pattern of spiritual abuse. When a Christian is new to the faith, low in self esteem, or perhaps struggling with previous sin or a destructive habit that is overtaking them, they often reach out for help. Sometimes these people end up being victimized by leaders whose motives are less than altruistic. According to Lindberg, such a thing happened to her. She explains:

I was young in my faith, new to church, and hungry for someone to invest spiritually in me. He made me feel special, and he was a spiritual authority in a large church, and I did not feel like I could say no to him, even when my gut was telling me this was not appropriate….He told me that he felt he could help the church thrive because I made him happy. This put an enormous and confusing pressure on me to allow the “affair “(clergy abuse) to continue, because I did not want to hurt the church or him….He told me I was the only one in the world he could really talk to, that everyone else had an agenda. He knew how to manipulate my weaknesses, and I honestly believed that I was the only one who could help him. I didn’t know what to do. I felt trapped. I didn’t want to continue as things were, but wondered if this was my purpose in life, to support him so that he could keep Willow Creek alive and growing, as I had been told. I was too naïve to figure out there was no way God wanted that for me, no way to maintain the “friendship” in a godly way, and that that had never been Dr. Bilezikian’s intent.

Lindberg Goes to Willow Creek Leadership

As to why Lindberg waited so long to say anything publicly about Dr. B’s behavior, she says she did go to the leadership of Willow Creek in 2010. Lindberg said she and her husband, Mark, went to two of the elder’s assistants, Scott Vaudrey and Chris Hurta. According to Lindberg, “They said that since it didn’t lead to physically having sex, the issue of concern didn’t need to go further than that meeting.” When she expressed her concern that there may be other women Dr. B victimized, Vaudrey said he was “confident” there were not, according to Lindberg’s account.

In 2011, Lindberg says she and Mark met with Chris Hurt and the Elder Response Team. Lindberg says that once again, her account was minimized and the group even threatened her. Lindberg says the group made it clear that if she discussed her experience publicly, “I could lose my positions of leadership in ministries I volunteered in, or could be asked not to attend altogether.”

From the point of that second disclosure until 2016, Lindberg says she was “constantly and quietly criticized, rejected in leadership, accused falsely of wrong-doing and even had one of the security guards watching me while I was at church.” It was this cold-shoulder treatment Lindberg experienced that led her to turn to Steve Carter—Willow Creek’s lead teaching pastor and one of the two leaders slotted to replace Hybels in his eventual retirement from the church he founded. When Lindberg reached out to Carter the first time, she did not include her allegations against Dr. B. According to Lindberg, Carter responded in a pastoral way and arranged a meeting with the people “involved in the attacks against me.” 

In 2017, Lindberg met again with Vaudrey and Hurta. This time she brought postcards and a letter Dr. B sent Lindberg during his alleged abuse. Lindberg says she was thankful she took a picture of the postcards and letter because rather than taking these things to the elders, which is what Lindberg had asked them to do, she later found out that Vaudrey shredded them. 

The next thing Lindberg did was go to Carter again—this time disclosing the alleged abuse by Dr. B. Linberberg speaks highly of Carter and his actions in her account:

Steve [Carter] reacted with his characteristic kindness, concern, respect and alarm, which I appreciated. After we spoke, Steve immediately went to Scott Vaundrey to alert him to the emergency, assuming that no one knew yet. Surely, he later said, had they known I would have been pastored and cared for better. But Scott and Heather Larson responded by saying they already knew. Soon after, Mark and I met with Steve Carter, Heather Larson, Scott Vaudrey, and Chirs Hurta. In the meeting, they told me it wasn’t my fault, that he (Dr.B.) was in a position of spiritual authority. I didn’t expect to hear that.

Megachurch-Oriented Cities Researched, Ranked by Barna Group

By
Toni Ridgaway
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The Barna Group has reported on the results of a survey of the most and least “megachurch-oriented” cities in the nation, i.e., cities which have the highest and lowest concentration of megachurch attenders among the Christians who live there. The Barna Group defines “megachurch” as congregations with 1,000 attendees or more.

Las Vegas, Nev., has the highest percentage of megachurch-attenders in the nation with 29 percent of Christians in the area attending one. Twenty-seven percent of Christian residents of Baton Rouge, La., and 21 percent of Christians in Tampa/St. Petersburg area attend megachurches. Other cities with significant percentages of megachurch attenders include Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas (19 percent), Houston, Texas (19 percent), Albuquerque/Santa Fe, N.M., (19 percent) and Orlando, Fla. (18 percent).

The three least megachurch-oriented cities in the nation, with 1 percent of local Christians attending, are Salt Lake City, Utah, Toledo, Ohio, and Madison, Wis.

Derek Neider, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Spring Valley in Las Vegas, told The Christian Post that a population explosion in the region, coupled with the “transient” nature of the people living in the city, are reasons for the growth of megachurches there. “The city’s kind of like an island … So, if your vision’s not to plant more churches in the Valley, then the very nature of that means that the church is just going to inherently grow.”

“What’s unique about Vegas is it’s a place that’s known,” Neider continued. “I travel all over the world, you know, and it’s globally known as ‘Sin City.’ But I think God takes a lot of pleasure in doing a work of salvation among the people that live here, and the tourists. Just the very nature that we’re having a conversation about megachurches in Vegas, really, the miracle of it is what I hope isn’t lost on people,” he said.

 

Christians Are Called to Counter Anti-Semitism— and All Hatred —With Hospitality

By
Casey B Hough
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Father’s Day program ideas for church

Anti-Semitism is tragically alive and spreading in the United States. As the Washington Post recently reported, violence against Jewish communities has been particularly apparent in recent news. From the shootings at the kosher deli in New Jersey by Black Hebrew Israelites early in December 2019 to the stabbing in the Rabbi’s home on the seventh night of Hanukkah, Jewish communities are facing more threats to their freedom to assembly and worship.

For Christians who have been called to love their neighbors and believe that freedom of religion is a fundamental right rooted in mankind’s creation in God’s image, these acts of violence against Jews cannot and must not be tolerated. Christians, out of love for God and neighbor, must stand by their Jewish neighbors in support and defense of their freedom to be Jewish.

As these news reports of anti-Semitic speech and actions spread, Christians must be reminded that toleration of and indifference toward evil is contrary to God’s will for his people. Contrary to what one news outlet suggested, anti-Semitism does not stem from the expansion of Jewish people into suburban areas of New York, but rather, from hatred of one’s neighbor. Hatred for one’s neighbor or enemy is the antithesis of biblical Christianity.

Turning from hatred to hospitality

The opposite of the hatred that has been so vividly displayed in recent days is hospitality. As 1 Peter 4:9 tells Christians, “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” What does it mean to “show hospitality?” Simply put, showing hospitality means “loving and welcoming strangers.” The compound Greek word that is actually behind our English word for “hospitality” is “philoxenos.” The word “philo” means “love,” and the word “xenos” means “stranger.” This shouldn’t surprise us.

We have heard that “Philadelphia” means the city of “brotherly love.” And likewise, we have heard the term “xenophobia,” which refers to an intense and irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries. But the Bible does not call us to be xenophobic. Instead, it calls us to love and welcome the stranger. To welcome the one who is different. To open our homes for the sake of others finding a home. Hospitality means “loving and welcoming others into our lives.”

While the word for hospitality implies showing love and welcoming strangers, it also equally applies to welcoming and loving those that we do know. Specifically, it applies to welcoming and loving other Christians. We see this throughout the New Testament. Whether it was Jesus’ disciples being welcomed in different cities (Matt. 10:11-14), or the apostles and early church missionaries being welcomed while on their missionary journeys (Acts 10:6, 16:15), or the letters to the New Testament churches regarding the virtue of hospitality (Rom. 12:13, Heb. 13:2), hospitality was a major concern and strategy for the early Church.

One of the most significant ways that Christians can demonstrate hospitality toward their Jewish neighbors is by working to see them protected from the violence that threatens their daily existence in many parts of the U.S. The Christian community ought to offer a place of refuge for their oppressed and threatened neighbors.

World-changing hospitality

As people open their homes and lives to other Christians and strangers in their community, the gospel of Jesus Christ spreads throughout the world. If the gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation, and this world is in desperate need of the life-changing message of God’s grace, and if the means that God has appointed to spread this message includes the use of Christian homes and tables, then one of the most powerful ways that we can change the world is by showing hospitality to one another.

And, according to Peter, we are to show hospitality without grumbling. What does it mean to “grumble?” It means to “express discontent, to complain,” typically behind someone’s back. Grumbling is rooted in a false understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which hospitality was designed to adorn. When we grumble, we undermine the love that hospitality was designed to show to others.

Hatred and fear of those who are different can never be the answer for Christians. And we cannot remain silent when we see others marginalized or attacked. Each of our neighbors is a human being made in God’s image and worthy of being treated with respect. We love because Christ first loved us (1 John 4:19)—and when we choose love, the gospel is put on display.

This article originally appeared here.

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