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New Law in the U.K. Does Little to Protect Minors From Online Porn

By
Jessica Lea
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

The United Kingdom has just passed a law aimed at protecting minors from accessing online pornography. The new law requires visitors to porn sites to verify their ages via credit card, passport, driver’s license or what some are calling a “porn pass.” While no doubt well-intentioned, the law has several significant problems.

“Our report notably did not conclude that age verification would have a significant impact on children viewing pornography online,” says Dr. Victoria Nash of the Oxford Internet Institute.

Dr. Nash is the lead author of the report she mentions, which evaluated how to protect children online. The executive director at an organization concerned with protecting digital freedoms also observes, “Age verification risks failure as it attempts to fix a social problem with technology.”

What the New Law Requires

The law will compel websites with more than a third pornographic content to verify users’ ages. AgeID is one of the main systems partnering with porn sites to do so and will be used by Pornhub and YouPorn. Those two websites alone have 2 billion visitors per month worldwide, according to Lad Bible.

Once the law goes into effect (reportedly in April), when users attempt to access, say, Pornhub, they will see a non-pornographic landing page where they will have to create an AgeID account by entering an email address and a password. Once they confirm their email address, users will need to verify their ages by entering their credit card, driver’s license or passport information. After that, people will be able to access any porn site that uses the AgeID system. Some sites, of course, might use other systems.  

Those who are concerned about handing out their personal info to a porn site can purchase a “PortesCard,” which will be available at various retailers throughout the U.K. Buyers will verify their ages to the retailer when purchasing a PortesCard and then later use the card to access porn sites anonymously. The cards will cost £4.99 for use on one device and £8.99 for use on multiple devices. Once purchased, people will have to use the PortesCards within 24 hours, a rule in place in order to prevent people from reselling the cards.

What Are Some of the Problems With the Law?

There are several problems with the U.K.’s new law. One is the fact that it does not regulate social media, where it is very easy to find porn. In fact, WIRED author Rowland Manthorpe points out that if kids are going to run across porn by accident, social media is the most likely place for that to happen [warning: the article linked above contains a video with content some may find objectionable].

Another issue is that to get around the new law, all people need to do is use a VPN (virtual private network) when accessing the Internet. One expert says, “I suspect we will see an increase in advertising from VPN providers in the near future.”

While AgeID spokesperson James Clark maintains that users’ personal information will not be stored online, many are concerned that giving out their personal info will make them vulnerable to blackmail and lead to another Ashley Madison situation.

Another major concern with AgeID is the fact that it is owned by a company called MindGeek. This is significant, Manthorpe writes, because “what MindGeek doesn’t mention, literally anywhere on its website, is that it’s the owner of the world’s biggest porn sites, including PornHub, YouPorn and RedTube. Yup: We’re asking pornographers to protect children from porn.” Again, AgeID is not the only age verification system out there, but it is the one connected with two of the largest porn sites in the world.

The Heart of the Problem

As pointed out earlier, porn is a “social problem.” More specifically, it is a problem with the heart and, as such, will never be solved merely by creating and enforcing rules. Parents must pursue relationships with their kids and have ongoing conversations on these topics as soon as their children have any access to technology. These days, that’s quite young.

NewSpring Blames Spate of Predators on ‘Evil’

By
Stephanie Martin
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

During the past four years, four different men associated with NewSpring Church, a South Carolina megachurch founded by Perry Noble, have allegedly abused children sexually. NewSpring, which has 14 campuses across the state, is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention; however, it’s not one of the 10 churches SBC President J.D. Greear recently identified as being in danger of disfellowship because of abuse issues.

Security Cameras Show Disturbing Behavior

The latest case at NewSpring involves Jacop Hazlett, a 29-year-old children’s ministry volunteer accused of assaulting at least 14 preschoolers at the church’s North Charleston campus. Hazlett, who’s been in jail since December, faces multiple felony charges, and police are investigating additional allegations.

During his nine months volunteering in KidSpring, the church’s children’s ministry, Hazlett allegedly assaulted young children, often in the bathroom. The church has 40 security cameras, including one near the doors to that bathroom. Volunteers on campus are supposed to monitor camera footage in real time, but no one noticed what Hazlett was doing.

After one boy’s parents complained to the church about “inappropriate interaction” by Hazlett, staffers reviewed camera footage. It showed the volunteer looking around to make sure the coast was clear before assaulting the child. The church keeps surveillance footage for only 90 days, so more assaults may have occurred before then.

“It was all there to be seen,” says Josh Slavin, an attorney who filed a civil suit on behalf of victims’ families. The suit claims NewSpring is “vicariously liable” for the abuse and that church representatives “either failed to monitor the live [camera] feeds or ignored the abuse that played out on the screens.” The suit also accuses the church of gross negligence, recklessness, kidnapping and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In its defense, NewSpring says it makes every effort to protect children. An attorney representing the church says the damages “were the result of an intervening or criminal act of a third person” that church leaders couldn’t have foreseen. The defense also references federal and state laws that limit liability of volunteers serving in nonprofit organizations.

“We know this happened on our watch,” the church said in a statement, “and though we have taken great measures over the years to protect our children, evil found a way to breach our best efforts. This devastates us to the core.” NewSpring indicates it plans to set up a fund for victims’ families.

NewSpring Has a Troubled History With Predators

NewSpring Church has made similar comments following revelations of abuse by three other men in recent years. By now, say parents in the Hazlett case, the church should be familiar with risk and safety concerns.

In 2016, a 20-year-old volunteer admitted to fondling and kissing a teenager at NewSpring’s campus in Florence, South Carolina. That same year, a 23-year-old volunteer admitted he molested a 10-year-old boy he met while serving at the church’s Anderson County campus. In 2018, a former youth pastor at the North Charleston campus was charged with soliciting sex with a minor. That allegation against Caleb Jordan, who volunteered at the church after stepping down from a paid position, involves an incident that happened off church property.

One month after Jordan’s arrest, Hazlett began volunteering at NewSpring. Church spokeswoman Suzanne Swift says Hazlett, like other volunteers, went through a rigorous screening progress. That included a one-on-one interview, training and a background check through Protect My Ministry, an outside company that works with 25,000 religious groups across the country.

After Hazlett’s November arrest, Swift said NewSpring is open to adjusting its processes for screening volunteers. She said the church is “evaluating [its] processes and procedures internally” and will enlist an outside consultant to “help us determine if any changes need to be made to help ensure something like this does not happen again.”

Hazlett Was a Serial Volunteer

While telling detectives what he’d done at NewSpring, Hazlett admitted preying on children previously, including at other churches. In 2007, he’d been in jail in Ohio as a teenager for molesting a boy younger than 13. Because he was charged as a juvenile, Hazlett wasn’t required to register as a sex offender, and under Ohio law juvenile court documents aren’t public records. Three years later, Hazlett was accused of violating the terms of his probation by approaching the victim. That was eventually dismissed, and Hazlett received permission to move to North Carolina.

Kyle Idleman Takes Leadership of One of the Largest Megachurches

By
Megan Briggs
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Kyle Idleman
Screengrab Youtube @Southeast Christian Church

Pastor Dave Stone announced he is handing over the reins of Southeast Christian Church to teaching pastor Kyle Idleman. Stone has served at Southeast for 30 years and is now ready to give leadership of the megachurch over to Idleman.

“No one is better prepared for this role,” Stone told the congregation on Sunday. “[Kyle’s] commitment to Christ, his love for his family, his generosity, his humility, the way he’s handled success at a young age are things that are rare to find in the evangelical world.”

The church has six locations around Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana—an area known affectionately as “Kentuckiana” to residents of the area. According to a local news outlet, the church reports an average weekly attendance of more than 21,000 churchgoers. 

Kyle Idleman’s Predecessor Believes in Him

Stone served as the senior pastor of Southeast for 13 of his 30 years at the church. He said he wouldn’t have been able to stay as senior pastor longer than a year if it hadn’t been for Idleman, whom he credits as being an encourager and a humble leader. “Being in the second seat isn’t always easy to do, especially since [Idleman’s] done it for 17 years.”

“Kyle was raised with a heart for ministry,” Stone told the congregation. He credits Idleman’s parents with raising him in a robust household of faith which has prepared him for ministry.

Stone himself is following the lead of Southeast’s former senior pastor, Bob Russell, who handed the reins to Stone in 2006. Russell was 62 at the time, and felt the church would benefit from a younger leader. “He chose to step aside because he knew that the way to influence a church, and to help it grow younger, is by having younger leadership,” Stone told reporters.

Stone believes the best way to empower new leadership is to stay away from Southeast for six months to a year after his leaving. However, on Sunday he said he would be staying for another two months to support Idleman in his transition. He will preach four more times and his final weekend of service is scheduled for May 25 and 26. He concluded his speech by asking the group to pray for Idleman and his wife, DesiRae.

Idleman then had a chance to speak to the congregation, joking that Stone had asked him only to come up for prayer, but that he wanted to talk because he was “in charge” now. The deferential Idleman expressed his gratitude to Stone, who he recalls meeting when he was just 16. Idleman went to a conference with his youth group and heard Stone preach at the conference. He met Stone and felt the meeting was significant at the time, though he wouldn’t know why until many years later. Stone has been an “ultimate” example for Idleman in ministry and humility, Idleman said.

He also wanted to express his desire that the transition ahead of the church not be about himself or Stone. Rather, the focus should be on getting the church to the next stage of its growth. “God could use anybody he wants to to do this,” Idleman said, emphasizing the point. “It’s not because we’ve earned it, or we deserve it or we’ve worked hard enough, it’s not because we’re gifted enough or talented enough or creative enough. It is all God’s grace.”

The announcement concluded in Stone praying for Idleman. Stone announced his intentions to retire from the senior pastorate position in September last year. 

Our Only Hope for the Unborn

By
Daniel Henderson
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

The news headlines about abortion are nearly too numerous to track and too bizarre to comprehend. It is becoming clear that major players in political power have completely abandoned their moral compass. Most of us would have never dreamed that conversations about infanticide, in any form, would ever be acceptable in our American society. We can’t help but wonder, “Is there any hope for the unborn in the days in which we live?”

Our Only Hope for the Unborn

Politics: Downstream From Culture

Politics is downstream from culture. Issues do not surface in political discourse out of oblivion. They are evidence of cultural trends and, in our case, major and rapid cultural shifts among voters who elect their representatives to office.

Culture: Shaped by Morality or Lack Thereof

Culture is an expression of moral persuasions and behaviors. As we observe the issues of abortion rights, sexuality, religious freedom or even integrity in public communications it is clear that we are well on our way down the slippery slope.

Morality: Based on Worldview

The rapid and radical abandonment of absolute truth, especially evidenced at every level of our public education system, has propelled a godless worldview that is perpetuating our unprecedented moral decline. The rapid predominance of a secular worldview is fueling not just an abandonment of biblical faith, but an unashamed antagonism toward people of faith.

Worldview: A Matter of the Heart

Yet, simply knowing biblical truth, even being raised in a Christian home, does not change behavior or ultimately sustain a moral foundation unless the heart is transformed. Many studies have documented a disturbing departure from the faith among the Millennial generation. What young people apparently knew in their heads they did not authentically embrace in their hearts. Hearts justify the fruit of fallen minds.

Romans 1:21–22 exposes the real issue of moral decline, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools.” A perverted mind is always accompanied by an ungrateful, darkened and spiritually dead heart.

Hearts: Transformed by the Gospel

Only the gospel of Jesus Christ, fully embraced by grace through repentance and faith, can transform a heart. True conversion is evident as a grace-oriented Christ follower “beholds the glory of the Lord” in authentic abiding communion and is “transformed from glory to glory” into the image of Christ (John 15:4-5; 2 Corinthians 3:18). A genuine believer loves God wholeheartedly and sacrificially loves others as Christ has loved them (I John 4:19-21; John 13:34-35). Loving and obeying biblical truth is not burdensome for a true Christian because the truth of the gospel has set their heart free from sin, condemnation and a self-focused life (I John 5:3; John 8:32).

Gospel Transformation: Accomplished by the Holy Spirit

Continuing life transformation is accomplished by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). The indwelling Spirit gives power to every dimension of the Christian life and produces a lifestyle of victory greater than the influences and attacks of a secular society (Romans 8:11, 1 John 4:4). The fruit of godly character and holy living is produced by the indwelling Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Bold, culture-transforming witness is the work of the Holy Spirit who demonstrates the gospel supernaturally through surrendered believers (John 15:26, Acts 1:8, 4:8, 31).

Holy Spirit Impact: Exponentially Advanced by Revival

But, let us be honest. If the New Testament norm of Holy Spirit empowerment was verified in our lives and churches, it is unlikely that politics, culture, morality, world-view and the darkness of hearts in our society would be what they are. Our problem is not the pervasiveness of the darkness but the failure of the light. Light always penetrates darkness.

Biblically, when the spiritual integrity and gospel impact of churches was waning, Jesus called them to repentance. This is abundantly clear in our Lord’s confrontation of five of the seven churches of Revelation (Revelation 2:5,16, 21,3:3,19). And to all seven churches Jesus commanded, “Him who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7,11,17,29,3:6,13,22). As Norman Grubb so succinctly declared, “Revival is essentially obedience to the Holy Spirit.” So as those called to be “the light of the world” we must admit to the advancing darkness around us and ask, “Are we repenting? Are we obeying the Holy Spirit? Are we really living surrendered to His dominating and transforming power?”

Revival: Rooted in Extraordinary United Prayer

Winston Churchill noted, “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” Historically, a religious but passionless, theological but prayerless, and comfortable but timid church has always presided over all of the major eras of moral decline in the last 2,000 years. Conversely, every major revival of the church and culture-transforming spiritual awakening has been rooted in movements of extraordinary, earnest, enduring prayer. As pastor and missions expert A.T. Pierson observed, “There has never been a spiritual awakening in any country or locality that did not begin in united prayer.”

The Oxford-educated Christian historian, J. Edwin Orr, wrote extensively about the accounts of revival in the church and the impact on culture. In one of his summary messages (which you can listen to HERE, or watch HERE) he documents that seasons of great moral decline in our nation were powerfully counteracted by a prayer-driven revival of God’s people. It happened before. It can happen again.

Embracing Our Only Hope

Now we are at the source of our problem. The only hope for the unborn and the only antidote for a culture in moral freefall is a pervasive repentance and a return to humble, extraordinary prayer by an apathetic, prayerless and powerless church. It is an old adage, but every finger we point at the godless state of affairs also must include a recognition that three fingers are pointing back at us and our thumb, extended heavenward, calls us into accountability before a holy and all-powerful God.

Should we keep tuning in to the news and remain active in politics, advocating and voting for the things we believe? Of course. Should we be vigorous in promoting biblical morals and Judeo-Christian worldviews? No doubt. Should we teach our children the Bible and faithfully attend church? Absolutely.

Praying for the Fruits, Pursuing the Roots

But all our efforts to combat the modern moral deterioration will fall short if we fail to heed Jesus’ prescriptions of repentance and an unashamed obedience and surrender to the Holy Spirit. These prescriptions must become a significant practice in the focus and time allocation of our lives and churches.

If we are really concerned about the unborn, we must repent of our own spiritual status quo and wake up from our spiritual slumber. We must love the Lord with all our hearts and fully surrender to the indwelling Holy Spirit. We must start, or at least start showing up to, passionate prayer meetings. Our prayer meetings must become God-focused rather than self-focused. We must long for God to share His heart with us, not just that we would share our hearts with Him.

We are all heartbroken over the many evidences of moral shipwreck, not the least of which is the devaluing of human life. We are praying for the fruits of another revival. But we must earnestly pursue the fruits of that kind of revival. We will not have fruits without roots. The root system of real revival is praying Christians, supporting praying pastors, leading praying churches for the sake of supernatural gospel impact.

This article originally appeared here.

“I Should Have Been Doing Most of What I Did as a Student Pastor”

By
Eric Geiger
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

I followed a living legend in Kenton Beshore when I became senior pastor of Mariners Church six months ago. I have enjoyed learning from Kenton and I look forward to learning more from him. He said something in a meeting the other day that resonated with me and challenged me. He was speaking about his transition from student ministry to becoming the senior pastor of Mariners, and he said he finally realized he “should have been doing most of what he did as a student pastor.” He realized most of the effective aspects of student ministry were fully transferable to being the pastor of the church, and that when he was not applying principles from student ministry in attempts to “be grown up or formal,” he was not leading as effectively as he could.

“I Should Have Been Doing Most of What I Did as a Student Pastor”

Here are four aspects of student ministry that should be transferred to leading the whole church:

1. Adventures and Risks

Kenton said the trips he led for adults became more effective when he started applying the lessons from leading a great mission trips or camp for students. He designed moments of risk to pull people out of their comfort zones, knowing that discomfort is a catalyst for spiritual growth. He designed moments for reflection, where people would discuss what that Lord has taught them. Adventures and risks should not be limited to student ministry; ministry leaders must design those moments for the whole church.

2. A Focus on Relationships

Effective student ministry is highly relational—connecting students to other students and to godly leaders. But it is not only student ministry that should focus on relationships. All effective ministry is relational because our faith is relational with God and communal with one another. It is a grave blunder to think ministry becomes more informational and less relational as people age.

3. Teaching That Is for Tomorrow

As a former student pastor I know how important it is to teach students in a way that helps them realize that the faith, the Scripture and our God is for them and for them tomorrow—not just for them in the future. This is true for big people too! Yes, we must teach the text and point people to Jesus, but we must do so in a way that shows we know and believe Jesus and the Scripture are for tomorrow morning.

4. Creativity and Fun

Should a church have moments of fun, moments of laughter? Should a family? Should a family laugh together, play together and enjoy life together? Of course. If you believe a church is a family (and it is), then you should believe a church should share moments of fun and laughter together. Student ministry leaders know this. Sometimes us senior pastors can forget it, and we shouldn’t.

This article originally appeared here. 

Teens and Spiritual Gifts: How to Help Discover Them

By
Andy Lawrenson
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Teens and Spiritual Gifts: How to Help Discover Them

I don’t have it all figured out. I’m learning as I go. Life is a constant stage of growth, or at least it should be. Parenting is not easy, plain and simple, it ain’t easy. The discipleship of our children should start at home. We, the parents, should be the main source of discipleship of our children, not the church; the church should be our support in this process. My child’s kids’ church teacher or my teen’s youth pastor has a role to play in the discipleship of my child, but my wife and I should be the ones who are the main discipleship influence on our children.

Part of discipleship is helping a believer discover and use their spiritual gifts. God has gifted each one of us and that gift is to be used to encourage and build up the church. The church is not the building or an organization, the church is the living organism alive and growing because the church is each believer that is part of church.

So, if we should be helping believers discover their spiritual gift, that means I, as a parent, should be helping my child who has put his/her faith in Christ discover their gift and use their gift. How do I do that?

Observe. What do you see in your child that reflects one of the spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12? Are you watching for signs of God at work in the life of your child? The Holy Spirit indwells, has taken up residence, in your child the moment they put their faith in Jesus as their Savior. The Spirit works in the heart of a 10-year-old just like in the heart of a 40-year-old. The Spirit is active in their life, keep an eye out.

Exposure. Give your child opportunities to witness ministry in your church. Point out when you see someone serving your church. “There’s Miss Marge. Miss Marge just delivered a meal to the Johnson’s home because they just had a new baby.”

Test Drive. Let your child test drive ministry. Bake some cookies and take them to the shut-ins that are members of your church. Have him hold the door open as people arrive to kids church on Sunday. See if there exists a possibility for your older child to help serve in a younger kids’ classroom. Help clean the church, set up chairs, greet guests. Look at the current ministry teams in your church and see how your child can get some experience in those ministries.

Model. More is caught than is taught. Your children and my children need to see us with our sleeves rolled up and serving the church. My sons will learn what a man, father, husband is by watching me, good or bad. My three kids will learn what it means to serve the church by watching me and their mom. If you are serving in some way and they can come along and watch you serve please let them do it.

Church leaders, we should be helping our parents discover how to disciple their children. What steps is your church taking? I would love the opportunity to come to your church and help equip parents to be the disciplers of their children.
More information can be found HERE.

This article originally appeared here.

A Kids Worship Conversation With Yancy

By
Danielle Bell
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

If you are passionate about kids ministry, you are passionate about kids worship. Kids ministry leaders long to see kids and families worship in Spirit and in Truth. As a veteran children’s ministry leader I have had the privilege to work with Yancy many times. Not only am I struck by her sheer talent and giftedness in writing lyrics and leading kids in worship, but her heart for families and the next generation is such a gift.

We recently had her at our church for a special life group kids worship and a preschool family worship night. I caught up with her to ask her some questions about kids worship. What great insight she provides for all of us that lead kids.

Yancy, you travel the world leading and talking worship. What do you see God doing as you worship alongside kids and families?

Music is such a connecting point for your ministry. It helps make your message stick and walk out of the doors of your church on Sunday to spill over into the car rides home and the living rooms throughout the week. Parents have told me about how songs have helped their child to ask questions that create a faith conversation. And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard about a parent connecting with a child over a song that “they both know.” Or a grandparent connecting with their grandchild over a hymn that they can sing together. Family worship nights can be so impactful because the family is getting to make a memory together. They are attending a fun event, spending time together, and it just so happens to be centered around the gospel and a time where they can express their worship together by singing along and getting active together. These experiences really become a special evening that these parents and the kids can point back to for months and years to come. I know as a parent I want to help my children have a blast while serving Jesus. Concerts and worship nights are a fun way I can make that happen for my family. I believe the same is true of your congregation.

There is much debate about where kids should be during worship (with parents or in separate worship). What are your thoughts and what do you see as most effective? 

Simply: Wherever you can experience the biggest win. I’ve always grown up and served in churches that had kids separated. I’m not saying it’s the only way, but it is my experience. If adults aren’t engaged in worship then having the children watch that lack of engagement is not a win. Too often I’ve been somewhere and watch a child be totally unengaged in what was happening while with their parents. Don’t even get me started on them sitting there playing a game on a smart device during service. For me, that is a lost opportunity. I have a burden to help kids see that Jesus is relevant to their life today. We know the Bible says He’s the same “Yesterday, today and forever” yet too often we’re presenting music on Sunday that does not have the same appeal as what they are listening to throughout the week. And when that happens our oldest kids are rolling their eyes, crossing their arms and deciding they don’t like it. That breaks my heart. I don’t believe that’s showing them that Jesus is relevant to their life TODAY and NEXT WEEK and in the years to come as they are a teenager and when they are an adult. We have to start planting those seeds NOW so they understand that truth! I want to make Sunday sound and look more like what fills their Monday-Saturday. Using high quality videos, art, graphics and music is a much needed tool we need to be utilizing in ministry. I believe those things are wonderful points of connection with your kids to help them have fun at church and engage in worship.

What advice do you have for those that lead kids in worship?

Define your vision. What do you want kids to learn about worship at every stage of ministry? Thinking of it as stepping stones building upon another to help kids learn and grow in their worship. Give that to your worship leaders and teachers so all the things they say and do can help reinforce making that vision a reality. Think about what you want to invite them towards.

Stop filling in slots on a planning sheet with songs. Instead, strategically plan your songs to help you take them where you want them to go. Do you need to create excitement and energy? What do you want the kids to experience in worship today? Start programming your songs to help you set up a message time or follow-up a message time by singing about your topic and using music to help move them to action. Music helps your message stick so anytime you can align what you’re talking about and singing about it will be a win as the kids walk out your doors.

Ask questions that demand a response. It’s an easy way to engage your audience right off the bat. Ask questions where they will respond verbally or by having kids take action to do something. Think of it as jumpstarting their engagement.

Please share your heart behind your passion for kids and worship.

The sweetest, most moving sound you’ll ever hear is a group of kids singing with all their heart to the Lord. It’s an instant tear jerker. I truly believe there is power in our worship, but there’s something super special about kids worshipping. Psalm 8:1&2 in the MSG translation says: “God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name. Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you; toddlers shout the songs That drown out enemy talk, and silence atheist babble.” Every time your doors are open and you push play to engage kids in worship to their Creator you are allowing for that kind of power to be at work in your classrooms and ministries. Sign me up for that! I believe if we can help kids taste and see that God is good, by experiencing His presence as we give them opportunities to worship, they will hunger and thirst for more of Him all the days of their lives.

Your new Heartbeat Curriculum is so spot-on with teaching truth and leading kids in worship. Share with us the story behind this new resource.

It’s something that had been in my heart for a long time. So often I have conversations with leaders sharing their struggles and I realized that in most of those cases the leaders I was talking to weren’t confident in what they needed to teach and share with kids about worship. Creating this curriculum was really about giving them a vocabulary and helping them have some tools to lay out for their kids what worship is about and how to express our praise to God. Each lesson we take a look at David’s life and how He engaged his life in worship to the Lord. God gave David the title “man after God’s own heart.” I believe that is because David learned to worship, period. No matter what, He worshipped and spoke out what He believed was true about God. I want to help this generation of boys and girls to be known as after God’s heart.

What testimonies are you hearing from the Heartbeat Curriculum?

So many good things. I am beyond thankful for the amazing testimonies and reports I’m getting back. People are sharing things that I hoped and prayed as I was creating it would take place. I am so excited that this curriculum is truly a game-changer. Here’s a few short testimonies I’ve received:

“Legit, the best series we have ever done!” -Camille

“I love it!” I wish our whole church was going through it.” -Melanie

“Thank you for your heart, and for allowing God to use you. Our kids are learning something new, telling their parents about it, and our staff is embracing it and stepping out of their comfort zone. Seeing some transformations while these precious kids worship is more than I expected.” -Tracy

“The kids LOVED it. I felt like I learned a ton too about what it means to worship God. The activities are really well thought out and focused on response. Can’t recommend it enough.!” -Shaun

“Wow! Yancy has done some brilliant work on that program! I loved it, the volunteers loved it. The kids were truly engaged, even the big fifth graders. I loved Yancy’s quality video teaching. I loved the Hebrew word that was taught about worship. There is just so much in each lesson. I’m so excited about this.” -Terri

You can get a free sample lesson and learn more at YancyMinistries.com/Heartbeat

As a mom of two boys, how do you continue the teaching at home?

One day at at time and one conversation at a time. It’s definitely about embracing the conversations we can have in the car and the midst of whatever is happening. Looking for those teachable moments. I’ve been doing a devotional with my son Sparrow who just turned 8. We’ve loved “What Every Child Should Know About Prayer” by Nancy Guthrie and the new “Discipleship On the Go” cards by Sarah Blount.  

American Christians, You Might Need to Start Living Like Missionaries

By
Amy Medina
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

“I’m moving to Canada.”

Personally, Canada would be way too cold for me, but I get the sentiment. However, instead of fleeing for the hills, maybe it’s time for American Christians to start living like missionaries in their own country.

Before you get offended, let me assure you that I am in no way belittling the millions of American Christians who are already living out gospel-centered lives in their communities. As you learned in Sunday School when you were five, we all are missionaries.

But I’m not talking about living as a proclaimer of the gospel, I’m talking about living as if America is not your country. As outsiders. Exiles. As if you are living in a country that is not your own.  

This is my life.

I live in a country that is not mine. But I am living in Tanzania as a long-term resident, so I care about what happens here. I prayed during the election. I follow the news. I rejoice with their successes and hurt for their losses  But this is not my country. I don’t expect that my political opinion matters much. I am not surprised if I experience animosity. I don’t expect to have many rights. I do expect to feel like an outsider.  

It means that if I see things happening in Tanzania that I don’t like, I’m not going to be angry that my rights have been violated. This country has never existed for my sake. I might be sad, or frustrated, or I might be angry at the injustice others are experiencing. But this country doesn’t owe me anything.

This means that I am here as a learner. It doesn’t mean that I am going to agree with everything I see in this culture, but it does mean that I am going to do everything I can do understand it. I want to understand the worldview. I’m going to filter what I see in this culture through the lens of Scripture. I’m not going to assume that my way of doing things, or my way of thinking about something, is the best. If something bothers me, I will wait to make a judgment until I have considered what the Bible says about it.  

I’m not going to hole up in a little community that believes everything the same way I do. I don’t sequester my children from people with different values or religions. My children might end up exposed to things that distress me, but I must trust God’s sovereignty with that. The alternative is to lose our ability to be light in our community.

I’m not looking for what I can get out of this country; I am looking for what I can give. I don’t expect businesses and government agencies to value the same things I do. I might be limited in the kind of work I can do here because my values are different. But that’s OK, because my goal isn’t to get rich, or to be safe, or to build my career. My goal is to further the gospel.

I expect that I am not going to be comfortable all the time. I will have to make sacrifices of comfort and convenience for the sake of God’s work. I realize that I will never be able to own a house here, and I know that there’s always a possibility that I will have to leave with the shirt on my back. I try hard to loosen my grip on my possessions, knowing that my stay here is temporary.

Above all else, I am going to do my best to love the people around me. That doesn’t mean that I unconditionally accept, or approve of, everything they are doing. Love and acceptance are not always synonymous. However, love is patient, kind, humble, generous and long-suffering. I can love people in the way I spend my time, in the way I spend my money, in the way I engage discussion, and in the attitude I take toward culture. Even if people disagree with what I think, I want my reputation to always be as someone who loves.

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth… Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11)

This article originally appeared here.

Who Is Responsible to Disciple My Kids?

By
Sam Luce
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Discipleship is something parents and pastors need to take seriously and engage in together. When I first started in kids ministry over 20 years ago, the primary discipleship of children was the responsibility of the church. Over the past 10 years or so the pendulum has swung from the church being primary to the church pushing parents to be primary in the discipleship of their kids and the church cheering them on. The result has been in my opinion less discipleship.

The answer to the discipleship of the next generation is not either or but both and. How can the church be intentional about discipling kids and how can parents make church an important aspect of their kids’ lives because of that? At the same time, how can parents disciple their kids more intentionally and how can the church resource and encourage that?

Why church discipleship is necessary

If you crush whatever initiative you set up for parents to do at home, you will only get at best 25 percent to 30 percent participation leaving 70 percent without the benefit of your discipleship resource. If we only view discipleship as parent driven and avoid things like VBS and other church driven initiatives many kids will miss out. Another issue we need to address is some kids come to church with grandparents or friends, and their parents will never be the primary disciplers of their kids. As kids grow, their friends will have more influence on them than their parents. As a community of faith, we need to provide a place where kids can grow in their faith even if it isn’t a value at home.

Why home discipleship is necessary

The modern American family is more transient than ever. People move to different states, different churches, different denominations like never before in history. We may never have them long enough to develop their kids and nurture their faith so we need resources they can take with them on the journey. Particularly early in life parents have more influence than anyone else on who their kids are becoming. Parents need encouragement and help.

Here are some things we try to do at our church to disciple kids.

  1. New City Catechism each week from preschool to college
  2. Story-Based Discipleship class for Jr. High Kids
  3. Small Groups
  4. Internship
  5. Worldview/Theology Immersion Week
  6. VBS

Here are some things you can try at home to disciple your kids.

  1. Family Worship – We use this book at our house.
  2. New City Catechism – Why Catechism? 
  3. Reading Classic Works with your kids – Leland Ryken has some great books to help you navigate the classics. Also Karen Swallow Prior’s new book would be helpful.
  4. Spirit led conversations
  5. Student Discipleship Guide

The goal of discipleship is not what we do to be acceptable to God but rather how is our conformity into the image of God affecting our life and practice. How are we intentionally forming the loves of our kids’ hearts? James K.A. Smith says it this way:

“Jesus is a teacher who doesn’t just inform our intellect but forms our very loves. He isn’t content to simply deposit new ideas into your mind; he is after nothing less than your wants, your loves, your longings.”

This happens on purpose, not on accident. Not overnight but over time. May we as pastors and parents be curators of hearts rather than only informers of intellects.

This article originally appeared here.

The Most Important Decision I’ve Ever Made as a Pastor

By
Brandon Cox
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The church I’m serving as pastor just bought a new property for $1.1 million in the heart of Northwest Arkansas. We spent a lot of time praying over that decision and it felt like a huge step. But it wasn’t the most important decision I’ve ever had to make as a pastor.

I once left a senior pastor position to join the staff of one of America’s most influential churches. My wife and I decided, while there, to give the next season of our lives to planting a church.

We’ve walked through messes and sticky situations. We’ve experienced transitions. We’ve started (and ended) new ministries.

But none of those compare at all with the size and scope of a single decision I made way back in 1995.

I was 17 and dating my future wife, Angie, and feeling the tug of the Holy Spirit to consider giving the rest of my life to vocational ministry. Her father and my pastor, Danny Kirk (who now serves as Community Pastor at Grace Hills), gave me a book that would shape my view of God and the world around me more than any other outside the Bible: Standing on the Promises, the autobiography of W. A. Criswell.

Dr. Criswell was often described, by both himself and others, as a “holy roller with a PhD.” You can listen to hundreds of his sermons via the Criswell archive and you’ll notice that he’s often loud and very emotional, but minutes later, he’s quoting Shakespeare or explaining a little quantum physics.

Related: I Hereby Declare, I Believe the Bible!

In other words, he was a passionate genius who believed pastors should be as well-versed in biblical theology and history as any brain surgeon would be in neuroscience. But he was also widely read and had no fear of encountering worldviews radically different from his own.

Dr. Criswell had made a decision early in his ministry that would set the course of his entire future. He committed to believe the Bible and trust it as the authoritative and infallible Word of God.

I’ve read similar stories about Billy Graham, Bill Bright and my own pastor, Rick Warren.

Riding on a school bus in March of 1995, I bowed my head and prayed a prayer of surrender. I committed to live my life in God’s hands, under his absolute authority. I committed to serve the church as a pastor for the rest of my life, to prepare for that calling, and to trust the Bible as the inspired Word of God, no matter what.

A few years later, I would find myself sitting in a university classroom as a Religious Studies student, listening as the professor attempted to inform us that the first five books of the Bible weren’t written by Moses or his scribe, Joshua, but were fabricated by various authors during the reign of King David (the documentary hypothesis or JEDP theory). Most scholars have come to reject this position because of its lack of any evidence, but dozens of students were hearing it taught that day and assumed it to be fact.

It was during my years as a student in that secular setting that my faith in Scripture was put to the test, and stood firm. I concluded time and again that the overwhelming internal and external evidence supporting the Bible’s divine origin was more than sufficient to support the weight of my hope.

Since that season of testing, my personal experience with the power of God’s Word in my daily life has repeatedly shown me my decision to trust the Bible was a solid one.

I can’t convince you to fully embrace the Bible as God’s Word to you. If you want evidence against it, you’ll find it. If you want evidence for it, you’ll find that, too. Intellectually, we move in the direction we’re leaning in.

What I can tell you is that from my personal observation and experience, I’ve found the Bible to be absolutely trustworthy in my life, as a source of truth, of power and of hope for all eternity in Christ.

I’ve never once regretted the decision to trust completely in the Bible’s divine origin or infallibility. It’s a faith I endeavor to pass on to my children, my church members, my friends and anyone else who will listen.

This article originally appeared here.

4 Signs Decision Fatigue Is Degrading Your Decisions

By
Charles Stone
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When we think about fatigue, we usually think of physical tiredness…we worked too hard in the yard, we didn’t sleep well the night before, or we’re working too many hours. Fatigue certainly includes those causes, but for many Christian leaders, or anybody for that matter, another kind of fatigue can rob our energy and diminish life and leadership effectiveness. It’s called decision fatigue. It refers to how the quality of our decisions degrades after a long string of successive decisions. In other words, the more decisions you make, the more the quality of those decisions declines.

Judges make less favorable decisions later in the day, and decision fatigue even affects consumer choices. So what might indicate that your decisions are affected by decision fatigue?

I’ve learned the effects of decision fatigue by experience.

Five years ago I began a new ministry as lead pastor of West Park Church in London, Ontario. It’s been a great ministry but I faced a staff shortage at that time. As a result, almost every staff person reported to me, which required me to make many more decision about ministry than I normally would. During the first year and a half, decision fatigue sometimes affected me.

Four indicators decision fatigue may be degrading the quality of your decisions. 

  1. You make quick, impulsive decisions you later regret you made. This happens because you want to quickly get one more thing off your plate and the quick decision seems to solve the problem. However the real problem may be making the decision too quickly without sufficient information you need to make the best one.
  2. You needlessly delay decisions. This is the counterpoint to the impulsive decision. When we get mentally tired, we can easily put off a decision that needs to made now. Sometimes I’d move an email into another folder that still required a decision from me that I could have easily made right then. By doing so I actually doubled the time I spent making the decision because I still had to read the email again to make the decision. By doing so, I took up two chunks of time and two chunks of mental energy.
  3. You send thoughtless, terse emails. I probably get 150 plus emails a day, many of them requiring a decision from me at some level. I’ve found that when I’ve had to make multiple decisions during the day, toward the end of the day I’m tempted to not think as clearly before I send an email. This post points out common email errors.
  4. You get mad when someone asks you for a decision. When this happens our mental chatter sounds like this. “Great, one more decision I have to make for somebody else!” The term ego depletion refers to the idea that self-control diminishes over time when we we have already exerted lots of self-control. Toward the end of the day or a week when a leader has had to make too many decisions, he may find himself losing his cool more easily, flying off the handle, or saying thing things he shouldn’t.

As you look at the number of decision you are making, to what degree does decision fatigue affect you?

P.S. My upcoming book being released March 5 helps us deal with this challenge. It’s called Holy Noticing: The Bible, Your Brain, and the Mindful Space Between Moments. You can read more about it and get a free e-book here.

This article originally appeared here.

How Self-Proclaimed Two-Faced Hypocrites Are a Credit to Christianity

By
Scott Sauls
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

One of the most bothersome and refreshing things about the Bible is all the screw-ups that are in there, whom God loves nonetheless.

The hypocrite story traces back to Eden, where Adam and Eve—humanity’s first parents—ate the fruit forbidden by God. The rest, as we know, was history.

After Adam and Eve, there came others:

Noah got drunk (Genesis 9:21).

Abraham offered his wife twice to predators in order to protect his own hide (Genesis 12:10-20, 20:1-18).

Jacob lived up to his name, which means “Liar” (Genesis 25:19-24).

David abused his power to commit adultery and murder (2 Samuel 11:1-27).

Solomon was a womanizer (1 Kings 11:1-10).

Saul of Tarsus was a bully and the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:12-17).

The history of the church since biblical times has a similar story, with scores of living contradictions who are both saint and sinner, lover and hater, good and evil, child of God and helpless wretch.

As Andrew Wilson has said, “The story of Christianity is full of light—mission, education, art, healthcare, abolition, compassion, justice… But there is an undeniable dark side: attacking, burning, crusading, drowning, enslaving, flogging, ghettoizing, hunting, imprisoning, Jew-hating, killing, lynching and so on through the entire alphabet. What makes this difficult to stomach is that the people involved, as far as we know, have loved God, followed Jesus and received his Spirit.”[1]

To this we could add that John Calvin participated in burning a man at the stake, Martin Luther made racist comments, George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards owned slaves, John Wesley was an absentee husband, and more.

This “appalling history” is a reason why some have chosen to dismiss Christianity altogether. How could we blame them? The appalling behaviors of some Christians, whether historic or contemporary, risk delegitimizing the whole movement.

As Chesterton said, “The only legitimate argument against Christianity is Christians.”

Far be it from me to correct Chesterton. And yet…was he correct?

Is the poor behavior of some Christians really good reason to dismiss the merits of Christ himself? Are our many failures, as offensive and hypocritical as they may be, sufficient to overrule an empty tomb?

Will we lose respect for Mozart if a nervous six-year-old girl plays his music poorly at a beginner’s piano recital?

Will we cease to think of Michael Jordan as a great basketball player if a teenage boy wearing Air Jordan shoes misses a free throw?

As important as it is for Christians to represent Jesus well to a watching world, Christians’ failure to do so is no good reason to dismiss the God-Man himself. As Tolstoy once wrote to a skeptic friend, “You preach very well, but do you carry out what you preach? … I answer that I am guilty, and vile…[But] attack me rather than the path I follow and which I point out to anyone who asks me where I think it lies. If I know the way home and am walking along it drunkenly, is it any less the right way because I am staggering from side to side! If it is not the right way, then show me another way.”

Maybe the real barrier to faith in Christ is that Christ saves by faith alone. Maybe the real barrier is that God’s family is not a family of put-together, pious folk, but is rather a family of blood-bought misfits that makes room for demoniacs like Mary Magdalene, cowards like Peter, adulterers and abusers of power like David, prostitutes like Rahab, crooks like Zacchaeus, and others like myself who have, like Tolstoy, walked “drunkenly” along a path that is nonetheless a perfect path, because it is Christ’s path.

Maybe, Mr. Chesterton, the best argument for Christianity—and the best argument for a God who loves his people solely on the basis of grace—is severely flawed, yet always aspiring for more and better…

…Christians.

This is a modified excerpt from Irresistible Faith. Shared with permission from Thomas Nelson.

This article originally appeared here.

‘Most Influential Patriot You’ve Never Heard Of’ Quits Over Kraft

By
Stephanie Martin
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Pro football’s off-season coaching shakeup now includes the departure of team chaplain Jack Easterby from the defending champion New England Patriots. Easterby, who was the team’s character coach for six years, reportedly left because he’s uncomfortable with owner Robert Kraft’s recent legal troubles. Easterby’s contract also was up, and he’s rumored to be heading to a similar role with the Carolina Panthers.

Kraft faces two misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution, following a police investigation at a Florida massage parlor. Through his attorney, Kraft denies engaging in any criminal activity.

Easterby Emphasizes ‘Kingdom Ethics’

Throughout his career, Easterby has helped teams tackle tough off-the-field issues. While he was team chaplain for the Kansas City Chiefs, he helped players and staff cope with a traumatic murder-suicide. Then New England hired him, largely to deal with the aftermath of a former player’s murder charge.

While leading Bible studies, offering godly counsel and maintaining “an unbending open-door policy,” Easterby gets to know players on a personal level. With the Patriots, he also became a close confidant of head coach Bill Belichick and earned a reputation as “the most influential Patriot you’ve never heard of.”

Through his ministry The Greatest Champion, Easterby espouses a “Kingdom Ethics” leadership style—one that “teaches God’s comprehensive rule over every area of life.” His role with a football team, he says, is “to simply serve.” He does that by helping players “create healthier relationships, healthier viewpoints, so that they can become the kind of people they want” and become “more sustainable in just about everything.”

‘Choices matter,’ Says Easterby

Before Super Bowl LIII last month, Easterby spoke about the importance of his behind-the-scenes role. “Character and the kind of people you hire is something that our country is in desperate need to get back to evaluating,” he said. “Unfortunately, sometimes it matters most when we count it the least. And when we evaluate it the least, it matters most. It’s tough, but we have seen a lot of businesses and industries fall because of a lack of character. One of the things we’ve seen come up in our culture lately [is] that choices matter.”

Although Easterby hasn’t made a public statement about Kraft’s arrest, he retweeted a message from Saints player Benjamin Watson about the “entrenched evil” of human trafficking. Watson, a Christian who champions family and social-justice issues, tweeted:

“Sexual exploitation and sex trafficking are not simply horrific crimes that occur ‘OVER THERE’ in a far away land, but are an entrenched evil demanded, nurtured, enabled and protected by the appetites and power of family, friends and co workers RIGHT HERE! Its roots run much deeper than a famous name or headline. No matter the perpetrator, human dignity, truth and justice demand that these crimes against humanity be unveiled, individuals and collectives involved be punished, and survivors be restored. It is well past time we stop looking the other way.”

But leaving the Patriots when they need him the most isn’t a great leadership move by Easterby, says Jerry Thornton, author of a book about the team. “Is this what you do when one of the flock you are shepherding through this wicked world goes astray?” he writes. “You just cut and run? Doesn’t a man in Jack Easterby’s position have an obligation to try and save the soul of anyone in his ministry [who] sins?”

Thornton admits he doesn’t know the Bible as well as a team chaplain likely does, but he knows about forgiveness. “Jack Easterby is disappointed in Mr. Kraft?” he writes. “I’m disappointed in Jack Easterby.”

 Kraft’s Arrest Shines Spotlight Human Trafficking

When news first broke of Kraft’s arrest, some people—especially online—seemed to celebrate the billionaire’s downfall. Reactions from Patriots fans ranged from shock to shrugs of “so what?” One woman told a Boston TV station, “He’s single” and “it’s a free country.” Kraft, 77, is a widower.

Dutch Reformed Church Loses Fight to Ban Same-Sex Marriage

By
Jessica Lea
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The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, has just handed down a decision compelling the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) to recognize same-sex marriages and to ordain gay clergy.

“The church by all means as a religious institution is supposed to embody what the gospel, the good news, is supposed to be all about and that is to be about indiscriminatory [sic] practices and therefore equality for all,” said Laurie Gaum, a gay rights activist and theologian in an interview following the decision.

What Has Led to This Decision?

Same-sex marriage has been legal in South Africa since 2006, and in 2015, the Dutch Reformed Church decided to permit same-sex marriage as well, saying that individual churches could decide whether or not they wanted to conduct such ceremonies. The church also decided to allow the ordination of gay clergy. However, in 2016 the church changed its position and decided no longer to allow same-sex marriages or the ordination of LGBT clergy who are not celibate.

After the church changed its stance the second time, Laurie Gaum and several others filed legal papers challenging that decision. Gaum argued that God welcomes people of any sexual orientation and that many members of the DRC hold this belief. Gaum also said that the way the church went about coming to its 2016 decision was problematic and that the DRC was infringing on the religious rights of its members. In addition to being unconstitutional, Gaum believes that putting such restrictions on gay members causes “severe emotional and spiritual harm, culminating in deep human suffering.”

The church, on the other hand, has argued that the traditional position against same-sex marriage is the viewpoint that the majority of its members hold and that its 2016 decision was the result of careful deliberation over what the Bible says. According to the church, “This goes to the core of the religious belief system of the church and it is not a matter with which a court should get entangled.”

Schalk Burger, advocating on behalf of the DRC, said that the church’s position is not unconstitutional because it does not prohibit same-sex marriage for everyone, but only for those within the church. He said, “I would like to submit that there is no unfair discrimination. As I understand the Constitution there is room for the church to follow its own doctrine.”

What’s Next?

It is not yet known whether the DRC will appeal the court’s decision. Speaking on behalf of the church, the DRC’s General Secretary, Gustav Claassen said, “Our current position is that of 2016…we will scrutinize the judgment, and we’ll come back and we will comment on it.”

Gaum says he hopes that instead of appealing the decision, the church will “use this as an opportunity to go back to the drawing board and to take their own stance under consideration, you know, and the damage that they’ve done, the pain that they’ve caused.”

In their coverage on the ruling, reporters for SABC News speculated that the court’s decision has implications for other South African denominations that also ban same-sex marriage and that this matter could very well go to a higher court at some point.

Trinity Baptist ‘Turns Itself In,’ Apologizes to SBC, Greear, Victims of Abuse

By
Megan Briggs
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It’s been almost a month since the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News published their expose´on the Southern Baptist Convention’s track record of handling sexual abuse cases in its midst. The pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Ashburn, Georgia, has come forward with an apology.

“Recently I have come to realize that I failed my duty as pastor in not taking action against an individual who had been accused of child abuse in the past at another church. This was because of my long‑standing friendship with the accused,” Pastor Rodney Brown wrote in a statement to the Christian Index.

Trinity’s Troublesome History With the Accused

Brown says the staff member in question, Trinity’s minister of music, has been fired and asked not to come back to the church. This is not the first time the person in question (Brown and others have not used the person’s name due to the fact that he was not convicted of a crime) has been fired. According to the Baptist Press, Brown said in “2013 or 2014,” the music minister confessed to having molested a young teen decades earlier while at another church. Brown told BP he fired the staffer “right there on the spot” but allowed him to continue attending and being a member of the church. Eventually, other church leaders convinced Brown to give the person the music minister position back, citing an apparent repentance and lack of suspicious behavior. Now, Brown sees this decision as a mistake.

In the most recent statement, Brown writes:

I have injured the victims of the accused by my actions, especially Mr. David P, who brought this to my attention. I have spent much time before God repenting for my actions. I now ask David P and the other victims for forgiveness for my acting so irresponsibly.

I also must ask Southern Baptist Convention President Dr. J.D. Greear and the SBC in general, along with the Georgia Baptist Convention, to forgive my actions. I have acted irresponsibly toward them in the past few weeks and I truly express my deep sorrow for that. I pray we can heal and become stronger in the protection of our children.

My greatest failure during this time has been to the God I serve who gave His Son for me. This situation has greatly changed my thinking as pastor. I realize that friendship can never override the duties God has given me to protect those we serve in His name. My prayer is for God’s mercy and healing for the victims of these terrible acts and for any churches affected.

Mentioned in Brown’s statement is “David P,” or David Pittman. According to the Houston Chronicle, Pittman says the music minister abused him over 30 years ago at a church near Atlanta. Although the incident occurred in the 1980s, Pittman didn’t speak out about it until 2006, and authorities told him it was too late to press charges. Although he couldn’t press charges, Pittman used his voice to warn others about his abuser, including a school that employed the man as a substitute teacher, and Trinity Baptist Church. For 13 years, his warnings were mostly brushed off. And while Pittman feels “vindicated” by the firing of his abuser from Trinity, he is still very skeptical of the SBC’s ability to right its ship.

The SBC Scrambles to Respond to Expose´

Since the publishing of the Houston Chronicle articles, the President of the SBC, J.D. Greear, has weighed in, asking for a change in the SBC’s “rulebook,” the Baptist Faith and Message, to include wording that would disfellowship churches that are negligent in their responsibility to protect victims of sexual abuse and prevent abuse from happening. This would include, among other things, repercussions for churches hiring people with credible allegations of sexual abuse against them. Greear also indicated a long-called-for database of sexual abusers for the SBC was not off the table.

Greear also asked the Executive Committee to look into 10 churches mentioned in the Houston Chronicle’s articles to determine whether they were in right standing with the SBC. The EC’s response to Greear’s request was disheartening to many following the unfolding story. The EC’s response can only be described as cursory and hasty. The leader of the workgroup, Ken Alford, actually resigned from his position on the EC over the backlash, although he indicated such backlash was “unfair” due to the EC’s lack of “investigative authority.”

Trinity Turned Itself In

Considering Trinity was on Greear’s list of churches he believes need to be investigated, yet the EC deemed “no further inquiry is warranted,” in essence, Brown has done what the EC would not. He has spoken to victims, in this case, Pittman, he has examined his own actions in the matter, he is asking for forgiveness, and finally, he has protected others by firing the abuser.

Brown isn’t the only leader apologizing in this instance, though. Georgia Baptist Executive Director W. Thomas Hammond Jr. also apologized for the way he reacted to the Houston Chronicle’s reporting and Greear’s directive, which some found troublesome due to its “blindsiding” of the churches mentioned. After reading two churches in Georgia on the list, Hammond reached out to Brown to get his take on the story. He initially expressed his dismay over the fact that the church had been exposed in such a way.

The REAL Wisdom We All Need

By
Daniel Henderson
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The summary of my story is this: I can’t make it through this life on my own. Contrary to all my human grappling to be self-sufficient, capable and effective, I come up short. In so many ways my story is your story, is the story of us all. Whether we summarily review the salient scenes of our past journey or ponder a snapshot of the present moment, we must ultimately admit that the demands, decisions and relationships of everyday existence are more than we can fix or control.

That’s why we need wisdom. Christ is ready and willing to give us wisdom beyond ourselves—beyond our human reason, our best education, our natural instincts and our accumulated experiences.

The REAL Wisdom We All Need

Do you remember the time when you were in a relationship that was at the boiling point or picking up the pieces of one that seemed broken beyond repair? I do. Have you ever been in agony over a personal failure, feeling distraught as you wondered how the next chapter of life might unfold? I have. Can you think of a time when you were at a loss in knowing how to help your hurting child, advise a devastated friend, or call a wandering family member back to faith? I can. Will you encounter a crisis in your health, a crushing of your heart, or a crossroads in your future that will bring you to your knees in unreserved desperation? I know I will. My best guess is that you will too.

Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you have done, are doing or will do—you need wisdom. Regardless of your age, your race, your regrets, your hopes, your fears, your doubts or your faith—you need wisdom.

You may be single, married, lonely, bored, overloaded or overlooked. Perhaps you are sick, healthy, depressed or overjoyed. You might be poor, rich, educated or not. Maybe you are at the top of your game or can’t seem to find your game. You need wisdom.

It doesn’t matter if you have failed, succeeded or simply feel average. Regardless of your personality, perceptions or principles—you need wisdom. You may be a mother, father, son, daughter, teacher, preacher, engineer, architect, administrator, student, retiree or CEO. You need wisdom.

You need wisdom that is right, reliable and relevant. You need wisdom to pilot your daily decisions and point you to your destiny. You need wisdom to shape your thoughts and govern your emotions. You need wisdom to understand yourself and to get along with the people you love—and especially the ones you don’t.

What Kind of Wisdom?

Just what is this prized treasure called “wisdom?” Some think of it as the trait of a godly parent or the characteristic of a seasoned grandparent. Perhaps you picture an insightful friend or helpful counselor. Others call to mind some type of religious sage, university professor or local church pastor. You might think of the teachings of a best-selling author or the principles of a renowned historical figure.

Webster’s Dictionary tells us that wisdom is:

  • “Knowledge that is gained by having many experiences in life.”
  • “The natural ability to understand things that most other people cannot understand.”
  • “Knowledge of what is proper or reasonable. Good sense or judgment.”[1]

Other common definitions of wisdom tell us that it is “truth applied to life” and “seeing life from God’s perspective.” One Bible dictionary tells us that “wisdom takes insights gleaned from the knowledge of God’s ways and applies them in the daily walk.”[ii]  Another solid description says, “Wisdom is not intellectual enlightenment but insight into the will of God and the ability to apply it to everyday life.” [iii] A landmark biblical description says it this way: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10).

While these definitions are all compelling and needful for our lives, something is missing. Traditional definitions of wisdom have the power to inform the mind and chart the course, but may not have the power to change the heart. There remains an essential truth that is the ultimate game-changer for the Christian who wants to live wisely—needs to live wisely. This “something” is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the life-giving trump-card in our wisdom journey.

A Transforming Wisdom

For followers of Jesus, there is a surpassing source that changes everything when it comes to wisdom. This reality transforms our pursuit and practice of wisdom. Wisdom is no longer about insightful principles for a successful life but about an indwelling power shaping a significant life. Because of Jesus’ redeeming work on the cross and the availability of His resurrection power, Christ followers are now in a life-changing relationship with the indwelling source of the highest and best wisdom.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is not just our introduction to the Christian life. It is the essence of our Christian life. It is not just the message of Christianity, it is the meaning of Christianity. It is not just the story of Jesus. The gospel is about the sufficiency of Jesus for all things. The gospel enlightens us to understand that Christ is the One “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). Christ is “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). Jesus Christ is our “wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). The New Testament tells us that we “are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God” and that we have the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).

So, for a Christian, the experience of wisdom is not the art of figuring it out but the adventure of following Him. The pursuit of wisdom is more than comprehending concepts; it is the privilege of knowing Christ. This is experienced through “abiding in him” through prayer, the truth of His word, and the indwelling of His life in our souls, like a nuclear reactor at the core of a power plant.

A Gospel Definition

A gospel-based definition of wisdom calls us to an understanding and experience of LIVING and INDWELLING wisdom that is not just about direction for today but about a destiny for a lifetime and beyond. Traditional ideas of wisdom focus on filling the head with ideas that can lead to greater accomplishment. Gospel wisdom rules the heart through intimacy with Christ that leads to greater authenticity. This wisdom is more than prudent information to guide your next enterprise. Rather it is power that leads to personal transformation. It is not about rules for better behavior but a relationship that changes the heart. This wisdom transcends weighty concepts that produce manageable relationships. Rather, it converts character that can morph everything about a relationship.

Here is an attempt at a truly Christian, explicitly simple, gospel-centered definition of wisdom:

Wisdom is Jesus Christ—embraced, experienced, exemplified and exalted in our lives and relationships.

  • Embraced through saving and sustaining faith in His sufficiency for all things.
  • Experienced by His abiding in us and our abiding in Him through prayer and God’s word.
  • Exemplified as Christ manifests His wisdom through us to influence others.
  • Exalted as the supernatural fruit of His life explains the gospel and exalts His name.

So, today, look to Jesus. Love Jesus. Abide in Jesus—and His divine wisdom will abide and guide in all that you do.

This article originally appeared here. 

Church Growth and Change: The Only Place and Time Your Job Won’t Be Changing

By
Eric Geiger
-
thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

In January Elon Musk sent an email to employees letting them know of the challenging days ahead for Tesla. In the midst of a year in which they “made their first meaningful profit in the 15 years since they created Tesla,” they would be (a) laying off 7 percent of their workforce and (b) increasing production because “there isn’t any other way.” Musk appealed to the vision of clean energy when he candidly admitted that Tesla would not be able to offer work-life balance.

“There are many companies that can offer a better work-life balance, because they are larger and more mature or in industries that are not so voraciously competitive. Attempting to build affordable clean energy products at scale necessarily requires extreme effort and relentless creativity, but succeeding in our mission is essential to ensure that the future is good, so we must do everything we can to advance the cause.”

You have to appreciate Elon Musk’s passion and consistent commitment to a vision. He also is honest about that vision requiring more production with less people—which is, of course, a hard sell for leaders to make. Essentially the people who remain on the team will carry more responsibility and, in some sense, their jobs will change. But this is true for more organizations (and ministries) than Tesla. While you may not be asked for more production with fewer people on the team, your job will change if you are in one of the following six scenarios:

The Only Place and Time Your Job Won’t Be Changing

1. If your organization or ministry is growing, your job will be changing.

When growth occurs, there are more people to serve and more responsibilities to share. In the midst of growth, jobs continually change. Things move around. People take on additional work. Organizational structures morph.

2. If your organization or ministry is in start-up phase, your job will be changing.

During a start-up, roles change as new learning is acquired. Things are moving at a fast pace and the information that was available when the roles were first designed is not the same information the organization has now.

3. If the context or the industry is changing, your job will be changing.

If the industry changes, so will your job. If the context where your church is located changes, so will your role. If there are less resources because of a downturn in the economy, your job will be changing.

4. If the overarching strategy is changing, your job will be changing.

If the strategy changes, and strategy often changes because it is contextualized, then your role will be changing too.

5. If you are developing new skills, your job will be changing.

Your role changes not just because the organization or ministry changes. Your role changes if you develop new skills because you want to leverage those skills for greater effectiveness.

6. If you are wisely evaluating your time, your job will be changing.

If you evaluate where you invest your time, you will inevitably chose to “stop doing” some things and to re-invest that time and energy in what is most fruitful. If you plan your work, and not simply do work, your job will be changing.

While the changes will be more drastic in some places than others, your role is likely to change. The only place your job does not change is if you are in stable and predictable organization in a stable and predictable context, which is less and less likely in our rapidly changing world. The only time your job does not change is if you decide you will not learn new skills and if you refuse to evaluate yourself so you can be more effective. So if you don’t want any changes to your role, then find one of those increasingly rare and predictable organizations and refuse to learn new things.

This article originally appeared here.

Leading KidMin During Flu Season

By
Jenny Funderburke Smith
-
thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Spring, summer, fall, winter…and somewhere in there lands flu season. Every year flu season is terrible in its own way, and this season is not any different. Sometimes families will avoid your nursery or children’s ministry to avoid germs. Here are a few practical ways you can help:

  • Publicly remind parents about your wellness policy. Step one: If you don’t have a wellness policy, write one. Step two: Share it during the sick season as often and in as many ways as possible. Hang posters by doors, at check-in stations, etc… Use email or social media to remind parents. These actions accomplish two purposes. First, they remind families when it is best to stay home. Second, they show well families that you are making an effort.

Here’s a great example from my friend Shelley Sexton at The Bridge Church here in Bradenton.

  • Enforce your policy. I once had to go have a hard conversation with a mom whose kid came in talking about how she was throwing up the night before. Our policy is that you have to be symptom free for 24 hours, and kids will occasionally be more honest than the adults. If you have the policies, you must be willing to enforce them for everyone’s well-being.
  • Make sure everything smells extra sanitized. During flu season we make sure to wipe down every surface with sanitizing wipes and we do it again right before drop off or pick up. This extra step communicates to parents’ noses that we are doing what we can to prevent the spread of illness in our areas.
  • Up your hand sanitizer game. I know not everyone is a fan of hand sanitizer, but we have it present in all of our classrooms and encourage kids to use it as they come in and out.

What do you do to keep the families in and the germs out?

This article originally appeared here.

The First Step in Becoming a Great Small Group Leader

By
Mike Mack
-
thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

The First Step in Becoming a Great Small Group Leader

The World’s Greatest Small Group Leader is a perfect model for us. Jesus’ priority was his relationship with his Father. He said and did and taught nothing on his own, but only what his Father gave him. Henri Nouwen once pointed out that Jesus spent about 50 percent of his time in solitude with the Father, about 40 percent building community with the 12, and about 10 percent “doing ministry.”[i] How does that match up with your life?

In Experiencing God, authors Henry Blackaby and Claude King also describe Jesus—and godly leaders today—as spending abundant time seeking God. These leaders have discerned the difference between activity for God and the activity of God. Jesus never ran ahead of God. Instead, before making any decisions or starting any new ministry work, he spent time, maybe days on end, with God, waiting on his Father to show him exactly what to do next.

Pastor and author Joel Comiskey’s survey of more than 700 small group leaders in eight countries revealed that the biggest factor in the “success” of small group leaders was not their gender, social status, education, personality type or skills; it was the leader’s devotional life. He found that those who spent 90 minutes or more in devotions (prayer, Bible study, etc.) a day multiplied their groups twice as much as those who spent less than 30 minutes.[ii] Comiskey says the correlation is logical. “During quiet times alone with the living God, the [small group] leader hears God’s voice and receives His guidance. … Group members respond to a leader who hears from God and knows the way.”[iii]

Jesus modeled seeking and following God for us. As our Leader and Savior, he is our Good Shepherd who calls us by name and is waiting to lead us (John 10:3-4). Are you quiet and still enough to hear his voice?

Let me encourage you as you read this to get gut-level honest with yourself. Where are you in your relationship with God? Are you…

  • Walking right behind him; his voice is crystal clear
  • Meandering along toward the back of the crowd; his voice is like bad cell-phone service—sometimes clear, but with lots of dropped calls
  • Running this way and that; I hear lots of voices, lots of noise—his voice is indistinguishable
  • Stuck in a rut; I haven’t heard his voice in a while
  • Other: ____________________

Before considering how you can become a more effective leader, you must get honest with yourself, and with God, on this. Then, there’s the next step. You’ll need to share this with someone else. Get gut-level honest with another person: someone from your group, a church leader or a good, trusted friend. I’m asking you to be vulnerable and authentic. Until you get gut-level honest with yourself, God and at least one other person, you cannot become a more effective leader and guide an effective, growing, GREAT small group!

This article originally appeared here.

Are You Willing to Face Danger for God’s Work?

By
R. Gracie Travis-Murphree
-
thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

We landed in the tropical land of Honduras with four suitcases and not a clue as to what we were called to do. Our ministry, Heart of Christ, first began when my husband, Lee, and I came to live permanently in Honduras on June 28, 2005. We didn’t know what it was we were supposed to do; we only knew that God called us to be here.

However, if we had known what God planned in sending us to Honduras, we would never have come. We had no idea what God planned for our lives. It was too big and terrifying for our minds to believe it was possible. He said go . . . and we went.

The idea of carrying a gun alongside my Bible, working with presidents and first ladies, as well as other top government leaders, and the thought of changing a nation was beyond anything I could comprehend—in the beginning.

Then there was the danger. Surviving assassination attempts, dealing with rape, child and spousal abuse, kidnapping, murder, sex trafficking, and working in one of the most dangerous places on Earth was definitely . . . not on my bucket list.

Sometimes the Lord grows you into his plan for your life, a little at a time, until suddenly you find yourself someplace you never imagined you would be. His thoughts and ways are higher than ours and any dream or vision we could imagine would never reach the heights, size, or victory of the vision he creates. The vision is always too big and too impossible to realize, which is exactly his plan because we would absolutely know it was the Lord who made it come to pass and not ourselves.

Life with God, and in his calling, is a constant journey. The vision—or calling—never comes to an end. It grows and continues to change each day.

Let me quote Pastor Steven Furtick in his book (Un)qualified:

“Jesus came to put hands and feet on God’s love for broken mankind. Jesus met people in their messes and his whole-hearted acceptance and love changed them forever . . . What God does even through our weaknesses is bigger, better and bolder than we could have asked or thought.”

In talking about our activities, we joke and tell people we work in the dark side of ministry, doing things people would never do, going where people would never go, seeing great wonders and great horrors. But it is the truth. Faith and obedience, serving God is an action. Most Christians will give and pray and some even serve but going into the darkness is not something everyone does . . . nor should they.

Jesus went into the ultimate darkness of hell and the grave for us and rose again giving us everlasting life. He has sent me and Lee into the darkness. This is where we live amid rape, corruption, death threats, murder, spousal abuse, sex trafficking, and betrayal. It is amazing and frightening, and we can’t do this without him.

Before you begin to believe we are special, let me clear that right up. We never would have taken the first step if we had we known what God planned. Every step along the way we feel unqualified to do this work. But God loves using the unqualified. He calls them, appoints them, and enables his children to walk into the destiny he planned for them.

All we must do is be obedient and say yes, even if we do not know what we are saying yes to. The same is asked of you and all believers.

“For it is God who is working in you, [enabling you] both to will and to act for His good purpose.” (Phil. 2:13 NIV)

Ken Wytsma, in his book Pursuing Justice, writes:

“Looking after those who require everything and seem to give nothing in return is the very picture of God’s love for us. . . . We are never closer to God than when we are pursuing justice by serving others . . . Justice is rooted in the character of God, established in the creation of God, motivated by the love of God, affirmed in the teachings of Jesus, reflected in the example of Jesus, and carried on today by all who are moved and led by the Spirit . . . Justice is a mosaic. It’s not only about single pieces—it’s also about all the pieces working together in a stunning whole . . . Justice is rooted in the character of God and flows from the heart of God . . . God’s heart beats with justice.”

God has called us specifically to walk in justice ministry—and He calls you to walk in His service, however that manifests. Simply know that you cannot separate justice from God’s love, from ministry, or from faith. Doing justice is God’s love in action, whatever the danger it presents.

And so we must act at all costs, because that is what Jesus did for us.

This article is an excerpt from Journey to Justice.

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