Martin Luther King Jr.’s Death Was One of the Greatest Shocks’ of Billy Graham’s Life

January 13, 2019

When Billy Graham started supporting the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he was asked “Why would you hook yourself up with a communist? He’s no good.” As we honor the legacy of Dr. King, the Billy Graham Evangelical Association (BGEA) has put together a video highlighting Graham’s efforts to support desegregation.

Bernice King, Dr. King’s daughter, is featured on the video saying “They [Graham and King] were different in their style and their approach, but I think their heart and their goal was the same.”

Howard Jones, the first black evangelist of the BGEA, explains how Graham didn’t originally take a stand in the desegregation movement, but later regretted his inaction. During the New York Crusade in 1957, when Graham was preaching to 28,000 people a night in Madison Square Garden, he was concerned he wasn’t reaching black people, and he didn’t want it to become a “white man’s crusade.” So, at the suggestion of Jones, he went to Harlem and Brooklyn to preach. Afterward, black folks started showing up at the main meetings in Madison Square Garden.

Graham invited Dr. King to pray one night at the New York crusade. Bernice believes Graham sharing the platform with King did a lot for the cause of desegregation.

During the height of the crusades, Graham preached the gospel to thousands of people, saying there was “no excuse ever for hatred. No excuse ever for bigotry. We’ve got to love as God loved us.”

Graham caused quite a commotion when he took a stand for desegregation. The video says the organization got a lot of hate mail and Graham garnered many critics. However, today prominent figures see the steps Graham took as exemplary. “It was the beginning of the end of the old south in my home state,” Bill Clinton says as he relates a story about Graham refusing to hold a crusade in Arkansas unless it could be desegregated.

Graham called King a brother and was shocked to learn of his death.

As the video points out, Graham helped King when he was in prison, doing things like paying fines for him. Graham called King a brother and was shocked to learn of his death. Graham’s response to the news of King’s death was caught on camera—showing him just five minutes after hearing the news. Graham called it “one of the greatest shocks of my life.”

If anyone should believe in the ability for races to live in harmony, it should be Christians. “There is a possibility for brotherhood in Christ alone,” as Graham so accurately states. While some could criticize him for mixing ministry with politics, Graham believed “the answer to our great moral problems, our social problems lies in the gospel of Christ—in the transformation he can bring.” Further, the problems we face in our societies are “basically spiritual.”

As Graham said, “Christianity is not a white man’s religion—and don’t let anyone ever tell you that it’s white or black. Christ belongs to all people. He belongs to the whole world.”

What if the Church Was the Church?

Scott Sauls

January 13, 2019

Just a few “What if’s…” on my mind this week.
Spurred on by the New Testament vision for Christians and Christ’s church.
In our current climate of vitriol, distrust, slander and taking easy offense, WHAT IF Christians could lead in the following…?

What if, in the spirit of Jesus providing wine at a wedding feast (John 2:1-12) and of the audacious, forgiving father throwing a grand feast for the entire community (Luke 15:11-32), Christians became known for hosting hospitable, inclusive and life-giving parties for friends, neighbors, colleagues, strangers and strugglers (Matthew 22:1-14)?

What if, in the spirit of Paul intelligently and winsomely engaging Greek academics with the truth of the gospel, Christians became known for engaging in thoughtful, enriching, challenging and honoring discourse about God, humanity and life (Acts 17:22-34; Colossians 4:6; 1 Peter 3:15)?

What if, in the spirit of how care was given to vulnerable children and women in the early church, women experiencing the trauma and fear of an unplanned pregnancy began to think first of local churches, not local clinics, as a comprehensively life-giving place of comfort, counsel and care (James 1:27)?

What if, in the spirit of Scripture’s vision for marriage and sexuality, instead of condemning the world for its broken sexuality, Christians exemplified the beauty of “biblical marriage” by having biblical marriages—the counter-cultural kind in which mutual love, respect and submission is tenderly shared between husbands and wives (Ephesians 5:21-33)?

What if, as an answer to the loneliness felt by uncoupled men and women both inside and outside the church, Christians became known for nurturing communities in which every person, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status, was given the full experience of family (Matthew 12:49-50; Romans 8:15)?

What if the local church became the world’s answer to loneliness and isolation, thereby becoming the life-giving alternative to social media induced isolation and depression, soul-stealing pornography habits, body exploiting hookups, non-committal cohabitations and lonesome bar stools (Psalm 68:6; 1 Corinthians 7:7-8; Ephesians 5:21-33)?

What if, in the spirit of Scripture’s vision for the integration of faith and work, Christians became known as the bosses everyone wants to work for, the colleagues everyone wants to work alongside, and the employees everyone wants to hire (Ephesians 6:5-9)?

What if, in the spirit of Scripture’s vision for doing justly and loving mercy, Christians became widely known as the world’s first and most thorough responders whenever a friend, neighbor, colleague or stranger experiences tragedy, such as divorce, unemployment, a crippling diagnosis, a loved one’s death or a rebellious child (Micah 6:8)?

What if, in the spirit of the Good Samaritan, Christians became widely known as those who rescue from danger, bandage over wounds, and provide care and shelter to those who have been abandoned, beaten and left for dead by the cruelty of human selfishness and greed (Luke 10:25-37)?

What if, in the spirit of Jesus’ life and teaching, Christians became widely known not only as the best kinds of friends, but the best kinds of enemies—responding to persecution with prayer, to scorn with kindness, to selfishness with generosity, to offense with forgiveness, to hatefulness with grace and love (Matthew 5:1-12)?

What if, in the spirit of Jesus, Christians once again became known as those who welcome sinners and eat with them—such that sinners begin to say of Christians, “I like them and I want to be like them” (Luke 15:1-2, 11-32)?

What if, in the spirit of the early church, Christians once again began to enjoy the favor of all the people—not because of how like the world they have become through assimilation and accommodation, but because of how unlike the world they have become through their life of love and good deeds? What if Christians once again, collectively and comprehensively and universally, lived such compelling lives that the Lord added daily to their number those who were being saved (Acts 2:42-47)?

And what if—and this is ever-so important in consideration of these other “What if’s”—we realized that the pressure to make such things happen is completely off of our shoulders, because the ultimate responsibility and power for change has been squarely placed on Jesus’ shoulders. Jesus, and only Jesus, holds the keys to unlock the flourishing of people, places and things that he not only created, but sustains and restores and will ultimately perfect in glory. “He comes to make his blessings flow, far as the curse is found.” And “of the increase of his government there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:7).

Indeed, we are the salt of the earth, the city on the hill, and the light of the world—but the light we shine is his light and not our own—just as the moon, having no light of its own, nonetheless was created to reflect the light of the sun in such a way that illuminates the darkness of night.

All light is derived, and yet it’s light meant to shine through the people of God through these and so many other “What if’s” given to us in Scripture by the Son around whom the universe’s orbit revolves.

While the “What if’s” are indeed happening in communities and cities all over the world, there is still much progress to be made. There is still need for the people of Jesus to place ourselves in the path of God’s light, so his light will reflect off us as it did from the face of Moses as he came down from the mountain (Exodus 34:29-35).

Said another way, as the secular humanist utopian vision and technological advances and partisan politics continue to fail to deliver on their promises, now is the time for Christians to re-engage the promises of old…ones that envision a world fueled not by trust in the human machine, but in the power that resides in the redeemed—the One who created the galaxies by breathing, the One who made a blind man see, and the One who brings dead people, dead places and dead things back to life.

This article originally appeared here.

How I Found My Pastoral Priorities

Jared Sparks

January 13, 2019

My first several years of pastoral ministry were difficult. Not because of the work, mind you, but because of a lingering, unanswered question, “What should I be doing?” Studying and preaching seemed to be a given, but what else? Discipleship, prayer, hospital visits and evangelism seemed like good things too, but things kept falling through the cracks and simply going undone. It didn’t help that I was a single, solo-church planter for my first two and a half years of pastoral ministry. I had no one to take me under their wing and help me grow.

Then another unanswered question began to surface, “What do the people want me to be doing?” Ministry for the next few years would be guided by the pulse of others. Occasionally, I spontaneously swung over to the “Pastor-as-Big-Boss” model which, in contrast, gets the people to do what they want them to do. But there was no guidance system from within me that helped to prioritize my service. During this pastoral frenzy, I happened upon a Eugene Peterson book titled The Contemplative Pastor. My pastoral lostness found a northstar. Peterson writes:

“I am busy because I am lazy. I indolently let others decide what I will do instead of resolutely deciding myself. I let people who do not understand the work of the pastor write the agenda for my day’s work because I am too slipshod to write it myself. The pastor is a shadow figure in these people’s minds, a marginal person vaguely connected with matters of God and good will. Anything remotely religious or somehow well-intentioned can be properly assigned to the pastor.”

Peterson’s words hit me straight between the eyes. I finally understood what pastoral ministry wasn’t! But this also raised another question. If not that, then what? Finding out what something isn’t only gets you halfway to the discovery of what something is. After all, seeing the problem is always easier than discovering the solution.

Fortunately, God has not left us in the dark. He gave us His Word! I was drawn back to the scriptures for the positive definition of pastoral ministry. What are the biblical priorities for the pastor? 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1 and 1 Peter 5 provided more answers for me. He had spoken, and I was now hearing in a new way.

At the same time these truths were landing, my wife and I found ourselves in a ministry transition. I had been sending out resumes for pastoral openings and my wife, Jordan, asked me, “What would be the first things you would do if you got hired by one of these churches?” Her question invited me to assign specific written priorities to all I had been praying over and pondering. What followed was the first iteration of my pastoral priorities.

Know the Gospel well. As a shepherd, I have to rest in the Gospel and humbly walk with Jesus. A shepherd must spend time with the Chief Shepherd and know him well. Basic childlike faith and godliness are a necessity for every pastor. As a shepherd, through the power of the Holy Spirit, I will experience rest and power by the finished work of Christ in every area of life, even in my pastoral failures.
Shepherd my own family. I have heard it said, “You can sacrifice your family on the alter of ministry, but you can also sacrifice ministry on the alter of family.” The pastor/shepherd needs to avoid overstating or understating the importance of family. However, the Bible remains clear, leading my family well is a precursor for serving the church (1 Tim. 3:5).
Prayer and preaching. This is what a biblical shepherd does. Prayer and ministry of the Word. This priority must not be relegated to a small part of my life. It seemed to me like distractions here might become a pastor’s greatest vulnerability. If we find ourselves inordinately occupied with causes outside of the church, rubbing shoulders with influencers, or meeting an unending array of felt needs, then we will lose the holy center of personal prayer and public preaching.
Model biblical friendship. Planting and pastoring is lonely. But loneliness can sometimes be avoided with initiative and care for others. I realized that I did not need to model relational breadth over depth to truly serve God’s people. I could take the initiative among a few, invest the time and see what might happen. As leaders emerged, I realized it would become particularly important to invest my time in them. This might even help the congregation. In many of the churches I have come to respect, the pastor, along with the plurality of pastors, try to display for the congregation what true friendship and accountability looks like. I wanted to do the same.
Disciple six to eight men a year. “Who are you discipling and who is discipling you?” became a critical question to answer. It didn’t need to be overly structured or complicated. I could set up weekly meetings and go through the Bible with someone else. I could invite leaders and members to do the same. It might be sloppy, but I think God uses our busted up methods to grow the people we are discipling.
Practice hospitality. My church is my call—I need to get to know them. How can we create space to have people over to our house? Are folks inviting me over to their house? It seems like a lot of pastors rarely open their home and, consequently, don’t get invited into the homes of members or unbelievers. The key, I thought, was to keep it simple. Take someone out for coffee. Make some phone calls. Get to know the people that God has entrusted to me.
Be faithful in wedding, funeral and hospital responsibilities. These are the touch points in defining moments of people’s lives. If I wanted to really shepherd people, my presence needed to be felt in those times. I’m not sure I ever saw these simple shepherding tasks in any church planting manuals. But I wanted to remember that visitors rarely look at guys who start churches as ‘planters’; they see them as pastors. And if we can be around for the joys and pains, then we will truly be a church family.

Simple pastoring, that was the goal.

So these are now the pastoral priorities that I achieve on some days and fail at on others. But this journey has convinced me that proactive pastoral ministry can weaken the addiction to wrong priorities and reactive service. I think I now see it a bit more clearly. It’s not about being a great leader. It’s about becoming like the Good Shepherd.

This article originally appeared here.

Jesus Didn’t Look Down on the Workplace—Neither Should We

Os Hillman

January 13, 2019

Have you ever considered that Jesus modeled work life ministry? It is easy to forget that Jesus spent more than 50 percent of His adult life in a carpentry shop. He was more known for being a carpenter than He was for being the Son of God. Perhaps that is why so many people had difficulty reconciling Jesus, the carpenter, with Jesus the Son of God who did miracles in the workplace.

Consider the following amazing facts:

▲ The New Testament records that Jesus appeared publicly 132 times—122 were in the marketplace.

▲ Jesus told 52 parables—45 had a workplace context.

▲ Acts recorded 40 divine interventions—39 were in the marketplace.

▲ Jesus spent His adult life as a carpenter until the age of 30 when He began a public preaching ministry in the workplace.

▲ Jesus called 12 workplace individuals—not clergy—to build His church.

▲ Work is worship. The Hebrew word avodah is the root word for both work and worship.

▲ Work in its different forms is mentioned more than 800 times in the Bible—more than all the words used to express worship, music, praise and singing combined.

▲ “54 percent of Jesus’ reported teaching ministry arose out of issues posed by others in the scope of daily life experience.” –Lewis and Lewis, LICC

Yes, Jesus was a workplace minister who combined both a priestly call with a workplace call. In the mind of Jesus, there was no sacred/secular divide. He did not consider His work life to be less important than His spiritual life. Both were entwined in everyday life. The Hebrews understood this. There was not a separation of the faith life from the work life.

Oswald Chambers, well-known author of My Utmost for His Highest, said: “The spiritual manifests itself in a life which knows no division into sacred and secular.”

If you were to conduct a survey on an average city street and ask if religion belonged in the workplace, chances are high that most answers would be no, and that would be correct. Religion doesn’t, but Jesus does. Most people today, even many Christians, see no relevance between God and work in today’s fast-paced society.

5 Ways to Jumpstart Your Prayer Life This Week

Margaret Feinberg

January 11, 2019

There isn’t a cookie-cutter formula when it comes to prayer or your prayer life. Some sit or kneel, and others stand or walk. Many speak out loud, while others whisper quietly. Some pray with friends, while others choose to pray by themselves.

No matter how we choose to pray, prayer is essential for a follower of Jesus.

Just as a relationship with your best friend would soon turn sour if you stopped speaking, so too will our relationship with God. Prayer invites us into constant communication with God so our relationship with him can flourish.

But, if we’re honest, there are times in our relationship with God where prayer can feel flat, rote or downright lifeless.

Here are five ways to jumpstart your prayer life this week:

1. Write them down.

Instead of speaking your prayers aloud or in your mind, choose to record your prayers in written form each day this week. Pick up a notebook or journal and write down your words of thanks, requests and adoration to God. You can even begin recording your prayers on those blank pages at the back of your Bible—it’s worked for me.

2. Snap a photo.

Start a collection of pictures of things, ideas and people you need to be reminded to pray for. Each time you scroll through the photos on your phone, in a scrapbook or on the refrigerator, speak words of blessing and prayer over them.

3. Memorize and meditate.

Choose a passage from the Bible such as The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) or Psalm 23, and pray the passage for five minutes each day this week. Ask God to help focus your heart and mind as you pray. Focus on each word as you speak them to God.

4. Only use three.

Limit the length of your prayers each day this week. Instead of using long-winded prayers, consider limiting your prayers to three words. Rather than thanking God for this amazing day, simplify the prayer to, “Thanks for today.” As you distill your prayers to their simplest form, reflect on what you’re really saying to God and how much you are trusting him.

This practice is explored in depth in Wonderstruck book and Bible Study.

5. Study the prayers of Jesus.

Whether your prayer life is vibrant and active or struggling and inactive, I’d like to challenge you to prayerfully consider and reflect on the prayers of Jesus. There’s something about the red words that breathe life into my tired heart and ignite my prayer life once again.

I Trusted God and My Life Fell Apart

Rick Thomas

January 11, 2019

Let me go ahead and say what many of you are thinking: Trusting the Lord does not mean everything will go OK for you. There is a thing called “disappointment with God,” and if you do not know how to navigate this truth when your difficult time comes, you will have a hard time recovering.

The preacher blared from his pulpit, “You follow God and He’ll take care of you.” And there were a smattering of hearty “Amens” throughout the church building, followed by, “You preach it, brother.” Everyone went home happy and confident that life was going to be OK because God takes care of those who give their lives to Him. That was the message Biff heard as a 20-something-year-old new convert. Biff is 43 today.

He’s divorced, hurt and angry at God. The Lord did not take care of him, at least not the way that he expected. How many of you can relate to Biff? Maybe you were not divorced, but your life took turns that you never expected, especially after you made your decision to follow Christ.

Biff’s story is most definitely my story. I was a 25-year-old biblically illiterate young man who trusted Christ. Somehow I picked up on the notion of God taking care of me and things would be different—according to my expectations.

At the beginning of my walk with Jesus, life was refreshingly different, and mostly positive. I came out of an abusive family structure and the drug culture. I guess looking back on it reflectively, how could religion miss? I mean, anything was better than the life that I was living. And so it was. God was new, fresh, alive and pure. For once I was living a preferred life.

Then there was a bump in the road, and I fell off the “God will take care of me” bandwagon. When things began to go bad for me, it revealed an unprepared heart that could not accommodate these new turn of events. It caught me by surprise, as I fell between the regretful tension of a “would’ve-should’ve dream” and the actual story that God was writing in my life.

Mist Life and Future Life Are Different

Biff was not prepared for the pain either. Somehow he slipped into the mindset of thinking that he could have his best life now. He confused life on earth as though it was supposed to be like living in heaven. He wanted to experience heaven on earth rather than fallenness on earth.

He blended this two-part Christian life into a hybrid of his own making. Though he believed in the two parts, the earth part and the eternal part, he got them blended and twisted in his mind. James talked about the earth part as a mist when he gave us this quotable line, “What is your life?”

What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. – James 4:14

The Hebrew writer gave us his big thoughts about the future when he fixed our gaze on our permanent dwelling—the eternal part. That part has very little in common with our life on earth.

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. – Hebrews 11:13

You can find scores of other passages that separate the “mist-life” from the “future-life.” The keys to remember about this perspective are (1) you will live both of these lives, (2) in a particular order, and (3) the two are connected, but not overlapping.

The mist life is on earth, which has battles, wars, evil, sin and casualties.
The future life is in heaven, which has no war, evil, sin or casualties.

A Theology of Suffering

If you don’t have this dichotomy and order fixed in your head, you will be set up for a lot of disappointment. And from there you will fall into the traps of discouragement, discontentment, disillusionment and possibly disbelief.

This confusion is what happened to me. I had a future hope for my present evil world but did not realize the danger that this kind of thinking would wreak havoc on my soul. When I fell, it was hard, and when the numbness wore off, I was discouraged, discontented, disillusioned and on the verge of unbelief.

I mused, “Why should I follow God? I was doing His bidding, and He couldn’t keep me from being hurt.” Do you see the problem in this kind of thinking? My understanding of suffering in an evil world was immature and incomplete.

Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. – 2 Timothy 2:3

There were passages that I had read and taught, but did not personally and practically apply. These verses were the ones that talked about suffering in an evil world. Every New Testament book has the verses. And they make great preaching texts, albeit hard living texts.

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake. – Philippians 1:29

For to this, you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. – 1 Peter 2:21

Why We Are Returning to a Hymnal

Dr. Josh Buice

January 11, 2019

Over the last couple of years, I have written on the subject of singing and the importance of corporate worship through song. As it relates to our local church, we want to be good stewards of tools such as technology and other resources that we have at our disposal. When we consider how we sing and the importance of the level of volume from the congregation, the flow of the voices and other issues—we have decided to return to the hymnal in 2019, but at the same time, we’re not turning our back on advanced technology.

In our elders’ meeting recently, we decided to lead our church to purchase a new hymnal that would update the old one that we have in our pews currently. On top of that, we discussed the need to put priority upon the singing of the congregation and to make sure we are training up another generation regarding the importance of singing the gospel. This conversation was sparked by something that I’ve been noticing for quite a while in our local church and it was confirmed in my family vacation this past year.

We were in a small town in the mountains of Colorado when my family and I arrived at a small little church. When we took our seat—filling up one entire small pew at the front of this little church building, we were handed an order of worship for the day. The number for the hymns were found in the order of worship and we were expected to open our hymnal and follow along. I noticed how my children struggled to find their place in the hymnal and to follow the flow of the song. I was reminded that we, in our local church, are not doing a good job of teaching the children how to use hymnals. That fault sits squarely upon my shoulders—and the other elders who serve alongside me.

Our return to the hymnal will not cause us to turn our backs on the use of technology. We will continue to use screens and put words from the hymns on the screen, but we will put an emphasis on using the hymnal too—in order for us to follow the flow of the song and to learn how to recognize the direction of the notes so that we can remain on key as we sing. This will enable us to teach another younger generation on the importance of singing and how to use the hymnal to sing corporately to the Lord.

Beyond the great resource as a tool for singing, the hymnal will serve our congregation well as we seek to engage in the worship of God through his Word. Many congregations no longer engage in responsive readings, but we believe that it can be a wonderful time to confess truth together and to plant God’s Word deep within our soul. This response by the church gathered together will be a great encouragement to one another and will increase our corporate worship.

Finally, the use of a simple hymnal will enable parents to see how they can use it within their homes for family worship. When the family sings together, it prepares each member of the family for the corporate gathering on Sunday and it’s a beautiful time of worship. Sometimes families don’t sing at all because they don’t have good resources, but a good hymnal or two in the home could help transform the singing of the family which could help transform the singing of the local church.

As we begin 2019, we desire to strengthen our local church and to increase our worship through song. Singing the gospel is an integral part of corporate worship, and we must prioritize opportunities to increase the way we gather together and sing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This article originally appeared here.

Bishop Restricted for Refusing to Conduct Same-Sex Weddings

Jessica Lea

January 11, 2019

Bishop Michael Curry, who gave the sermon at last year’s royal wedding, has just issued a Restriction on Ministry to Bishop William Love for banning same-sex weddings in Love’s Albany Diocese.

“In those instances where I find that this church is asking me to go in opposition to what God has spoken through Holy Scripture, God’s word will triumph in terms of my actions, and then this House will have to decide how you will deal with that,” Love said in his testimony before his fellow bishops in July. “But I will remain faithful to God’s word.”

Bishop Curry has indeed decided how to deal with Love and has essentially forbidden him from taking any negative action toward any member of his diocese when it comes to the issue of same-sex marriage. Curry also noted that Love might be subject to discipline for refusing to follow Resolution B012.

Fallout From July

The Episcopal Church passed Resolution B012 in July of 2018, compelling all of the church’s dioceses to perform same-sex marriages. Individual priests who feel that doing so would violate their consciences must find another priest willing to conduct those ceremonies. Before B012 passed, a diocese could refuse to conduct same-sex weddings.

The resolution passed with a significant majority. Only eight bishops, including Love, disagreed with it. Before the resolution went into effect on Dec. 2, 2018, Love announced his refusal to follow the resolution in a statement in which he prohibited same-sex marriages in his diocese. In the statement, he said that the Episcopal Church was being influenced by the culture and deceived by Satan, who was dividing the church. God, Love believes, is going to judge the Episcopal Church and remove His blessing from it.

The Episcopal News Service (ENS) reports that after the resolution passed, Love was the only bishop who categorically refused to follow it. Many of the other originally dissenting bishops have since made compromises to comply with the resolution.

In his testimony in July explaining why he disagreed with Resolution B012, Bishop Love said that when he was ordained, he vowed in good conscience to uphold and preach the Bible as the word of God, interpreting it and faithfully proclaiming it to others. Up to this point, Love said, he’s been able to do that. As he want far past his time limit of two minutes, Love explained to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry that he was gravely concerned about the resolution the bishops were about to pass.

I’m not sure that we have fully studied this issue the way that we should in terms of Scripture… What we have had up to this point is an awful lot of listening, which is a good thing, but it’s listening to people’s personal experiences, it’s listening to people’s feelings, their emotions. What we have not had an honest look at, sir, is what God has said about this issue and how best to help people who find themselves to be in same-sex relationships.

Love went on to say that he loved his LGBT “brothers and sisters in Christ” and that it was important to treat “each of them with respect.” He pointed out that Bishop Curry had even met a lesbian couple who are friends with Love, despite the fact that they disagree with him. Love concluded his testimony by stressing his belief the church was undercutting his authority and that of the other dissenting bishops.

Love has not yet commented on Bishop Curry’s restriction. Speaking to the ENS, diocesan communications officer Meaghan Keegan said, “He will be issuing a statement in the coming days.”

Tim Tebow Is Going to Marry a Miss Universe After All

Megan Briggs

January 11, 2019

tim tebow girlfriend — Screengrab via Instagram / @timtebow

Congratulations are in order to professional athlete and all-around good guy Tim Tebow. Tebow announced via his Instagram page that he and his girlfriend, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, are engaged.

“Thank you for saying YES and making me the happiest man in the world. You’re the love of my life, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you,” Tebow wrote in the caption of a picture capturing the moment he popped the question.

Somewhere between training for his career as a professional baseball player, managing Night to Shine events across the nation, opening a hospital in the Philippines, and praying for people, Tebow met Nel-Peters. According to The New York Post, the couple met at a Super Bowl party.

Nel-Peters is a model and the winner of the 2017 Miss Universe competition. Originally from South Africa, Nel-Peters spent the year 2018 visiting various cities around the world before her reign as Miss Universe ended in December when she crowned the current Miss Universe, Catriona Gray of the Philippines.

One of the things the couple has in common is a love for people with disabilities. Nels-Peters half-sister, Franje, was born with cerebellar agenesis, which is a condition where a person’s cerebellum (a key part of the brain) does not develop. Tebow’s Night to Shine events celebrate individuals with disabilities by throwing parties in their honor, similar in style to a prom.

Tebow started looking for love in earnest when his father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2016. At the time, Tebow said the diagnosis made him realize he wanted his children to know his father, and time may be short. Tebow’s love life was dealt a blow in 2015 when he broke up with then-girlfriend Olivia Culpo, also a winner of the Miss Universe title.

Looks like Tebow is all smiles now, though.

View this post on Instagram

@demileighnp Thank you for saying YES and making me the happiest man in the world. You’re the love of my life, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. • • 📷@kellybramanphotography

A post shared by Tim Tebow (@timtebow) on Jan 10, 2019 at 11:24am PST

Six Reasons Your New Member Class Is Not Effective

Thom Rainer

January 10, 2019

An effective new member class is a gift. It provides front-end assimilation. It gets people involved in ministry. It moves them to groups and to wise stewardship.

Six Reasons Your New Member Class Is Not Effective

I am a big proponent of new member classes. But not all new member classes are created equally. Some are effective; some are not. If you think your church’s new member class is not as effective as it could be, there are possibly some quick and helpful solutions. Let’s look at the six most common problems in new member classes so you can make those adjustments.

The class is not a priority. A membership class should be a regularly-scheduled event. It should be a priority of church leadership. Church members and guests alike should hear clearly the importance of the class in the life of the church.
The class is missing one or more of the three key ingredients. Every new member class should include three key elements: information about the church; expectations of members; and a clear assimilation process as soon as the class concludes. Failure to have all three ingredients significantly weakens the effectiveness of the class.
The class has information overload. New or prospective members will only retain a modest amount of information. Too many membership classes try to share almost everything about the church instead of hitting highlights and pointing the members to sources of information for future consumption.
The class lasts too long. While this issue is certainly related to the number of hours a class lasts, it is more tied to the number of days a class continues. Classes that go beyond a single day tend to lose people.
The class is boring. The leader of the class needs to be a good communicator. Different delivery approaches, such as adding video elements, help as well. Classes can also turn boring when there are not enough breaks.
The class has no follow-up process. The conclusion of the new member class should be the beginning of assimilation. Communication of information is not sufficient. The church must have a clear process to make certain new members get connected, get involved and get committed.

New member classes are vital to the health of a church. But these classes are only effective if the commitment, priority and effort of the church leadership is evident on an ongoing basis.

This article originally appeared here.

12 Reasons Preaching the Gospel Should Be in Every Sermon

Greg Stier

January 10, 2019

12 Reasons the Gospel Should Be Preached in Every Sermon

1. It honors the Lord (Romans 15:5,6).

2. It sanctifies the believers (1 Corinthians 1:18).

3. It elevates Jesus Christ (Romans 15:16,17).

4. It reaches the lost (Romans 10:14).

5. It spiritually matures the church (Colossians 1:28,29).

6. It advances God’s kingdom exponentially (Colossians 1:6).

7. It opens the door to spiritual intimacy with Christ (Philippians 3:8-10).

8. It accomplishes the eternal purposes of God (Ephesians 3:7-11).

9. It unleashes the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:4,5).

10. It frustrates the forces of darkness (Acts 26:16-18).

11. It triggers the right kind of persecution (Philippians 1:27-30).

12. It demonstrates our commitment to the Lord (Romans 1:8).

Fellow preacher, if you aren’t preaching the Gospel then what message of hope could you possibly bring to your congregation? The greatest preachers in history have had the blood-stained cross of Christ and the empty tomb of our risen Savior as central to their sermons. From Paul to Luther to Wesley to Moody to Graham to Swindoll, the best of the best preach the Gospel relentlessly.

Preachers, preach the Gospel. Like Charles Spurgeon, take your text and make a beeline for the cross.

This article originally appeared here.

How to Partner WITH Parents in Student Ministry

Scott Talley

January 10, 2019

How to Partner WITH Parents in Student Ministry

Serving in student ministry for 14 plus years has allowed for many different scenarios to play out in people’s lives. One of the keys to a fruitful student ministry is to partner with parents. Students have many different things tugging at them from school, sports, jobs and extracurricular activities. When it comes to church, we must partner with the parents in student ministry, so we do not add more stress or tension to the busy schedules of our students.

I once battled with wondering why the church needs to change or adapt to the parents’ and students’ schedules. For some reason, I saw adjusting schedules and working around student schedules to mean that the church was losing. But, after some research and taking some years to think through the partnership with parents, there are five ways that you as a pastor or a youth worker can partner with parents to help develop a stronger student ministry.

One year tentative schedule

I need to be honest with you. I am OCD about schedules and keeping that up to date with our parents. Having a one-year tentative schedule from every current month allows your parents to know what is planned down the road for the student ministry. Partnering with parents means communicating plans and events coming up in your ministry.

Parents can know when camp, pool parties, retreats and other events are planned so they can schedule their family time and vacations. When we can have a schedule planned out, it allows parents to know that we value their time.

Disclaimer: Because you have a tentative schedule does not mean the dates are all set and that you will be guaranteed to have more students coming. But, you will have parents who know that you value them and their time.

Monthly newsletter

A monthly newsletter offers a few different opportunities for your student ministry to partner with parents. Every month a newsletter goes out covering three different areas of our ministry.

Article or Blog for Parents on Teenagers: I just post a snippet or the full blog for the parents to have and read on their own time.
Upcoming Events: I know this seems very basic, but parents like to have a digital or physical copy where they can understand what that month has going on for their students. On my monthly newsletter, I am very detailed on times, places and what is needed for that event. Parents have known for the last few months about the events coming up, but now the newsletter can share more information to help parents understand the event in further detail.
Social Media Button to our Accounts: I add a Social Media button to our digital copy of our newsletter so that our parents can also be connected and follow us on our social media accounts. Why? Because when parents start following the student ministry accounts, they feel connected to what is happening within your ministry.

Invite parents to serve as volunteers

Ninety percent of the volunteers within our student ministry are parents to current students. Our ministry loves having parents helping because they are walking beside our ministry discipling and living out the vision of our ministry. Having parents serve as volunteers mean they have bought into your ministry and the direction God leads your ministry. When parents buy into your ministry, they become one of your most prominent advocates and have your back. I love having parents serve on my team of volunteers because they are hard workers and build up our ministry within the community. They are partners with me in ministry.

Have an open communication/door policy for parents

I know that this one seems very basic and one that should happen within student ministry, but for some reason, student pastors feel that questions mean they do not trust you. When in reality parents want to partner and understand our ministries. We must keep an open door policy within our ministry.

Open communication and door policy means that you allow parents to contact you, ask questions and serve beside you. I have found those parents who email and communicate with you the most want to have a part of your ministry. Please understand some parents will question everything you do, but when you give them the “why” it allows them to buy into your ministry. When parents buy into your ministry because they know the “why” they will participate.

No matter where you serve right now, every student pastor needs to open the door and allow the partnership to begin with parents. When the connection happens, something amazing has just arrived in your ministry.

This article originally appeared here.

10 Worship Warning Signs: Is Music > Worship?

David Manner

January 10, 2019

10 Worship Warning Signs: Is Music > Worship?

Editor’s Note: Do you consider music to be primary and worship to be secondary? Pay attention to these 10 worship warning signs. This quick checklist will help you examine your attitude toward the relationship between music and worship, and to help prioritize worship.

Right notes are always more important than right relationships.

Song choices are always considered musically before they’re filtered theologically.

You’re attempting to grow your church just by changing the music.

Music has taken the place of prayer as your primary worship service conversation with God.

Congregants give music all the credit for either causing or curing worship conflict.

You’ve sanctified a favorite musical style or genre.

Music is foundational but Communion is supplemental.

Scripture readings are shortened so the song set can be lengthened.

Worship is exclusively synonymous with music.

You’re convinced how or what you sing determines if God shows up.

This article originally appeared here.

The Lord Takes His Churches to the Woodshed – Seven Churches of Asia Minor

Joe McKeever

January 10, 2019

(Fourth in a series on the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. Revelation 1-3)

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him. For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receives” (Hebrews 12:5-6).

The Lord Jesus was unhappy with His churches. Five of the seven congregations scattered across Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) were already getting off-track and needed some swift attention. The two exceptions were Smyrna and Philadelphia. But the other five churches received stern rebukes.

To all the seven churches of Asia Minor, the Lord gave four things (with slight variations for Smyrna and Philadelphia):

HIS ANALYSIS. This is, His report card. His “state of the state” message.

HIS WARNINGS. Repent or else.

HIS INSTRUCTIONS. Remedial actions the Lord would like to see.

HIS PROMISES. To Him who overcomes, blessings await. Each church gets its own promise.

These four blessings—for they were that—were not given to the unbelieving world, not to pagan religions, and not to political powers. They were gifts from Heaven to seven congregations for whom the Lord Jesus had great expectations and important roles to play.

If you are sports-minded, then think of a football coach rebuking his team. He reserves his harshest criticism for the best players, the ones gifted with the greatest talents, those from whom he expects the most. The players receiving the least attention from the coach are the bench warmers, those with small talents and little desire, players from whom he has come to expect little and receive even less.

The greatest compliment the coach can give is his undivided attention, his closest scrutiny, his best analysis.

Take Ephesus, for instance. If the congregation of the Ephesians were a football player, it would be the star of the team, and thus the coach’s greatest attention would be lavished upon him. Or, to change the analogy, think of a classroom situation. The students who receive the sternest criticism and strictest attention from the teacher are the high-achievers. The smartest students, those in the gifted class, those with great aptitude. That would be Ephesus.

Ephesus has had the spiritual leadership of Timothy, of Apollos, of Aquila and Priscilla, and of John himself. No other church was so blessed with great leadership.

To whom much is given, much is expected.

And so, to Ephesus, the ascended reigning Lord Jesus says:

“I know your works, your labor, your patience and how you cannot bear those who are evil. You have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them to be liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.” That’s Revelation 2:1-3.

Good job, Ephesus.

–You have worked hard. You set a great example for the other churches. Good job.

–You have persevered. You have not shirked from the work when the sun got hot or the conditions unbearable. You stayed by the assignment. Good job.

–You have a zeal for the truth. And you have no patience with the hypocrites, those who want the pay without doing the work. Good job.

–You exposed the pretenders claiming to be apostles in order to gain the honors God’s people bestow on the veteran followers of Jesus. You showed them to be pretenders and put them out of business. Good job.

–To sum up, you have worked hard and been steadfast and have not grown tired. Good job.

However. You are missing out on something important, Ephesus.

“Nevertheless, I have this against you: that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4).

Is this important? Isn’t it more important to get the work done even if one’s attitude isn’t always the best? Why does this matter?

Here is the answer. Jesus said, “Repent…or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent” (2:5).

How stern is that? Unless Ephesus gets its act together and begins to love again—in the way it did at the first!—the Lord threatens to remove its right to be a church.

Don’t miss that. If the lampstand represents the church itself—as our Lord said in 1:20—then to remove the lampstand would be to cancel the right of Ephesus to be a church. In our culture, we might say the Lord would remove their franchise.

The Burger King in your neighborhood is part of a franchise operation. The local owner has signed an agreement with the parent company to use its name, its products, purchase its supplies, abide by its menus, etc. If the local store does not keep its part of the contract, the parent company can cancel the agreement. They would send out their workers and take down the Burger King sign and other identifying insignia. The restaurant could still of course function as a restaurant. They could still sell burgers, shakes and fries. But they could not market them as Burger King burgers, shakes and fries. And so with the church.

A church which has had its franchise canceled by the reigning Lord can still meet. It can still have services and call itself a church. But it will no longer be a part of the body of Christ. Jesus Christ will no longer be its Head. It will have been severed, so to speak, cut off from the rest of the body.

That is the warning to Ephesus. Unless they recaptured the love which characterized their relationship in the early days, the Lord was leaving. All their good works, all their zeal for doctrinal purity and integrity, would come to naught.

How to Keep Small Group Vision Alive

Alvaro Ramirez

January 10, 2019

I first thought that my biggest challenge as a cell church pastor was to deeply work on the principles and values until the entire structure had shifted. Indeed it was a big challenge! We had to work hard to accomplish a complete transition. We never skipped or ignored any step of the transition phase. Yes, it was difficult to transition our church, but there was something even more difficult.

Even though transitioning was hard, keeping the leaders motivated and the vision healthy was even harder. I learned this along the way.

In his book Axioms, Bill Hybels says that vision leaks. And I have to agree. Some leaders lose their passion and vision and must be reminded continually about God’s purpose through cell ministry.

In our church, we have a “Vision Day” every other month. We invite all small group leaders, supervisors, coordinators and pastors to a number of workshops and vision casting activities. We spend the whole day together, morning, afternoon and evening. We invite outside pastors to preach and to do the workshops. As the lead pastor, I always preach the main message. They must hear from me and see my passion for cell ministry. All content on the Vision Day has something to do with cell ministry. We talk about topics such as: Why we do what we do? How to have exciting cell meetings. How do we fulfill the Great Commission, the leader’s prayer life, accountability, discipleship and making disciples? We always want the vision to be clear and the leaders to be focused.

I can tell you that I have seen leaders bored in the vision and leaking a lot. But I have also seen these leaders brought back on track, as they experienced the “Vision Day.” God gives them the grace to breathe again.

Transitioning is hard, but keeping the vision healthy after years of doing cell ministry is even harder. Lead pastors must be aware of it and make sure they are reinvigorating the vision when it starts to leak.

This article originally appeared here.

8 Signs You’re Leading on the Defensive

Chuck Lawless

January 10, 2019

In a football game, the defense matters. In the local church, though, being on the defensive as a church leader is not a strong posture for leading. Check these markers of leading on the defensive, and see if any characterize you.

Your entire ministry seems to be about putting out fires. Everything is about trying to keep the small fires from becoming a blaze. Your leadership is reactive, not proactive.
You generally assume that “the other shoe” is still going to fall. Even when things are going well, you’re careful and protective—you just know that things are going to fall apart.
You’ve lost any sense of vision for tomorrow. Any thoughts about pressing forward into the future are fleeting. Your goal is simply to get through the day.
You’re taking fewer risks than you once did. You once took steps of faith as a leader, but now you guard those steps. Previous risks have led to pain, and you want to avoid it happening again.
You’ve lost your joy for ministry, and often for Christ. It’s hard for church leaders to separate their personal walk from their professional calling. Neither your heart nor your face shows joy anymore.
If and when you pray, it’s usually in response to a problem. You’re only responding, even in your prayer time. Sometimes, your prayers are actually only defenses of your own position and actions.
You think in terms of, “How can we do this while creating the least amount of opposition?” You’re tired of fighting, and you don’t want to lose any more territory in the battle.
Others have commented that you’re not leading anymore. You may have heard it only through the grapevine, but others are talking. They know something’s not right.

In a future post, I’ll deal with leading on the offensive. For now, though, let us know how we can pray for you if you find yourself in this list.

This article originally appeared here.

5 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2019

Carey Nieuwhof

January 10, 2019

As everything seems to change around us more quickly than ever, what church trends should church leaders pay attention to in 2019?

For the last three years, I’ve kicked off the new year with a post on disruptive church trends. You might still find those helpful. Even though some of these church trends are a few years old, they all deal with cultural shifts that are still happening.

Here are the direct links:

7 Disruptive Church Trends for 2018

6 Disruptive Church Trends for 2017

5 Disruptive Church Trends for 2016

The reason this matters so much is two-fold.

First, there’s no shortage of information in our culture. But there is a shortage of meaning. It’s one thing to know something is happening, it’s another to know what to do with it and which church trends matter most.

Second, leaders who fail to navigate the disruptive church trends happening in our culture won’t be left with much to lead.

Leaders who pretend nothing needs to change end up being the blacksmith in the era of the automobile, Sears in the age of Amazon, or Kodak in an Instagram culture.

If you ever hope to reach the next generation, change is your friend.

So, in the hopes of helping every leader better accomplish our collective mission, here are 5 disruptive church trends I see defining conversation and action in 2019 because of these church trends.

1. CHARISMATIC EXPRESSIONS OF CHURCH WILL GROW WHILE ATTRACTIONAL CHURCHES WILL CONTINUE TO STALL OUT

Over the last few years one trend has emerged that hasn’t been talked about nearly enough: Almost all the growth happening in churches seems to be coming from churches that have a more charismatic expression to their worship, preaching and culture.

I’m not talking about charismatic theology here, although some churches would definitely fit that bill. What seems to link most growing churches these days is a more charismatic or expressive style to how they worship, teach and gather.

A few characteristics synthesize these church trends:

Worship that’s actually worship, not just a band performing music in front of a passive audience.

Preachers who speak to the heart as much as they speak to the head.

Communicators who preach as much as they teach.

A congregation (large or small) that actually engages each other and the mission (not just people who randomly assemble).

Facilitating moments of transcendence, not just immanence.

In other words, it’s personal. It’s more emotional. It’s more real. And you can feel it.

I realize that you can poke holes in my theology or definition of this. That’s not the point. I have the privilege of speaking all over the world and connecting with thousands of leaders each year. This is just something I’m seeing.

It’s loose, it’s not particularly well-defined, but it is happening.

Meanwhile, I see churches that cling to a purely attractional model struggling more and more. By attractional I mean:

Their bands perform more than they lead people in an experience of worship.

Communicators who speak more to the head, not the heart, and teach more than they preach.

A congregation of less engaged people who seem to randomly assemble to experience an event, rather than to connect (this is true regardless of how large or small the church is).

A greater focus on immanence without much thought to transcendence.

Why is this? I outline five reasons in this post and you can read the background there.

As we watch this develop, at least from where I sit, there are two cultural shifts happening that are driving this change.

First, as I outlined in the post, the foyer moved. The genius of the attractional church was to make someone’s first encounter with church accessible. That’s still super important (don’t lose sight of that, please), but the Internet means that almost everyone who attends church has watched online first. And even if you don’t have an online stream, they’ve checked out someone else’s or Googled their way through some questions.

This means when they show up, they are ready to go a little deeper a little faster. Not please enroll me in seminary deep…but show me the real thing because I want to know if this is real kind of deep.

Second, I’m sensing younger adults are deeply craving connection and transcendence. In a world that feels like a cacophony of noise and anger, and in a day where they have anything they want whenever they want at their fingertips, young adults are looking for something (SomeOne) beyond themselves…an experience that can’t be reduced, fully explained and isn’t even fully definable.

Which is, of course, part of the character of God. He’s so much bigger than us. The mission is bigger than us. And it’s all bigger than our words can explain.

One further thought on this trend. Total anecdotal observation. But I noticed via Instagram that people seemed to put up their Christmas trees much earlier in 2018. As in late-October and early-November early. As I drilled down a little further, guess what I noticed? Almost everyone doing this was 35 and under.

Complete conjecture, but here’s what I’m guessing. In a world that seems increasingly unsafe and unsound, for young adults, the Christmas tree, lights and decor are reminders of wonder, peace and stability. Whether that’s nostalgia, a bold declaration or a bit of both, wise leaders would think about how to make their church a little more like that. Because of course, if the church can’t offer wonder, peace and stability in uncertain times, who can?

Either way…there is massive opportunity to connect with a culture that deeply wants connection…something other than the hopelessness that seems to be today’s news cycle.

Final word…all of this is a great opportunity for churches that currently do attractional really well. This is not about suddenly becoming inaccessible or completely different. A shift in tone, expression and focus can recalibrate the experience for everyone.

Weird isn’t the goal. Connection is.

Authorities in Vietnam Demand 33 Hmong Renounce Their Faith

Jessica Lea

January 10, 2019

Religious persecution against Hmong Christians in Vietnam appears to be ramping up. Watchdog group International Christian Concern (ICC) reports that last November and December in the village of Phá Lóm, authorities antagonized 33 Hmong believers, demanding they renounce their faith. Officials then continued to threaten the believers when they refused to do so.

“In a communist country where Christianity is often seen as unpatriotic or a threat to the regime, Hmong Christians constantly face discrimination, harassment, land grabs, torture and imprisonment,” ICC’s Gina Goh writes

The authorities first accosted the Hmong Christians last fall. When the Christians remained faithful to their beliefs, officials subsequently raided them three times in November and December. Authorities had arrested and beaten four of those 33 people earlier in the year. The officials, known as the Interdisciplinary Inspection Team, then brought the Hmong Christians to trial before the community, presenting them with a statue of Buddha and insisting that they worship it.

According to the ICC, the inspection team’s leader, Mr. Dzhung, stated that in Vietnam everyone must follow Buddha and that those who don’t must leave the country. The ICC did not relate how the incident between the government and the Hmong Christians resolved.

Christianity Grows Among the Hmong

The Hmong people are an ethnic group located throughout Vietnam, China, Thailand and Laos. According to The Diplomat, “Their shared ethnic identity is built around speaking mutually intelligible languages and sharing the same clan surnames.” There are about four million Hmong in southeast Asia, not counting those who have emigrated to the U.S. and Australia. Out of the 1 million Hmong in Vietnam, 300,000 are reportedly Christians.

In Vietnam, the Hmong are an underprivileged group. They are geographically isolated with high levels of poverty and low levels of education. Yet Christianity has been flourishing among them since the 1980s when the Hmong discovered an evangelistic radio program in their own language. Christianity spread among the Hmong despite the fact that government authorities associated Christianity with Western imperialism and throughout the years have persecuted believers both blatantly and covertly.

This persecution appears to be increasing, particularly toward those who live in the countryside. In March of 2018, a mob of people attacked 24 Hmong who had recently converted to Christianity. Prior to the attack, officials had warned the believers that they would be forced to leave their village if they did not abandon their faith. There are additional stories of recent religious persecution in Vietnam, and the ICC expects this hostility to grow in 2019.

Vietnam does technically have legal measures in place to protect religious freedom. The Law on Belief and Religion went into effect in January of 2018, but seems to be ineffectual when it comes to protecting minorities in rural areas of the country.

According to Mission Network News, Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs says that the law is applied inconsistently throughout Vietnam, depending on location: “We still see churches in cities meeting together with very little interference from the government. We still see Christians in rural areas, especially minority ethnic tribal groups, facing heavy persecution.”

Even so, the primary desire of Vietnamese believers seems to be to remain faithful to Christ. Nettleton describes talking to a Vietnamese Christian who told him, “Pray that we’ll keep sharing the Gospel and that other people will keep coming to know Christ in a personal way in Vietnam.”

Church Offers $15K to Relieve Government Shutdown Pain

Stephanie Martin

January 10, 2019

As the partial government shutdown nears its third full week, churches across America are reaching out to employees who are furloughed or working without pay. The financial impact of the shutdown, currently the second-longest in U.S. history, is expected to intensify as paydays come and go without checks.

One congregation stepping up to help is First United Methodist Church in Manhattan, Kansas. On January 8, the church set aside $15,000 from its discretionary account to establish a Barnabas Fund for impacted workers. Two days later, two families had contacted the church for assistance.

The Government Shutdown and the Golden Rule

First UMC Pastor Troy Bowers tells churchleaders.com the idea came from church leaders and fits in well with the congregation’s “DNA as a community church.” People requesting money from the fund don’t need to be members of First UMC or even people of faith, he says. “You just have to be a person in need.” It’s simple, he says: “A family needs $500, we loan them $500.”

Barnabas Fund money can go toward expenses such as mortgage payments, medical bills and other basic needs, according to the pastor. The church considers the assistance as interest-free online installment loans or one-time grants, but no paperwork is involved. “We don’t sign a contract or put anyone’s name on a dotted line,” Bowers tells a Topeka TV station. “It’s all honor system. If they can repay it, great; if they can’t, that’s fine too.”

After previous shutdowns, Bowers says, the government has paid employees retroactively. If that happens this time, First UMC will welcome any repayments people are able to make. “Then we can use [the money] to help other people,” the pastor says.

The shutdown is affecting Manhattan, Kansas, in several ways, according to Bowers. The town has a small airport, with TSA officials. At Kansas State University, some federal employees conduct government research. And the state’s Agriculture Department is located in Manhattan, the agricultural center of Kansas.

First UMC welcomes donations to its Barnabas Fund. Bowers tells churchleaders.com that other local congregations have contacted him, indicating a willingness to pitch in if more money is needed.

In addition to helping furloughed and unpaid workers, the Barnabas Fund benefits the congregation as a whole. “It gives people something positive and encouraging to focus on, instead of just a course of lament—or even disgust” about the shutdown, Bowers says. “Innocent families are in the crosshairs, and it doesn’t seem fair. But this fund gives church members a chance to do something about it.”

When asked if Bowers views this outreach as part of the church’s Great Commission work, he said it goes beyond that too. “I also view it through the lens of the Golden Rule,” he says. “If we were in this situation, we’d appreciate people offering assistance to us.”

The fund is a great way to embrace the larger community, Bowers says. People in Manhattan know that First UMC is open for funerals, for example, and now they know the church can assist during financial difficulties too.

Effects of the Government Shutdown Are Wide-Ranging

An estimated 800,000 federal employees are being affected by the partial shutdown, which began on December 22. About 380,000 people are on furlough from agencies ranging from NASA and the State Department to the IRS and the National Park Service. Another 420,000 federal employees are working without pay, though some have started calling in sick.

Consequences are extending beyond workers and their families. Restaurants, hotels and driving services that rely on business from federal workers also are feeling the pinch. If the shutdown lasts until January 11, many federal workers will miss a paycheck. And if it lasts until January 18, funds will run out for federal district courts. Some cases already are being delayed.

Lauren Daigle: The Artist Formerly Known as Christian (?)

Megan Briggs

January 10, 2019

After drawing flak for her controversial comments on homosexuality, Lauren Daigle has been on a “ride.” That’s what the Louisiana-native told a radio DJ in a recent interview. When asked whether she still identifies with the “Christian artists” tribe, Daigle’s response was pretty non-committal.

“I feel like those labels get put on you by other people…I think part of me is just ‘artist’ because it encompasses everything,” the singer says.

Is Lauren Daigle a Christian?

Daigle sat down with radio DJ Dave Styles of 104.3 MYfm in Burbank, California to talk about her music and her potential cross over into the secular world. With appearances on The Ellen Show, Jimmy Fallon and Dancing with the Stars, Daigle seems headed in this direction. The very fact that a secular music station is interviewing her could be seen as confirmation. She admits the transition from a majority Christian audience to a more secular one has already been a “ride” and hints at the negative comments she’s been receiving from fans and others who are concerned the singer is leaving her Christian roots.

Daigle seems unphased by the pushback, though. “Risk is the best. Risk is the most beautiful thing,” she says with a smile.

Styles asked about Daigle’s inspiration for her newest album, Look Up Child. Daigle says her goal for the album was to “make music that we believe in that’s pure, true sound and that’s something that we love, and it will transcend wherever it’s supposed to go. But let’s make sure that it’s pure and authentic to who we are.”

As for inspiration, Daigle says she and her team studied the music and styles of “the greats that have come before: Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, Andre Crouch…Lauren Hill.”

Not Changing, Just Reaching a Broader Audience?

Not missing a beat, Styles picks up on the potential pushback Daigle could receive from admitting her inspiration didn’t come from more Christian sources. “You’re not changing?” he asks Daigle, even though her songs are becoming more well known and mainstream. She does not believe she is.

Daigle points to the fact that she used the same producers and writers for her second and most recent record that she used for her first. Daigle agrees with Styles when he says “you’re not changing, they’re [the secular audience is] just opening up to you.”

“I hope so,” Daigle replies.

Indicating she’s pleased her songs are reaching a broader audience, Daigle says “It’s beautiful to see how wide these songs are going and the landscape they’re covering.” She mentions comments she’s seen on her songs on YouTube in which viewers have disclosed they were going to commit suicide, but heard one of her songs and decided not to. Daigle says seeing people respond to those commenters in a supportive way is “beautiful” and a “gift.” Daigle says she also gets messages from people who use her music to learn English. She attributes this to the power of music.

Some may see the interview and criticize the singer for not mentioning God.

“I just want to see people come together,” Daigle says. “I want to see it become something pure,” she concludes. As for Styles, Christian message or not, he is eager to play her songs “over and over and over and over again.”

What do you think of Daigle’s comments?

Here are five ways to jumpstart your prayer life this week:

1. Write them down.

2. Snap a photo.

3. Memorize and meditate.

4. Only use three.

5. Study the prayers of Jesus.

Mist Life and Future Life Are Different

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