Former Volunteer at Gateway Church Charged With Child Molestation

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September 6, 2024

Scott Gerber, a former member and volunteer at the Frisco, Texas, location of Gateway Church, is scheduled to go on trial in Indiana next month for allegedly molesting children. Although the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that the 65-year-old was a Gateway employee and served on the children’s altar prayer and prophetic teams, a spokesperson for the megachurch said that’s inaccurate.

Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of child sex abuse, which some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.

Lawrence Swicegood, executive director of Gateway Media, told ChurchLeaders that Gerber “was a member and volunteer but not in the students or children’s area.” He added that Gerber “is not and has never been a Gateway employee despite a media outlet publishing incorrect information without first verifying employment status.”

A warrant for Gerber’s arrest was obtained in April 2023 in Howard County, Indiana. His jury trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 4.

Gateway has been embroiled in scandal since June, when senior pastor Robert Morris resigned amid sexual abuse allegations. Since then, several key figures have left the church, which has also been named in abuse-related lawsuits.

Former Gateway Volunteer Faces Molestation Charges in Another State

The arrest warrant revealed detailed accounts from victims who allege that Scott Gerber sat them on his lap and then touched them underneath their clothes. Two children told sheriff’s deputies about Gerber molesting them in 2020, claiming he didn’t stop when they asked him to. Both of those children said Gerber told them to keep the touching a secret.

Another minor recalled being touched inappropriately by Gerber in February 2023. That child told family members what happened, leading to a confrontation with Gerber. According to the arrest warrant, officials have screenshots of text messages exchanged between Gerber and a family member. Gerber wrote, in one, “I deserve for you and your family to never consider me again.” In another, he wrote, “No excuses shame and fear gripped me.”

Court records indicate that Gerber was charged with two counts of molesting a child under age 15.

When ChurchLeaders asked Swicegood about any allegations in Texas, he replied:

To our knowledge, there were no and are no allegations against [Gerber] in Texas. As soon as we learned he was under investigation in another state, we asked him not to return [to Gateway] until the allegations were investigated and his name was cleared. He never returned as a volunteer nor to attend a church [service].

In June, abuse advocate Amy Smith posted, “Apparently Gateway Church didn’t inform members of his arrest.” When ChurchLeaders asked Swicegood about that, he replied, “Because at the time we asked [Gerber] not to attend any longer until the investigation from another state was completed, we did not feel the need to inform members of the allegation that had not been confirmed at the time.”

Other Gateway Volunteers: We Were Shunned for Speaking Out

Smith has participated in protests outside Gateway Church to support survivors of sexual abuse. On her watchkeep.org blog, she described meeting a mother and daughter who formerly attended Gateway’s Frisco campus. Anita Nishee and Nicole Nishee told Smith they reported news of allegations against Gerber to Gateway leaders in February 2023.

‘The Very Idea of Womanhood Is Under Attack Right Now’—Lisa Bevere Fights for Females in Her New Book

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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September 6, 2024

Lisa Bevere, New York Times best-selling author and wife of renowned minister John Bevere, fights for biblical womanhood in her new book “The Fight For Female: Reclaiming Our Divine Identity,” which was released earlier this week.

In the book, Bevere argues that the “very idea of womanhood is under attack right now.”

“We have culture sexualizing what it means to be a woman, and on many fronts, the church silencing the voice of its daughters,” Bevere told ChurchLeaders, adding that “women act like men and men act like women, and the enemy is bent on the destruction of what it means to be female.”

Bevere believes the church must offer “a way forward that transcends familiar talking points and drives us to find God-inspired answers.”

She encourages her readers not to “compromise” on womanhood because “our marriages, children, churches, communities, and futures depend on us to be up to the task. [Church], this is your clarion call. Female is worth fighting for.”

Bevere indicated her belief that the conversation surrounding gender identity isn’t “just a culture issue” but rather a “spiritual attack” on the identity of men and women. She said that she couldn’t remain quiet any longer “because when you attack male and female, you actually are attacking the image of God.”

“The enemy is after what women carry,” Bevere said. “And women are supposed to be the protectors and the carriers of life and the multipliers of life.”

“But the enemy is like, ‘No, be the takers of life. No, be the destroyers of the life. Own your own life.’ And a lot of times, people don’t understand that self-focus is very Luciferian,” she added. “It’s very about me, mine, my comfort, my body, my choice, my pleasure, my fulfillment, and everything that we’re seeing, we think the people are the problem.”

Bevere dedicates an entire chapter in her new book to spiritual warfare. She believes that Christians can’t be “casual” about it.

“It’s time for the elect to return,” Bevere encouraged. “We have partnered with some demonic stuff. We have wrestled with people instead of with principalities and powers and rulers of wickedness in high places.”

‘Our Hearts Are Broken’—Candace Cameron Bure Posts Tribute to Father-in-Law, Vladimir Bure, After His Death

By

Jessica Lea

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September 6, 2024

Vladimir Bure, an Olympic medalist, National Hockey League (NHL) fitness consultant, and father-in-law of actor and producer Candace Cameron Bure, passed away on Sept. 3 at the age of 73. Candace posted a tribute to her father-in-law on Instagram Sept. 4.

“Our hearts are broken as we grieve the loss of Val’s dad Vladimir Bure. I loved this man so very much,” said Candace Cameron Bure. “To me, he represented not only the gift of life (my husband) that I am forever grateful for, but one of strength, dedication, motivation, resilience, willpower and love. In my mind, he was the epitome of each of those words, a little bit super human in some way.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Candace Cameron Bure (@candacecbure)

Vladimir Bure Will ‘Forever Be in Our Hearts’

Vladimir Bure won four Olympic medals competing for the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s and served as a fitness consultant for the professional hockey team New Jersey Devils from 1999 to 2010. He had his name engraved on the Stanley Cup twice. The Devils posted a tribute to Bure, saying:

The Devils organization is saddened to learn of the passing of Vladimir Bure, who spent over a decade with the organization.

A former Olympic medalist in swimming, he became a pioneer in the field of athlete training for thirty years. He served as Fitness Consultant for New Jersey from 1999-2010, and had his name engraved on the Stanley Cup in 2000 and 2003.

Our thoughts go out to his family and friends at this time.

The Devils organization is saddened to learn of the passing of Vladimir Bure, who spent over a decade with the organization.

A former Olympic medalist in swimming, he became a pioneer in the field of athlete training for thirty years. He served as Fitness Consultant for New… pic.twitter.com/UxRqHUcR2M

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) September 4, 2024

Bure has two sons, Pavel and Valeri, both of whom became professional hockey players. Valeri married Candace Cameron in 1996, and together they have three children: Natasha, Lev and Maksim. Lev Bure married Elliott Dunham in January of this year.

Candace Cameron Bure is known for starring in the 90s sitcom “Full House” and the 2016-2020 spinoff, “Fuller House,” as well as numerous Hallmark movies. She has previously cohosted “The View.” In 2022 she announced she had left the Hallmark Channel and signed with Great American Family, where she serves as chief creative officer.

Pastor Jack Hibbs Calls Democratic Party ‘A Death Cult,’ Urges Christians To Vote for ‘Not Totally’ Pro-Life Republican Ticket

By

Dale Chamberlain

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September 6, 2024

California megachurch Pastor Jack Hibbs took to social media this week to offer his apparent endorsement of former President Donald Trump, though without ever mentioning Trump by name.

Hibbs urged Christians not to vote for Democratic candidates, expressing his belief that the party is “a death cult.”

“Let me first of all preface what I’m about to say, because it’s so volatile; it gets everybody all freaked out,” Hibbs said to start the video post. “I personally am a monarchist. I believe in a ruling, reigning king. I’m waiting for him to bring his politics to us in his coming.”

“Having said that, I’m more of a person who refuses to indicate,” Hibbs continued. “‘So what are you? Republican, or Democrat?’ Both parties drive me nuts. There used to be a difference between the two. Not so much [anymore].”

Hibbs has long been on the record as an advocate for Republican politics, frequently expressing support for Trump. Earlier this year, he endorsed a Republican senatorial candidate from the pulpit of his church.

“But let me put it to you this way,” Hibbs said. “Regarding this upcoming election, who should you vote for? For the Christian, it’s super easy. It’s super easy. Because if you pull back rhetoric and emotion, it’s a slam dunk.”

“There is one party that’s more pro-life than the other. In fact, the other is 100% pro-death. It’s a death cult. And I’m talking about the Democrat party,” Hibbs continued. “The Democrat party is in fact a bona fide, card-carrying, platform-holding, death cult. ‘Kill the baby. Even after it’s born, kill the baby.’”

Partial-birth abortion was outlawed in the United States in 2003, when Congress passed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. The Supreme Court upheld the legislation as constitutional in 2007. Nevertheless, late-term abortions are legal in some states, such as New York, which allows medical practitioners to perform abortions up to the day of the birth.

“Just on this topic alone, a Christian cannot vote for a Democrat candidate. It’s impossible. You cannot say to God, ‘I am a lover of God, a lover of the Word, a lover of Jesus, and I’m a follower of my Lord, but I’m going to vote to kill babies,’” Hibbs went on to say. “You can go ahead and do that, but you’re going to stand before the Lord to give an answer for that.”

While Trump was once hailed as the “most pro-life president” in American history, he has been moving the Republican Party to the left on the issue in recent months.

When the Republican Party assembled in Milwaukee in July, the official platform was revised to remove any reference to a national abortion ban, and Trump’s campaign has indicated that Trump would veto a national ban on abortion if it were passed by Congress during his presidency.

National Baptists Hear Their Outgoing President and Ketanji Brown Jackson as Meeting Ends

By

Adelle M Banks

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September 6, 2024

Ketanji Brown Jackson National Baptists — The Rev. Jerry Young preached his final annual address as president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, on Sept. 5, 2024 in Baltimore. RNS photo by Adelle M. Banks

BALTIMORE (RNS) — The Rev. Jerry Young, the two-term president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, preached his final annual address as leader of the historically Black denomination as members attending the NBCUSA annual session prepared to vote in what promises to be a fraught election.

On Thursday (Sept. 5), the last day of the annual session at the Baltimore Convention Center, the Baptists were offered just a single candidate for president after it was determined that four others did not meet the qualifications to be considered.

“I know that it’s an unusual election,” Young said in his address to thousands of Baptists. “Whoever heard of having just one candidate on the ballot?”

But he defended the “unusual situation,” saying it did not mean church leadership was at fault. Baptist polity, he explained, calls for a “yes” or “no” vote even when one person is running for a first-term presidency.

“Because it’s unusual and because it’s strange does not mean that somebody did something wrong,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that the board did something wrong.”

Nonetheless, the four men who failed to be qualified have mounted a joint campaign urging a “no” vote for the remaining candidate, the Rev. Boise Kimber, a New Haven, Connecticut, pastor who was found to have received the necessary 100 endorsements from member churches and other NBCUSA entities to qualify to run for president.

Over the course of the three days of the annual session, as dignitaries — most prominently, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — spoke from the main stage, discussions in private settings turned to the pending election.

In an interview Wednesday, the Rev. Breonus Mitchell Sr., NBCUSA board chair, said he empathizes with the four who are not on the ballot.

“I think their concerns are legit,” he said in an interview with RNS. “This is not against Boise. I think it’s the process that people are upset about and whatever happens, at the end of the day, the process has got to be fixed.”

While Mitchell couldn’t predict the outcome of the vote, he suggested that if the result, expected late Thursday, leaves the denomination without a president, Young could become an interim president. The role may also fall to Vice President-at-Large Fred Campbell or Mitchell himself, he said.

Mitchell said the bylaws are in need of revision because they contain “so much ambiguity.”

Pastor Thomas Morris Sr., chairman of the NBCUSA’s Election Supervisory Commission, said in an earlier interview that many of the other candidates’ endorsements were voided because they came from churches that have been unable to afford their required annual registration with the denomination due to lack of funds, consolidation or closure.

Former NBCUSA President William J. Shaw, who succeeded the Rev. Henry J. Lyons in 1999 after Lyons was imprisoned for misappropriation of funds, chose not to compare that controversy to the current wrangling over the election. “I wouldn’t want to compare them, but it is a critical time,” he said in an interview. “And this convention represents, I think, what is a strong potential of influence in the religious and political climate.”

Jackson, who appeared to be singing along with the hymn playing as she took the stage (with the lyrics “I love to praise him. I love to praise his name”), answered questions from NBCUSA social justice committee chair Bruce Datcher.

Discussing her memoir “Lovely One,” Jackson explained her dissent in the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision that granted former presidents broad immunity from prosecution, saying, “I didn’t think that there should be a separate immunity for presidents.”

Jackson also described how faith, instilled by her late grandmother, had undergirded her personal and professional life. “One of my fondest memories as a kid was the point in the service in her church where people could get up and say whatever they wanted,” said Jackson.

Her grandmother, she recalled, “would stand up when it was her turn and she would say ‘When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all he’s done for me, my soul cries out Hallelujah. I thank God for saving me.’”

Members of Shuttered Rwandan Churches Gather in Homes as Leaders Quietly Protest

By

Tonny Onyulo

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September 6, 2024

Rwandan churches — Rwanda's President Paul Kagame casts his vote in the 2024 presidential election, July 15, 2024, in Kigali. Kagame has held power since 1994. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

KIGALI, Rwanda (RNS) — On a recent Sunday morning, a dozen people congregated in a home in the Nyabisindu neighborhood of Rwanda’s capital to ponder their next steps after the government shuttered numerous churches for noncompliance with health and safety regulations.

“We are appalled by the government’s denial of our freedom to worship our God,” said a woman whose small Pentecostal church was among the nearly 10,000 closed in late July and early August. “We are compelled to hold our services in secret and in silence. Our inability to pray aloud, sing, and express our devotion to God is a result of our fear of arrest.”

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from security officials, accused Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, who ordered the closures, of displaying dictatorial tendencies, warning that “God will punish him for opposing the spread of the gospel.”

The closures were carried out in accordance with a 2018 law that mandates that places of worship meet safety and hygiene standards, including proper infrastructure, parking, fire hazard equipment and soundproofing systems, and that they are safe to occupy. The law also requires pastors to hold university degrees in theology, and churches to obtain legal registration and provide clear statements of their doctrine.

Human Rights Watch has cited Kagame as one of the world’s worst offenders against freedom of expression and other basic human freedoms, reporting that those who criticize his government face repression, including killings, kidnappings, beatings, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention.

But the government has said that the crackdown is not aimed at restricting religion, but part of an ongoing effort to protect Rwandans from corruption and fraud. Kagame, who has proposed taxing churches, said after winning a fourth term in July that he opposed the “mushrooming churches” that “squeeze even the last penny from poor Rwandans.”

“This nationwide operation is dedicated to upholding the rule of law within churches,” said Usta Kaitesi, CEO of the Rwanda Governance Board, which oversees the delivery of services in the East African nation. “We are steadfast in our pursuit of proper standards for places of worship. It is essential for people to comprehend that these guidelines are designed to promote healthy and safe practices in worship.”

A church elder representing the Association of Pentecostal Churches in Rwanda, who also spoke to RNS on condition of anonymity, claimed that the authorities had targeted Pentecostal churches, closing hundreds without prior notice, because pastors did not have academic degrees or certificates in theology. “It’s God who calls people to serve him,” the elder said, “and not the level of education or intelligence someone has.”

The elder said the government has effectively forced the association’s churches underground. “The closures have left us with no option but to gather in our houses and worship secretly,” he said, noting that security agencies were on the lookout for such gatherings. “The fear of arrest has forced congregants to be very careful while gathering, to ensure they do it secretly, and pray in low tones, so that no one hears, even their neighbor, because anyone can report you to the authorities.”

Jesus Is a Better Advocate Than I Am

By

Michael Kelley

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September 6, 2024

In the movie “Chariots of Fire,” Olympic athlete Harold Abrahams says the following when reflecting on his upcoming race: “And now in one hour’s time, I will be out there again. I will raise my eyes and look down that corridor; 4 feet wide, with 10 lonely seconds to justify my existence. But will I?”

Ten seconds to justify my existence. Ten seconds to prove my worth. Ten seconds to know that I’m valuable.

How very, very sad. And yet how very, very familiar. I might say it like this:

One hour to prove I’m a good worker. One clever blog post to remind people to keep reading. One insightful tweet to make people think I’m smart.

It’s amazing how deeply how compulsion at self-justification runs, and it comes out in big and small ways. It’s that tendency that keeps me from truly listening to what someone else is saying because I’m trying to think of how I will justify my place in the conversation with my next retort. It comes out when I know that I’ve sinned against another, and yet instead of truly and humbly apologizing and asking for forgiveness, I look for the loophole to slip in just to make sure the person on the other side knows he or she has something to be sorry for too, or perhaps that my actions were a result of their actions first. It appears when even before we don’t accomplish something we’ve set out to do we are already preparing the mental reasons why we failed.

It seems, like Harold Abrahams, we are all standing in the starting blocks over and over again, and each time treating that brief period as the measure of our personal worth.

Thank God that Jesus is a better advocate than any of us are:

My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the Righteous One. He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world. (1 John 2:1)

John, the one who walked and talked with Jesus, and the one who outlived all his fellow disciples, did not want his readers to sin. He wanted them to live holy lives, demonstrating the transformational quality of the gospel inside them. But he was also a realist. He knew that no one could claim to be without sin. And he also knew that when we sin the impulse for self-advocacy and self-justification is strong.

How wonderful, then, that at the very moment when we are tempted to justify ourselves we are reminded that we have a better advocate than we could have ever dreamed—the Son who died as a sacrifice for us once and for all is on our side.

10 Current Challenges to Authentic Christian Worship

By

Paul Detterman

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September 6, 2024

authentic Christian worship — Lightstock #354278

Christian worship is in trouble. Internet resources are promoting innovative ways to ensure exemplary corporate worship. But pick a church, attend Lord’s Day worship, and more than likely you will discover that authentic Christian worship is in real trouble. This is not to say people won’t be meeting at the church down the street into the foreseeable future. They will. But ask what they are doing when they meet and how important authentic Christian worship is to them, and you begin to see the problem. Ask what they plan to be doing in their worship one year, one decade, or one generation from now, and the problem is magnified.

We are worship leaders. How much do we care what the people in our congregations think they are doing in worship? How much do we care how they will be worshiping one year, one decade, or one generation after we are gone? How are we preparing the church we lead today to be a worshiping church in the future? Here are ten of our greatest challenges.

10 Current Challenges to Authentic Christian Worship

Challenge 10: Worship Style

“Something’s not right—let’s do something different.”

Addressed first because of its long-term insignificance is the challenge of worship style. Skirmishes between pew-bound groupies cheering for bands versus choirs are only emblematic of larger and more serious problems. In the vast majority of congregations, style should be the last issue worship leaders address. By the end of this article, worship style may seem a moot point.

What issues of worship is “style” masking in your congregation?

Challenge 9: Penta-generational Congregations

People are living longer and the world is changing faster than ever before. An average congregation may have five different generations of people representing at least five differing worldviews attempting to worship together. The magnitude of this challenge can be seen in “Through Prism of Tragedy Generations Are Defined” by William Strauss and Neil Howe (Christian Science Monitor, Sept. 23, 2002). Why are we surprised when authentic Christian worship that works for one segment of the congregation alienates another?

How many generations/worldviews can you identify in your congregation?

Challenge 8: Cultural Expectations

“I thought you were supposed to wear black!”

When secular people notice the church at all, they often have stereotypes. From the dust that flies out of the Bible in the newest Oxy-clean commercial to the enchanted world of Father Tim’s Mitford in Jan Karon’s novels, caricatures of the church permeate the culture (and these are just the friendly ones!). As early as 1995, Douglas Webster wrote, “Cultural forces shape our identity; arts and education for mainline Protestants and the marketplace for evangelicalism. We have become secularized by the culture we are trying to reach with the gospel” (“Evangelizing the Church,” Christian Apologetics in the Postmodern World, Timothy Phillips and Dennis Okholm, eds., InterVarsity Press, p. 195).

What elements in your worship could be seen as a caricature of authentic praise?

7 Guidelines for Great Staff Meetings

By

Charles Stone

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September 6, 2024

Leaders can’t lead without meeting with others. Sometimes meetings go well. Sometimes they don’t. Often team dynamics derail productive meetings simply because someone misspoke or misheard. As I began to realize this, several years ago I asked a psychologist to help me create some rules for talking in our staff meetings. I call them conversational ethics. Here are our seven guideline for great staff meetings..

7 Guidelines for Great Staff Meetings

Listen: let others say their piece; as Covey said, “Seek to understand before being understood.”
Suspend judgment: don’t make assumptions about what others say.
Share in the thought pool: everybody gives input; participate truthfully (how you really feel).
Stay detached from your ideas: don’t take things personally; use “I” messages; own your personal view.
Let others be inarticulate: help others articulate what they are trying to say by engaging.
Privacy: if personal issues with you and another person potentially could affect a discussion and/or a decision, first deal with it 1-on-1 in private with the individual.
Accountability: everybody helps hold each other accountable to this set of ethics.

What guidelines have helped you lead good meetings?

This article on great staff meetings originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

About Charles Stone:

As a pastor for over 43 years, Charles served as a lead pastor, associate pastor, and church planter in churches from 50 to over 1,000. He now coaches and equips pastors and teams to effectively navigate the unique challenges ministry brings. By blending biblical principles with cutting-edge brain-based practices he helps them enhance their leadership abilities, elevate their preaching/ teaching skills, and prioritize self-care. He has written 7 books (number eight will soon be released), earned 5 degrees (including two doctorates) has been married for 43 years, and has 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren. For more information and to follow his blogs, visit www.charlesstone.com

How to Inspire Generosity in Your Church

By

Gavin Adams

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September 6, 2024

inspire generosity — Adobe Stock #684586664

How many non-givers attend your church? Too many. Am I right? But seriously, have you ever analyzed this metric? Evaluating your church membership or active database for non-givers can be very revealing. In a typical church, about 37% of attendees don’t give at all. This is the overall average across all denominations (and non-denominations). If your church has a higher percentage of “church” people, the percentage might be slightly lower, but I doubt it. If we hope to grow disciples, we must inspire generosity journey. This begins with the non-givers in our midst.

When I was a lead pastor, our church was filled with formerly de-churched and unchurched people. The percentage of non-givers in our active database was much higher than 37%.

Whether it’s 20% or 60%, the number is too high.

Generosity fuels your church, but more importantly, it’s essential for a growing faith relationship with Jesus.

How to Inspire Generosity in Your Church

It’s not as easy as it was in the past. When Christianity and the church were cultural norms, Christ-like behaviors such as giving were more prominent and expected. To engage people along a generosity journey in today’s cultural climate, we must rethink our approach. Yes, we’ll retain some previous strategies, but we must adopt new methods.

Here are eight ways to inspire generosity, especially among non-givers:

1. Celebrate Life Change (and Connect the Dots)

The best way to inspire action is to celebrate the results. When it comes to giving, people are more inclined to participate when the impact feels tangible and achievable. Real stories of how giving changed the lives of both the receiver and the giver make a significant difference.

2. Simplify the Process

Gone are the days of mailing “tithing envelopes” to the congregation. Today, we must provide clear, step-by-step instructions on how to give, both online and in person. This should include as many digital giving options as possible (e.g., church website, mobile app, text-to-give).

3. Offer Financial Education

Provide financial stewardship workshops or classes to help congregants manage their finances and understand the role of giving within their financial planning. Most people would benefit from a financial mentor. Why not position our churches in this needed space?

These first three aren’t all that new. The rest of this list may offer some new ideas:

Discover more more ways to inspire generosity on page two . . .

Friendship Game for Kids: Get Tangled Up in Love

By

ChildrensMinistry.com

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September 5, 2024

In this friendship game preteens learn names and get to know friends better. They also discuss friendship while linking themselves together with yarn.

This low-energy friendship game lets tweens get to know each other. Plus, it requires no prep!

Friendship Game: Get to Know Each Other

You’ll need:

skein of yarn

Have preteens sit in a circle.

Say: When it comes to friendship, the first step is knowing people’s names. Let’s play a game that helps us see this. I want each person to say your name loudly. Then we’ll all say “hello” to this person using his or her name.

After everyone has greeted each other, explain that you want preteens to say their names again. But this time kids will also share their favorite hobby. For example, someone might say, “My name is Sara and I like horseback riding.” Then the group will respond, “Hello Sara. You like horseback riding.”

Show kids the skein of yarn. Have one person comfortably tie the yarn to his or her wrist.

Tangled in Friendship

Say: Our friendship is growing! We’re really getting to know friends better now! Everyone has heard each other’s name and favorite hobby. [Name] will begin by saying either a person’s name or hobby. When you hear your name or hobby, hold up your hand so the yarn can be tossed to you. When you catch the yarn, wrap it around your wrist a few times.

We’ll keep saying names or hobbies until everyone is holding the yarn. If someone calls your name, then say your hobby when you catch the yarn. If someone calls your hobby, then say your name.

Empathy

By

Full Strength Network

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September 5, 2024

Do you desire to be a leader who creates safety for others? Do you desire the ability to maintain connection, even when your congregation goes through difficult seasons? Of course! The big question we should be asking ourselves as pastors within this context is…How do we cultivate these environments without taking on the burden after we leave? Realistically, we are unable to shoulder the weight of it all. Caring can feel too much like burnout, exhaustion, and overwhelm. But, we’re called to be pastors, to shepherd. How do we navigate this in a healthy and sustainable way?

The answer? Empathy.

Empathy is having a genuine understanding of the other person’s emotional experience without allowing your own feelings to hinder your ability to be fully present to the other person. While some people would describe themselves as naturally empathic, empathy is a skill that ministry leaders can develop. Empathy is not pretending to “get it,” taking on the other person’s issues as your own, sympathizing, or agreeing with the other person’s opinions/perspective. Rather, empathy allows you to walk in the other person’s shoes without taking those shoes home to your closet.

Empathy deepens your relationship because it generates feelings of safety in others. Empathy is key for maintaining a connection with others during difficult discussions. Look at Jesus to see how he empathized with us in Philippians 2:6-11 and John 8:1-11, to cite just two examples. The following five principles will help you to grow in your ability to empathize with others:

Remember God’s deep empathy for you. Psalm 103 reminds us that God knows us (v. 14) and has compassion for us (v. 13). While compassion is not the same thing as empathy, the two are related. God empathizes with us and knows our limitations. God the Son “put on” our humanity without mistaking our sin for his. On the cross, Jesus “took on” our sinfulness for our sake. Meditate on God’s deep empathy for you. What can you learn about empathy by considering Jesus’ relationship with others?
Empathy starts with good listening. In order to empathize, you must first listen without inserting your own opinions in your mind as the other person is speaking. When you find yourself rehearsing counterarguments or just waiting to say your piece, you are not listening! Good listening means you give your full mental and emotional attention to your conversation partner. How easy is it for you to give your undivided attention to someone else when they are speaking to you?
Practice Cognitive Empathy. The essence of cognitive empathy is often communicated by “I understand.” Cognitive empathy is the easiest form of empathy for many people. When you offer cognitive empathy, you can restate the other person’s perspective. Cognitive empathy says “I can see the world through your eyes.” Remember that cognitive empathy does not mean you agree with this other perspective. In Luke 10:41, Jesus cognitively empathizes with Martha: “You are worried and upset about many things.” When you have a difference of opinion with someone, how can cognitive empathy help you to “hear” better?
Practice Affective Empathy. The heart of affective empathy is resonating with the other person’s feelings. You try on the other person’s experience and ask yourself how you would feel if this were happening to you. You try it on “as if” the other’s internal world was your internal world. Affective empathy requires you to broaden your emotional awareness and your feeling vocabulary. The “as if” quality of affective empathy is important. Remember that these feelings belong to the other person, not to you. How easy is it for you to sense the emotions of those around you? How robust is your feeling vocabulary?
Empathy says “I see you.” Cognitive and affective empathy build relationships. However, they also require you to be clear about yourself and your emotional boundaries. At times, your feelings will be exactly like those of another person, and you too will be deeply moved (John 11:33-38). At other times, you will “try on” the other’s emotional life and remain aware that these are not your emotions. To practice cognitive and affective empathy, try responding to others by saying: “Perhaps you feel ____because ____.” If the other person corrects you, that’s okay! You have learned something about your conversation partner, and that builds your empathy muscles. Can you identify one person this week with whom you can have a conversation and practice your empathy skills?

This article originally appeared here.

‘I Forgive Him,’ Says Street Preacher of Assailant Who Shot Him in the Head

By

Stephanie Martin

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September 5, 2024

Almost 10 months after being shot in the head while evangelizing on a street corner, Hans Schmidt is sharing his miraculous story. The 27-year-old street preacher and father of two young children told a reporter he’s “still here” because of God’s grace and love.

This week, Schmidt and his wife, Zulya, spoke to ABC15 about what happened Nov. 15, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. As he often did, Schmidt was preaching outside, not far from Victory Chapel First Phoenix, where he serves as an outreach director.

Suddenly his words ceased. “I remember falling to my knee,” Schmidt said. “And then after that, I was like, ‘Oh, something’s not right.’ I grabbed all my gear, put it back in the car. I drove my car back to church.”

From ‘No Hope’ To Absolute Miracle

Zulya Schmidt recalled seeing blood on her husband, who was unable to speak. Hans, who didn’t realize he had been shot, began seizing on the way to the hospital. Once there, he was unresponsive, and a CT scan showed a bullet was lodged in his brain. Doctors placed Hans in a medically induced coma and on life support.

“Even the neurosurgeon was like, ‘Nothing we can do,’” said Zulya. “The detective was like, ‘We’ll know more after the autopsy.’ And…that’s kind of when it became real. There was no hope.”

Zulya admitted she was scared as she begged God to spare her husband’s life. After a month in the hospital, Hans surprised her by speaking again.

Before Christmas last year, Zulya thanked people for their prayers. In a Facebook post, she wrote that the family’s lives had changed “in the blink of an eye.” She called Hans “a living miracle,” saying she was “amazed” every day by his recovery.

A GoFundMe account for the Schmidt family has raised just over $90,000 of its $100,000 goal.

Street Preacher Hans Schmidt: Recovery Is ‘a Miracle’

Hans Schmidt, who went home from the hospital in January, said his story is “absolutely a miracle.” He told ABC15, “I should not be alive, realistically. I should be dead. And because of [God’s] grace and his love, I’m still here.”

The preacher and military veteran continues to do speech and occupational therapy every day. Doctors predict that Schmidt will be able to resume a rather “normal” life, he said, which is another answer to prayer. Trying to remove the rest of the bullet fragments would be too risky, according to surgeons, so those remain in the street preacher’s brain.

11 Christ-Honoring NFL Players To Watch This Football Season

By

Stephanie Martin

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September 5, 2024

NFL — Left: Atlanta Falcons, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Center: Tennessee Titans, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Right: All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Every fall, the kickoff of another church-programming year coincides with the new NFL season. Likewise, many pro football players profess deep Christian faith while using their God-given athletic talents.

Yes, football games might occasionally prevent some worshipers from coming to church on Sundays. But sports can also serve as a segue to conversations about glorifying Jesus in our careers and conversations.

To help spark discussions about Christian living, ChurchLeaders often profiles athletes who honor God. For the 2024 NFL kickoff, here’s a fresh lineup of faith-filled football players:

11 NFL Players Who Give God Glory

1. Grant Stuard (Indianapolis Colts)

For years, Grant Stuard lied about his home life, trying to hide the instability he and his younger siblings faced. Their mother was a sex worker and a drug addict, and their father had a lengthy arrest and prison record.

By age 20, Stuard decided he’d had enough. With both his football and academic performance slipping, the University of Houston student drove to a cliff, intending to jump off. What made him reconsider? He heard the far-off sound of laughter from a father-son fishing duo below.

At a church service months later, Stuard heard a word of prophecy that touched his heart. “For me, that was God showing me he existed,” said the athlete, now 25. “[God] was telling me he cared about me, like genuinely cared about me, something that was missing my whole life.”

After that, Stuard got his life back on track—and helped his family do the same. He insisted that his mother stick with rehab and give him custody of his younger sister.

In the 2021 NFL Draft, Stuard was the final pick, known as Mr. Irrelevant. But that achievement was incredibly relevant and meaningful for Stuard, based on everything he’d already overcome.

The Indianapolis Colts special teams player, who’s heading into his fourth NFL season, is also a husband, new father, rapper, and philanthropist. His foundation raises money to fight poverty, hunger, and sex trafficking in his hometown of Houston.

Stuard is upfront about how God transformed his life. “I would like to thank Jesus Christ, the Lord of my life, for completely changing me and making me into the person I am today,” he posted in 2020. “I want to encourage anyone who does not have a relationship with Jesus to seek Him. You will not be disappointed.”

Last December on the Sports Spectrum podcast, Stuard shared, “I spent a good amount of time walking and living my life without Jesus and without a purpose. So [when] I finally made a connection with him and surrendered my life over to him, life became life.”

Patrick Mahomes’ Wife Cites Evangelist Shane Pruitt Amid Criticism for Liking Trump Social Media Post

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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September 5, 2024

Brittany Mahomes Patrick Mahomes Shane Pruitt — Screengrab of images via Instagram @brittanylynne

Brittany Mahomes, the wife of NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes, was heavily criticized after she liked an Aug. 13 Instagram post by former President Donald Trump.

The post Mahomes liked was an image that listed 20 things the Make America Great Again (MAGA) GOP platform plans to do if Trump is elected president in November.

Not long after Mahomes liked Trump’s post, she was criticized widely on social media.

One person wrote, “Patrick Mahomes, imagine marrying someone who doesn’t care about your rights and your kid’s rights. Brittany Mahomes agreeing with Project 2025 but married to a black man with mixed kids is insane.”

Another wrote, “Just found out that Brittany Mahomes is apparently a Trump supporter, and I’m not like super surprised, but it is incredibly disappointing to see.”

The soon-to-be mother of three responded to her critics by saying, “To be a hater as an adult, you have to have some deep-rooted issues you refuse to heal from childhood. There’s no reason your brain is fully developed and you hate to see others doing well.”

Mahomes followed her statement up with a quote from evangelist Shane Pruitt that read, “Contrary to the tone of the world today…you can disagree with someone, and still love them. You can have differing views, and still be kind.”

Under Pruitt’s quote, Mahomes wrote, “Read that again!”

Shane Pruitt Responds to Brittany Mahomes Using His Quote

Pruitt, who serves as the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) National Next Gen Director for the North American Mission Board (NAMB), told ChurchLeaders that he didn’t write his Instagram post in response to what Mahomes what going through.

“Honestly, I didn’t know anything about her being criticized until she shared my post on her Instagram Stories,” he said. “Then, major media outlets across the world started sharing articles about it all. People started sharing those stories with me, and that is how I found out about everything.”

Pastor Ed Young Says Criticizing Megachurches Is ‘Hypocritical’

By

Dale Chamberlain

-

September 5, 2024

Texas Pastor Ed Young took aim at critics of megachurches in a recent social media post, characterizing criticism of the church model as “hypocritical.”

Young is pastor of Fellowship Church, a multisite megachurch in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He is also the son of Pastor Homer Edwin Young (but who also goes by Ed Young). The elder Young is pastor of Second Baptist Houston, another megachurch. The younger Young served on staff at Second Baptist before planting Fellowship Church.

In the social media video, which the Fellowship Church pastor filmed selfie-style, Young brought up a common criticism of megachurches.

“‘Your church is just too big.’ I’ve heard people tell me that a lot. ‘It’s too big. It’s a megachurch,’” Young said. “Well, that’s gotta be one of the most hypocritical statements someone can make.”

“Because the person making the statement goes to massive concerts. They would go to a game—a football game. They would go to a massive mall,” Young continued. “And they never really say that about those entities, but they always say, ‘The church is too big.’”

“Hey, if you think the church is too big, then you’re not going to like heaven, because heaven is going to be a big place,” he said.

Young then concluded, “If a church is around a lot of people, it should be big in the context of being big.”

While several of the Young’s social media followers responded with supportive comments, others raised concerns they have with megachurches, including celebrity culture and lack of pastoral care.

“If your pastor holds themselves more as a celebrity, doesn’t interact with the congregation other than going on stage and exiting the back, then, you lose value,” one person wrote. “The best church I ever went to was back in Michigan and all of the pastors had humility.”

Another person said, “You’re not expecting your team’s coach, your favorite band or your favorite store manager to have a personal relationship with you like your pastor.”

The Art of Building Deep Friendships: Investing Time & Heart

By

Josh Spurlock

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September 5, 2024

In our fast-paced, technology-driven world, the art of cultivating deep, meaningful friendships seems to be gradually fading into the background. Yet, the essence of human connection, the very fabric that holds our societal structure together, calls for a revival of this lost art. The journey toward building significant relationships is a marathon, not a sprint, marked by the investment of time, emotional energy, and genuine effort. The reward, however, is the creation of bonds that provide support, understanding, and joy throughout life’s myriad phases.

The foundation of any substantial relationship is time—quality time that is consciously chosen and spent. This is a universal truth, transcending cultural and generational divides. It’s about creating moments that allow for vulnerability, sharing, and deep connection. The digital age, with its instant messaging and social media platforms, offers the illusion of connectedness. Yet, these interactions, more often than not, skim the surface of what it truly means to connect. They cannot replicate the warmth of a hug, the comfort of a shared silence, or the healing power of a conversation that stretches into the wee hours of the night.

Face-to-face interactions are irreplaceable because they engage all our senses in the communication process, fostering a deeper understanding and empathy towards each other. These interactions are the building blocks of trust and intimacy, elements that are crucial for the development of any significant relationship. In the presence of another, we are offered a mirror to our own souls, allowing us to grow and learn about ourselves in the process.

Accepting the reality that significant relationships require time and effort can be challenging, especially in an era that emphasizes quick fixes and instant gratification. Yet, this acceptance opens the door to genuinely fulfilling connections. It requires a shift in perspective, seeing the investment of time not as a burden but as a joyful journey towards discovering the depths of another human being. It’s about prioritizing these relationships, understanding that while career and personal achievements are important, the warmth of human connection is what truly enriches our lives.

This journey teaches patience, for deep connections cannot be forced or rushed. They bloom in their own time, nurtured by shared experiences, mutual respect, and the willingness to see and accept each other in totality—flaws and all. This process is inherently spiritual, touching the very core of our being, and reminding us of the interconnectedness of the body of Christ.

The path to building deep, meaningful friendships and relationships is marked by the conscious investment of lots of time, effort, and emotional energy. It’s a testament to the value of human connection, a reminder of the beauty that lies in truly knowing and being known by another. As we navigate the complexities of modern life, may we remember the importance of slowing down, of cherishing the moments that allow us to connect deeply with those around us. For in the end, these connections are the true essence of a life well-lived.

REFERENCES

Friendship Skills: Master the Art of Amazing Friendships [Ultimate Guide]

This article originally appeared here.

Want To Write a Hit Worship Song? Invite a Few Friends to Church.

By

Bob Smietana

-

September 5, 2024

Want To Write a Hit Worship Song? Invite a Few Friends to Church. — Chris Brown, right, performs "Praise" with other musicians at Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, in May 2023. (Video screen grab)

(RNS) — In January 2023, Chris Brown and a group of fellow songwriters working on a live worship album for Elevation Church, a nondenominational megachurch in Charlotte, North Carolina, sat down for a writing session.

In the room with Brown were Pat Barrett, Chandler Moore, Brandon Lake and Cody Carnes, authors of such worship staples as “Good, Good Father,” “Build My Life” and “The Blessing,” which can be heard in churches of every size and stripe across the United States.

During the session, Brown pulled out a song that he, Lake and Elevation’s pastor, Steven Furtick, had been batting around for a year with little success. Tinkering with it that day in January, they decided the result, which combines soaring vocals over a galloping beat, was good enough for the album but, said Brown, “We really didn’t see it doing much.”

On stage at Elevation, moments before they debuted it, at a live recording session for the new album, they were still piecing together the song’s opening. But backed by a choir and gaining energy from the live audience, the song took off.

“We left that night going, ‘That was crazy, but we’re still going to put it at the end of the album,’” said Brown.

The song, “Praise,” has since become just the latest example of the power of a tight coterie of songwriters in Christian music, who have increasingly worked together to produce hits. A live video of “Praise,” recorded that night and posted on YouTube in May 2023, has been viewed 103 million times, and the song, having topped the Billboard Hot Christian Music chart for 25 weeks, has been nominated for a song of the year Dove Award by the Gospel Music Association.

in recent years, songs from the so-called Big Four megachurches — Elevation; Bethel Community Church in Redding, California; Hillsong, a megachurch headquartered in Australia; and Passion City Church in Atlanta — have dominated the Top 25 lists for Christian Copyright Licensing International and PraiseCharts, which track what songs are played in churches.

An academic song tracking effort, Worship Leader Research, wrote in a new report that 82% of the songs on the CCLI Top 100 in 2024 had at least two writers. When the CCLI Top 100 chart debuted in 1988, only 19% had more than one writer — and most of those were written by the legendary gospel music team of Bill and Gloria Gaither.

"CCLI Top 100: Number of Contributing Songwriters" (Graphic courtesy Worship Leader Research)

“CCLI Top 100: Number of Contributing Songwriters” (Graphic courtesy of Worship Leader Research)

The “Praise” co-writers Brown, Barrett, Furtick, Carnes, Moore and Lake, like most of the collaborators on recent Top 25 hits, have ties to the Big Four.

“What started as a large pool of individuals contributing their voices to the contemporary worship soundscape eventually became a collection of interconnected enclaves,” according to the Worship Leader Research report.

Many of the most successful worship songs have become more associated with the churches that produced them than the songwriters who wrote them. Jason Ingram, lead singer of the Christian band One Sonic Society, has co-written the hits “Goodness of God” and “Great Are You Lord” to go with more than a dozen of the songs highlighted in the Worship Leader Research study, but he remains relatively unknown in the public eye.

Other successful Christian songwriters such as Ed Cash, co-writer of “Goodness of God” and “How Great Is Our God,” or Jonas Myrin, who co-wrote “Cornerstone” and “10,000 Reasons” and later went on to write for Barbra Streisand, also have relatively low profiles.

The Meeting House, Once One of Canada’s Largest Churches, Shuts Down After Scandal

By

Bob Smietana

-

September 5, 2024

(RNS) — Leaders of The Meeting House, a Toronto area megachurch with multiple locations and once one of the largest congregations in Canada, has shut down its public ministry, becoming a consortium of smaller congregations.

“It is with sadness that we are required to bring the public-facing ministry of The Meeting House to an end as of August 29,” according to a statement posted on the church’s website. “Going forward, there will no longer be churches operating programs or doing ministry under the banner of The Meeting House.”

The church’s remote sites will be rebranded as the “BIC Church Collective,” a group of nine congregations that share preaching as well as back-office support. Details of the new collective, which is part of the Be In Christ denomination, were scant.

“If you have questions about what is happening at your local church in September or the longer-term vision for your location, please talk to your local pastor,” the statement on the website of The Meeting House advised. “They would love to have that conversation with you and work with you to build the future of your local church together.”

The launch of the new collective comes as The Meeting House congregants continue to reckon with the fallout from abuse allegations against its former longtime pastor, Bruxy Cavey. In late 2021, Cavey was accused of sexual misconduct and resigned a few months later. A church investigation later alleged that his conduct had been abusive. The Meeting House also disclosed that an investigation found 38 cases of reported misconduct involving four pastors at the church.

Though one of the criminal charges against Cavey was stayed in July of this year after a court determined his right to a speedy trial had been violated, The Meeting House’s liability insurer canceled its coverage.

Pastor Bruxy Cavey in a 2021 video. (Video screen grab)

After shutting down its in-person meetings in June, The Meeting House began livestreaming new sermons in August, according to The Walrus, a Canadian magazine that has tracked The Meeting House scandal. Then, on Sept. 1, the church’s livestreaming operation was rebranded as the BIC Church Collective.

“This is Day One of our new identity, this placeholder identity, as we walk in step with the Spirit into this new and somewhat unknown future,” Jimmy Rushton, who had been a teaching pastor at The Meeting House, said in introducing the streamed service.

Jen McWilliams, now pastor of the East Toronto BIC, and several other pastors listed on the BIC Church Collective website did not respond to email requests for comment.

5 Early Warning Signs of a Potentially Unhealthy Staff Member

By

Dan Reiland

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September 5, 2024

unhealthy staff member — Adobestock #492646806

The majority of my ministry years have included developing church staff as spiritual leaders. It has been and continues to be one of my greatest joys.

We all hire the best and brightest person possible. No one intentionally picks someone who lacks competence or selects a non-contributor with a poor attitude. But it doesn’t always work like we hoped and dreamed.

So what happens? What changes?

There is a long list of possibilities for a good hire to go sideways. Here are a few examples:

There was no leadership development or coaching for the staff person.
The chemistry and culture was not a fit.
The staff member did not connect with or embrace the vision.
The staff member was struggling with unknown personal issues.
Communication from the leaders was unclear.
The staff member did not have the necessary competence or capacity.
Expectations were not made clear.
The staff member’s attitude went sour.

So what can we do about this?

How can we get out in front and recognize the early warning signs of a good staff member starting to head in the wrong direction?

First, embrace the big picture.

Assume the best of each person. Always give the benefit of the doubt and assume the best when it comes to a staff member who is struggling.

Own what we as the leaders did or didn’t do. Leaders are typically on the go and moving quickly from one thing to the next. After a hire, pressure goes down and we move on to solve the next problem or lean into a new opportunity. Perhaps we didn’t give the staff member all they needed. We need to slow down enough to know and own our part in the situation.

Go all in with an investment toward helping the staff member turn around.
Its never helpful to abandon a staff member, especially one that who is struggling. Believe in them, coach them, and invest in their turnaround.

Our responsibility is to provide all the help, training, clarity, and encouragement possible all within a healthy culture. With that, the staff person’s responsibility is to continue growing, fulfill their responsibilities and make an overall positive contribution to the team.

With That in Mind, Here Are 5 Early Warning Signs:

1. They Find Problems Faster Than They Find Solutions.

Good leaders solve problems. It’s core to what we do. We make progress, solve problems and help people.

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