Newsletters
Home Blog Page 862

Condoleezza Rice: 9/11 Shows Us How to Respond to This Crisis with Faith

By
Jessica Mouser
-
communicating with the unchurched

Former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice recently sat down for an interview with John Ortberg, the senior pastor of Menlo Church in California. In the interview, Rice shared her thoughts on the coronavirus outbreak based on the life lessons she has learned, particularly from her encounters with racism as a child and her time as a national leader during 9/11. These and other experiences have shaped her understanding of how to navigate fearful circumstances with faith.

Church Guide to Coronavirus 1

“I’ve always tried to acknowledge my fear and anxiety,” observed Rice. “I think if you push it down, it just festers. And if you call it by name, then I think you can work on it, and you can work on it with the Lord because you’ve called it by name.”

What Condoleezza Rice Has Learned About Faith and Fear

Condoleezza Rice grew up as the daughter of a minister in Birmingham, Alabama, which was “the most segregated city in America at the time.” Faith was very much a part of her family heritage. “I had always been in church from a little, little girl,” she said. Despite growing up in the Jim Crow era, Rice was part of a loving community that “felt like a little safe cocoon”—at least, it did until 1962 and 1963 when “suddenly Birmingham was Bombingham.”

On September 15, 1963, the 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed, killing four little girls and injuring at least 14 other people. Everyone in Rice’s community had known at least one of the girls who were killed. There was a lot of fear at the time. They could not trust the police, said Rice, because the police were just as likely as not to be setting off bombs targeting black people. White knight riders with the Ku Klux Klan would come through their community, so Rice’s father and his friends ended up forming a militia of sorts to protect people from the KKK.

“All we could do in those days was to pray,” said Rice, “and I have to say, it was sufficient. It was sufficient to calming my parents. It was sufficient to calming me and my friends. In those days, you could start off school with prayer, and we started off every class every day with prayer.”

Then President Kennedy was assassinated, as were Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., later on. “It just seemed to keep coming,” she said. But in spite of all of that, Rice’s parents remained secure in their faith in God and helped to pass that trust on to her.

Rice said she has a family heritage of valuing the “life of the mind” and of knowing the importance of understanding the Scriptures in-depth. She credits her father as being partly responsible for the fact she never had a faith crisis as she grew increasingly educated. “From the very beginning,” she said, “he let me ask questions. From the very beginning, he would acknowledge that there were hard things about our faith, that it wasn’t what I call ‘fast food faith.’ You really had to struggle with it.” Sometimes Christians think that having faith in God means never asking difficult questions, but Rice disagrees. It’s all right to wrestle before God with painful experiences.

Condoleezza Rice on 9/11 and the Coronavirus

On a personal level, Rice’s most difficult times in life have been the deaths of her parents. Professionally, her most challenging experience was 9/11. She dealt with a lot of fear, anxiety, remorse, and regret in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. Said Rice, “If you’re the National Security Advisor on the day that thousands of people die, you know intellectually that you did everything you knew to do, but by definition, you didn’t do enough. And you never ever quite let go of that.” Even though Rice still struggles with feeling like she failed because of 9/11, she has experienced healing over time as she has prayed about and processed what happened and as she has received grace from other people. 

Ortberg pointed out that the coronavirus outbreak has caused the United States to face what is arguably its weightiest moment since 9/11. He asked Rice what advice she has regarding how people should pray and think about the challenges caused by the virus. 

A crisis, responded Rice, can either cause us to focus on ourselves or prompt us to focus on how much we need one another. “We are among the most individualistic people in the world,” she said, but “We also can be very communitarian when things are at their worst.” She observed that while the Chinese have “flattened the curve” of the virus, they have done so through authoritarianism. In contrast, she said, “We’ve got to depend on 300 million Americans to do the right thing. But that’s who we are. And we’re seeing across the country people trying to do the right thing.”

So her advice is, first, that people should do the right thing for themselves as individuals as a way of helping their communities. Second, she encouraged people to reach out to others and to help the most vulnerable. This could look like calling shut ins or like comforting kids, who are probably scared right now. We should remember to be thankful to our healthcare workers and first responders, who are exhausted. We can also pray that God would help us know how we can help others.

The Back Side of the Preaching Ministry

By
Barry York
-
communicating with the unchurched

In teaching homiletics, I regularly encounter young men eager yet nervous about preaching. The call to proclaim the gospel is earnest in their hearts, though the reality of standing in front of a congregation of God’s people is intimidating. Often in beginning classroom discussions about preaching, these men in training equate preaching solely with the public proclamation of God’s Word to the congregation each Lord’s Day. Their focus in preaching is almost exclusively on being up front in a pulpit at church. Certainly delivering public messages is what they are in the class to learn. Yet these conversations lead us to discuss the other side of the preaching ministry.

For there is also what we might call the “back side” that cannot be neglected in considering the preaching ministry.

This other side helps give the public proclamation of the Word more unction, love, and focus. What is this back side?We hear of it in the Apostle Paul as he reminds the elders at Ephesus of his ministry in their midst for the three years that he was with them.

Clearly Paul had proclaimed God’s Word to the Ephesians in power. His enemies said that “Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people” from their idols (Acts 19:26). He told the elders that he “did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public” (Acts 20:20), and “did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God” (v. 27). His public, upfront ministry of preaching was bold, strong, and effectual.

Yet Paul also speaks of how this ministry of the Word was characterized by the “back side” of private instruction. He not only taught them in public, but “from house to house” (v. 20). Paul spoke of being “among (them) proclaiming the kingdom of God” (v. 25), and that for those three years he “did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears” (v. 32). He spent time helping the weak among them (v. 34). From the sounds of the description of his own ministry, one gets the sense that Paul considered the back side with the people of Ephesus as essential to being up in front of them.

For is this not the way of the true shepherd? Yes, he does stand in front and feed the sheep of Christ from the green pastures of His Word. But he also comes down from the pulpit and lives with and among the sheep, personally coming alongside, instructing, encouraging, admonishing, and weeping over those given to his charge. This back side work of the preacher does not supplant but rather supports and empowers the front side of his ministry.

So I remind preachers in training to not limit in their minds this holistic sense of preaching. Sermons spoken earnestly in living rooms, while lacking the form and fuller substance of corporate messages, can still be like John the Baptist in paving the way for sermons from the pulpit. To encourage this lesson in these budding preachers, I give them a simple assignment. Before they preach their message in public, I have them share it in part with at least one person in private. For part of learning to preach to congregations is learning how to instruct congregants.

This article about the preaching ministry originally appeared here.

3 Ways to Ask People to Serve or Give

By
Josh Reich
-
communicating with the unchurched

There are important ways to ask people to serve; if you don’t ask, they won’t serve.

I meet a lot of people in their 20’s and 30’s who are really smart. The reason I know they are smart is because they tell me. Typically, in your 20’s, you are always the smartest person in the room, especially as it relates to churches. I get it. I was the same way. I’ve had to since apologize to some people I worked under for my arrogance.

If you are in your 20’s and 30’s, there is also a sense of people should just hand things to you.

I remember a couple of years ago being asked by some people at Revolution why we weren’t supporting a church plant in Tucson (sadly, this church plant no longer exists). My response was, “they never asked.” Now, the people asking knew the planter and asked why we didn’t just give money to them without them asking.

Answer: leaders cast a vision. Leaders make the ask. Leaders make it known what is needed. Leaders sit across the table from influencers, givers, and others leaders, cast a vision and say, “I want you to be involved and here’s how _____.”

Leaders do not wait for someone to give them something.

If you are a church planter or pastor and don’t have the volunteers you need, the money you need, the people you need. You have either not asked or you are not casting a compelling vision for people to join.

Don’t miss this: People are not looking for something else to give to or something else to do. 

They are looking for something worth their time, money and effort.

This is hard to do and this one reason is why so few dreamers ever reach their full potential.

Here are 3 ways to ask people to serve or give:

  1. Don’t say no for someone. You have a need and you know the perfect person to fill that need, except they are really busy. Many pastors will not ask that person, they will ask someone less qualified. Don’t. Don’t say no for someone. Let them say no for themselves. They might be too busy. They might cut something out of their life to do what you ask them to do.
  2. Know what you are asking for. If you are asking them to give to something, know how much you are asking for. If it is serving, know for how long and how much time it will take. The more specific you are in what you are asking for, the higher the chance they will say yes.
  3. Know why you are asking. This is where many leaders miss the boat. They know “what” and “how” for their church plant, team, ministry, etc. but they don’t know why. Why should this person do this? What will it gain? Why is it worth their time or money? I once talked to a campus minister and all he told me in our hour meeting was what he would do on campus. I already knew that. I wanted to know why, I wanted to hear his heart, I wanted to hear his passion and why it drove him to give his life to it.

This article about how to ask people to give or serve originally appeared here.

Kindness Is a Verb

By
Sarah Frazer
-
communicating with the unchurched

Most of us are familiar with the Fruit of the Spirit such as kindness, but can we explain how these fruits are born in the life of a believer? What do each of these fruits look like in real life? How can we promote their growth and flourishing in our lives? Let’s explore the work of the Spirit in our lives and how he produces these fruits in us. We are known by our fruit, so let’s begin by examining our lives. 

My son looked at me with sadness in his eyes, “I just wanted to be funny….” I sighed at his plight. Instead of being the “funny” one at school, he often finds himself laughed at (not with), and it hurts my mom-heart to see him upset. Understanding his deep need for recognition and approval I told him, “Son, you can be good at other things. In fact, you are one of the kindest people I know. Just be kind and see what happens.”

As I talked to him through the rearview mirror in the car, I saw him smile. God has designed him to be one of the best examples of being kind I know. Truly he cares for everyone – no matter the cliques. If my son has something, he gives it away. If someone is upset, he is compassionate. There is a tender heart inside this little boy. At the end of the day, they will remember his kindness, not his silly shenanigans. More importantly, his kindness is a reminder of the loving kindness of our Heavenly Father.

In Psalm 33:22 it says, “Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee” (KJV). The word for “mercy” can also be translated “kindness.” The Hebrew word is: checed, which means his “covenant-keeping love.” It is a love and kindness based on his covenant, or his promises, to us – not based on anything we deserve. The very love that drives him to keep his promises is the love in which he shows his kindness to us.

The kindness of God is far reaching and long lasting, Isaiah 54:8 says it is “everlasting.” The comfort this truth offers is immeasurable. Do we believe God loves us? Yes. But do we believe he is kind? Loving a person means we want them to be the best they can be. Being kind is how we reveal our love for one another.

Being kind implies action. Out of love, God moves toward us with kindness. When we study Scripture, we see God’s kindness is always connected to his actions. God came to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God set up the great rescue plan to save the entire world from sin. Jesus came as a man to die on the cross for our sin.

We can still see how God is kind today. Over and over again, God demonstrates his kindness to us through the circumstances he allows in our lives. When my daughter’s diagnosis is still unknown, God is still kind, because according to Romans 8:28, he is working everything – even the hard things – for our good. If we do not see the good, it doesn’t mean God has left us. The promises of Scripture are true. Let’s believe with our heads what our hearts have forgotten.

God’s kindness, the everlasting, covenant-keeping love he bestows on us, is the fuel for our own kindness to others. God does not ask us to do or be something he is not. Our kindness matters because we are God’s lights here on earth, made in his image. How will a world living in darkness see the light of God’s covenant-keeping love and everlasting kindness if we hide it away? Let’s be people bearing the fruit of kindness if for no other reason than it was first bestowed on us.

Galatians 5:22 says kindness is a fruit we are to cultivate and grow in our lives. Kindness can’t just happen to us; we must seek after it and trust the Spirit’s empowerment. If we are to develop this fruit in our lives, we must look for ways to show it.

  • Is there a sick neighbor or church member you can make a meal for?
  • Does a college student need a small note of encouragement?
  • Do you have a friend struggling to find God in her season of life right now?
  • How does your family need to see God’s kindness today?

As we strive to develop the fruit of kindness, we must open our eyes to a world in need of God’s love. The best thing about being kind is we don’t have to wait until the feelings come; we can choose to be kind even when our hearts fail to “feel” it. Being kind is a choice and action not dependent on our feelings.

My son would like to be known and seen (and probably remembered) by his classmates. Instead of them remembering his silly antics, they will remember his kindness. The time he held the door open for them or the time he offered a hand to an enemy on the playground. The acts of being kind we show to others will far outlast anything we try to build.

We can change people’s lives with the simple fruit of kindness. “Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor” (Prov. 21:21, ESV). Do you want to make a difference in the world? Do you long to leave a mark long after you have gone from this earth? Be kind.

This article originally appeared here.

UPDATE: Liberty Changes Tune, Moves to Online Classes

By
Stephanie Martin
-
communicating with the unchurched

UPDATE: After publishing this article, ChurchLeaders learned that Liberty University has changed their intended course of action which required students to return to campus on March 23rd after spring break. According to school’s website, “Liberty University announced that in light of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s emergency ban on public gatherings of 100 people, it will transition most of its residential classes to an online digital format starting Monday, March 23.”

Liberty President Jerry Falwell, Jr. wrote:

We originally believed it was safest to return our students following their spring break instead of having them return following greater exposure opportunities from leaving them in different parts of the country for longer periods. But, the Governor’s recent decision to limit certain gatherings has left us no practical choice because we have so many classes of more than 100 students. We want to provide for the continuity of our students’ education while doing what makes sense to help slow the spread of the coronavirus to our university family and local community.

Church Guide to Coronavirus 1

Additionally, Falwell encouraged students and faculty to pray for the elderly and other people who are high risk.

The school’s announcement came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump, who many have accused of downplaying the threat of the virus before this point, gave a briefing outlining new, stricter guidelines designed to quell the spread of the virus. Among those guidelines are the recommendation to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, limit “discretionary travel,” and avoid eating at bars, restaurants and food courts.

Though schools, churches, and companies throughout America are moving online due to the coronavirus pandemic, Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, plans to resume in-person classes when students return from spring break March 23. Jerry Falwell Jr., president of the 16,000-student evangelical school, is facing pushback for the decision—especially now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended no gatherings of 50 or more people take place for the next eight weeks.

Many students say the decision endangers their health, their families, and the local community. Almost 11,000 people have signed an online petition asking Falwell to extend spring break and then switch to virtual learning.

Getting Political With the Pandemic

On Fox & Friends March 13, Falwell said, “It’s just strange to me how so many are overreacting. It makes you wonder if there’s a political reason for that. Impeachment didn’t work, and the Mueller report didn’t work, and Article 25 didn’t work. And so maybe now this is their next attempt to get Trump.” Also on Friday, Falwell tweeted: “Could COVID-19 be the ‘Christmas Gift’ North Korea’s leadership promised America back in December?”

In a series of tweets yesterday, Falwell elaborated on Liberty’s plans, saying the school is arranging “special accommodations” for at-risk students and staff. Classes will be held in larger areas and even outside, mealtimes will be staggered to reduce crowds, and the weekly convocation will be livestreamed. Falwell wants Liberty to “become the model for others to follow in the future.”

Further explaining his reasoning, Falwell says, “I don’t want to become one of these college presidents who are pushing this problem off on someone else by sending 20 year olds with near zero mortality risk to sit at home for the rest of the semester, often with grandparents in the house who truly are at risk.”

When a parent of three Liberty students said that decision is “crazy, irresponsible, and seems like a money grab,” Falwell replied by calling him a “dummy.”

Student: ‘We’re supposed to be taking preventative action’

The anonymous Liberty student who began the petition for online classes reports having a medical condition and wanting to protect vulnerable people. In a statement, the person expresses hope “that maybe if the students banded together we could express that this is way more than a political issue.”

Elizabeth Lake, a senior at Liberty, tells the Washington Post, “We’re supposed to be taking preventative action, and [Falwell’s] not doing that because of his political views. Students are going to be coming back from spring break from all over, and who knows if they’re going to bring this back with them. He’s not taking into consideration all of the Liberty students and the people who live in Lynchburg.”

Freshman Joe Keller says although he “can probably beat” the coronavirus, older professors are at risk, and crowded dorms pose infection risks.

Freshman Alexis Valle says she signed the petition because she has at-risk family members around Lynchburg. “If we can at least show [Falwell] how we feel, then…maybe he’ll change his mind and decide this is a lot worse than what he’s making it out to be.”

Team Finds Dead Sea Scroll Fragments at Bible Museum to Be Fake

By
Jessica Mouser
-
communicating with the unchurched

A team of independent investigators has found that the 16 alleged Dead Sea Scroll fragments at the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. are forgeries. On March 13, Art Fraud Insights released a report over 200 pages long that it completed at the request of the Bible museum. The report detailed the inconsistencies found by the Art Fraud Insights team, which was headed by company founder and director Colette Loll.

“After an exhaustive review of all the imaging and scientific analysis results, it is the unanimous conclusion of the Advisory Team that none of the textual fragments in the Museum of the Bible’s Dead Sea Scroll collection are authentic,” said Loll in her executive summary of the report. “Moreover, each exhibits characteristics that suggest they are deliberate forgeries created in the twentieth century with the intent to mimic authentic Dead Sea Scroll fragments.”

Bible Museum Unwittingly Purchases Forgeries

The Museum of the Bible opened to the public in 2017 in Washington D.C. and describes itself as “an innovative, global, educational institution whose purpose is to invite all people to engage with the Bible.” 

Hobby Lobby president Steve Green founded the museum and is also one of its main funders. Between 2009 and 2014, reports National Geographic, Green purchased many biblical artifacts and manuscripts, including 16 out of an estimated 70 alleged Dead Sea Scroll fragments that appeared on the antiquities market after 2002. The forgeries initially fooled biblical scholars, some of whom published a book on some of the fragments the museum bought. However, beginning in 2016, certain experts began to express doubt about the authenticity of the fragments, which had not been subjected to a detailed evaluation at that point. 

In April 2017, the museum requested that experts in Germany test five of the 16 fragments. Those experts concluded that the five fragments showed enough inconsistencies to call their authenticity into question, and the museum pulled them from display in October 2018. The museum then sought help from Loll’s company in order to determine whether or not any of the fragments were authentic.

“To that end,” wrote Loll in her executive summary about her team’s findings, “comprehensive imaging and scientific analysis were conducted on the collection between May and October 2019.” Loll’s team was comprised of scientists, conservators and imaging experts, and she said, “We now know that there was much to be gained by studying the fragments under different wavelengths of light, under high magnification, identifying the materials from which they were made, and analyzing the materials deposited on their surfaces.” 

Among the inconsistencies Loll’s team discovered was that the fragments were made of leather instead of the “tanned and untanned parchment” of the original scrolls. The team found evidence that modern writing had been applied to the fragments and that the forgers had applied animal glue to their surfaces to “simulate the gelatinization” of the originals. Loll noted, “In all of the fragments that contained writing, we observed examples where modern ink was applied atop preexisting surface deposits and across cracks and areas of delamination already present on the repurposed material.” She described additional techniques the forgers used to create the fragments and said, “It is our opinion that all of these methods were utilized with an express intent to deceive.” 

Even though Green purchased the fragments from four different people, the fact they have similar characteristics, says National Geographic, “strongly suggests that the forged fragments share a common source. However, the identity of the forger or forgers remains unknown.” The findings of Loll’s team do not mean that the people who sold the fragments to Green necessarily knew they were fakes, and the report does not call into question the genuineness of the original Dead Sea Scroll fragments.

Loll concluded her summary of the team’s findings by noting that one result of the project was that she and her team have developed a new procedure for determining whether or not ancient texts are authentic. “The extensive research sponsored by the Museum of the Bible,” she said, “has resulted in the creation of a rigorous and reproducible protocol for the scientific interrogation of questioned ancient textual artifacts.”

Bible Museum Navigates Other Challenges

The Museum of the Bible has had other difficulties with its artifacts in the past. In 2017, the Green family was fined for buying stolen artifacts from Iraq. In 2018, it was discovered the museum had a stolen medieval manuscript in its possession, and in October 2019, the Bible museum again landed in hot water for unwittingly having 11 stolen biblical artifacts. 

Loll emphasized, however, that when the museum requested her to conduct a study, they gave her the full independence she asked for, including allowing her to publicly publish the results. She said, “I’ve never worked with a museum that was so up-front.” The Bible museum’s leadership told National Geographic they hoped their experience would be helpful to Dead Sea Scroll scholars, and they are also re-evaluating the origin of everything in their collection. 

Despite the fact he believes the museum has made some grave mistakes in the past, Semitic text specialist Christopher Rollston says its leaders have shown integrity in how they have tried to fix those mistakes. “If there’s any theme that’s present in the Bible, it’s the theme of forgiveness and the possibility of redemption, after someone finally comes clean,” said Rollston. “There’s true penitence there.”

Faith Leaders Attempt to Dispel Fear During Online Services

By
Megan Briggs
-
communicating with the unchurched

As more and more churches turned to online services in the wake of directions coming from local governments and federal organizations to suspend meetings of people in groups of 50 or more, pastors are being called upon to disseminate information even as they encourage their congregations’ spirits. There are so many practical considerations to note as churches, schools, and businesses close their facilities for a season due to the threat of Covid-19. It is in times like these that the church shines, faith leaders believe. Whether it’s preaching a message intending to help believers practice faith over fear, organizing meals for the elderly or children who are missing school lunches, or inviting medical experts to communicate facts, these leaders are serving their flocks.

Church Guide to Coronavirus 1

Greg Laurie / Harvest Christian Fellowship

Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California called on the church to pray during the sermon he preached for the online services. “This is the church’s secret weapon that is rarely employed, and I say let’s detonate it now: Prayer. Prayer. And there’s power in unified prayer. We miss that sometimes…Jesus said if any two of you agree together as touching anything on earth, it will be done of our Father in heaven.”

Last week, Laurie warned that the fear over the coronavirus is a greater risk than the virus itself and encouraged believers to lean on their faith over fear. During Laurie’s message on Sunday, he emphasized the need for Christians to come together to fight the virus “because it knows no boundaries.”

Rick Warren / Saddleback Church

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church headquartered in Lake Forest, California explained to those watching that although the church was going to be streaming online services for the near future, small group meetings are still happening. Saddleback is known for being a champion of the small group model; Warren stated that all 8,000 of the church’s groups had been instructed to meet and watch the service together. “Saddleback Church is going to be much better suited to weather the storm of this coronavirus outbreak than a lot of other churches because we have members that have been a part of weekly small groups and studies for literally decades. In fact, we have more people attend small group studies every week than attend out typical weekend services. About 30,000 people show up on a weekend, but about 40,000 attend one of our 8,000+ small groups.”

Warren shared that Bob Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control, had contacted him regarding how the global network of Saddleback Churches could help respond to the pandemic. Warren’s message focused on helping listeners “replace fear with facts and faith.”

Jack Graham / Prestonwood Baptist Church

Pastor Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas announced all services were moving to online services starting this most recent weekend. Graham invited Dr. Ken Cooper to speak on Sunday and address the congregation. The church is also taking initiative to help children who may be without meals during this time due to school closures. “One tangible way we will be sharing hope is by serving children who are missing free meals due to school closings. We will provide more information about this initiative in the coming days,” an update on the church’s website states.

Graham also encouraged congregants to invite their neighbors over as they watched the service in their homes. “What an incredible opportunity this is for us to shine out light–to be a good neighbor.”

Miles McPherson / Rock Church

Pastor Miles McPherson of Rock Church in San Diego, California had a panel of officials join him for the Sunday online service. After a brief lesson from Scripture, McPherson spoke to public health officer Dr. Wilma Wooten, Mayor Bill Wells of El Cajon, and Mayor Kevin Faulconer of San Diego.

The panel discussed facts surrounding the virus in an attempt to dispel fears. Dr. Wooten told McPherson that people who do not display symptoms for the virus are not in danger of infecting other people. However, Dr. Wooten reiterated that as this is a new virus that is still being researched and medical experts are still determining how it is spread. “This is a new virus and research is still going on,” Dr. Wooten said. Additionally, Dr. Wooten said medical experts don’t really know what the virus looks like in children and whether or not they can transmit the virus to others while not showing symptoms.

Mayor Faulconer discussed the measures the city of San Diego is taking to help hourly wage workers who may be missing out on wages. Mayor Wells explained the reasoning behind the directives for people to practice social distancing is to “try to at least suppress the number of people getting sick all at the same time” so as not to overwhelm the health care system. Dr. Wooten echoed Mayor Wells’ statement, explaining that the measures being taken now are a way to “kick the can down the road” so that the majority of people exposed to the virus will happen once vaccines and antiviral medications become available.

Louie Giglio / Passion City Church

Pastor Louie Giglio of Passion City Church in Atlanta, Georgia addressed the unique experience of leading online services in an almost-empty building. Giglio shared the building may be empty, but “the church is very much alive today because the church never was buildings.” Instead, the “church is us. It’s you and me, the people who are alive in Jesus Christ.”

Giglio also assured those watching the service that God is still in control of this situation, even as we wade into unprecedented waters with the coronavirus and the measures that need to be taken to mitigate the risk it presents. “God has never been without a plan. He has never been without purpose. And he always has been sovereign….I believe in some way he is going to use the spread of this virus and he is going to turn the story around for good.”

Church Guide to Coronavirus 1

Why David’s Census Was Wrong

By
Barry York
-
communicating with the unchurched

Why was David’s census wrong? Beginning this month, invitations to complete the 2020 U.S. census will start arriving at people’s homes. This every decade census comes to us as mandated by the Constitution. Article 1, Section 2 states, “The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of 10 years, in such manner as they shall by Law direct.” As the census is used by the government to determine population changes, demographics, congressional districts, federal funding, etc., it is a powerful tool in their hands.

Hearing of the U.S. census reminds us of those censuses done in the Bible. Jesus was born in Bethlehem because Caesar’s registration, or census, caused Joseph and Mary to travel there in order to be counted (Luke 2:1). The Book of Numbers has its title due to listing the results of a census God mandated (Num. 1:2). But perhaps the most intriguing census is the one that David took as recorded in 2 Samuel 24. For we know at the time that David took this census “the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel” (2 Sam. 24:1). Why did the anger of the Lord burn against Israel? Why did the Lord incite David to take the census, and express anger at him afterwards for doing so?

Matthew Henry cites five possible reasons that David’s census was wrong:

1) He was using it to number men under twenty years of age for army service, which was forbidden in God’s law; 2) The census had no direct order from God; 3) David was going to use the results to tax the people more than the law allowed; 4) David was not trusting the promises of God to Abraham to make the people innumerable; and 5) David was exhibiting the pride of his heart in putting confidence in the number and power of his army rather than in God. Though they are all plausible, and Henry believed the last one was the true reason, there is a problem with each of these proposals. No clear evidence in the text exists for any of them.

However, what is very clear in the text is that the census was wrong. All the characters knew it. Joab knew it was wrong and tried to prevent the king from doing it (2 Sam. 24:3). In the corresponding account in the Chronicles, we are told that “Satan moved David to number Israel” (1 Chron. 21:1). Afterwards, David confessed that it was wrong (vs. 10), saying he “sinned greatly,” “committed iniquity,” and had acted “very foolishly.” So how did all the characters in the story so clearly know it was wrong?

Perhaps an earlier account in David’s life holds the key. Recall that Uzzah was struck dead when the ark, being transported back to Israel from Philistia, toppled off an ox cart and he reached out his hand to balance it. David became angry because of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah, and named that place accordingly that day, calling it Perez-uzzah. David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?” It stayed there three months until someone did some Bible study and remembered what Exodus 25:14 says. “You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them.” When they realized they had broken  God’s Law and corrected themselves, the ark was moved without incident.

Returning to David’s census, perhaps the same book holds the key? For look at what Exodus 30:11-12 says.

The LORD also spoke to Moses, saying, “When you take a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you number them.”

Remember what happened after David took the census and the prophet Gad comes to rebuke him? David was given three options as a punishment, namely, seven years of famine, three months of enemies attacking them, or three days of a plague. David chooses the last option, saying he would rather “fall into the hand of the Lord” (2 Sam. 24:14). 70,000 people die in Israel from the plague before David sees the angel with his sword drawn over Jerusalem and he confesses his sin.

So it seems evident that God’s anger and plague came because the ransom money that was to be taken at this time of a census was not collected. Yet why did this anger God so?

The ransom money was to support the tabernacle and temple service as a memory of the Lord’s atonement. “You shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves” (Ex. 30:16). In all that Israel did, they were never to forget they had been redeemed by the Lord and each soul was counted as belonging to Him. For we know that ransom money cannot actually pay the price for a soul. Psalm 49:7-8 says, “No man can by any means redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him—for the redemption of his soul is costly, and he should cease trying forever.”  Micah put it rhetorically this way, “Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” (Mic. 6:7).

David’s census without the ransom price reminder that their lives were pledged to God, was usurping in the people’s minds God’s lawful place as their protector and true king. He was seeking ultimate allegiance to himself, his kingdom, and his power. David eventually saw how evil this usurpation was in the eyes of the Lord. Disobeying God’s Law regarding the ransom money of the census, and the message it conveyed, is what angered the Lord so.

For what turned the plague away also testifies to this truth. God commanded David to erect an altar on the site, which was at the threshing floor of Araunah. David did so, paying the price for the threshing floor and offering sacrifices that halted the plague. This site became the place where the temple was later built in the days of Solomon. The sacrifices offered there through the ages became emblematic of the blood of the true Lamb of God shed at Calvary, who purchased His elect unto salvation.

So when the census takers come knocking, and politicians start making promises from the results, remember David’s census. Pause. Then thank the Lord that you are part of a far better census, with your name written in the Lamb’s book of life as a citizen of heaven redeemed by His blood and child of the true King (Rev. 21:27).

This article about David’s census originally appeared here.

Church and Families: The Latest Statistics on Attendance

By
Dale Hudson
-
communicating with the unchurched

One of the biggest areas of concern right now is the frequency of church attendance for families.

As I talk and interact with children’s ministry leaders across they country, they echo this.  A few weeks ago, I met with over 20 children’s pastors who serve at some of the largest churches in the country.  Frequency of church attendance was one of the main topics that was discussed.

Church Attendance for Families: How Often They Attend

Families that used to attend 3 out of 4 weeks now attend twice a month.  Families that used to attend twice a month now attend once a month or even less.

A recent study by Barna, gives us valuable insight into families’ church attendance patterns and their attitude toward church in general.  Barna identifies two groups.

The “practicing Christians” group numbers 63.5 million and are people who are the most committed to their faith.  This group attends church a minimum of once a month and say their faith is very important to them.

This proclamation is challenging.  When the most committed people are the ones who come at least once a month, we have a lot of work to do.  This confirms our theories that families are attending less often for sure.

Church Attendance for Families: Who Attends More

And yet, there is a core group that attends almost every weekend.  In my opinion, this is the group of people who are serving in weekly roles.  And in many cases, they have developed deep relational connections with the people they serve with and have found their niche.’

The other category is what Barna calls the “churched adults.”  This group numbers 124.4 million and attend church at least once in a six month period.  This is the group that we affectionately call the “CEO’s.”  Christmas and Easter only.  Easter and Christmas are normally a high attendance times for most churches.  On these weekends, everyone shows up at the same time, hence the higher attendance.

Another trend Barna highlights is church hopping.  He says this has become the norm.  27% of practicing Christians church hop.  I believe this is especially true in multi-site churches.  Sometimes people will drive to hear the pastor speaking “live” and other weekends they will attend a campus that has the pastor on video.  Or perhaps they are running late on a Sunday and decide to go to a closer campus rather than the one they usually attend.

Church Attendance for Families: Are They Bored With Church?

Another big question to ask is this.  Are kids and families growing tired of church?  Barna’s data shows that 57% of churched adults and 45% of practicing Christians say they know people who are tied of the same old church services.  Many feel that church is becoming irrelevant to their personal lives.

While a large percentage of families say their church experience is positive, 40% of churched adults say they leave disappointed at least half the time.

How else do families view the church?

  • 66% of practicing Christian families say the church has a positive impact in the community.
  • 27% of non-Christian families say the church has no significant impact in the community or even say the church has a negative impact in the community.
  • 10% of all families, no matter their age, race or denomination, believe church is irrelevant.
  • The percentage of practicing Christian Millennials who agree the church is irrelevant today is the same as non-Christians who hold this view at 25%.

We can’t afford to bury our heads in the sand and pretend nothing is wrong.  Yes, many Christian families still enjoy gathering with other believers.  But for Gen Z’ers and Millennials,  many of them say they are “tired” of church as they have known it growing up.

Church Attendance and Families: How to Minister to Today’s Families

As we ponder these findings, let’s talk about how we can still make a difference in the lives of today’s families.

It starts by getting it on our radar.  How can we impact the young parents in our ministry?  We must make impacting young parents a top priority.  There are lots of different ways you can do this.  One of the most effective times I have seen to impact young parents is at Parent & Child Dedication.

Parents’ hearts are tender as they prepare to have their child dedicated.  Attach a class that parents go through before they dedicate their children. (I have an entire class resource at this link that hundreds of churches are using and are seeing significant impact on families.)  You can see more at this link.   Make the class 20% about what the meaning of the dedication is and then use the other 80% of the time encouraging parents about raising their kids to love Jesus.  You can cover key areas and topics like…

  • How to pray with and for your child.
  • Reading the Bible and devotion books with your child at bedtime.
  • Making Jesus the center of your family.
  • Make church a top priority.  We are raising a generation of children who will be Biblically illiterate if they continue to only attend church once a month or even less.  They will grow up not knowing how to defend their faith or even articulate key doctrines found in the Bible.  Think about this – what if a child only attended school 1 week a month?  They would miss so much important teaching, wouldn’t they?  They would have a hard time making good grades.   The comparison can be made with how often kids attend church as well.  If they are missing 50-75% of the teaching, they will have a shallow faith that may not stand when tested.
  • Resist the urge to overly involve your child in sports that will take them away from church on Sunday.  Remind when we don’t do this, we confuse our children and send a message that says church is optional and is something you only do at the holidays or if there’s nothing else scheduled.
  • Encourage parents to take the long look.  Decide now what kind of person they want their child to be when they leave home.  What do they want their child to know about God?  What truths from the Bible do they want their child to follow?  What kind of character do they want their child to have?  Lay out a plan to begin teaching and emphasizing those things now.
  • Help parents see what really matters.  Athletic success is a good thing.  Academic success is another good thing.  Social success.  Financial success.  All of these are good things, but the most important success is spiritual success.  It should the number one goal for parents to have for their children.
  • Get families involved in serving.  As I mentioned earlier,  families who serve are the people who are at church more often.  Create a culture of serving in your church.  Emphasize it.  Honor it.  Cast vision for it.  Make it a requirement to serve if you are going to join the church.  The more people you can get serving, the better attendance you will have.  In this new paradigm, growth doesn’t come from attendance.  It comes from engaging people to serve.  When you make this shift it helps close the back door.
  • Create environments that have kids dragging their parents to church.  Kids who love coming to church translates into families who faithfully attend church.  In today’s culture, many times parents take their cues from their children when it comes to attending church.  On more than one occasion I have heard parents say, “Yeah, I was going to stay home today and just watch the service online, but my son wanted to go to the church…so here we are.”  Remember the key to the heart of a parent is their child.  Give kids a great experience at your church and make sure they are saying “yes” to the most asked question by parents – “Did you have fun today?”
  • Help families get connected to a small group of people who knows them and misses them when they are not present.  For kids, it may be a small group with a caring leader, who sends a child a “miss you” card when they are absent.  A leader who prays for them each week.  Whatever format you use or whatever you call it (small groups, Sunday School, breakout groups, etc.), make sure children are part of a group (to clarify – a group of 6-8 kids – not a group of 20 kids – that’s why ratios are so important).  For parents, the same can be said.  They need to be tied to a small group, Sunday School group, life group, home group, etc.  Small groups deepen relationships and people who have close relationships at church will attend more often.

All of these things can help kids and parents attend more frequently.  Of course, one factor I did not touch on was kids whose parents are divorced.  This can often cut their church attendance in half as they are in a different home twice a month and that home may not be go to church as often as the other home.

Think about all the good things that happens in a family when they attend church on a regular basis. It’s not about what we want FROM families, it must be about what we want FOR families.  We know the spiritual growth that comes from consistent church attendance.  We know the relationships that can be formed.  We know the blessings that will come with faithful church attendance.  We know it honors God.  It honors His Word as He tells us in Hebrews to “not forsake the gathering together with other believers.”
Let’s be a cheerleader for the families in our ministries.  Let’s share with them the blessings they will receive when they attend faithfully.  Let’s make our ministries so irresistible that kids can’t wait for the weekend to come so they can attend church.  Let’s make our ministries so impacting that families lives are changed.  Let’s help families develop a love for God’s house.  Let’s help families put church at the top of their weekend activities.

When we do these things, we will begin to see a turnaround as families begin to attend more frequently.

Your turn.  How often do families attend your church?  What are some ideas or insight you have to encourage families to be more consistent in their attendance?

This article about church attendance and families originally appeared here.

Practical and Simple Tips to Aid Intergenerational Worship

By
Christina Embree
-
communicating with the unchurched

I’ve fielded several questions this week on the practicality of intergenerational worship — having all ages in corporate worship together. While some of the questions pertained to older generations participating in church, most of them were focused on the challenge of having children in the church service.  But after conversing for a bit, the basic need wasn’t to be convinced that children should be there at some point (that reconciled fairly quickly after some theological, developmental, and sociological evidences of the benefits of intergenerational worship); the bigger felt need was just for some practical and simple ways to make it possible for children to be integrated into the service.

Our traditional service structures often make it difficult to extend the hand of welcome to the next generation and it can be difficult to maneuver within those confines and find ways of incorporating all generations.

With that in mind, here are some practical tips and tools for Intergenerational Worship Services that might be useful for your faith community.

I’ve shared these in the past and have had a lot of great feedback from multiple churches and denominations. I’d love to hear what your church is doing to make room for all ages to find a space to worship together.

1. Kid’s Worship Team

This team doesn’t necessary lead “singing” but they worship through hospitality (holding doors, handing out bulletins, etc), prayer (they go forward during prayer time and pray for themselves and others) and generosity (they take up the communion and pray over it).

For our team, the kids followed a weekly schedule, just like the adult worship team, and if they missed their Sunday, they had to get someone to take their spot. They also had to go through a training on worship with me before they could serve.

2. Sermon Notes

There are a lot of great templates out there for sermon notes and for older kids, it’s a great way to keep them involved with the service.  In one church, if a child completed their sermon notes, they could get something out of a treasure box and the completed form was given back to their parents so the parents could have a follow-up conversation with their kids at home.

3. Call Out the Kids

Kids love to get attention and they love when they get to be drawn into “adult” things like the sermon. We often asked whoever was speaking to at some point in the sermon just say something like, “Hey kids, have you ever seen this?” or something else that would be appropriate to the text to help draw the kids into the story. It’s amazing how just that little comment really drew them in and helped redirect their attention to the service.

4. Interactive Teaching and Learning

Anything interactive is great!  One of the ways our current church engages the kids is if there is a topic that involves a story from the Bible, the pastor will have the kids help act out the story. Everyone loves it – it’s spontaneous so things definitely go wrong, but the whole congregation gets involved and no one forgets the Scripture we studied that week.

5. Busy Bags

Busy bags get a bad rap, mostly because people don’t understand the developmental science behind them. Have “busy bags” but explain to parents and other church members that these activities aren’t intended to distract the kids but rather to help the kids use all of their developing senses; studies show if their hands and eyes are busy, their ears will be listening.

Quiet activities like lacing cards, stickers scenes, foam craft kits, beads and pipe cleaners, small puzzles and coloring are all great ways to engage your kinesthetic and visual learners.

6. Pew Boxes or Worship Boxes

Similar to busy bags, these boxes can be placed underneath chairs or pews and filled with quiet activities and books for kids to use during worship services. I love the ones put together by Traci Smith and outlined here

6. Active Involvement

The difference between “having kids in Big Church” and welcoming kids into corporate worship lies basically in participation.  Are children being invited to actively participate or passively observe?  Inviting children and youth to be part of the order of worship has incredible sway in creating a sense of inclusion and welcome.

Children and youth can read Scripture, say the benediction, lead a song (doesn’t always have to have actions – it can just be a song that they like – my son loves, “No Longer Slaves” and can’t wait to lead it), and pray.   Being involved signals that we have a place in the congregation – we are a part of something bigger – and everyone needs to know that truth.

This article about intergenerational worship originally appeared here.

Tech Solutions Help Churches During Coronavirus Response

By
Ray Hollenbach
-
communicating with the unchurched

All over the United States (no—the world!) churches are responding to the Coronavirus (COVID 19), and church tech is making coronavirus response unique. While community, love, and care for the vulnerable have always been a part of the church’s mission, the advent of digital technologies has given the church options like never before.

Here are a few areas in which church technology’s part in coronavirus response is making a real difference in 2020:

Communication

Through the use of texting apps and software, churches can now communicate last-minute changes in schedules, and reach most of their regular congregation. Times like these also highlight the need for every church to designate a communications director, whether staff or volunteer.

Church Services

Live streaming has changed how we reach people who cannot come to church (which, during the Coronavirus Pandemic might be all of us for a while!). Your church’s coronavirus response should include some form of live streaming, even if it’s just sent from an iPhone!

Church Guide to Coronavirus 1

Giving

Although worship services may be set aside for a short period of time, the work of the church never stops—which means that the financial support of faithful church members remains necessary—perhaps even more necessary than ever. Giving apps and software are well-established technologies that provide a channel for resources that was unimaginable just a few short years ago. Does your church offer online methods of giving?

ChMS

It’s easy to lose track of people in a crisis. While nothing replaces personal pastoral care and concern, the use of an administrative tool such as Church Management Software means that even if a church staff cannot meet in person, each member of the staff still has access to contact information and data regarding the special needs of every regular church member, or every visitor, for that matter.

The Real Story

There are plenty more applications—this list could be much longer. But in this pandemic the intersection of technology and ministry is especially helpful. The unique nature of your church’s response is the real story, and it’s waiting to be written, by you, one church at a time.

Why Jerry Falwell Jr. and Joel Osteen Are Wrong About Donald Trump

By
Carrie Kintz
-
communicating with the unchurched

This election cycle is beyond the point of jumping the shark. For months, pundits and analysts were confident that Donald Trump was just a phase; that his brash attitude and extreme views would soon turn off the American public so enamored with him.

It turns out we are all wrong.

Many evangelical leaders including Russell Moore and Albert Mohler have expressed outrage and disappointment at the number of Christians who publically support Donald Trump. Moore went so far as to write a Washington Post op-ed about why this election cycle is causing him to no longer want to be identified as an evangelical.

All the more strange is the endorsement of Trump by Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University. Not only has Falwell endorsed Trump, but he’s said he has compared Trump to King David, a man after God’s own heart. Bible scholars feel free to weigh in here, but this seems like a bit of a stretch.

On the other end of the theological spectrum sits Joel Osteen, who told FoxNews radio that Donald Trump is a good man and an incredible communicator.

Both Osteen and Falwell have incredible influence in different parts of Christendom. Their words echo into churches as endorsements of a man whose moral character is dubious at best.

There is a vast difference between being a good person and being someone who understands the sin and depravity of his heart and repents. In the last few weeks, Trump told attendees at rallies that he’d like to punch protesters in the face, and has asked other participants to ‘knock the crap’ out of protesters nearby.

A new ad campaign highlights derogatory things Trump has said about women; things so offensive, we won’t print them here. He’s also said that he’s never asked for forgiveness from God, reasoning that he hasn’t made any mistakes, so he shouldn’t have to ask for forgiveness.

In Luke 6, Jesus said you can discern the state of someone’s heart by what they say. What Donald Trump stands for and promotes is not the will of God revealed in Scripture.

Endorsements like these from Falwell, Osteen, and even former candidate, Dr. Ben Carson, should trouble us. In light of the great responsibility that God places upon the shoulders of leaders – especially within the church, we should not take our endorsements of anyone, including political leaders, lightly. We live in times that call for great discernment and perseverance in prayer that God might have mercy on our nation and our political process. It is in these times that we must press into the Lord and trust Him, as David reminds us in Psalm 20:

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

Connecting the Gap Between Community and Congregation

By
Mark Howell
-

If you’ve been along for any length of time, you know that I love a good diagram.  Give me a whiteboard or a flipchart…or the back of a napkin…and I am right at home.  And one of the diagrams I frequently draw to explain various aspects of small group strategy is Saddleback’s concentric circles (if you’re not familiar with them, you can check out my article right here).

Today, though, I want to take just a moment and tease out an important but often overlooked aspect of the circles.  I call it the gap between community and congregation.  Very, very important stuff.  And it has everything to do with whether your design has a chance of connecting beyond the usual suspects.  Let me start with a very brief overview.

Concentric Circle Overview

The outermost circle is commonly labeled community.  You can think of it as people who’ve never been to your church.  It’s normally drawn as a circle.  In the drawing to the left, I’ve simply labeled everything outside of the crowd circle as community.

Just inside it is the circle labeled crowd.  Think of the crowd as those folks who consider your church to be their church, but they don’t come very often and they’re not very involved.  With me so far?  Finally, for the purpose of this illustration, there are three inner circles that are labeled congregation, committed and core.

The Gap Between Community and Congregation

What I want you to see today (and think about from now on) is the gap between the community and the congregation.  Specifically, I want you to begin to recognize the size of the gap.

A few ideas should help you see it the way I do.  For example, churches whose average adult attendance isn’t significantly different than their Easter or Christmas Eve attendance have a smaller gap between community and congregation.  The crowd is smaller.  Contrast that with churches like Woodlands Church or Parkview and note that Easter attendance is almost double the average attendance and you have a large gap between community and congregation.

What is the significance?  Why does it matter from a small group ministry standpoint?  The size of the gap between community and congregation has a lot to do with the importance of paying attention to the difference between what will connect an insider and what might interest an outsider or a new attendee.  You need to see that their interests will be different.  You need to see that it will take different strategies and different topics to connect them.  What works for the congregation might not work for the crowd.  And depending on the kind of church you’re in…the size of the crowd might actually rival the size of the congregation.

Is It God-Centered to Praise People?

By
Desiring God
-
communicating with the unchurched

by Sam Crabtree

Isn’t the commendation of people idolatrous? If we should make our boast in God alone, how dare we praise mere people? Have we gone off the deep end, away from God-centeredness and into the popular cultural psycho-jargon of self-esteem?

No.

If we aim to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things – including the commendation of people – then we are most definitely not speaking of their self-esteem. The jails are full of individuals who already have too much self-esteem. Just about all they think of is themselves. They, like we, are born that way: self-centered. Who has ever heard an infant in the nursery crying because some other child is wet or hungry?

We should not shrink from affirming people. To affirm people well is to affirm the work of God in them, and God is at work everywhere. Even the unbeliever is stamped in his image. If we seek for his work, we can find it. We shall find it. That’s why the subtitle of my book Practicing Affirmation is: The God-centered Praise of Those Who Are Not God.

Affirming well is both a science that can be studied, learned, and taught (hence books can be written about it), and it is an art. A good artist has a kind of eye. The good artist sees something, and then helps others see it. We can ask God for eyes that see.

If you think praising people is idolatrous, then fasten your seat-belt and put on your heresy crash helmet for this next assertion: God himself praises people. I can hear the objections: “What!? God praises people!? That’s totally upside down!” But God does indeed praise people.

The Lord affirms Noah as righteous in his generation (Genesis 7:1), to name a few.

Not only has God praised people in the past, but He will in the future. There is something defective about the person who does not want God to praise him. Every individual who has ever existed should desire to hear God one day say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

What keeps God’s praise of man from becoming man-centered idolatry? Answer: man’s immediate recognition that everything commendable in himself is owing to God, coupled with a humble, grateful, joyful desire to deflect that praise right back to God. When Paul boasts of his own work, saying, “I worked harder than any of them,” he immediately follows it up with “though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

Meanwhile, cautions are justifiable, for it is possible to praise people poorly, even wrongly – making much of shallow, passing qualities. Commending wrong behaviors. Flattering people with insincere exaggerations motivated by the desire to obtain wrong-headed favors.

So we are wise to commend that which is most commendable in people. What is it that makes something commendable? We will look at that in tomorrow’s post.

All’s Well That Ends Well: An Introduction to the Book of Revelation

By
Leland Ryken
-
communicating with the unchurched

Every story must have a beginning. The story of the Bible, for example, begins by answering the question of origins. But we also need to know how a story ends; for this we turn to Revelation, the closing act of the biblical drama. In effect, the book of Revelation allows us to peek at the last chapter of human history to see ending of the Bible’s grand narrative.

In addition to this desire for narrative closure, we instinctively feel a need to know something about the future. Without a knowledge of how history will end, we would feel insecure and perplexed as we see human culture decline. The Book of Revelation tells us enough about the future that we can be confident of ultimate victory in Christ.

The Timing of the Book of Revelation

The author tells us that his visions concern “the events that will happen soon” (1:1 NLT). John wrote these words 2000 years ago, and there is good reason to believe that some of his prophecies were fulfilled already in the First Century A.D. Thus, we should not assume that everything in Revelation is simply futuristic. Surely, most of what John portrays has happened in some form throughout history, including in our own day. Yet this is not to deny that the events portrayed in Revelation are also recurring, ever-escalating, and heading towards a climax at the end of history.

It is a safe premise that the symbolic mode of Revelation makes it always relevant and perpetually up-to-date. To cite an obvious example, the visions of the cataclysmic decline of the elemental forces of nature look more familiar with every passing year as our planet’s ecological crisis grows. To believe that the predictions of Revelation will be ultimately fulfilled at a coming end of history should not prevent us from seeing how much of the book is happening right before our very eyes.

The Form of the Book of Revelation

Several important literary forms converge in Revelation. Most obviously, the book presents a series of visions. Instead of telling a single, linear story, these visions are arranged in the form of a pageant, with mysterious visions rapidly succeeding each other—and never in focus for very long.

Secondly, the individual units fall into place if we apply the usual grid of narrative questions, such as: (1) Where does the event happen? (2) Who are the agents? (3) What action occurs? (4) What is the outcome? Any passage in Revelation can be charted in terms of these basic questions.

The Book of Revelation falls into a type of writing known as apocalypse. While the ingredients of this genre do not provide an analytic grid (as narrative does), knowing the ingredients will help us know what we are looking at as we read. The ingredients of apocalyptic include:

  • Dualism (the world divided clearly into forces of good and evil)
  • Visionary mode
  • Futuristic orientation
  • Focus on the appearance and work of the Divine Messiah
  • Presence of angels and demons
  • Animals as characters and symbols
  • Numerology (use of numbers with symbolic meanings)
  • Cosmic forces (e.g. sea, land, and sky) as actors in the drama
  • Denunciation of the existing social order

The Most Important Thing to Know about the Book of Revelation

The basic medium of expression in the book of Revelation is symbolism. This means that instead of portraying characters and events directly and literally, John the Evangelist pictures them indirectly by means of symbols. Jesus is portrayed as a lamb and a lion and a warrior on a horse, for example. Churches are portrayed as lamps on lampstands, and so on.

To highlight the non-literal mode of Revelation, the author employs fantasy, which is always characteristic of apocalyptic writing. Only in the fantastic imagination do we find horses that are red (6:4) or a red dragon with seven heads (12:3). The right way to assimilate this kind of writing is to accept the strangeness of the world that is portrayed and abandon a literal way of thinking in favor of reading symbolically.

To say that the mode of Revelation is symbolic, however, is not to deny that the characters and events are real. What is at stake as we interpret the book is how the characters and events are portrayed. They are symbols that speak of realities—beings who really exist and events that do happen.

The Symbols of the Book of Revelation

The best rule of thumb for interpreting the symbols and visions of Revelation is to relate them to common teachings of the Bible and to obvious events in our own world. In particular, Jesus’ outline of coming events in his Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25) provides a blueprint for the visions of Revelation. Jesus outlined the following sequence of events that will happen at “the close of the age” (Matthew 24:3, ESV):

  1. Wars, earthquakes, famine, false teachers (24:5-8)
  2. Persecution of Christians (24:9-22)
  3. False Christs and false prophets (24:23-28)
  4. Natural disasters, the appearance of Christ, the harvesting of the elect (24:29-31)
  5. Final judgment (24:32-25:46)

We repeatedly cover this same material in the visions of Revelation.

A safe question to keep asking of a given vision is this: To what familiar doctrine or event in salvation history does this symbol refer? Examples in Revelation include the sovereignty of God, God’s judgment against evil, God’s salvation of believers, the existence of heaven and hell, the great battle between good and evil, etc. We do not need to look for mysterious and hidden levels of meaning. The very word apocalypse means “to unveil”; the purpose of the visions of Revelation is not to confuse us, but to confirm our understanding of the Bible, and to help us interpret events in the daily news.

Dominate With Small Groups in 2020

By
Allen White
-
communicating with the unchurched

What are your church’s priorities? Do your priorities have anything to do with small groups in 2020? For many churches big priorities point to big events – weekend worship services, conferences, and outreach events. While all osf these things have their place, do they deserve all of the attention they get? Imagine if small groups and disciple-making were front and center for once instead of lingering on the backburner somewhere.

Jesus commanded us to “go and make disciples.” Disciples aren’t made overnight. Discipleship is not a process or a program. Making disciples requires a person. After all, disciples make disciples. If disciples could be mass produced then services and seminars would be adequate to do the job. Clearly, they don’t.

What if everything in your church revolved around small groups instead? When our church in California reached a place where 125% of our weekly worship attendance was connected into groups, priorities shifted for our staff. As far as discipleship went, the tail was no longer wagging the dog.

How can small groups rise to the top? First, you don’t have to tear everything else down to raise the value to groups and disciple-making. This is not a matter of demolishing a church’s ministry to rebuild it. No one can afford to do that. This is more the scenario of re-engineering the airplane while it’s flying. It requires more nuance. By recognizing the opportunities and creating the right alliances, your church could dominate with small groups in 2020.

Partner with Your Senior Pastor to Dominate With Small Groups in 2020.

Why are the senior pastors so invested in the weekend service? First, pastors put their hearts and souls into creating a sermon. If you’ve preached, you know that time and energy it takes. One pastor said that it was like having a term paper due every week.

Another reason pastors are invested in worship services is because a large portion of the church attend. It’s a good feeling to speak to a packed house. Over the years, I’ve spoken to as few as 11 people and as many as 5,000 in a single day. The bigger, the better, right?

Lastly, preaching a sermon produces immediate results. Pastors tell jokes, and they get a laugh. They hit a point hard, and they get a response. Some will shout, “Amen!” Others might become very quiet. Then, in many churches at the end of the service there is a response at the altar. While approval is not the goal, a response is certainly reassuring.

While there are other reasons for pastors to devote themselves to worship services, think about these three things: (1) pouring their hearts and souls into teaching, (2) reaching many people, and (3) receiving a response. Small groups can do this too and even at a larger scale. By putting the pastors teaching on video, an audience larger than the weekend service will be reached. All of the hard work of sermon prep doesn’t end up in a file folder, it lives on in living rooms and breakrooms and board rooms around town.

Getting the response is up to the small group pastor. Collect stories of what God is doing in groups. Let the pastor know the impact the video teaching in groups is making. If senior pastors could reach larger audiences every week wouldn’t they be interested. Your small groups will connect your congregation, but will also include many people from the community who have never darkened the door of your church. In fact, according to Rick Warren, there is a trend of people coming to a small group first, then attending a weekend service with their groups. By partnering with senior pastors, their goals will be reach and so will yours.

Create a Next Step for Every Church Event to Dominate With Small Groups in 2020.

Do marriage conferences improve marriages? They could. They also might accelerate conflict. Do sermons make disciples. I’ve already answered that here. Do men’s retreat make better men? They could, but as Randy Phillips, the former president of Promise Keepers says, “The failure of Promise Keepers was not offering a next step after the conferences.” Essentially Promise Keepers became promise breakers. While services and events are not the be-all end-all of life change, they can be a start. They can inspire commitment, but it’s not over and done. As Marcus Buckingham said, “The problem with people is they are just never done.”

Change is difficult. People fall into patterns of behavior that they’ve learned over the years. Marriages fall into patterns. Work relationships fall into patterns. We commonly refer to this as getting into a rut. It’s hard to get out. Change is difficult.

We know how to lose weight, but we don’t. We know how to get out of debt, but we’re still in debt. The list could go on, but we will stick with my problems for now. When I lose weight, it requires focused effort. I need accountability. I have to set a goal and make steps toward that goal. I could listen to someone talk about weight loss and be inspired. I could even watch exercise videos and still not lose a pound. Now before this gets silly, this is also true for every other change a person is trying to make.

Every change starts with a commitment. A conference, a retreat, or a worship service is a great place to make a commitment. But, commitments are forgotten without a next step and others to support you. If your church hosts a marriage conference, what’s the next step? Does the speaker have a book or curriculum? If not, what resources are available? Start groups during the conference. If your church has a men’s retreat, use the opportunity to form groups at the retreat before the guys come home. Have the study and the day and time of the first meeting in place before they resume their regular schedule. And, for the sermon, help your members take their weekend into their week by producing a sermon discussion guide or an alignment series.

Events can start something, but they cannot create lasting change. Small groups can complement events and give people what they need to achieve the growth they desire. Every event in your church should be a launching pad for small groups.

Make Small Groups in 2020 the Answer to Every Problem.

What is your senior pastor’s biggest concern for your church?

More Leaders? Small Groups are a leadership development engine.

Better Attendance? People in groups are more committed than people who are not in groups.

More Serving? People in groups serve more than people who aren’t in groups.

Better Giving? People in groups, on average, give 4% more of their income than people not in groups.

More Growth? People in groups are more focused on growth than people not in groups.

Better Outreach? People in groups reach others for Christ more often than people not in groups.

Your pastor’s major concerns are all addressed in small groups. These thoughts are not merely anecdotal. Look at the research by Ed Stetzer and Eric Geiger in Transformational Groups and Princeton professor Robert Wuthnow in Sharing the Journey. Research shows that people in groups are the most motivated and most active members of the church. (For a synopsis of this research: The Senior Pastors Guide to Groups). If you want more of “all of the above,” you need to connect more people into groups.

So, Why Aren’t Senior Pastors the Most Excited About Small Groups in 2020?

  1. They may not know the value of groups. The senior pastor role today is more like a CEO. There’s a lot on your pastor’s plate. That’s why you were hired to take care of groups and discipleship. Yet unless you engage your senior pastor, discipleship will continue to linger in obscurity in your church. Help your pastor see the benefits of groups. Zig Ziglar once said, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.” Find every possible way to align groups with where your pastor is headed or what concerns your pastor the most.
  2. Most seminarians don’t learn about small groups. I earned a Master of Divinity in Christian Education and did not hear one lecture on small groups. If pastors’ degrees are in pastoral ministry, biblical studies, counseling, or theology, they didn’t learn about small groups either. You have to educate your pastor about small groups and the key role they should play in the church. Point to outstanding models of churches with groups like North Point Ministries, Saddleback Church, North Coast Church, and many others. Start a staff small group. Tell the stories of what God is doing in your groups.
  3. Senior pastors may be resistant to groups because their small group pastors have become adversarial. One small group pastor complained to me, “I just can’t get my pastor on board with small groups.” I told him that he didn’t need to get his pastor on board. It was the pastor’s boat! The small group pastor needed to get on board with where the senior pastor was headed and include groups with it. The senior pastor has the responsibility to hear from God and give direction to the church. Follow that direction and add groups to the strategy.

No one should feel more strongly about small groups in your church than you. You should be the most passionate person when it comes to groups. Don’t allow your passion to spill over into anger. But, have small groups on the brain! The answer to every question your senior pastor or your team asks should be, “Small Groups.” As you partner with your senior pastor and others, you can dominate with groups in 2020.

This article about small groups in 2020 originally appeared here.

Why Islam Is NOT a Threat to Christianity

By
Chris Martin
-
communicating with the unchurched

This is why Islam is not a threat to Christianity. I was listening to a Christian radio show a while back before I was scheduled to go on, and one of the guests before me was talking about the organization he formed to fight back against powerful liberals in the United States and the ideologies they are spending billions of dollars to advance.

This man kept talking about how liberalism is a “threat” to Christianity, and how any number of liberal political ideologies are going to somehow damage the faith, though he wasn’t very specific as to how.

Similarly, I was watching a video the other day in which the Christian missionary called Islam “the greatest threat to Christianity today.” Really? A threat to what? Make Christianity untrue?

What Are We So Afraid of With Islam?

So many American Christians, evangelicals in particular, are paralyzed by fear.

We talk about how political liberalism or Islam are “threats” to Christianity and make compelling cases for why our brothers and sisters in Christ should devote time, money and other resources to protect Christianity against these threats.

Christianity is not threatened by modern political liberalism, any strand of Islam (violent or non-violent) or any other worldview on the entire planet.

I tweeted last week: “If you view other religions or worldviews as ‘threats’ to Christianity, I kind of wonder if you know how the story ends.”

The idea that something could be a “threat” to Christianity implies that, somehow, Christianity could be put on a sort of “endangered religions” list, or that Christians could become extinct altogether.

This is a lie fueled by hearts that have made an idol of power and influence.

Christianity, defined by the gospel of Jesus Christ and the implications of that gospel, offers the world what other worldviews cannot. So, Christians who want the best for their communities and the world are right to work for Christianity’s spread around the world.

But, particularly among conservative evangelicals in 21st-century America, there seems to be a feeling that Christianity is at risk of extinction.

This is not the case.

Continue

More Churches Close as Leaders Face Pandemic Dilemmas

By
Stephanie Martin
-
communicating with the unchurched

As much of daily life in America shuts down in attempts to prevent further spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, churches and religious organizations are facing tough decisions. In some states, officials have prohibited large public gatherings or are urging a temporary halt to worship services.

During fast-moving developments this week, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, major sporting and entertainment events were suspended, many schools shut down, and financial markets plunged. On Friday, President Trump declared a national emergency, freeing up more federal resources to combat the virus that has killed more than 40 Americans so far.

Some States Have Banned Large Gatherings

Throughout the country, governors also are issuing states of emergency, and some have banned gatherings of more than 250 people. One of the first to do so was Governor Jay Inslee of hard-hit Washington state, with 24 coronavirus-related deaths. Prohibited gatherings include “faith-based” activities, according to his announcement—which he realizes will lead to pushback.

Church Guide to Coronavirus 1

Because Washington is “experiencing significant community transmission,” Inslee says, action is key. “This is an extremely dangerous event that we are facing, but we are not helpless,” he says, adding that limiting public gatherings is “an effective tactic” to protect ourselves and our loved ones.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear encouraged churches and other large crowds not to gather but didn’t make formal orders. “I know that some won’t agree with it,” he says. In his state, about 40 percent of people attend church services at least weekly, according to Pew Research, and about 76 percent of residents say they’re Christian.

Though Beshear says faith is “very important” to him, so are “the life and health of our people.” He adds, “I don’t believe whether you go to church during this period of time is a test of faith. I believe God gives us wisdom to protect each other, and we should do that.”

Don’t Single Out Churches, Some Warn

Some Kentucky pastors and religious leaders feel singled out by the governor’s advice, and others say they refuse to follow it. Because the initial announcement didn’t mention businesses or athletic events, seminary president Al Mohler says, “The state religion may turn out to be basketball after all.” He advises politicians to “be extremely clear when they are making these requests,” adding that “Christian leaders will expect to be included in any recommendations but not singled out.”

The seminary Mohler leads, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, has moved to online classes for the rest of the school year. He admits it’s “humbling” that we “don’t know what the situation will be” in the near future. Regarding Easter, for example, he says it “would be irresponsible” to make any plans with certainty for a month out.

Several Kentucky pastors say shutting their doors is out of the question. Robert Cunningham, pastor of Tates Creek Presbyterian Church in Lexington, had said of the governor’s plea: “This is simply one request we cannot honor.” In a congregational letter, Cunningham wrote that during crises, “It is uniquely important for churches to open their doors to those who can attend.”

Yet on Thursday, in what the church admits was “a surprising decision,” worship services for Sunday were canceled after some members of the church’s school community were exposed to the virus. “We are fully aware how surprising it is to see a church do such a quick 180,” the church states. “Rest assured, we still believe in the primacy of corporate worship, and that’s not changing.” Future decisions will be made on a week-by-week basis.

Aaron Harvie, pastor of the three-campus, 7,000-member Highview Baptist Church, says cancelling worship “would add to fear.” He warns the governor: “These are areas that you’re treading into of which you don’t actually have direct responsibility or authority.”

Highview live-streams its services, but Harvie says people’s “presence” is key during worship. “Technology is amazing for information, but it’s not so great with relationships,” he says. On social media, the church posted: “If you feel sick or uncomfortable attending church this Sunday, be sure to worship with us from home via livestream. We’re still planning vibrant worship services where Christ is exalted, people are encouraged, and God’s Word is proclaimed!” 

How Churches Are Adjusting to Disruptions 

When the outbreak began in the United States, many congregations adjusted their greeting and communion practices to reduce germ transmission. But as the situation escalated, more churches—especially larger ones—made the more drastic move to online-only worship.

Among those is Pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, where the mayor has issued a health emergency. “While we apologize for any inconvenience this causes to our members and visitors,” the church writes, “we feel that this move is necessary to ensure the well-being of all of the citizens of this great city, especially the most vulnerable among us.” Elderly people and those with underlying medical conditions are most at risk from coronavirus, which has infected more than 125,000 people worldwide.

Lakewood plans to broadcast sermons online and via Facebook, YouTube, Roku, and AppleTV. Other churches also are online-only for now, including Crossroads Church in Cincinnati. Bethel Church, based in Redding, California, has canceled all foreign mission trips this school year.

In Seattle, Catholic churches have suspended public celebrations of Mass “out of an extreme measure of caution.” Yet in Italy, Europe’s hardest-hit country, an archbishop and prominent writers strongly disagree that all public Masses have been shuttered. Though Pope Francis says shepherds “must take the smell of the sheep,” writes Antonio Socci, the pontiff and others are steering “well clear of the sheep and their breath.”

Episcopal bishops in Washington, D.C., have closed all churches—including the Washington National Cathedral—for two weeks. “We are indeed in uncharted waters,” says Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, “not just as a diocese but as a country and as a global human family.”

How is your church handling this fast-changing situation? The free, comprehensive resource “The Church Guide to Coronavirus” covers emergency planning, provides communication tips and technology links, and discusses issues such as evangelism opportunities, decreased giving, and staff absenteeism.

5 Examples of Pastoral Letters About the Coronavirus

By
Jessica Mouser
-
pastoral letter
Lightstock #66608

The coronavirus outbreak has led to public gatherings being canceled across the country, and church leaders are trying to figure out what to do. What information should you put in your pastoral letter to your congregation? Should you keep holding services? What does it mean for your church to love your neighbors well during this time?

Church Guide to Coronavirus 1

To help you answer these questions, we have collected five letters showing how different pastors across the U.S. are leading their churches to respond to the challenges posed by the coronavirus.

 

Pastoral Letter from Al Pittman of Calvary Worship Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Beloved CWC Family,

With the ever-growing concern, world-wide and at home, regarding the coronavirus, I wanted to reach out to you and inform you of our response to this pandemic. First, let us remember the words of the Apostle Paul; (2 Timothy 1:7) For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Secondly, let us exercise “wisdom.” (Proverbs 2:6) For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Many churches, sport’s venues, political campaigns, etc. are suspending events until further notice. Here at CWC we care deeply about your spiritual edification and your physical safety. After much thought and prayer, I do not believe, at this time, the Lord is directing us to suspend our services, or other scheduled events. Having said that, we are strongly urging everyone to be very cautious about their interactions with one another here at CWC, and to practice good hygiene (washing your hands, covering your mouth when you cough, etc.). 

There are four steps we have taken in order to reduce the chance of anyone contracting the coronavirus here at CWC; (1) We have placed hand sanitizers at every entrance into the sanctuary at our westside location and our east campus (Creekside). Sanitizer wipes are also available at the Life Center (information center) at each location. (2) We are stepping up our efforts to make sure our children’s area is sanitized; and are discouraging parents to not bring their children to church, but to stay home if the child is sick.(3) We are also encouraging people during our “greeting time” to not shake hands but rather to simply acknowledge one another with a greeting (God bless you). (4) We will provide starting this weekend rubber surgical gloves for those who want to use them. These steps will not safeguard us against this virus 100% but will reduce the risk. 

In addition, If you are sixty-years old and older, especially if you have a condition which makes you more susceptible to contracting a virus, you may want to consider the possibility of not attending services, for a couple of weeks. Reports reveal elderly individuals have a higher chance of contracting the virus. Having said that, I definitely plan on being at every service! If you decide to stay home, please join us online at cwccs.org for the 10am service. Online giving is also available. Your continual financial support during this crisis is very much appreciated.

Let me leave you with four things we can all do.
-Pray – for God to aid scientists in discovering a vaccine quickly. And for the witness of the church; that we will not allow the coronavirus to quarantine our faith
-Act responsibly. Wash your hands, etc.
-Respect the space of others
-Rest in God.

(Jeremiah 33:6) Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.

For His Glory,

Pastor Al 

How to Help Your Teens Overcome Their Coronavirus Fear

By
Greg Stier
-
communicating with the unchurched

Everybody’s freaking out.

School districts are closing. Large events are cancelling. Heck, even Disney World is temporarily shut down!

In the words of Bill Murray and crew in the classic movie Ghostbusters, “Earthquakes, volcanoes! The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!”

And teenagers are especially freaking out (I know because I have two of them.) Social media is fueling a hysteria with “news” that predicts millions of people dying to the shut down of the government to a potential zombie apocalypse.

Obviously the Coronavirus is a real threat and people need to take precautions, but fear-mongering are the words of the day. And this is especially true among Generation Z who often have no filter to discern fake news, real news and flat out crazy.

Church Guide to Coronavirus 1

So how do we help teenagers deal with the threat of the Coronavirus? How do we help them wrestle their fears to the ground? Here are 4 action steps you, as a youth leader or parent, can take right away.

How to Address Coronavirus Fear With Teens

1.  Talk about it.

It’s probably not the time to do business as usual. At Dare 2 Share we have a training philosophy called ALTernative teaching. It stands for: Ask, Listen, Teach.

Ask teens how they are feeling about the pandemic. Ask them to be open about their thoughts and fears.

Listen to what they are saying. Listen deeply and try to fully understand and empathize with how they are feeling.

Then Teach what God’s Word has to say.

Maybe, it’s time for a Corona-series.  You could do a Faith Not Fear series. Heck, years ago, I wrote a book called Outbreak…Creating a Contagious Youth Ministry Through Viral Evangelism. You could order a copy of that and do a series on viral evangelism.

1...861862863...1,212Page 862 of 1,212
855,266FansLike

New Articles

New Podcasts

Joby Martin

Joby Martin: What Happens When Pastors Finally Understand Grace

Jessica Mouser -
Joby Martin joins “The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast” to discuss what happens when a church leader has truly been run over by the “grace train" and understands the profound love and grace of God.
Jennie Allen

Best of 2024—Jennie Allen: Why Church Leaders Need To Pay Attention...

Jon Acuff

Best of 2024: Jon Acuff—How To Pursue Success Without Destroying Your...

Libin Abraham

Libin Abraham on God’s Surprising Job Description for the Pastor

ChurchLeaders.com is dedicated to resourcing, informing, and connecting a community of church leaders for greater Kingdom impact worldwide.
Contact us: support@churchleaders.com

Company

Trending

Popular Categories

© ChurchLeaders