Thursday, November 19, 2015

Thursday Roundup: Seven Articles and One Podcast


Churches Can Handle Change, But They Don't Like Surprise

Introducing big changes is much easier if we give church leaders and members the time to process them. Read more

The Millennial Leader: It’s All About Team

If you asked a youth pastor 25 years ago what his senior pastor was really like, he might have said, “He’s great, very successful, the church is growing and he is really a good preacher.” Today, ask the same question of a satisfied church staff member and you will likely hear something quite different. More likely: “He’s so approachable, authentic and a real team player.” Read more

Leaders Must Create More Capacity, But How?

Wise leaders apply their best thinking to the most important things. This is, of course, easier said than done because of the sheer volume of things that leaders are asked or required to think about. Because we are finite and flawed, we have a limited amount of mental capacity. For a leader, there are always hundreds of tasks, problems, and opportunities that could be swimming around in the mind at any given time. So how can a leader create mental capacity? Read more

7 Ways to Recover As a Leader After You’ve Messed Up

We all make mistakes. Almost daily. Okay, daily. We’re human. Some mistakes go unnoticed. So you take notes and hope not to repeat. But what happens when you blow it and people do notice? Read more

Using Variation and Surprise in Preaching

I’ve recently been thinking about not just what we say when we preach but how we say it. In this excerpt from Lectures to My Students Spurgeon hits on two often neglected tools in the preacher’s homiletical tool belt: variation and surprise. Read more

Tolerance, Truth-Telling, Violence, and Law: Principles for How Christians Should Relate to Those of Other Faiths

Since September 11, 2001 the question how Christians and Muslims relate to each other has been more urgent. This question is part of the larger issue of how Christians are called to live in a pluralistic world. More specifically, how shall we as American Christians think and act with regard to freedom of religion in a pluralistic context defined by the ideals of representative democracy? In particular, how shall we bear witness to the supremacy of Christ in a world where powerful cultures and religions do not share the love of freedom or the ideals of democracy? Read more

Horror of Paris attacks reflect theological identity and ambition of ISIS [Podcast]

Albert Mohler’s The Briefing broadcast, Monday 16 November 2015, looks at the theological underpinnings of the attacks in Paris on the weekend. The 20 minute episode is most enlightening. There’s also a transcript. Read more

Scandal: U.S. Christian Groups Prioritize Muslim Refugees over Christian Ones. Here’s Why

They are from some of the oldest Christian communities in the world, from lands where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah walked, and where Jonah called the people of Ninevah to repentance. But today these Christians have been targeted for death, sexual slavery, displacement, cultural eradication and forced conversion by ISIS. The U.S. government’s response has been woefully inadequate — neither helping them defend themselves and stay, nor providing them asylum to leave. And now, to add insult to injury, they are casualties of the agencies contracted to resettle refugees in America. Read more

China accused of trying to 'co-opt and emasculate' Christianity

Secretive conference to assess future of rapidly growing faith triggers concerns Communist party may seek to bring church in line with state agenda. Read more

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