Friday's Catch: 'The Church Has Left The Building – But WE Are Still the Church!' And More

The Church Has Left The Building – But WE Are Still the Church!
Whether the church has left the building or when we are at home and when we are together, we are still the church. Who we are and how we are living should flow seamlessly between those worlds without friction or tension. What we do in one place, we should be able to just as freely do in another place and our faith should reach beyond the walls of church into the everyday life we live.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused Christians to think about the nature of the church. While our weekly gatherings are an important part of the Christian faith and way and life, they are not the church. The church exists beyond the four walls of a building and outside our weekly gatherings.

Rick Warren shares 3 Bible passages that changed his mind on women pastors
Pastor Rick Warren makes a case for the ordination of women pastors, based on three passages of Scripture. This raises the question whether we may be giving too much weight to what Paul wrote and not enough what to what is written elsewhere in the New Testament.

‘Vengeance is mine,’ says the Lord
Former President Trump’s “I am your retribution” comments at CPAC have created the expected firestorm...," writes Dr. Michael Browne. He goes on to explain what the New Testament teaches us about vengeance and retribution.

Leave Vengeance to God
J. D. Greear remind us that vengeance is God's prerogative.

5 Things Every Pastor Can Give up for Lent
As you consider how to draw near to God during Lent, remember no matter what you give up, this is a season for surrender and renewal.

4 Ways To Learn From Other Churches About Worship
We can learn from other churches. At the same time we need to make sure that if we copy what another church does, what that church does is the right thing for our circumstances.

Based upon my own experience and reading, a good practice is to tailor a church's worship to its circumstances and not to try to slavishly imitate what some other church is doing. The circumstances of that church may differ from ours--the community, the worship setting, the resources, the ministry target group, and that sort of thing. What works for that church may not work for ours.

10 Things You Should Know About Lifting of Hands in Worship
While clergy and members of some mainline and evangelical churches associate uplifted hands in worship with charismatic and Pentecostal churches, it is a Biblical practice.

5 Toxic Small Group Ministry Moves
I’ve noticed that there is a short list of small group ministry moves that can be toxic. They often seem harmless. They don’t look dangerous. But they can cause great damage.

Because a Bible class or adult Sunday school class has a few people in attendance does not make it a small group. The way a small group is conducted differs from the way a Bible class or adult Sunday school class is conducted. The group dynamics are different.

One Reason Personal Evangelism's More Difficult These Days
Chuck Lawless describes one of the obstacles to personal evangelism in the twenty-first century.

The Many Faces of Islam in Africa
Islam is one of the largest religions in Africa, making up of over 40% of the African population. To ignore Islam is the greatest mistake practicing Christians in Africa can make. Every minister of the gospel in Africa must have an understanding of Islam.

Practicing Christians in the United States and Canada also need to have an understanding of Islam. I live on the outskirts of a small university town in western Kentucky. Muslim American and foreign students attend the university and the town has a mosque, an Islamic center, a halal grocery store, and a Muslim community. They need to see beyond the stereotypical image of Muslims which they may have acquired.

Largest UMC church in Arkansas to amicably split into 3 congregations
A church that is reportedly the largest United Methodist Church congregation in Arkansas has voted to split three ways due to disagreements over the denomination’s longstanding debate over homosexuality.

Over half of Christians say they sometimes experience doubts about their religious beliefs: survey
Over half of Christians say they sometimes experience doubts about their religious beliefs, according to a new study from the prominent Evangelical research organization the Barna Group.