Nearly three years since the onset of COVID-19 left pews empty, churches across the globe have largely returned to normal operations, while also finding new avenues to reach their post-pandemic-minded congregations.
7 Ways to Ease the Transition of a Church Merger
A church merger can save both churches. On the other hand, it can produce a weaker church, resulting from the departure of churc members who are unhappy with the merger.
10 Ways to Prayer or Prayer-Drive a Community
Many of us walk through our neighborhoods on regular walks. Almost all of us drive through our communities on a daily basis. What we often fail to do is use these times to pray. If I were praying during either of these opportunities, here are some things I would look for to focus my praying....
Is the Ark of the Covenant a Type of Mary?
It is not uncommon today to find Roman Catholic authors and apologists speaking of Mary, the mother of Jesus, as the ark of the new covenant. According to this view, the ark of the old covenant is a type of Mary, and Mary is the antitype. All of this is tied to Roman Catholic Mariology.
To Stand or Not to Stand
"But that's a cop out" is something I've heard so many times from people. When this happens, I'm usually pointing out that demanding everyone stands, raises their hands, kneels or anything else your flavour of church does at various points during worship, can be difficult for some.
The expectation that everyone should kneel to receive communion prevented my grandmother from receiving communion due to her rheumatic knees. She was finally able to receive communion after permission was given to receive communion while standing or seated in their pew if they were unable to come forward to the communion rail. Ableism has not only been a problem in the local church in the past, but it also continues to be a problem to this day.7 Ways to Mishandle a Bible Story
The Bible is full of stories. And we preachers are full of ways to mishandle them. God has richly blessed us with the stories in the Bible. Each one reveals God’s heart and character. Each story is designed to point our hearts to Him and to stir our faith in His word and character. So, how can we go wrong?
Prom Alternatives: Because prom just isn’t for everyone
It’s the end of another school year. That means we’ve all seen about 1 million senior photos plastered on Facebook pages and at least that many prom pics. Everyone looks wonderful! I can’t believe how old my niece looks, all dolled up. Who is that woman with the lipstick, the high heels? I just can’t. In my mind she’s still a little girl. But the truth is prom just isn’t for everyone. There are teens that get left out of the big night and here are a few reasons why....
Why We Should All Work in the Church Nursery
While I see her point and I agree that for some people working in the nursery may be a good experience, there are other people who should not be encouraged to work in the nursery. They are not the right people to care for infants and toddlers. To many parents a nursery staffed solely by teenagers may prove a reason not to come back for a second visit after visiting a church for the first time. All volunteers involved in working with children, from infants on up, should have a background check as a part of a church's children's safety plan.
The Secret Sin Behind Passive Aggressive Behavior
Church leaders can exhibit passive aggressive behavior in other ways--stalling, giving people the silent treatment, being slow in returning phone calls or responding to emails or texts, not returning phone calls or responding to emails and texts, ghosting, and stonewalling, to describe a few. Psychologists have identified a number of these behaviors a s forms of emotional abuse.
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